Chapter 17 #2
Listen, I don’t need to boost your Earth-sized ego right now, or ever! You don’t need it. So are we going to cuddle or what?”
“Oh, so now you want to cuddle?” He teased me.
“Fine, you can sleep on the couch then. Don’t miss me too much!” I flipped him off and walked towards my room. I felt his arm wrap around my waist and hoist me up against his chest, carrying me into my room.
“Oh, so now who wants a cuddle?” I teased his words back to him.
He let out a low chuckle. “Yes, baby doll, I’ll always want to cuddle, because believe it or not, I’m the best you’ll ever have!
And for those other girls, you have nothing to be jealous about. They’ve got nothing on you,” he assured me from behind.
“Jealous? Who said I was jealous? If anything, I feel bad for them having your little guy inside of them!”
“Baby doll, don’t deny it, you want it inside of you too! It’s only a matter of time before you beg me for it,” he joked, causing me to throw back my head to rest on his shoulder. This escalated very quickly.
“Oh, Knox, what gave it away? Was it the constant need to beat your ass up or the gagging sounds I make when I see your ugly face?” The sarcasm dripped heavily from my words.
“You know there’s something else you can gag on instead if you’d like? But we can save that for later, baby doll,” he winked as he placed me on my bed.
“Is this the part where I swoon at your words and start to strip and feel myself up in an attempt to look sexy?”
He whipped his head around to face me with both brows raised. “I mean, I won’t stop you, baby girl! While you’re at it, can you add a lap dance to the menu? I’ve been dying to see you give me one!” he playfully said.
“Sure, why not? I’ve been practicing too. Just put up a pole in my room and it’ll be like your own private strip club that you and your friends are so used to.
They could become my regulars too. But I have to say, I only accept twenties!”
“The pole is already up, baby doll,” he winked, then proceeded to take his shirt off, giving me my own private screening of the Calvin Klein commercial. Damn!
He cleared his throat, bringing me back up to his face to see him smirking down at me.
“Again, wipe that stupid smirk off your face, Carter!” He smiled even wider and continued to strip until he was just in his boxers. Double damn! This boy is hot!
Everything in the commercial was on display right in front of me. Suck on that, females of the USA!
NOOOOOO! Stop! You. Don’t. Like. His. Arrogant. Ass!!
“Please don’t say that to me when you say that to the girls you bang on a nightly basis! I’m not like those girls,” I moaned, causing him to laugh.
Laying down on my bed, he pulled back the covers and lay there with his hands behind his head. The covers left his bare chest on display. Damn, it’s been a while. Stop checking him out, seriously, get a grip!
“I’m not the kind of guy you think I am, and I resent the idea that I’m bedding women every night! For the record, I don’t, and I never have!” he insisted.
“Alright, so it’s a weekly thing then?” I shot back, a smirk playing on my lips.
He shook his head at me. “Nope, try again!”
He shot me a deadpan look as I sauntered over to my wardrobe to retrieve my pajama top, which was actually his jersey. I turned to see a wide grin spread across his face. I rolled my eyes and slipped out of my dress.
Yes, I was undressing in front of him, but he’d done the same to me, knowing full well his abs were on display. This was payback, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.
I reached for the jersey on the bed, but he grabbed the other end. I looked up at him, his eyes wide and trailing slowly over my body.
Men! Show them a little skin and they’re all over you, trying to get in your pants. Wait, what? He’s not trying to get with you, woman!
“Eyes up here, Knox,” I directed, pointing to my eyes. But he didn’t follow, his gaze was fixed on something on my stomach. I looked down to see he was staring at the scar on the left side of my abdomen.
The memory associated with it made me uncomfortable. He released his hold on the jersey—my jersey? I wasn’t sure what to call it. I pulled it over my head and let it hang mid-thigh.
“Is that from him?” he asked, referring to my so-called father.
I sighed heavily. “Can we please not bring him up?” He agreed and mimed zipping his lips, lightening the mood.
He patted the bed beside him, inviting me to join him. Before I did, I locked my door and climbed onto the bed.
“What are you planning on doing to me that made you lock the door, baby doll?” His voice was laced with a teasing tone.
I turned to face him and smirked, causing him to sit up straight. Oh, I could have some fun with this! But this was drunk Alex talking. Sober Alex wouldn’t dare.
I leaned into him, throwing my leg over his waist so I was straddling him. He looked up at me, a smile playing on his lips. “Are you trying to seduce me, baby doll?” The sexual tension was palpable.
“Seducing you, Knox? No, no, I’m simply...” I whispered, trailing a teasingly light touch down his chest to his abs, hooking my finger around the waistband of his boxers.
He took a sharp breath in, his eyebrows shooting up. He obviously liked what I was doing. This was too easy. I reached across to the table, my face coming dangerously close to his. I could feel his breath on my lips.
“I’m just getting my phone charger,” I said, grabbing it and rolling back to my side of the bed to plug in my phone.
I giggled to myself, surprised at how turned on I was. I could feel the throbbing between my legs. I’m never doing that again.
“Also, Andy has a habit of bursting through the door whenever she feels like it, so I’d rather keep her out of the room tonight.”
“That wasn’t cool, baby girl! Why would you do that? Now I have to calm this guy down,” he groaned.
“Aww, were you turned on, Knox? Surely you’re used to girls seducing you by now?” I shuffled down into the covers to face him.
“Girls, yeah, but you? No! Fuck, Alex, why did you do that? I need a minute,” he said, resting his head against my headboard and closing his eyes to concentrate.
“What are you doing, Knox?”
“Please, baby girl, don’t say my name when I’m like this. It doesn’t help. I’m thinking of Kyle in a mankini to turn myself off. Do you know what he looks like in one of those? It’s a major turn-off!”
Well, this turned awkward. I felt bad now. I shouldn’t have done that.
“I’m sorry, Kn—I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how hard it is for guys to... cool down. I wouldn’t have done it if I knew you’d react like this. I thought you’d be used to it with all the gir—”
“Please stop, baby doll. Look, I’m not as much of a man-whore as you think I am. That’s all tabloid speculation. I don’t like you thinking of me like that. It really bothers me.” “Please, I’ve seen you with girls on nights out, bringing them home or to your hotel room. I’m not stupid.”
“I know you’re not. You’re the smartest person I know! Look, I’m no saint. I’ve slept around in the past, but I’m done with that. I want someone who likes me for me, not my name.”
“Please, you love the attention they give you. Every single girl falls at your feet, ready to give you a blowjob, sex, lap dances, whatever! You’re not fooling me. That’s all you guys want.
Sex! Sex on your terms. And when it’s not, you go off and cheat. You’re all the same, going after the easy girls instead of the ones who could give you more than just meaningless sex.”
I slowly realized this wasn’t just about Knox anymore. As I stared blankly at the ceiling, I heard him sigh. I felt his arms wrap around me, offering comfort.
“Sweetheart, I won’t deny that I used to enjoy that kind of thing, but I can’t stand it now. Not all men are the same. Some prefer the quiet, shy bookworm who’d rather spend a night in than out. They prefer the simple girls over the drama queens, the genuine over the artificial.
“Don’t you ever read those sappy romance novels?” His laughter echoed softly beside me. I nestled further into his chest, the rhythm of his breathing sending gentle waves of comfort through me.
I smiled against his chest, intoxicated by his scent.
“But any man who cheats on his girl is a fool who doesn’t deserve her. And any man who cheats on my sweetheart is an even bigger fool, and he certainly doesn’t deserve her!
“And not all men are after just sex. Sure, it’s a part of it. But when they find the right girl, they’ll accept her, all of her.”
His words were a soothing balm, easing my troubled thoughts. Maybe Drew wasn’t the one for me. Maybe I’d been trying to convince myself otherwise the whole time we were together.
“And what about you? Have you found your girl?”
His deep sigh sent a tickle across my forehead. “I have, but it’s complicated.”
A sharp pang of something—jealousy?—stung my heart, and my breath hitched in my throat. But why? I don’t have feelings for him...do I?
“Come here,” he murmured, pulling me closer. “Let’s get you some rest, and we can talk about it tomorrow.” He pressed a gentle kiss to my hair.
I knew we wouldn’t discuss it tomorrow, but I let it go. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it?
I shifted closer to him, reveling in the comfort of his embrace. I’d never slept with him like this before. Usually, I’d be curled up with my back to his chest, but now we were facing each other, my body wrapped securely in his arms.
His chin rested on the top of my head, while mine was nestled against his solid chest. His arms held me close against his warm body, and I never wanted to move.
I could stay like this forever.