Chapter 26 Taylor
Taylor
Well, that certainly felt huge.
Like, huge-huge.
I’m a ball of nervous energy until Knox barrels through the bedroom door, making a beeline straight for me.
I have one leg in the pleather pants I’m planning to wear to breakfast when he wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the floor. The relief I feel that he’s not mad about me calling him Daddy is immediate and intense.
I don’t know what I was thinking.
I’ve never once uttered the word Daddy to a lover because the ick factor is too high. But something about the vibe in the kitchen just brought it out of me. The need to prove that Knox is worthy, kind, and desirable raced through me so fast, my brain couldn’t catch up.
I needed his ex to know she’d made a mistake in letting him go.
I laugh as Knox sets me down on wobbly legs.
Looking scared for a second, he says, “Shit, did I just make you dizzy? Make your headache worse?”
I woke up feeling the most normal I’ve felt since Thursday afternoon, which is a relief. I really did not want to have to delay returning to work. Although now, I’m anxious about how things between Knox and me will go once I’m back on a regular schedule.
“No, I’m fine. I think the worst of it is behind me,” I answer, taking in his short beard and the fine wrinkles beginning to show in the corners of his gray-blue eyes. “How are you?” I ask. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
Knox’s eyes bounce back and forth between mine.
“It was easier than I thought it’d be. I think over the last five years, I’d built her up in my mind as this perfect woman that I’d somehow let slip through my fingers.
But after our interaction today, I was amazed to realize I was happy for her to go.
” Knox cups my face with his hands. “In one short week, you’ve made me feel alive and whole again. I can never repay you for that.”
I smile and give him a quick peck on the lips.
“You can start by buying me breakfast,” I say playfully, feeling oddly close to my limit with heavy emotions, even though it was Knox, not me, who just endured a face-off with his ex.
It leaves me wondering, would I be that strong if I were to stand face to face with Patrick?
“Anything you want, baby,” Knox says, nuzzling his lips against my ear as he moves to stand behind me.
My eyes close involuntarily. “I like it when you call me baby,” I admit, pushing back against him.
“Can I give you a confession of my own?” his deep voice rumbles, sending goosebumps skittering down my arms.
“Yes, please.”
“I’ve hated the word Daddy my entire adult life…until I heard it come out of your mouth.”
I smile. “Is that so?”
“Mmhmm,” he hums, his lips now pressed against my neck, tongue darting out to lick my skin.
“And how exactly did you feel when it came out of my mouth?” I ask seductively.
“Like I wanted to own you, protect you…keep you.”
I reach behind me to fondle him through his jeans. I want to tell him I’m his, but I’m unsure if it’s the whole truth. I’m healing from my relationship with Patrick, but that doesn’t mean I’m totally healed. I don’t want to lie or promise something I can’t deliver.
I can’t deny that I’ve been attracted to Knox since I saw him in that karaoke bar, but I hadn’t really anticipated him being the one to get attached. Especially given his hesitancy to even give this a try.
“Not to totally kill the mood, but why don’t we go grab breakfast and figure out what the hell we’re doing?”
Knox spins me to face him, a skeptical look on his face.
“That feels like it’s supposed to be my line.”
Pulling in a lungful of air, I search for the words I want. This situation feels delicate because things between Knox and me are so fragile.
“Maybe you’re rubbing off on me,” I tease, trying to hold on to a playful attitude.
“I’d rather rub against you,” he fires back easily, making me laugh.
“Hell, with that quick and dirty wit, maybe I’m rubbing off on you.” I give him a kiss and playfully push him off me. “But as you pointed out in the kitchen, I’ve hardly eaten in the last forty-eight hours and I’m starving, so I’ll need to eat before I can even think about fucking around again.”
At the mention of one of my basic needs not being met, Knox springs into action, telling me to finish getting dressed. “Do you want me to fry you an egg or anything as an appetizer?”
I chuckle. “No. I can wait twenty minutes, just not the hour and a half it would’ve taken if we’d decided to get naked again.”
He stands in the doorway watching me as I pull my T-shirt on and situate it so it falls how I want. I brush a light dusting of blush over my cheeks because my color is horrible after the last two days, pencil on some eye-liner, and swipe a tiny bit of mascara to finish it off.
I stare back at my reflection lovingly. I’ve missed myself, and I’m grateful to Knox for giving me a safe place to find myself again.
When we pull up to the restaurant, I get the usual amount of stares, and Knox shocks me by completely ignoring them. Well, okay, he doesn’t exactly ignore them. He almost eggs them on by touching me constantly and leaning in closer than necessary when he talks.
He wants people to know we’re together. He’s daring them to say something.
I love the attention and the possessiveness, so I touch him right back.
We place our order, and Knox dives into the conversation. “So, you leave Monday, but when do come home?”
“Thursday, but I fly out again Saturday morning.” I’m dying to get back in the sky, although the look of disappointment on Knox’s face makes my skin clammy.
“Do you share rooms with other flight attendants?” he asks, messing with his already-perfect silverware.
“No, we all have our own rooms,” I assure him. “Maybe if we’re still doing this in a couple months or so, you could come on a trip with me?” His eyes meet mine, and they’re wide with fear. “Knox? What’d I say?” Sheesh, he was the one who said he wanted to keep me. I didn’t think a couple months—
My thoughts are interrupted when Knox says, “I’ve never been on an airplane.”
In full-on, high-pitched, gay-pride mode, I yell, “Excuuuuuse me?”
Knox looks around, and several patrons are staring back at us, but he doesn’t tell me to be quiet.
“Knox, you’re forty-five! How have you never been on an airplane?” I ask, still mildly shrieking.
He shrugs. “It’s not as easy to get away when you own a company.
And when you do get away, you’re still on call because any problems that arise directly affect you.
Karen and I bought a place on the coast, but I sold it to Hudson a while back.
That was our vacation twice a year. I never needed more. ”
I think I’m supposed to run away now.
This man’s roots go so deep I’m surprised he’s able to leave the county, while my wings carry me on the wind to distant countries…but all I see are flashes of Knox in the crystal waters of the Bahamas, curled up in a snowy cabin in Telluride, skiing in Montana.
“Well,” I start, giving him a sly smile as I point between us. “This thing is supposed to be about getting you outside your comfort zone, right? Outside of the literal box you’ve put yourself in, yeah?”
“I suppose,” he grumbles.
My smile widens. “Then it’s settled.”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a half-grin. “Between you, my friends, and the guys at the fire station, I’m never going to know another minute of peace, am I?” I’m pretty sure he’s teasing, but…
“What guys at what fire station?”
“Oh,” he starts, taking a sip of coffee. “I’m a volunteer firefighter. It’s how I met my best friends. The ones who helped you out on the lake.”
My eyes widen. “That sounds more adrenaline-inducing than I would’ve thought you’d prefer.”
Knox fully smirks this time. “Judging a book by its cover, are we? For shame, Taylor.” He grabs my hand from across the table and laces our fingers together.
“Well, it also sounds hot. Like, super hot. Can I see you in your gear sometime? I mean, now sounds good.”
Knox laughs. “Down, boy. How about I send you a picture when you’re flying? Give you something to look forward to coming home to?”
For maybe the first time since this started, Knox is the one making a joke, but I want to be serious, and I’m shocked all to hell over the sincerity of my words. “I’m already looking forward to coming back home.”
Our food arrives, and we continue talking about the fire station, our schedules, our families, basically about everything except us as a couple. It doesn’t take long to realize that on paper, Knox and I don’t make sense, and I don’t think either of us wants to face that just yet.
He’s happy manning the grill at a backyard barbecue, and I’m the literal firework in the sky.
He’s a quiet observer. I love being center stage.
He loves weekends with his friends, hanging out on his boat.
I want to meet two hundred and seventy new people at thirty thousand feet in the air four days a week.
But when he nods at my empty plate and says, “Let’s get out of here,” I don’t care about any of our differences.
He pays, opens my door, and leans over to kiss me after he climbs in his truck. The diesel engine makes my balls tingle, and I almost come when his hand lands on my thigh.
“Can we swing by your parents’ house for that maid’s outfit?” he asks, shocking the shit out of me. “I didn’t expect us to end up here, but now that we are, I really wish I’d grabbed it when I packed your bag.”
My smile is immediate.
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s swing by my apartment instead. I’ve got better options.”