Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
ERIKA
He was here for me. Me.
I’d known, sure. Hearing him say it didn’t only soothe me, it righted something inside that had been off kilter since I found out he was dating Milly.
“No snarky comment to knock me down a few pegs?” he whispered.
I shook my head.
“That means you feel like you’ve humiliated me enough, then?” So much pain and shame reflected in his gaze.
Something inside me shattered. I couldn’t stand seeing Josh like this. Sure, I snapped at him sometimes, but only when he was solid and unshakable—never when he was gutted and hollow like this. I didn’t want him hurting in this way.
I hugged him. The strength and heat of him was an unexpected homecoming, as if all my cells had waited in limbo for this moment.
Words failed me. There was nothing I could say to take the pain away for him.
All I could give was myself, the quiet promise that he wasn’t alone and that I wasn’t here to judge.
“Erika.” He hissed out my name in a long, low exhale so it sounded like a curse and prayer. It was desperation and salvation rolled out in one fucked up syllable. His arms came around me, slow but certain. “You still want me.”
“God help me, I do.” My voice wobbled, and I didn’t even try to hide it. “Not just because I’d like a good gander at what you hide beneath these clothes. But I missed this.” I squeezed him tighter. “I missed you.” I eased back from his chest, needing to see his eyes. “Do you want me too?”
“Yeah,” he said, quiet but sure. “I do.”
“You’re still seeing someone else, which is a huge problem for me. If you’re going to destroy me again, I refuse to share you while you’re doing it.”
“Ditto.” A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I wasn’t the one who did the destroying before.”
He swallowed hard. “Before, I hadn’t meant to—”
“You’ve been waiting—waiting—to take him from me!” Milly howled, unsteady and wild behind me. “You witch!”
I shuffled a step away from Josh, suddenly unsure what to do with my hands. To my left, Drew watched with a tight, awkward expression as if none of this shocked him. Heat crept up my neck.
“I’m sorry, Drew,” I said.
He swallowed and the pained look he gave me hurt. I never intended to do this to him.
I looked at Josh, desperate for something—anything—from him to ground me. Maybe for him to claim me. But his face was tight and flushed with uncertainty. It gutted me.
My phone dinged with an incoming text.
Knox: We’re at the entrance. Where are you?
Erika: I see you. Look left into the parking lot. I’ve got the triad of jealousy around me. Save me.
I waved at Knox.
The three around me turned to see who I waved at.
Knox paced toward me with Vinny in tow. Knox wore a tight black shirt and jeans beneath a winter coat. His gaze bounced from the two men and Milly to me before his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Uh, oh.
I walked toward him to head off whatever he intended, which wouldn’t be good. I should not have asked him to save me. That had been stupid. Whenever I gave Knox a hint that I needed help he was prone to go overboard.
“Did you guys have fun?” I asked. My voice sounded shaky.
Knox wrapped an arm around me and kissed me. Not a peck on the lips. He assaulted my mouth full-on without hesitation. We’d kissed many times in high school to distract people. It never triggered the wildness inside I got from kissing Josh, but the man could put on a believable show.
When we pulled apart Vinny asked loudly, “Are you two getting married?”
Knox’s grin was pure trouble. His gaze flicked to Drew and Josh who were both stiff as statues. “If she said yes,” Knox drawled, “I’d marry her tomorrow.”
Behind me, Drew muttered to Josh, low but not nearly low enough, “I’m starting to think he doesn’t only bat for the other team. How the hell am I supposed to compete with a trust-fund-lawyer-slash-MMA-fighter?”
Knox leaned in, his voice a quiet rasp meant only for me. “What did they do to you?”
“Long story,” I whispered.
His jaw flexed. “Do I need to hurt anyone?”
“You’ve done quite enough, thank you.”
“Excellent.” His grin returned, all wolfish and satisfied. He shot both men a deliberate wink before sliding an arm around my waist. With the other hand, he caught Vinny’s, effortlessly claiming us both, and guided us back into the thrum of the festival like he had every right in the world.