Chapter Eleven
Amelie
The buzz of an incoming call wakes me from my slumber. Panic leaps into my throat as I hit answer without checking the caller display. My mind immediately jumps to Onyx and then Baxter. Are they okay?
“Come take care of me,” a voice whines down the line.
“Fuck off, Kalen,” I snap. “It’s the middle of the goddamn night.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Boo-hoo, you shouldn’t have had so much sugar. I thought Sawyer or Slate was calling to say something had happened to Onyx. Or Baxter.”
“You really care about him don’t you?” he says in a quiet voice.
“I care about all of you,” I reply simply.
“Good. Then come care for me.”
“Goodnight, Kalen.” I sigh.
“Wait! I just got beat up by your brother. The least you can do is nurse me back to health.”
“If you need medical assistance after two punches to the gut, your brothers are going to tear you a new one once we’re home and they find out about this.”
“Just come cuddle me!” he whines. “I’m lonely.”
“Nope. Your bed is too small.”
“Then let me come get in yours. I’ll be really quiet.”
“Kalen, you couldn’t be quiet if your life depended on it,” I scold him. A cuddle would be nice though. I’m quiet for a moment and then I have an idea. “Meet me outside in ten minutes. Bring a blanket!”
I hang up and leave my room. I decide not to be sneaky about it, if anyone ‘catches’ me I’ll just say I’m heading to the kitchen to grab a drink. Kalen’s on his own. If he gets busted, it’s up to him to come up with an excuse.
Luckily, no one disturbs me and I’m able to slip out the back door to the garden.
Of course the jumping castle is still inflated.
The thing is so huge it took over half an hour to blow up and Kalen convinced Chelsea to leave it up over night so that the kids could have one last bounce in the morning before the guy collects it.
At least I don’t need to worry about suddenly turning the power on and waking everyone.
I cross the grass barefoot and climb into the giant inflatable, lighting my way with my phone and then passing the time while I wait for Kalen by playing a game. I idly wonder what time it is back in the UK, and wherever Baxter is, and I contemplate reaching out.
When all the excitement of the day is done, and I’m alone in my bed at night left with just my thoughts and the horrible churning ‘what if’ scenarios going around and around in my mind, it gets hard to breathe.
I feel like I made a mistake coming here, even though during the day when I’m surrounded by friends and family it’s a soothing balm to my soul, I should never have left Onyx.
Not only that, but I have bridges to build with Slate too.
I treated him terribly the last few weeks, pushing him away because I couldn’t bear for him to be okay while Onyx wasn’t.
Now that Onyx is going to be okay, I feel worse than ever.
I should have kept my family close, not pushed them away.
But flight or fight has always been my downfall.
I’m just grateful that the boys didn’t give up on me, and dragged me back to face reality.
Even if I was kicking and screaming the whole time.
“What are you planning, dear sis?” Kalen startles me, pushing his head through the entrance to the jumping castle and grinning at me maniacally in the torch light.
“Shush!” I chastise him, even though he wasn’t loud, he just scared me. “Get in here before my brother looks out of the window and sees you!”
“I think you mean our brother, sis,” he replies as he climbs in and joins me. He has the torch on his phone switched on and in his free hand he’s holding a couple of blankets.
“I’m not your damn sister, Kalen.” I sigh but I’m biting back a smile.
I love that he was the first to accept me into their weird fucked up family.
I love that even though Laura isn’t my mum, he still considers me family.
At least he dropped the idea of me being his future wife.
Of course he’d prefer the excitement of potential incest over marriage. He’s incorrigible.
“No, but if Laura marries Monty, Aadi will be my brother. Do you think he’ll get matching bro tattoos with me?” I snort. Aadi would kick his head in if he tried.
“Try him and see.” I chuckle at the mental image and then sober. “Besides, Laura and Monty will happen over my dead body.”
“I expect Laura would probably capitalise on your funeral. What an excellent way to make it all about her by getting hitched on your grave.”
I shudder at his joke. I despise that woman but I could see her wearing white to my wake and making it all about her like Kalen says. She’s a piece of work.
I never thought I could hate her more than I did when she abused and then abandoned me, but I was still young and desperate for love.
I guess I still am, I’ve just learnt that it can be found in the arms of others.
However, finding out that she isn’t really my mum and that there really was no reason for the sick things she used to do to me, has somehow made it worse.
I vow revenge. I will use whatever resources The Order have at their disposal to bring her down and make her pay. For good.
“You’re plotting, sis. Do share. You know I love to fuck shit up. I like to consider myself the king shenanigator.”
“Just thinking about Laura. What the hell is a shenanigator?”
“It’s a person who instigates shenanigans. They’re my speciality. You dragged me out here in the middle of the night to plan a murder?”
“Does that turn you on?” I smirk. I did not drag him out here to plan a murder, no matter how appealing that might be.
I’m on holiday and if I’m not allowed to call and fly home to Onyx on a whim, I’m certainly not thinking about The Order and 101 ways to kill a bitch with a paperclip or whatever weird voodoo shit they like to teach.
“No. Why would it?” He frowns at me, completely missing my teasing tone. “Unlike some people who are all into kinky sex and need to be punched in the throat with their leg in a bear trap to be able to come, I’m good with plain old vanilla.”
“Kalen, firstly? There’s nothing vanilla about your monster cock.” He preens at that and it takes all my strength not to slap his big head. “Secondly, planning a murder isn’t kinky sex. It’s not sex at all.”
“Well, are we planning murder or did you drag me out here for kinky sex on a bouncy castle?” he huffs.
“This isn’t kinky either,” I say, looking around the brightly coloured children’s castle. “Inviting an audience to watch us would be kinky. Besides, you were the one whining about needing to be taken care of. Are we doing this or what?”
“Jeez, sis, when you proposition me so enticingly, how could I possibly say no?”
“Just hurry up and get naked before we get caught,” I snap impatiently. Honestly, I wish I never answered the damn call now.
“Ah-ha!” He snaps his fingers in triumph. “So you’re not as kinky as you like to think you are, otherwise you wouldn’t care about being caught.”
“When have I ever said I’m kinky, Kalen?” I scowl at him.
“My brothers talk.”
“Have I ever said I’m unhappy with the way you and I do things?” I ask.
“Well, no but—”
“But nothing, butthead. I love…” I quickly catch myself and change tack. “I love having sex with all of you for different reasons. You give me something none of them can—”
“Extra inches.” He sounds bitter but still looks smug about it. I chuckle.
“That, and the best friendship. I’m not as close to any of them as I am to you. You make me laugh the most. You were the first to accept me, to like me. You’re the one who saved me when Onyx…” Again I trail off, unable to go there. “I love our sex. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Kalen smiles at me – a genuine beaming smile that lights up his entire face – and it makes me feel all warm inside. I don’t know why he was acting all butthurt but I’m glad I’ve made him feel better. Without lying. I meant every word.
He leaps at me, grabbing my waist and tackling me to the floor of the jumping castle, where we bounce together and I laugh.
Pinning me, he straddles my hips and gazes down at me with love.
That warm feeling inside of me grows. I made the right choice.
Not just in coming here to Australia with him, but in returning to the UK after I ran away last year.
In going back after fleeing when Onyx got hurt.
In resolving to forgive them and let go of the anger. In deciding to join The Order.
“Kiss me, you g—” I’m just about to say ‘goof’ when Kalen descends on me and gives me the sweetest kiss.
Even as our lips touch, I can’t help the smile that stretches across my face.
When he’s not making me laugh and getting into mischief, or bragging about his monster cock or winding everyone up, he’s actually unbelievably sweet.
The size of his heart can rival his ego and his cock for sure.
He distracts me with more kisses, dotting them all over my face like a pecking hen, making me laugh.
I try to push him away but he grinds his hips into mine and I gasp.
That is not playful at all. Kalen gives me a wicked grin, leaning in slowly so that my breath catches.
I’m so sure he’s going to kiss me properly this time, but at the last second he ducks past my lips and licks the length of my cheek.
“Eww! Kalen!” I whine.
“What’s the matter sis?”
“I thought you were going to kiss me.”
“I have been. Watch.” He returns to his light teasing pecks and I groan.
“Kalen!”
“What?”
“Kiss me!”
“I am!” he snarks. I growl and try to buck him off me, but even as the smallest Knox brother he’s incredibly strong. All I succeed in doing is thrusting my crotch up against his. Which he loves. “Tut-tut. Patience, sis.”
I sigh and huff in frustration but relax under him. May as well, I’m not going anywhere until he decides to get the hell off me. Besides, playful Kalen is fun, even if he is teasing the hell out of me.
“Kalen, come on.”