Chapter Chapter Six
Knox
I cleared my throat. “I thought there was something, but I was wrong. I...”
Before I managed to add anything else, she sighed and said, “I don’t think I’ll ever have kids, Knox.”
That felt like a slap in the face. What was I doing, fantasizing about Amy? Was I insane? The woman was talking about finding a soulmate and having kids—things I never wanted to do.
“I think that’s just the alcohol talking. You’ve never been a happy drunk,” I reminded her.
She laughed. “You’re right. I always get mopey if I drink. You should have stopped me.”
“There was no getting between you and the cocktails,” I teased, trying not to stare at her. God, she was beautiful.
“Amy, you’re a terrific woman. Listen to me.” I cupped her cheek, brushing the corner of her lips. “You’ll get everything you want. The soulmate, the three kids.” My voice was strange, like it didn’t even belong to me.
“I’m not sure about that,” she whispered. “I’m not that young anymore. Three kids might not quite work out.”
“Does it matter that much?”
She bit her lip, and I forced myself to look away. “I’ve had this vision in my mind for so long. But I have to tweak it a bit.” She sighed. “Thanks, Knox.”
“What for?”
“Being my sounding board, I guess. It’s good to hang out, you know? I really missed you.”
I smiled. “I’ve missed you too. I’m glad you called tonight.”
“Really? Because I kind of felt silly. I could have just faked an emergency and left.”
“You can always count on me, okay? Whenever you call, I’ll answer.”
“Even if you’re in a fancy-pants important meeting?” she teased.
“Yes, because I know you wouldn’t actually call me without a reason.”
“That’s true. I’m not the type who calls just to talk.” She yawned before adding, “Tonight’s taken a toll on me. I can already feel my limbs going soft.”
“That’s the alcohol,” I pointed out.
She laughed nervously. “Yeah, that too.”
“Come on, I’ll take you home.”
“It’s still early, and you haven’t had anything to eat.”
“That’s true.”
“Then let’s go somewhere.”
I wanted nothing more than that, but I knew Amy well enough to realize that she wasn’t up for it. She probably only came to the bar because I insisted.
“No, I’ll do something else. They have some finger food here at the bar. I’ll eat something real quick and then take you home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. And then you’re going to tell me more about that sponsorship while I eat.”
I had a plan for that. I could definitely help out.
My brothers and I ran several companies.
We could easily offer temp placements to high school students.
Hell, I could do that in a heartbeat. I was interested in writing code before I even got into high school, and I’d like nothing more than to inspire others to do the same.
To my surprise, the bar had delicious food on its menu: fried chicken, tacos, and burgers. It was a wild mix, but instinct told me it would be good. I grabbed some fried chicken and went back to the table.
“That’s not bad-looking,” Amy said.
I grinned. “Want to try some?”
“Yesssss. Some habits die hard, don’t they?”
“They don’t have to die at all. Don’t think it’s a bad habit,” I said between bites.
“But I’m always snacking on your food.”
“Just on mine? I thought you did that with everyone.”
“No. For some reason, only with you.”
“Very interesting.”
She grabbed a piece of chicken and devoured it.
I chuckled. “You’re hungry, huh?”
“No, but this is super tasty.”
“It is.” After I finished the chicken, I asked, “Ready to go home?”
“Oh yeah. I’m tipsy. I ate greasy food. I’m in the company of a very sexy guy.” She cleared her throat. “Friend. This evening was a success after all.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Starting with those sexy compliments again, huh?”
“It’s just, well... sexy fits you so well.”
“Even with my bruises?” I challenged her.
“Knox, they make you look like a bad boy, and women love bad boys.”
I really wanted to know if Amy did too.
It took all of my self-restraint not to say anything back, because I was going to flirt. I was sure of it. So instead, I motioned her toward the entrance.
I reached for her back but quickly dropped my hand. I wasn’t touching her bare skin again tonight, or who knew what might happen.
As we got into the Rover, Amy sighed. “Thanks for being there for me tonight.”
“Always, Amy. I mean it. Even if we haven’t talked in a year and you need me, you can just call me.”
“Planning on ghosting me again?” she teased.
“No, never again. By the way, we didn’t get to talk about the sponsorships you’re looking for. Is it just for donations, or are you still searching for internship spots as well?”
She paused, likely forming her thoughts, then said, “The main goal right now is to arrange internships for them so they can get a taste of what the real world is like. And also to invite speakers to share a bit about their careers. By the way, would you be interested in bragging to some kids?”
I laughed. “Bragging about what?”
“Yourself. You know, what you do. You and your brothers have set up multiple companies. Clearly, you know what you’re doing.”
I nodded. “I’d be happy to talk to the kids at your school.”
“Great.” She was smiling from ear to ear.
“Just tell me when, and I’ll make it work.”
“Of course. I’ll set something up and let you know. This will be amazing. They’ll love you.”
There was a lot of warmth in her voice when she spoke of her students. It took me by complete surprise. This was clearly not just a job to her. On some level, I always knew that, but I found it endearing that she was still passionate about teaching after doing it for a few years.
We arrived at her house a short while later. We both got out, and I whistled.
“That’s a nice place you’ve got.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to butter me up. I’ve seen where you live now. You cannot possibly think this is nice.”
“Yeah, it is. I haven’t always lived in a mansion, you know?”
“You had a fancy bachelor pad before,” she said as she took out her keys. “Come on in. I’ll give you a tour. I promise it won’t take long. It’s not very big. I can’t believe you haven’t been to my house.”
When she opened the door, I started to laugh.
She looked over her shoulder. “Something funny?”
I shook my head. “No. This place just fits you perfectly.”
“You can tell that by one glance?”
“Some things don’t change. Look at all these shelves. Even in that cramped dorm room, you managed to put up shelves everywhere.”
She chuckled. “True. And I ended up bringing them to every single one of my rentals until they broke. That’s why I got new ones.”
“I definitely recognize that ottoman.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. It doesn’t fit with this new couch, but I love it too much. It’s the perfect height for putting up my feet. My bedroom is through there.” She pointed to the door. “And the bathroom is there.” There was a small door hidden near a shelf.
“So, no en suite.”
“It’s just me. And the whole place is so small that everything feels like an en suite.” She turned to face me. “Do you want some sweet tea?”
“You’re still a fan of that?”
“Oh yeah. Once a sweet tea lover, always a sweet tea lover. Reminds me of my gran too. She always said it was a pity that people didn’t like to make their own anymore.”
I needed to leave. Lingering wasn’t smart. I kept eyeing her long legs. The way the dress highlighted her waist and ass.
Focus on the house, Knox.
I blinked, looking around. Her kitchen was small. There wasn’t much space between the counter and the stove.
“Where do you bake?” I asked.
“I don’t need a lot of room. Obviously, it’s easier if you do have it, of course. I’m still daydreaming about that amazing marble countertop at your place.”
I leaned against the counter and tilted slightly toward her as she poured sweet tea into glasses.
“You’re welcome to bake there whenever you want to.” Yeah, I was definitely looking for every excuse to lure her back.
“Here you go.” Amy handed me my glass.
“Actually, I should go,” I said.
“What? Why?”
I swallowed hard and couldn’t come up with an excuse for the life of me, so I decided to just lay it all out for her. “Because I don’t want any sweet tea, Amy. I want you. I can’t stop wanting you, and I don’t know what the hell is going on.”
“Knox.” She licked her lips, and I captured her mouth for a kiss. She tasted like sweet tea and alcohol, and I couldn’t stop kissing her. She was so damn delicious.
I touched her bare back, trailing my fingers up and down her spine. Her skin turned to goose bumps, and I groaned against her mouth. She moaned in response, and it reverberated through her body. I knew I had to stop, but at the same time, all I wanted was to take her dress off completely.
I moved one hand down her leg, then pushed her dress up.
I’d been fantasizing about doing this since we were in college, and it was even better than I’d expected.
Her skin was smooth and soft. I lifted her dress until her ass was on display, then grabbed a cheek, kneading it.
She was wearing a thong, and I drew my finger along the line that disappeared between her buttocks.
She sighed and then pulled back from the kiss.
“Knox.”
“Fuck.”
She immediately stepped back and grabbed at her dress, covering herself.
“Amy,” I began. But for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say.
I’d just kissed one of my closest friends, a woman who knew me better than most of the people outside my family.
A woman who wanted three kids and a soulmate, whereas all I wanted was hot sex—something she was adamantly against in her dating life. What the hell had I been thinking?
I cleared my throat. “This shouldn’t have happened,” I finally said.
She sighed and closed her eyes. A small smile played on her lips.
“I agree. It was absolutely delicious, but you’re totally right.”
“You look fucking amazing,” I went on.
She laughed. “That’s your excuse?”
“Wasn’t looking for one. I just wanted you to know exactly what I think. Right, call me so we can talk about me dropping by the school.” I changed the subject on purpose. We needed to shift focus.
“Yes. Yes, of course.”
She cleared her throat and then shifted her weight from one leg to the other. I looked from her legs back up to her gorgeous face. It was even harder to keep my thoughts on the straight and narrow. All I could think about was how it would feel to have those legs wrapped around me.
“Good night, Knox.”
I left right away. Lingering would be a bad idea, even though it was all I wanted.
Once I stepped out the door, I turned around. I could find an excuse to go back in, but that wouldn’t be smart. So instead, I headed to my car.
Tonight didn’t go as planned, but I had zero regrets.