Atlanta? I thought you were going to say downtown somewhere.
I was going to offer you a ride since you’re clearly drunk, but Atlanta’s a little far.
Be still my fucking heart.He was going to come get me at one a.m. because he thought I was drunk?
God, I’d have his fucking babies if I could.
While I’m lost in my thoughts, my phone vibrates again.
Knox
I’ll check on your parents’ house tomorrow when I swing by to make sure the batten boards haven’t shifted for the concrete pour on Monday.
Taylor
I’m sobering up from a buzz, but I’m not drunk.
I don’t knowwhy I feel the need to clarify. Justifying and explaining myself aren’t things I do often, but I don’t want him to think I’m immature or irresponsible like everyone else.
Wait…
Taylor
You’re going by the house tomorrow?
The thought leavesme with a strange feeling, like the thing I’m missing out on is at home for once and not somewhere else in the world. I can’t ever remember a time where I wanted to runtowardhome instead of away from it.
Knox
Yeah, but I won’t need to get inside.
Taylor
I would’ve stayed home if I’d known you were coming by.
Knox
That’s not necessary.
I really can’t explainit, but I have the need to get under this man’s skin. I want to see his calm snap, his politeness turn possessive, and his grimace turn into a smile that sets his eyes ablaze…and Idefinitelywant to see his abs again. The second time I was gifted a glimpse, his shirt was high enough that I could see a patch of dark chest hair that matched the trail leading south from his belly button, and I almost lost it right there on my parents’ driveway.
Although I don’t like body hair onme,I love the way someone else’s scratches against my delicate skin, the way it holds their scent, the way it makes me feel like I’m fucking a beast.
If the way Knox checked me out didn’t give it away, the fact that he’s still texting me instead of blocking my number is a pretty good indicator that he’s interested…or at the very least, curious.
And I can work with that.
Chapter 9
Knox
Ishould’ve ended this conversation four texts ago. Hell, I never should have answered to begin with, but that knowledge doesn’t stop me from hitting send on another message.
Knox
Stay safe tonight.
At twenty-four, Taylor is technically an adult—one I don’t know at all—but I think about what Phoenix was like when I first met him and suddenly, the warning feels appropriate. As far as their boldness and zeal for life, Taylor and Phoenix seem like two peas in a happy-to-live-dangerously pod.
