I glance at my phone and double check the address on the stone-covered home with the white pickup in the driveway before making my way up and giving a briskknock.
The night air hangs dead and weighted, wet with perspiration all its own as the humidityskyrockets.
The door swings open, but it’s not the cool air-conditioned breeze that has me panting with excitement. It’s the fact Knox Toberman is wearing nothing but a pair of flimsy shorts. There he is, muscular to a fault, those ridges along his abs are all that I thought they would be, and then some. Those thick biceps of his seem to be flexed they bulge so much, and the long ropey veins in his arms jump as he pulls the door openfurther.
“Come in.” A wicked grin flirts with his lips. “You’re letting in all thehotair.”
“Oh, right.” I stumble inside to the cool, dare I say immaculately clean living room—gray hardwood floors, steel coffee table, off-white couches. “Wow,” I muse. “It actually looks nice in here. I guess I was expecting empty pizza boxes and beer cans rolling around on thefloor.”
“That would be the frat house across from where you live.” His eyes lock onto mine a moment as the heat level rises between us despite the icy breeze blowing in from above. He nods me over to the next room. “I’ll give youthetour.”
We step into the kitchen, aka a work of art with its white shaker cabinets, white marble countertops, and I actually head over to the island and lie over it a moment with my armsspreadwide.
“Oh my God,” I moan over the cool, creamygoodness.
“What are youdoing?”
“I’m giving it a hug.” I look up to find the supersized fridge and gasp as I run over. “Sub-Zero!” My eyes twitch around to gawk at all the appliances. “Wolf stove, red knobs. God, the food you can cook!” I step over to a tiny wall oven. “Dear God, is this asteamer?”
Knox gives a demonic grin as if I were the only meal he was interested in. Have I mentioned he’s practically naked? My God, the boyiscut.
“You’re either hungry or trying to sell me on my home.” He frowns a moment. “Forest the Pervert would beproud.”
A tiny laugh works up my throat. “He’s not a pervert. He just likes the ladies.” And I happen to be one of them. “Besides, I know my way around a gourmet kitchen. It’s one of the amenities of home I miss most. So, is that why you chose this place over the dorms? It’s genius if youaskme.”
“Not necessarily, but feel free to call me genius anytime you like.” He bends over and picks up a black cat with white paws and a matching fluffy belly. “This is the real genius reason why I chose this place. Harper, meet Fish.” He glides the cat my way a second. “Fish, meetHarper.”
Honest to God, there is nothing hotter, nothing sexier than a beautiful man petting a fat, fluffy pussy. I sigh into my ownridiculousness.
“Hello, Fish.” I give the cute kitty a quick scratch between the ears and its yellow eyes closelazily.
“When Trix and I moved out, we knew our dad wasn’t about to deal with Fish, so I got an off-campus house for him.” He gives the tiny feline a quick cuddle and my panties wet in an instant. Holy heck, did I just douse myself at the sight of Knox Toberman getting cute with his cat? I’m horny as hell, that’s all. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the boy in question. It’s clear I need to take things into my own hands—orhandasitwere.
“That’s very heroic of you. Giving up the frat house and all of its alcohol-laden offerings is a pretty big deal.” I make a face while contently scratching away between Fish’s ears. “And Fish? Now that’s a name. I see what you didthere.”
“It was Trixie’s idea. She’s got a dry sense ofhumor.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing it firsthand. I just met her, and less than ten minutes later, she threatened me within an inch ofmylife.”
His eyes widen with horror before he closes them in defeat. “Please,ignoreher.”
“I won’t. First of all, she has every right to threaten whatever ho bag you decide to leash yourself to, seeing that your track record hasn’t been too stellar. I’d do the same for mybrother.”
“Brother, huh?” He smacks his lips as if the thought made him wary. “How old is thisbrother?”
“Twenty-seven. And as much as he’d like to probably kick both your ass and Justin’s, the act alone might kill him.” My shoulders sag at the sad reality. “He has cysticfibrosis.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.” Hewinces.
“I’ll save you the trip to Dr. Google once I’m gone. He’s got mucus clogging up his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe. He has an oxygen tank he needs to lug around with him. The disease is a little different for everyone. But Henry has it pretty bad.” I try to shrug it off. Not sure why I went there. I’m pretty certain in those few brief sentences we’ve just discussed Henry more than Justin and I ever did. “So you see, the only familial threat to anyone around here is Trixie.” Just the thought of it sends a shiver up my spine. “She doesn’t have any psychiatric issues,doesshe?”
He belts out a laugh. “Not anything official. She’s pretty much harmless, though.” He bears into me a moment with those laughing eyes, and something deep inside them says maybe she’s not that harmless. “Come on. I’ll finish the dime’s worth of a tour.” Knox takes us down the hall to the first bedroom, nothing in it but a bunch of boxes and a rumpled sleeping bag in thecorner.
“Trix stayed there the first few nights. She doesn’t do well on her own. But as luck would have it, her roommate showed up early and they’re both taking summer classes, so she’s content to be away from me—fornow.”
“You two are pretty close, huh?” I find it sweet the way they look out for one another, even if it does involve threatening physicalviolence.
“I don’t think it gets much closer. But not in a creepy way. She’s just someone who’s always been there for me and vice versa. I’d hate to think we’d everlosethat.”
