But that version of him was gone now.
He cocked his head. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said, the danger in his tone making goosebumps spread across the surface of my skin. Before I could even process the moment, his body lurched across the bench toward me. His hand shot forward, shoving past my own hand between my legs until his fingers pressed hard against the seam of my shorts. He pushed with just enough force to grind the fabric against my clit, knocking the breath I’d been holding right out of me. It made my stomach drop.
There was no universe in which he couldn’t feel how soaked I was.
Knox brought his mouth close to my cheek. “Sweet Hallie. My affection for you isexactlywhy I’m doing this,” he said, the words coming out in a growl.
We locked eyes, inches apart, and I let out a quiet, involuntary whimper. Finally, I didn’t doubt him as his fingers pushed even harder against the swollen bundle of nerves between my legs. I was fully his now, and we both knew it.
And then he leaned in even closer, letting the scruff of his beard brush against my jawbone. “God,” he said in a desperate whisper, “I can’t wait to watch you struggle.”
My entire body lit up like he’d struck a match inside me. He brought his hand up to his face and inhaled slowly, his eyes drifting shut like the scent of my pussy was a drug to him. My arousal blurred into humiliation until I couldn’t even separate the two. If anyone around could see us, I was unaware, because the edges of my vision blacked out until only Knox’s face existed.
A second later, he abruptly jerked away, sliding back to his end of the bench. I thought at first he’d sensed someone approaching us, but the park was even quieter than before–there wasn’t a soul around besides us. My ragged breaths nearly drowned out the traffic around us.
As we sat there in silence for a moment, I wondered if he would slip out of character to tell me goodbye–would he tell me to drive safe on my way home? Would he mention catching the train with Adrian? Should I thank him for the coffee again?
But then he inhaled and sat up a little straighter, muttering, “Just remember that you asked for this.”
And with that, he stood up, the bench creaking softly beneath the sudden absence of him. My mouth slowly fell open as Knox walked away without even glancing back. I kept my eyes on him until he disappeared down a side street toward the Metro station.
I couldn’t move.
Sweat pooled behind my knees, and my legs felt like Jell-o. I replayed his warning over and over in my mind:just rememberthatyou asked for this. Oh my God, what if I regretted this?
Maybe I didn’t know Knox Ballard at all.
Five
Knox
“I think Hallie’s hidingsomething.”
I almost choked on my hot dog, coughing as it went down. I reached for my drink, ignoring Adrian’s wide-eyed look of concern as I took a sip. “Hallie? What do you mean?”
He shook his head and stole a quick glance at the wrestlers down in the ring. One of them lay sprawled near the ropes as the arena erupted and the referee slid in to start the count. “Yeah, I’m like ninety percent sure she’s got a boyfriend and she’s hiding it from the rest of us. Which means he’s probably a big fucking loser.”
I tried not to laugh at my friend as I put my drink back in the cup holder. “Okay, and what makes you suspect she’s got a secret boyfriend?” I tried to make my inquisition sound casual, turning to watch the action down below. We were a few sections back from the ring, but considering I’d snagged these tickets for free, neither of us complained.
“My mom said she’s always coming and going at night, but she’s weirdly vague about it. I bet she’s back with that Brody dipshit.”
“She’s not,” I answered, a little too quickly. To cover it up, I added, “I mean, she’s smarter than that.”
Adrian let out a single, doubtful, “Ha.” But he shook his head, because even though he and his sisters still fought like children sometimes, he cared about their well-being. Even if he didn’t like to admit it. “Well. I just hope he’s someone halfway decent this time.”
Decent.
I just nodded, like Adrian’s words didn’t make the back of my neck prickle with guilt. Like I hadn’t sat with Hallie just hours ago and agreed to do unspeakable, indecent things to her. If Adrian had the slightest clue about what I planned to do to his sister, he’d murder me. Or at least try.
We returned our attention back to the ring as entrance music blared and a new wrestler emerged. For a few minutes, the arena was too loud for the two of us to hold a conversation, and I was grateful for it.
We watched in silence as the two wrestlers collided in the ring, the crowd on its feet, the referee shouting over the chaos. By the time one of them was tossed over the ropes and the cheers peaked again, the knot in my chest had loosened.
And when things quieted down again, I heard Adrian exhale beside me. “If Hallie’s seeing someone, you know what that means?”
“What?”
“I’m once again the only single Rutherford. No girlfriend, a shitty studio apartment, and a directionless job. The family embarrassment.”
