“Thanks for the TED talk,” I snark, biting into my burger, making everyone at the table laugh. “Don’t worry though, I watch what I put into my mouth.” I can see the color drain again in his face and then smile at him before turning and changing the subject. “My body is a temple.” I almost wink at him, but the last thing I want is for him to think I’m flirting with him.
“Are you nervous?” Ariella asks me and I look at her. “The big fundraiser you guys are having; the first one is always scary.”
“It’s not big. We capped it at one hundred people,” I tell her. “And Lexi’s family bought half of the tickets.” I look over at her as she shakes her head. She was in an emotionally abusive marriage before she met my brother. The man did not treat her right, at all. He was a narcissist and she spent ten years with him, as he slowly isolated her from her family and friends. Only when she met Kirby did she start to see the abuse for what it was. He and I grew up with a stepfather exactly like Lexi’s ex, which is how he was able to see the abuse so clearly. I didn’t even know how brainwashed I was until I was twenty-two and it finally dawned on me. He had raised me since I was three, ruling the house with an iron fist. A closed iron fist. He had a reputation to uphold. He knew the most important people in Arizona, so he made sure the minute we stepped foot out of the house, we walked the line he drew. He died when I was nineteen from mesothelioma, and then my mother followed him not too long after, leaving me and Kirby parentless.
Kirby was the one who was there to pick me up when the walls came crumbling down around me; when I finally saw what he was saying for years. “Besides, it’s going to be low-key, a certain number of prizes to bid on. Some silent auction prizes, it’s more about getting our name out there and making the foundation official.”
“Well, you can count us in,” Jaxon says, “for sure.”
“Thank you,” I say to him and then the rest of the conversation moves on with the guys talking about the season.
I avoid looking at Knox, even when he is talking, and then Jaxon spots the coach. “We should go say hi.” He gets up, holding out his hand for Ariella, and Kirby does the same with Lexi, leaving me alone with Knox. “We’ll be back,” Kirby says as they walk away from the table.
Knox waits for them to walk away and then turns to look at me. “Kylie,” he says my name and I tilt my head to the side, “I’m really sorry about before.” He leans forward, his voice low so no one who is around can hear him.
“No, you’re not.” I stare at him and see the light twinkle in his eye.
“No, I’m not,” he agrees with me. “I thought—” He starts to talk, and I hold up my hand, stopping him.
“You thought I was, what do you call them?” I raise my hand and snap my fingers three times, trying to think of the name. I gasp when I remember it. “A puck bunny. Is that what you guys call them?” I ask him but I don’t wait for him to answer me. “You know, the girls who trip over themselves to suck your d?—”
“Listen,” he cuts me off, “I didn’t mean?—”
“I knew exactly what you meant,” I tell him and then lean in when I see the four of them walking back to me. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have tried to suck your dick.” I smile and anyone who is looking at us would think we’re having a friendly conversation. “Because, in order for me to do that, I would have to be able to find it.” I grab the glass of wine I have been nursing since I got here, finishing the last sip as I glance down at his pants with a pitying look on my face.
“Hey,” Kirby says, stopping by the table and Knox about jumps out of his seat, “we’re heading out.” He points behind his shoulder, and I push away from the table and see Knox give me a once-over.
Yeah, buddy, take me in, because you’ll never get better than me, I think to myself, even though I’m wearing just blue jeans tonight. But they hug my hips and make my ass look phenomenal. The silk top I’m wearing has small spaghetti straps and falls a bit in the front, making it sexy. I grab my purse in my hand and walk over to Kirby. “I’m leaving also.” I kiss his cheek. “Thanks for inviting me, even though I’m not part of the team.” He smiles down at me.
“Knox,” I say his name, “it was nice meeting you.” I stick my hand out to him, being polite because if I’m not, Kirby might pick up on it. Even though his teammate is a douchebag, I don’t want him to be stuck in the middle. Especially since they seem to be very close friends.
He gets up and slides his big hand in mine, gripping it a bit harder than he should. “It was nice to meet you too.” He smiles. “I’ll see you around.”
Don’t you wish, my head screams. “I guess so.” I try to get my hand out of his, but he holds it a second longer than he should. He finally lets my hand go and I look up at Kirby. “Will my big brother drive me home?”
He shakes his head. “What? I knew I was going to have a drink, so would you rather me drink and drive?”
“Of course we’ll drive you,” Lexi offers, “you’re on the way anyway.” I turn then and walk away while Knox and Kirby say goodbye to each other. I listen to Lexi and Ariella talk about going dress shopping for the fundraiser, nodding the whole time, but I’m aware of Knox’s presence, even though I wish I wasn’t. When Kirby rejoins us with Jaxon, I start to walk away and make the mistake of looking over my shoulder, finding him staring right at me. The need to flip him off is so strong, I have to grip my purse even harder. I wave to a couple of guys who I met last season at the wrap party Knox did not attend.
“That was good,” Kirby says, walking out into the parking lot. My head is down as I look at the strappy heels I paired with my outfit. Something I wasn’t sure of, but after Knox watched me walk out, I’m happy I did because it made my legs look longer and pumped up my ass.
I get into the back seat of the car and am putting on my seat belt when I hear the window go down in the front. “Want me to pick you up tomorrow?” Kirby shouts to the person who is parked beside us, his black shiny SUV. I roll my eyes when I see who it is, obviously he needs a G-Wagon, since he is obviously overcompensating for having a micro-penis. I ignore them chatting, instead taking out my phone and going on my social media. Kirby laughs as I hear the door slam shut and Kirby pulls out of the parking spot.
“He looks better,” Lexi notes from the front.
“Who does?” I ask from the back, and she looks over her shoulder.
“Knox.” I about gag hearing his name. “He caught his wife cheating on him at the end of last season.” My mouth hangs open, and I don’t say anything. “It was brutal.”
“I’m sure it was,” I mumble as I look out the window, not saying anything else. I’m sure what happened to him was horrible, but that doesn’t make it okay for him to be an asshole to the rest of the world. I walked up to the bar and was going to order a glass of wine. I only smiled at him to be polite, since I was there because of Kirby. I wasn’t even trying to come on to him.
The car pulls up in the roundabout in front of my building. “Thank you,” I unbuckle the seat belt, “for bringing me home.” I kiss my hand and then blow him a kiss. “Lexi, I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.” I open the door and step out. “Be safe.” I look at them. “Love you,” is the last thing I say before I slam the door shut and head into my building. My head is spinning and it has nothing to do with the glass of wine I had and everything to do with the blue-eyed beast.
five
Knox
The alarm rings from my bedside table, but I’ve been up for the past thirty minutes, lying on my back in the middle of my bed. I have a hand on my chest, and I’ve been thinking about Kirby’s sister the whole time. I reach out and turn halfway, grabbing it and shutting it off before going back to the same position I was in before it rang.
