Knox laughs and shakes his head before scrubbing a hand over his chin. “In all seriousness, please let me know if he tries to contact you again. I’ll take care of it.”
His face grows somber for a minute, and something tells me that he means every word. The same fluttering sensation I’ve been feeling all night starts to grow. I nod tightly and force a grateful smile.
“Well, then,” Knox says, slapping his hands against the counter and slipping back into his usual relaxed self. “I hope you’re hungry, Bambi. I know I’ve already made you moan plenty tonight, but get ready to make those sounds for an entirely different reason.”
I roll my eyes, but it’s quickly followed by a genuine, full-bellied laugh. It’s a good thing summer is almost over, because I am not getting out of this situation unscathed, and the sooner I start putting space between us, the better.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun in the meantime.
CHAPTER 20
EMERY
Iam not the type just to pop by, but something draws me to Knox’s shop late one afternoon. I guess you could say that he’s growing on me. That and I feel the need to bring him lunch after the amazing dinner he cooked last night…and for scaring my ex off for good.
Right as I’m about to walk into the shop, I spot some vaguely familiar blonde extensions through the open bay door. The girl attached to them must be laughing because her hair slightly sways left to right. And then I see Knox smiling too and I stop dead in my tracks.
I stand frozen right outside the door with my hand clutched tightly around Knox’s lunch. My stomach feels hollow watching them. At some point, she even touches his arm. There’s a prickly sensation, too, that feels way too close to jealousy. Except, I can’t be jealous. Right?
No, I can’t be jealous. But Knox’s girlfriend can be.
I quickly find my nerve and march into the shop like I own it.
Knox must hear my footsteps because as soon as I pass onto the concrete floor, his eyes are on me. And the craziest thing happens. His smile shifts. No, it softens. “Bambi.”
The girl turns too, her eyes sliding over me with the same intensity they did that time at the fair. Her name starts with an A. Avery, maybe? Regardless, I give her a fake smile before saying, “Hope I’m not interrupting any. I just wanted to stop in and bring you lunch, babe.”
Without stopping, I walk right up to Knox and plant a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek like the classy bitch I am. But right when I pull back to hand him the bag, Knox catches my arm and pulls me into a full-blown kiss that nearly knocks me off my feet.
The world spins around me as I place both hands against his chest to regain my balance. I don’t even know where the paper bag is at this point, but I don’t care. All I can think about is the way his hands slink down to my waist like there’s a special place there just for them.
Heat rushes to my face, and for a moment, I forget that we aren’t alone. That is, until Knox turns toward her and says, “Ava, this is my girlfriend, Emery.” But even as he says it, he doesn’t take his hands off me.
“We’ve met,” she replies, trying to keep her face blank, but I notice the tiny quiver of emotion hiding there.
“Oh, okay,” he says. Knox’s thumb rubs in a repetitive circle on my hip in quiet reassurance. “Did you have any other questions about your car? I should have it ready by tomorrow. Brakes don’t take me long to do.”
Ava clears her throat. “Oh, great. That all sounds…good. I think I might have my dad pick it up, if that’s okay?”
“Sure,” Knox smiles.
“Well, I should probably get out of the way then.”
“Probably,” I agree, feeling the weird, satisfying glow of claiming my territory. It’s even more satisfying watching her give an awkward little way before heading toward the door.
“Bambi, Bambi, Bambi,” Knox sighs, releasing me from his hold. Once he lets go, I realize how hot my entire body is. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
I cross my arms and square my shoulders. “I’m just playing the part.”
“Oh, yeah,” he smirks, stepping closer to me again. Heat burns in his eyes like a predator stalking its prey. I back up on instinct, only to hit a dead end when my back meets a door. “Well then, it’s safe to say that jealousy looks good on you.”
“I—I wasn’t jealous,” I say, my throat going dry as his hand reaches between my arm. “What are you doing?”
“I just remembered that you haven’t seen my office yet,” he says. And then, as I hear a click, it sinks in that he was reaching for a doorknob. My pulse begins to sputter out of control.
Suddenly, the wall is gone, and we’re in a small, slightly messy office space. I turn my back to Knox to take in the papers scattered across the desk and the bulletin board with business cards that look older than me. “Holy shit, you are messy.”
“Correction,” Knox says, stepping around me and dragging a chair out of the way. “My boss is messy,” he says, before taking his hands and sweeping all the papers onto the floor. My mouth drops open.
