Silence fills the space between us. Knox’s head tips forward like he’s bracing himself for me to pass the same judgment on him.
“Emery, I know what you must think of me,” he whispers. “But I need you to know I’m not someone who condones cheating. I’ll let the rest of this town think whatever the hell they want, but your opinion is the only one that matters. I should’ve told you sooner, but then you told me about Patrick and I—I didn’t want to bring it up. I guess I am still a coward.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and attempt to look anywhere but his face. Is it possible to feel pain telepathically? Because if it is, I am sure I can feel the suffering radiating off him. But I don’t ignore the sharp reminder of what itfeels like to be Charlie. I was on the other side, and it does make me pause.
My fingers tug on the hem of my T-shirt, twisting the fabric around my thumbs. “I know what it feels like to be him,” I say, my voice low. “And that’s not something you easily forget.”
His head slowly rises, but I don’t look at him. “But,” I begin, softening my voice, “I also understand what it feels like to have people think the worst about you before asking for the truth. Do you remember why I was in Honey Grove all those summers ago?”
Knox blinks but slowly nods, registering my question. “I remember everything about that summer.”
His voice slinks around me like soft velvet, but I keep my chin held high. “Right. Then you remember how hard it was for me. My parents never asked me why I vandalized the school; they assumed I was a bad kid who needed to be sent away. They never asked me why I did it or how I was feeling.” My throat constricts. “They made their minds up about me, and there was nothing I could do to change it. And even though I’ve stopped trying, it doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
Knox’s eyes are glued to mine as he keeps his mouth closed. He just waits, letting me know he’s taking in every word.
“So yes, I know what it’s like to be Charlie. But I also know what it’s like to be you.”
His chest rises and falls. I see the tiniest ripple of his jaw like he’s trying to find the words to say. “Thank you,” he nods, cracking a smile. “Now I feel like an idiot for not telling you sooner.”
“You had your reasons,” I sigh, wrapping my arms around my body. “I was also too afraid to ask.”
Knox chews on his bottom lip and takes a step closer. My pulse hums to life. “I can’t believe you passed up a perfectly good opportunity to call me an idiot,” he says, reaching out. Iforget to breathe as he runs his rough thumb over the bottom of my lip. “I think you like me more than you’re willing to admit.”
He’s right. I’m not willing to admit it out loud yet, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be. So, I shake my head and cover up the drum line in my chest with an amused giggle. “I must be getting rusty because, in fact, I do still think you’re an idiot. Correction—I know you are.”
I peer up at him and everything in the room blurs around us. It always feels like this when he’s inches away, and I hate that I crave it as much as I do.
“What’s it going to take for me to knock down those walls of steel, Bambi?” he says, letting his thumb trail down the side of my neck and across my collarbone. Chills dance across my skin, blossoming into ripe goosebumps.
I close my eyes and try to find my words. “If I told you then I’d have to k—kill you,” I say, struggling to get the words out as his fingers graze the swell of my left breast.
“Oh, Bambi,” he sighs, leaning into my ear like he always does. I melt into the feel of his warm touch. “Don’t worry, I’ll find out. Until then, we can still have some fun. Right?”
And then he places a hard kiss at the base of my neck, and I know I’m a goner. My eyes snap open, and I’m met with an intense smirk that makes me want to beat my hormones into submission.
I should probably be fixating on his promise, but it’s hard to focus when his hands are squeezing my hips with this much force. I’m so swept up in him that I don’t even notice his body slowly inching mine toward the hard, cold surface of his car. I barely flinch when I hear the loud click of his car hood closing.
The surface of the car is cold against my bare thighs as Knox lifts me onto the hood. “What are you doing?” I ask, cringing at the thought of my ass leaving a sizable dent in his “baby.”
“First, I’m going to make you come with my mouth,” he explains, gripping the inside of both of my thighs and yanking them apart. “And then I’m going to make you come with my dick.”
“I—I mean, what about your car. I—” I’m cut off when he grabs the nape of my neck and shoves our mouths together. His lips devour mine, making me forget about—shit what was I worried about again?
When Knox pulls back, his eyes are bright blue and dripping with hunger.
“Don’t worry about the car, sweetheart. I’ve wanted to bend you over this hood since the first day I saw these tiny black shorts,” he says, firmly gripping my waistband. “Is that a problem?”
I stare blankly at him until he nods, waiting for an answer. “Oh. Umm, no. No, there’s no problem,” I swallow, feeling a burst of want burn at my core.
“Good,” he whispers, attacking my neck with his lips. “Besides, you don’t really have a choice.”
I gasp again when he grabs my thighs and slides my ass to the very end of the car hood. Within ten seconds, my shirt and bra fly across the garage, and my shorts are yanked off my body. I’m almost naked, sitting on the black Mustang with Knox’s heated gaze on me. I’ve never been more turned on in my life.
And then he drops to his knees, and I turn into a puddle.
Knox gingerly kisses up the inside of my thigh, and I let my legs fall further apart. Just the thought of his mouth on me is enough to send me to the edge.
His fingers glide across the band of my panties and he looks up at me with fire burning behind his pupils. “Purple?” he asks, blowing hot air between my legs. I lick my lips and nod.
