“Get back in your room,” Kitty insisted. “Change out of that ridiculous outfit and wash your face. I will speak with my son, set him straight. I expect you to be lights out in ten minutes. If you—”
Her harsh words were cut off by the sound of a door opening across the wide, carpeted hallway.
I peered past her to see Knox stepping out of one of the guest rooms wearing jeans and another chest-hugging T-shirt, this one the same onyx-black as his hair. His hair was damp from his shower, his face groomed although the stubble still lined his jaw. I decided then that I liked it. He’d always been clean-shaven, but now he had a hint of devilish bad boy that I found both attractive and dangerous.
“You are supposed to be in the north wing,” Kitty said harshly.
“There was a change of plans,” he said simply, never looking at his mother.
“Knox,” Kitty acknowledged, turning to look at him. “I was—”
“Just leaving,” he interrupted, his gaze settled on me. “Are you ready?”
My eyes darted to Kitty then back to him. I knew in my heart that I should go back in my room as she’d demanded. Defying her would get me nowhere, regardless of whether I had resigned myself to dinner with Knox.
“Dinner, Em,” Knox said brusquely before looking at Kitty. “Go away.”
She sucked in a harsh breath then snapped a quick, “That isnoway to speak to your mother.”
His voice was hard when he added, “Go. Away. Mother.”
Kitty’s eyes widened, her hand coming to her chest as though his words had physically hurt her.
I felt like I was watching tennis, their words volleying back and forth so quickly. I wasn’t sure whether I should stay or go, but I was rooted in place, captivated by the showdown between mother and son.
Knox held out his hand to me. “Shall we?”
“I need to get shoes,” I told him politely.
“Go without. We’re casual tonight.”
I was pretty sure Kitty’s face turned a new shade of crimson, but I kept my mouth shut as I swallowed and nodded, forcing a smile as I pulled my bedroom door shut behind me. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone without shoes in the house. Outside of my bedroom, anyway. That was another one of Kitty’s many rules.
“I’ll speak with you later, Mother,” Knox said dismissively, holding out his arm for me to take.
Despite knowing I would regret shunning my stepmother, I couldn’t resist the opportunity, so I slipped my arm through Knox’s and allowed him to lead me down the hall.
“You look beautiful.”
There was approval in his tone that had a frisson of heat coursing through me, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end with both delight and dread. I didn’t understand Knox, didn’t know what his endgame was, but there was no denying I craved the attention.
“Thank you.”
As we made our way through the house and out onto the veranda, I noticed the staff had made themselves scarce. The heavy iron and glass dining table had been set for two, complete with linens and candles tucked behind a hurricane globe to shield from the breeze off the ocean. The enormous stone fireplace had been lit and was chasing away any chill that might’ve invaded.
Knox walked around and pulled my chair out, then waited for me to take my seat before he moved to the one at my right.
“Did you manage to get some rest?” he asked as he poured the wine.
Instantly my gaze shot to the door, fully expecting Kitty to admonish him for offering me alcohol.
Knox must’ve recognized my concern because he said smoothly, “She has no say over tonight.”
I leaned in and whispered, “She has a say over everything.”
“Not anymore, Em. I want you to relax.”
Relax? Didn’t he know that wasn’t even an option? I was almost twenty-one years old and lived under the thumb of my stepmother. Relaxing wasn’t something I knew how to do. If it was, I wouldn’t be here right now; I would be off at college, living in a big city, enjoying a night out with friends. Where I dreamed of being.
