Chapter 10

Ten

Knox lookslike a work of art. His body is perfection, as he moves his body over mine I can't help but get caught up in the way his muscles move beneath the skin. He feels so good against me and inside me. His speed picks up and my mind becomes hyper focused on the way he's making me feel.

"Knox… so good," I repeat over and over.

"Yes, baby. Let me hear you."

His gaze drills into mine, not letting me look away or close my eyes. It feels so much more intimate than anything I've ever experienced. His thumb starts rubbing tight circles around my sensitive clit and I'm not going to last another minute. I'm on the edge of something big.

"Knox, I'm going to come." I scream.

"Come for me, Scarlett, scream my name. Let everyone know who you belong to."

"Knox… Knox… Knox…" I don't yell, it's too intense. Tears drip from my eyes.

"Shit."

Knox comes at the same time he realizes I'm crying. "Scarlett, are you okay?"

I can't answer.

"Are you hurt? Baby, you've got to talk to me."

I shake my head. "No, I'm okay. I just got overwhelmed."

Knox scoops me up and puts me under the covers before crawling in with me and pulling me across his chest.

"It's okay, baby. Tonight, hell the last week, has been a lot for you. Rest and I'll hold you. We can talk about everything when you wake up."

We need to talk now, but I'm going to take the out he's giving me. I don't want to rehash everything we've talked about this last week and the roller-coaster of emotions, but we'll have to eventually.

I'm not sure I'm strong enough to be with Knox again. Even if every fiber of my being is saying that he's the right man for me.

The next morning,I wake up alone. I don't know why I thought it would be different, but Knox left. The pillow he was sleeping on is still warm, so he didn't leave till recently. I don't know why I didn't hear him.

I rise out of bed and take care of all my morning routines. I dial Gillian and she answers on the first ring.

"Where have you been, young lady?" Gillian explodes the moment she answers.

"Hi, Gillian. What's got your panties in a twist?"

Gillian tends to be a bit dramatic, so I'm not really concerned about her outburst.

"Um, you had a date with Knox St. James last night and you were supposed to call me and tell me all about it."

"What do you think I'm doing, Gillian?" I laugh at her gasp. "Yes, I did have a date last night it just went really late. I know not to call you and wake up Archer in the middle of the night. He might take it out on his fantastic personal assistant."

"He wouldn't dare." I hear Archer say something in the background that makes Gillian laugh. "So, did it go well?"

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? I would have said yes, until I woke up this morning alone. I'm starting to believe that Knox and I are just meant to be star-crossed lovers. Yesterday, waking up alone would have broken me, but this morning, after last night's conversation, I'm okay. The fact that I'm chewing on my thumbnail, something I haven't done since college, means nothing. Definitely not that I'm unsure about if I can be without Knox and stay in Star Mountain.

"It had some ups and downs, but I think we finally broke through some things about what happened in the past and both took accountability for things we did."

"That's great, Scarlett." Gillian's voice is so happy, she really is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. "What does that mean for the future?"

"I don't really know. He, um, wasn't here this morning when I woke up and I think that's a bad sign for continuing to see him."

"He stayed the night?" Gillian yells. Then continues, whispering, "Did the two of you do the horizontal mambo? Was it good? I bet it was good. He looks like he knows what he's doing. You said it was good the other day in your?—"

There's a commotion on the other end of the phone and then the voice of my boss comes through, "Scarlett, I'm happy that you and Gillian are so close, but please refrain from talking to her about other men and their abilities. I would really hate to have to fire you and train a new assistant."

"She brought it up, Archer. I was talking about my feelings. It's your wife that's the horndog."

"Don't I know it," he says before hanging up.

I'm smiling as I finish getting ready to run errands. My love life is a disaster, but I have a good job and the best friends. Settling the past with Knox can only help both of us move on whether with each other or someone else, even if the idea of him with someone else makes me feel sick.