8. Knox

8

KNOX

She wants me. I can tell by the way her breath is coming out in little pants. The way her body flexes as I put the ointment on her skin. The way she can’t look me in the eyes. Her nipples are pebbled, poking against the soft material of my shirt she has on. She looks good wearing my shirt, almost too good. I want to take it off her and cover her naked body with my own. But I can’t.

“Kali...” I start softly, about to tell her that she needs to go back to her room and lock her door when my phone starts to ring.

I pull it out of my pocket and see Dylan’s name on the caller ID.

“Yeah,” I say into the phone, staring at Kali.

“We’re here.”

“Got it. Give me two minutes to disarm everything. Use your code for the gate.” I turn back to Kali as I hang up. “The guys are here.”

She nods and takes the first aid kit from me. “I’ll put this away.”

I reluctantly walk out of the room and go disarm the alarms. I no sooner do that than Dylan, Bear, Logan, Aiden, and John are all walking in. I take in the guys and know that Kali is probably going to be scared of them. She seems skittish, and I don’t want to do anything to upset her even more. “Try not to look so intimidating, guys.”

They all stop and stare at me, surprised. It’s then I realize how dumb that sounded. “I mean, come on, she’s had a rough few days. Just don’t be so intense.”

“Got it,” Dylan says.

Bear merely gives me a grunt and walks into the living room and sits down. His height and build alone is enough to probably spook her, but at least sitting down he won’t be towering over her.

I shake my head and follow the rest of the guys.

“I got what you asked for,” Aiden says as he hands me a bag. I open it up, and it looks like he got everything on the list. I hate the idea of Aiden buying Kali things she needs, but I didn’t want to leave her.

The room goes from loud to almost completely silent, and I lift my head from the bag and look in the direction all the guys are looking at. No doubt they know that Kali is walking out of my bedroom. She’s in my T-shirt, and even though it’s longer than any dress and comes to her knees, she still looks sexy as fuck.

I walk over to her and hand her the bag. “Here you go. I had the guys bring you some clothes. Why don’t you get dressed and then I’ll introduce you to them.”

I’m walking her across the room, using my own body to shield my friends from seeing hers. I know I’m acting crazy. I know I can trust them, but I don’t like them seeing her like this.

She takes the bag, and her face is flushed. “I’ll pay you back for this.”

I don’t respond. I merely close the bedroom door once she’s inside it. I take a deep breath and turn around to face the guys.

They’re all staring at me open-mouthed, and I know they will be able to see through any bullshit I try to tell them.

“Wait. That’s Nico’s sister-in-law, right? Isn’t that what you said, Dylan?” Logan asks.

Dylan is looking at me like I’m crazy. He knows Nico, and he knows how he is about family. No doubt they all are thinking I have a death wish for even thinking the things I am about Kali.

“I’m protecting her, that’s all.”

Dylan looks at me doubtfully, but he has my back. He looks at Logan. “Nico called him, Logan. He knows he can trust Knox.”

He says it meaningfully, but I don’t miss the doubt on his face. I don’t blame him. I’m sure it’s obvious to anyone paying attention that I already have a thing for Kali.

I sit down on the chair facing the guys, and we get to talking.

When Kali comes back in, she’s in a pair of tight blue jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt. I had guessed at the sizes, and I was pretty close, but the clothes she has on show off her curves in a way that has my jeans tightening in the crotch. I pull a chair over next to mine, and she sits down.

Kali

“Kali, this is Dylan, Bear, Logan, Aiden, and John,” Knox tells me, pointing to each of the men as he goes. I know my eyes are big looking at each of them. I’m used to being around handsome men. My brother-in-law and all his friends are handsome but these men are too. They all have different features that stand out, but they have a rugged air about them. They’re sort of beautiful in a scary, overpowering, manly kind of way.

I nod and give them a little wave and blush immediately. What kind of dork waves at them? I do.

“Dylan... so what did you find out?” Knox asks one man.

I can’t help but fidget in my seat. Knox smiles at me, and I know he’s trying to comfort me. Right now, all I want to do is curl up in his lap and have his arms wrapped around me. That would make me feel better.

Dylan goes from laid back, leaning into the couch to sitting up, elbows on his knees work mode instantly. “The guy that is targeting Kali is named Nick Tanner. Like she said, he’s the twin brother to Miles. He just got out of serving five and a half years in prison for a manslaughter charge that was cut short to a lesser charge.”

“Where is he now?” Knox asks while giving me an apologetic look.

Dylan clears his throat. “He’s on his way to Tennessee. He’s in Oklahoma. He’s taking it slow, making stops along the way. We’re getting intel to find out what kind of stops, but I’m sure he’s tracked her car. Isn’t that where you left it?” he asks me.

I nod. “So do you think he had a tracking device on my car?”

Riggs nods, and I want to bang my head against the wall. How dumb could I be? Of course he was tracking me. I should have ditched the car way before I did.

As if sensing exactly what I’m thinking, Knox interrupts my thoughts. “It will be fine. It will take him a while to figure out where you went after that, and we’ll be ready for him.”

I nod and then wince. “My car broke down just a few blocks from the bus station. The guy I sold the car to probably won’t give me up, he was pretty nice, but I don’t think it will be hard to figure out I took a bus when he finds out my car stopped running.”

Knox softens his voice when he talks to me. “It will be okay, Kali.”

“Yeah, I know, so what do we do?”

The men all start throwing around ideas, and they are all talking at once.

“Have you filled in Nash and Walker?” Knox asks Dylan.

“Yeah, they know.”

“Who’s Nash and Walker?” I ask Knox, but the one they call Logan who is sitting on the other side of me answers me.

“Nash is our commander and Walker, well Walker runs it all. We don’t do anything without them knowing about it.”

I put my head in my hand. “Oh my gosh, what have I done? I’m sure you guys do important stuff. Like really important things if you’re friends with Nico. I shouldn’t have dragged you all into this.”

Most of the men are still talking, but Logan puts his hand on my back and rubs up and down once as if he’s trying to soothe me. “Hey, it’s okay. Actually, this type of thing is what we’re trained to do. Don’t sweat it.”

I take a deep breath and nod, thanking Logan for at least trying to make me feel better.

“Hands off, Logan.”

The command comes from Knox, and my head whips around so fast I feel like I’m going to have whiplash. He’s staring over my head at Logan, and the anger is evident in his face. It’s almost like he’s jealous. But no, that couldn’t be right.

The conversation continues until finally I decide to put in my two cents. “We can use me as bait.”

Everyone is quiet, and I can tell it’s a good idea by the looks on Dylan’s, Logan’s, and John’s faces. But then they look at Knox, and the smiles stop.

“No, we won’t be doing that,” Knox says immediately, making me feel stupid.

I sit and stew the rest of the time, and it isn’t long before all the guys leave with the promise they’ll return the next day once they have more intel.

As soon as Knox shuts the door behind them, I put my hand on my hip. “What was that about? You acted as if I’m stupid or something.”

“No I didn’t,” he says, walking through the house.

I’m too mad not to follow. Normally, I would be nervous about being alone with a man, but not with Knox. I have no fear when it comes to him. I don’t even worry about running my mouth to him. “Yes, you did. You know it’s a good idea to use me as bait. I’m what he wants.”

Knox stops and whirls around to face me. My back is pressed against the wall, and he’s towering over me. If it was anyone else, I would be scared. But I’m not with him. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he says, but instead of looking into my eyes, he’s staring at my lips. His hand comes up and cups my jaw. I have to force myself not to fold into his embrace. The heat coming off him is like a heated blanket that I want to curl myself into.

He strokes his thumb across my cheek. “You have the most beautiful lips, Kali. They are begging to be kissed.”

All the air rushes out of me in an oomph. He bends closer, and I don’t take a breath; I don’t move for fear that he’s going to stop.

I swallow nervously, and before I can second-guess myself and ask him to stop, his lips press to mine. The moan escapes me before I can stop it. His hand controls the angle of my face, and he moves me, fitting his mouth over mine in a tortuous kiss that leaves my whole body shaking. I reach up and grab the front of his shirt. I should push him away, but I don’t. I pull him closer. His kiss is experienced, and he groans into my mouth, bringing me to my senses. I push him away, gasping for breath. His lips are swollen and wet, and I wonder if I look the same.

He’s looking at me strangely. “Kali? I’m sorry...” he starts.

I shake my head, not wanting him to apologize for giving me the best kiss of my life. I can see it on his face. He already regrets it. “I’m going to bed.”

I almost whisper the words before I slide underneath his arm and to my bedroom. I shut the door and fall back against it before bouncing off the wall and into the bathroom. I turn on the lights and look at myself in the mirror. I’ve never felt anything like what Knox just did to me, and it’s plainly written on my face. My lips are swollen, wet, and puffy. My eyes are two shades darker, and there’s a bright tinge of pink giving color to my cheeks. I look... well-loved.

I put my fingers to my lips, and they’re still tingling from his kiss. I may be new to this, but I know I want him to kiss me again.