I would rather take a wire brush to my corneas.Knox spoke up quickly. "We actually have plans. Thank you, though."
Sylvia made sure to make her disappointment look convincing. "Oh, very well. I'm so pleased we could finalize the venue right away. Gemma? Could we meet to go over invitations? Time is of the essence, clearly."
"Clearly," I said through my fake smile. "Sure."This had better pan out. As soon as that house is Knox's, I am out of there.
"I'll call you soon," Sylvia simpered, the fine lines around her eyes creasing with the strain of keeping her smile in place.
I'll take a Xanax first,I sang back in my head.
Knox took us through a fast-food restaurant line, and we got burgers and fries, and because I was feeling some kind of way, I made him get me extra onion rings. Normally, I wouldn't do that with a man I wanted to fuck as badly as I wanted to rail Knox, but something about this situation had made me extra salty. So,with a little more verve than usual, I tore into an onion ring and glanced his way.
Knox met my eyes with a slightly amused side-glance of his own. "Tasty?"
"So good," I said with my mouth full.
He seemed to be fighting a laugh. "If you're happy, I'm happy."
"Oh, is that how it is?" I asked, my attitude revving up like a souped-up motorbike. "If I'm happy? If any of this craziness makes me happy, thenyou'rehappy?"
"Gem," he sighed. With night falling so early these days, the evening golden hour already cast long shadows and glimmering copper light across his smooth features.
"What?" I asked, my mouth already overly full. I shoved another onion ring in there anyway.
"Are you trying to ward me off with onions like I'm a vampire?" he teased weakly.
"Is it working?"
"No." He spared another fast, intense look my way before returning his eyes to the road. "I'll just tie you up and bend you over so you can't assault me with your food choices."
A piece of onion ring breading fell out of my mouth as I gaped at him. Recovering quickly, I chewed fast and swallowed. "You don't mean that." He slid a look full of dark promises my way as we stopped at a red light. I swallowed again. "Maybe you do."
"You've been begging for a punishment, Gemma. Don't you think?"
Oh, fuck me, I had. I licked my lips. "What kind of punishment?"
"Well, it wouldn't be much of a punishment if you knew what was coming, would it?" He leaned his temple against his fist, staring at me in the deepening shadows. "Would you like to find out?"
I had to stop myself from bouncing in my seat. It probably wasn't very cool of me to get bubbly about getting tied up, but my God, I desperately wanted to be. The men I'd been with in the past had been worse than vanilla. They'd beenselfish. Whatever position they wanted or as fast as they desired was how our nights went. I'd actually convinced myself that good sex was a myth at this point. The last two days with Rook had been rapidly rewriting that theory.
I swallowed the onion rings down with soda and did my best to avoid any more onions in the burger, like the traitor to myself that I was. One mention of fun sex and I gave up all efforts to stand up for myself. But before I could spiral down that funnel of thought, Knox reached over and took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. Watching Knox be affectionate was like seeing an honest-to-God vampire. I stared blankly, and he smiled before letting our hands fall to my lap.
"I know this whole mess has been hard for you. I want you to know, I'm going to make sure you're safe, Gemma. You'll have a good place to live, and no matter what happens with us from this point, you are my priority." He gave my hand a squeeze. "Sticking it to my mom is satisfying, but it doesn’t seem like she’s going to hand it over to us the easy way. Give me a few days to talk it over with Azura, and we’ll come up with something else. You’re my priority, Gem. Not winning.”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "Shut up," I said thickly.
Knox snorted. "How did I know you were going to respond that way? No. I'm not going to shut up. You aren't just a fun fling, Gem. You're my friend and living with you has been the happiest I've been in a long time."
I wanted to say that I felt the same way, that having him there had been acomfort, not a hardship. Knowing he would be home when I was had made me feel safe and content. Becomingfriends with him had been fun. But I couldn't make myself say it. Every time I had done that, the person I’d loved had left. "Oh," I said, my voice breaking.
He smiled mildly. "I've got your back, Gem. Do I need to write that down as a house rule?"
"Maybe," I laughed with tears in my voice. I swiped them away with a sniff. "And I'm writing one, too."
"What's that?"
I gave him a sly smile. "Share your hobbies with the class, Fudgecake."
Chapter twenty-four
