Page 47 of Knockout Queen

I start to walk toward him and finally notice he’s got a red bow tie around his neck. All the guys, actually, except for Brawler, are dressed for a holiday dinner. Johnny’s wearing his suit with a red handkerchief in the front pocket. Oscar has on jeans, but he’s also wearing a deep green V-neck sweater. It’s only Brawler and I that look out of place.

I move toward the table and sit between Oscar at the head and Magnum to my right. Johnny is across from me and Brawler is across from Magnum. Warm fuzzies tingle my skin as we start to eat our Christmas dinner together. Maybe one of these days, we can actually cook it together, too, but this, right now, is so special.

Johnny winks at me from across the table and rubs his foot against mine underneath. We pass the meat and sides around to each other until we’re concentrated on eating the delicious meal in front of us. None of us breathe a word about the Crew. None of us talk about Detective Reynolds at the cemetery, which only adds to my belief that a normal life isn’t that far away. No, it won’t be traditional. We’ll get strange looks and be whispered about behind our backs, but I don’t care. I want to be happy, and these four make me happy.

At the end of dinner, Oscar jogs off to the kitchen and brings back a pie. I rub my stomach because it’s so damn full. I haven’t eaten like this in a long time.

“We didn’t know what kind of pie you liked,” Oscar says.

Johnny pierces him with a look, which Oscar dutifully ignores. “Yes,we,” Johnny emphasizes, “weren’t sure sowe—”

“—knew you liked chocolate, so we did chocolate pie,” Oscar finishes.

He flourishes it in front of me, and my mouth waters. “Excellent choice.”

“My mom used to make cheesecake,” Mag says.

“My mom used to make every pie imaginable,” Brawler adds, staring at the impeccably made pie in front of us.

So did mine, but I don’t add to the conversation. I don’t want to get bogged down with sadness. “I love chocolate pie,” I tell all of them. “I just hope I can eat some.”

“It’s Christmas,” Oscar says, smirking. “You’re going to put it in your mouth, and you’re going to like it.”

The guys roll with laughter. All but Johnny, of course. I give him a soft kick under the table, and he smiles for me even though it looks like it takes a lot of effort.

This is going to take some getting used to for everyone. We’ll have to mesh traditions, but that happens in any relationship, right? We just have more people to contend with, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“What the hell?” I say. “I’ll live a little.”

Oscar cuts the pie and gives me the first piece. The others hold out their plates while Oscar serves everyone else before himself. I place the first forkful in my mouth and immediately moan.

Four pairs of eyes move to mine.

Heat swamps my cheeks. “This is so damn good.”

“I think I could watch you eat pie all damn day, Princess.”

This actually gets a chuckle out of Johnny, along with a look of pure sex. He licks his lips while trailing his gaze from my mouth to my eyes. “How would it work?”

“Hmm?” I ask, shoving another bite in my mouth.

“You. Us. Your harem,” he says. The old Johnny might have sneered derisively, but not this Johnny. At least not yet.

I wipe my mouth on a napkin. “What do you mean?”

“I mean sleeping arrangements. I mean sex. I mean dates and touching and just spending time together.”

I place my fork down and clear my throat. I’m currently the center of attention, which makes me think the rest of the guys are wondering about this, too. “I think that’s a group decision,” I tell them all.

“I have a feeling we won’t all be on the same page at the same time.”

“Probably not, but I’m willing to work on everything that comes up. It’s not going to be easy. I’ve never had a real relationship with anyone let alone with four guys. Things will come up that will make you mad. Oscar mad. Me mad. The rest of us… But that doesn’t mean we can’t work through it. I guess that’s the way you’ll have to look at it. Are the people sitting around this table worth working things through with?”

“You are,” Johnny says immediately.

“You are, too,” I say, “But it won’t be just us.”

“Stop worrying about the logistics,” Brawler offers. “Kyla’s done great with all that so far. Can’t you see that when she thinks one of us needs her, that’s who she spends time with? Yesterday when we got you back, you got her. Today, when we went to the cemetery, she went with me no questions asked. Actually, I don’t envy her,” Brawler tacks on. “I think this is a terrible idea on her part because think of all the work she’ll have to go through to keep us happy. There’s only one of her and four of us.”

---