Page 22 of Knox
"No, I wasn't thinking at all."
His cheeks flamed, and I touched a finger to the gorgeous shade of pink. He was the popular boy, and I was the nerd in hand-me-down clothes, with no friends. How did we end up here?
The driver's door opened, and I jerked away as Adam set the box in the passenger seat. "Don't mind me."
Knox and I sat as far away from each other as possible on the ride home, and when Adam parked in the bay, I hopped out, grabbing the food on my way in. Knox was right behind me, and we left Adam to his own devices. I set the box on the kitchen island, pawing through it for our food, while Knox found us two bottles of soda. We hurried up the stairs when Mom's bedroomdoor opened, and Knox kicked my bedroom door closed behind him.
Neither of us wanted to talk to the rest of them. Didn't think I could handle any more teasing from Adam tonight.
I set the containers on the steamer trunk and took my coat off, hanging it up in the closet before removing my boots. Knox was already on the loveseat, and he smiled when I joined him.
"So, orange chicken is your favorite?" he asked as I grabbed a set of chopsticks.
"It is, yeah. It's also Ian's."
Knox stuck his chopsticks in my box and snagged a piece before I could stop him. He grinned and held out his box, offering me some of his sweet and sour chicken. I cut my eyes at him before grabbing a piece.
Again, we talked about everything and nothing. Jasper would have wanted to discuss Lacey, but Knox didn't care about her one way or another. He was more interested in me. It was strange to talk about myself, but I did. He didn't laugh once when I told him about Ethan being an ass. Jasper made fun of me after Ethan slashed my tire on our date.
"So, Jasper is an ass," Knox said as he fed me another bite. "Well, now, he's Lana's ass."
"She's your sister. How do you feel about that?"
"Not sure anyone has ever asked how I feel about anything. Lana and I aren't that close. Haven't been since we turned twelve and she discovered boys."
I arched a brow. "You didn't discover boys?"
He nodded and fed me another piece of chicken. "In kindergarten, when the prettiest little boy smiled at me. He had the best blue eyes. Now, they are more green, but then they were blue. Do eyes change color?"
"If I remember correctly, you told me to stop looking at you like that."
"You scared me, Josh," he said softly. "My father isn't so different from Ethan. He kicked me out after he got Grayson to agree to a marriage between Lana and Jasper. I was supposed to go into the navy, and give up my horse to the guy who took my place. Dad didn't expect to see me with you."
For a moment, I worried that his interest in me was to get back at Jasper, but I also remembered kindergarten. Knox Daniels was the boy I discovered when I discovered boys. "I'm glad you're here."
"Are you sure?" He took my box away and set it along with his on the steamer trunk. "Josh, I never want you to think I used you."
He leaned closer, and I stood, holding my hand out to him. He took it, keeping his gaze on mine. I walked him out of the room and across the hall to his door. I wasn't ready to jump into bed, which would happen if we stayed in my room.
I pushed him against the wood and brushed my lips over his, nipping at his bottom lip. He opened, and I angled my head, sliding my tongue between his lips. He pushed his hips into mine, and the hard line of his cock pushed against me. I drew away slowly and opened my eyes, watching him through my lashes. "Goodnight, Knox."
He smiled slowly. "Goodnight, Josh."
I headed back to my room to clean up our mess, and closed the door, leaning my forehead against it, willing my erection away.
What was I doing? Moving on felt too foreign at the moment. But Knox felt too right to ignore.
Chapter 14
Another Sleepless Night
My head hit the pillow after getting ready for bed, and I still couldn't sleep. Excitement over the date had given way to exhaustion, but I still hadn't adapted to sleeping alone. I lay there for hours, eyes closed, while thought after thought ran through my mind. The past and the present collided while I chided myself for things I could have done better.
I'd forgotten what this was like. Having Jasper beside me shut the nasty thoughts off.
My cell vibrated on the charger, and I reached over to grab it.
@KnightTimeDanc3r: Happy birthday. I wanted to be the first one to say that.
