Page 36 of Love Me
“Run or fight, Shi,” Creed said, reminding me of what he’d made me promise.
I looked at all of them. “You’d run with me?”
“I wouldn’t have promised that if I hadn’t meant it,” Creed said, finally looking at me. He was mad and rightfully so.
I moved to get down from the counter and Knox stepped aside. I walked over to stand in front of Creed. “If Mr. X ever shows up, I have exit plans. I'll tell you guys all of them. I have two safe houses to run to. The closest is in Colorado. The other is in Alaska. Both are secluded. I’ll tell you exactly where they are. I have multiple passports and IDs with different names on them. I’ll show them to you.” I told all of them this, but I never stopped staring at Creed. I’d tried to break our promise. Twice. A simpleI’m sorry, I won’t do it againwasn’t enough. “If we have no choice but to run and we get separated, you will know how to find me.”
Creed stared at me for the longest time and I was beginning to think I might have to grovel. Without saying a word, he unfolded his arms and hooked one around my lower back, pulling me to him. His other arm went across my shoulders, and he hugged me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered into his neck.
His response was to hug me tighter.
* * *
Later that night, we settled down watching the Food Network. A few of the shows we watched were cooking competition shows where you had to take random and odd ingredients and make a delicious meal out of them. The guys made me laugh as they really got into it.
As it got late, Knox was the first to stand from the couch and announce that he was headed for bed. I perked up, expectant of a hug or a kiss or pretty much anything extra beyond an announcement. Colt, Creed, and Keelan always kissed me somehow, be it on my mouth or forehead, when they went off to bed. Knox didn’t even spare me a glance.
I relaxed back against the couch, feeling disappointed.
“If you want to spend the night with him, you’re going to have to march in there and tell him,” Colt said. I looked at him and found him watching me.
I hadn’t slept in Knox’s room since the night he’d picked me up off my closet floor. That next morning, I’d given him my first hand job and he’d ruined it by telling me it had been a mistake.
“I don’t think he would be comfortable with that,” I said and tried to focus on the TV. I could feel all three of them staring at me, so it was hard.
“Knox is a fucking idiot,” Creed muttered as he stood from the couch. He grabbed my chin, made me look up at him, and kissed me. “I’m going to bed.”
Colt got up from the couch, too, and kissed me on the head. “Goodnight, babe.”
“Goodnight,” I said to both of them.
As they went to bed, Keelan laced his fingers through mine. “Did something happen?”
Great question.Ever since what had happened at the store yesterday and the way Knox had abruptly ended our kiss, it had felt like he was avoiding me.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
Keelan gently bumped his shoulder with mine. “The only way you’ll know for sure is if you talk to him.”
He was right. I knew I had to. I supposed now was the time.
I gave Keelan a quick kiss and made my way toward Knox’s room. I tapped on his closed door.
“Yeah?” he said from the other side.
I walked in. He was already in bed, but sitting up against the pillows with his phone in hand. I closed the door and leaned against it.
Just seeing him, doubt started to sink in.
What if what I was feeling was all in my head? Was I just being insecure again? Or needy? I didn’t want him to see me that way. I had enough things working against me already.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I…uh…will you kiss me goodnight?” Heat quickly spread across my cheeks after I blurted that.
He set down his phone on the nightstand. “Come here.”
