Page 11 of Possessed By Knox
“No,” he says firmly. “I was raised in the shittiest part of the city, a neighborhood that isn’t much different from this one. My point is, we don’t choose where we’re born and raised or who we come from.”
I look away. “No, we don’t.”
He grabs my chin and forces my eyes back to his until I’m staring at those gorgeous eyes that pull me into their depths every time. “What kind of places have you been to? Where do you like going?”
“In this city? Nowhere.”
“Chicago is beautiful.”
It would look prettier if it was swallowed by the lake, but I don’t say that out loud. I don’t think the people around us would like that very much. “I just…I don’t like it here.”
“Why not?”
Where to start?
The sound, the smells, the people, the sight…I grew up hearing horror stories from my parents and only seeing the city through what they showed on the news. I lived in the suburbs, and my parents didn’t see any reason for me to leave and go into the “dangerous” parts of the city.
Yes, I was raised in a pretty house, but it was a cage. A cold and suffocating cage, and when it shattered, I wanted to move as far away from it as possible.
I try to explain. “As a child, I remember thinking that the city hated me, and with time, I learned to hate it in return.”
“I can make you fall in love with the city,” Knox says.
I’m surprised by the serious expression on his face.
“That’s impossible.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s me.” He taps a man lying on the grass and passes him food as I hand over a bottle of water. “I can make you love the city…and me.”
I laugh, turning away from him. “You think too highly of yourself.”
“I do, yes,” he says shamelessly. “But since you doubt my skills, why don’t we make a bet?”
“A bet,” I scoff, passing another bottle to a man sleeping on a bench.
“Yes, I imagine you’re waiting for your sister to change her mind about leaving town with you, so how about this?” He stops and turns to face me. “I’ll try to make you fall in love with the city, and with me, before she changes her mind. If you lose, I get a wish. If you win, I grant you a wish.”
“And if she makes up her mind tomorrow?”
“Then I lose the bet and I have to do whatever it is you want.”
“No limit?”
“None whatsoever.”
I smile, biting my lip as I think of ways I could mess with the overly cocky guy. I try not to acknowledge that this is the most excited I’ve felt in a very long time.
“Fine,” I say, gnawing my bottom lip. “I’m giving my sister a week to change her mind and come with me. If I don’t fall in love with the city and with you during that time, then… Hmm, you will wear a costume—no, wait—” I jump on my heels as an idea strikes me. “A clown costume. You’ll wear it throughout the day and ride around town in it.”
He makes a face. “That issomean, playing with my rep like that.”
A giggle slips out before I can stop it. “Are you not confident in your convincing skills?”
“I am very confident, but since the stakes are high, I might as well go all out.” He steps forward, closing the distance between us. I suck in a sharp breath when he grazes a thumb over my cheek. His eyes turn contemplative as he stares down at me. “What is it about you? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Huh?”
But he doesn’t clarify. “Are you ready to hear what I want when I win?”
