by Erin Trejo
“Don’t fucking throw up on my bed,” Knox says without looking over. I don’t know how he even knows I’m awake right now.
“I won’t.” I start to sit up when his eyes turn in my direction.
“Don’t do that either. Doc gave you some meds.” I ignore him and try to sit up anyway when the room spins faster. Bile races up my throat and explodes from my mouth. “Goddamn it, I said don’t throw up on my bed.” Knox swallows down the rest of his drink before setting the glass on the table. I try to move, to clean up or do something, but his large hands wrap around my waist before I can think and he lifts me off the bed. He carries me into the bathroom, setting me on the edge of the bathtub before he retreats back into the room. I slowly slide off the tub and onto the floor, crawling toward the toilet. Everything hits me at one time. The shots. The memories. The visions. I’m hanging over the toilet when Knox walks back in. He’s mumbling under his breath as I heave. He moves around me as if I’m not even in the room, grabbing clean sheets and walking back out. I rest my face on my hand, thanking God that he’s a clean person and there isn’t piss stains all over.
“Are you going to kiss my fucking toilet?” His anger pisses me off.
“I didn’t ask to be here,” I remind him as I drag myself away from the toilet and to my feet. Knox moves to turn the sink on, pulling a new toothbrush from under the sink and holding it out to me. I take it but don’t smile. Instead, I grab the toothpaste and brush my teeth while he leans against the doorframe watching me. When I’m finished, I turn to face him fully, noting how big he appears in the small frame. He’s imposing to say the least.
“You have enemies,” he says, waiting to see if I respond.
“Don’t we all?” I start to walk past him but he fills the doorway, blocking my exit.
“Not the kind that shoot at us,” he says smugly.
“Really? That’s not really what I heard.” He steps closer to me, invading my space, and I try to inch back but my ass hits the counter and I’m stuck. Knox leans in, resting his hands on either side of me, caging me in.
“What have you heard?”
“Things.”
“What things?” he growls.
“That you’re all a bunch of entitled assholes. That you’re the biggest bullies in this city and that you think you can have everything your way,” I snarl. “Am I right?” His eyes crinkle at the sides as he leans down so close I can nearly taste his lips.
“No, but if I want something, I get it. There’s no question about that part.” The way he says it makes my heart leap in my chest.
“What do you want?” He pulls one hand around, bringing it to my face before slowly running his fingers down my cheek. I suck in a breath, the heat spiraling through me.
“Not you.” He steps back, turning and leaving the room as I try and catch my breath. Then I move. I grab my shoes and slip them back on before walking out of his room and down the stairs. That’s where I find Whisper.
“Hey, you look better,” she says with a smile.
“I feel better, thanks.”
“She isn’t staying!” I hear someone roar from the other room. Whisper rolls her eyes and grabs my arm, dragging me along with her.
“I think I should get going,” I tell her. She laughs and keeps walking.
“What should we do? Throw her ass out on the street?” Steele roars.
“She has a home!” Callan reminds him.
“He’s right. I do,” I say when Whisper pulls me into the kitchen. She moves around, grabbing a mug and some toast, setting it on the counter and nodding for me to follow. Just as I’m about to, someone or something hits me in the back of my legs. I lower my gaze to see a little girl smiling back at me.
“Hi.”
“Hey,” I say smiling down at her.
“Bella, where’s your mom?” Callan asks her in a calm tone. Not the same one he was just using to talk shit about me.
“In your room, Daddy.”
“Daddy?” It slips out before I can stop it as my eyes find Callan’s.
“Bella’s his daughter,” Steele fills me in. I nod but don’t say anything further.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, thanks. You can’t stay here. We don’t know you and we don’t know who the hell is after you,” Callan adds. A slight shudder runs through my body as I swallow hard.
“I didn’t ask to stay. I’m going home.” With that, I turn on my heel and start to walk away when a hand wraps around my wrist yanking me back.
“I don’t think you are. I think you’re going to stay right where you are.” I’m shocked when I look up and see it’s Knox saying those things.
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Your new fucking boss,” he growls, squeezing my wrist a little tighter.
“You can’t keep me here,” I remind him.
“Watch me.”
“I’ll fight,” I tell him with my teeth clenched.
“I like her,” Whisper says with a laugh.
“Yeah, she’s great,” Steele chuckles.
“I’m leaving.” Jerking my arm away from Knox I head toward the door. It takes seconds for my arms to be thrust behind my back and something cold click into place.
“Are you kidding me?” I squeal as I turn and face the smugness on Knox’s face.
“No. I don’t like to joke.”
“Then what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snap, trying to tug my wrists out of the cuffs.
“I don’t know, I think it’s a little sexy,” Knox says, eyeing me up and down.
“It won’t be so sexy when I slit your throat!”
“See? Now I think that’s just as sexy. That fire in your eyes. I think you like me, Liz.” My mouth falls open as Whisper laughs.
“You are the last person on this earth that I’d feel anything for,” I tell him. Knox steps closer, leaning down so he’s face-to-face with me. My stomach knots when his lips touch mine. I don’t want to respond, I don’t want to let him in but damn it, there is something sexy about this bossy fucker and I can’t help myself. My lips slowly part and his tongue sneaks in. Just as I’m about to kiss him back, he pulls away chuckling.
“I can smell you,” he whispers before stepping back.
“Are you done?” Callan asks, pulling everyone’s attention.
“Just having a little fun,” Knox tells him, crossing his arms over his chest. I don’t think this shit is fun, not even a little.
“Take the cuffs off her and get her out of here!” Callan roars. Steele chuckles before moving to stand in front of him, eyeing him.
“Since when do you own the world? Huh? Since you dragged Shane back here?” Callan’s eyes are wild as he stares at his brother.
“Things are different now, Steele, and we all know it.”
“No, nothing’s changed, Brother. Just your fucking attitude. You need to calm down before you start shit you can’t finish.”
“It’s fine. We’re leaving,” Knox announces. Whisper spins to peer at him, Steele glances over his shoulder and I huff.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“On a vacation.”
9
Knox
Drunk. That’s what I am. I’m fucking drunk. Coming to the cabin might not have been the best choice, but we both needed an outlet. Liz sits in the chair next to the fire with a bottle in her hand and the other cuffed to the chair.
“Why do I need to be here?” she asks, glaring at me.
“Well, for starters, no one wanted you at the house,” I remind her.
“I didn’t ask to be there to begin with. I have an apartment.”
“Yeah, Danny wanted you out of the way until Sheriff Assfuck finds out who was shooting in the club and why,” I tell her. There’s something about her, I don’t know what it is, that just calls to me. I want to hurt her and I want to fuck her. I want to see what she sounds like when she’s calling my name with me deep inside of her. That’s not what we’re
out here for, I think, shaking my head.
“Why here?”
“It’s isolated. No one comes out here,” I say, taking another long pull from my beer. Liz looks away, out into the nothingness that surrounds us.
“It’s quiet.”
“That’s the point, princess.”
“Why did you need the break?”
“None of your damn business.” She sighs and shifts in her seat when I pull out my phone and turn on some music.
“I saw what they did to her,” she says softly. I don’t know if she’s talking to herself or to me, so I turn the music down and shift in my chair.
“Saw who?”
“They were drug dealers. She used a lot, my mom. She owed them more than anyone knew. I had just gotten home from work and I heard them arguing, which wasn’t anything new, but then I walked around the corner and I saw him shoot her.” Tears fill her eyes. Where we killed our dad, she didn’t want to lose her mom. She was taken from her.
“Fuck,” I grumble before I move to uncuff her arm.
“They turned and gazed right at me. They knew I saw.”
“What did you do?”
“I ran. I never looked back. I knew what would happen to me if they found me. They aren’t just some lowlife dealers,” she says, keeping her eyes anywhere but on me. My stomach clenches as I let it all sink in.
“And they never found you?” She shakes her head as I turn up the music. Tipping my head back, I let it all fade as the music slowly works its way through me. When I peer up, Liz is on her feet moving to the beat.
“You’re not bad,” I say, trying to be friendly. Fuck me if I know why.
“Don’t try to be nice to me, Knox. It’s not our thing.” Setting my bottle down, I climb to my feet and move to stand very close to her. I reach out, grabbing her hips in my hands, jerking her closer.
“What is our thing?”
“You being… you.” My lips slowly trail a line down her neck as I listen to her sigh. I could get lost in this girl or I could make her life a living hell. I’m a little on the fence right now as to which I want to do more. The way Liz presses her body against mine, well, that makes me think we’re on the same page at the moment. Moving my lips to hers, I kiss her roughly before forcing my tongue into her mouth. She takes the bait. She opens up to me and that’s all I need. I kiss her like it’s my last kiss, my last breath and she lets me, so when I reach down and pull her ass into my hands, I know she won’t stop me from doing that either.
“What are you doing?” she whispers as I lift her into my arms. This isn’t going to be a love fuck. No, this is going to be a hate fuck that I will enjoy.
“You ever heard of hate fucks?” I carry her toward the porch when she tries to pull away from me. Nice try.
“Let me go,” she nearly growls.
“Not a chance in hell.” With that, I slam her back against the side of the cabin and crash my lips against hers once more. Liz is franticly kissing me back like a girl possessed yet hates the idea of me fucking her. I think it’s the cutest of conundrums. I slowly lower her to her feet before pulling my mouth away. When I go for her pants, she puts her hand on mine to try and stop me. I gaze up, raising an eyebrow and waiting for her to challenge me. When she doesn’t, I shake my head and chuckle before getting back to work on her clothes. Once she’s naked from the waist down, I drop my jeans, roll on a condom, and lift her once more.
“This is a bad idea,” she says softly as I line myself up.
“The worst fucking idea I’ve ever had,” I add as I thrust into her. She cries out but I don’t stop there. I buck my hips as I fuck her against the side of the cabin.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she says on a long moan.
“Not at all,” I respond as I thrust harder. Anger eats away at my insides as I take her as roughly as possible. I don’t know what it is about this girl that pushes my buttons and at the moment, I don’t really care. Leaning down, I suck her flesh into my mouth, sucking hard so that it leaves a mark. My mark. Everyone will know that I was inside this tight little pussy of hers. Each one of her whimpers makes me harder. Each time her fingers dig into my shoulders makes me want to hurt her more, and when I pull back and look into her eyes, she’s crying.
“Cry for me, Liz.” Her eyes jerk to mine as tears stream down her face. I raise one hand and grab her jaw roughly before kissing her again. Fuck, her tears are doing something to me—something dark and feral. She shouldn’t cry for me. That’s a huge fucking mistake because now that’s all I want to see. I pull out of her quickly and drop her on her unsteady legs.
“Turn around,” I growl. Liz looks up at me, tears still flowing as if that would stop me. “I said turn around.” The thunder in my voice startles her but she turns. I grab her hips, pulling them back toward me before sliding back in. “You better hold on to that wall.” Her hands go up, instantly holding herself up as I drive into her over and over. She’s so tight, so perfect, which makes me hate her more. She reminds me of her and that pisses me off. She can’t be like Nina. She can’t be.
“You’re hurting me,” she cries as I dig my fingers into her flesh.
“A little pain never hurt anyone,” I tell her as I thrust harder, deeper. Each slap of our bodies together has my balls burning. I finally give up and release, growling the whole time. When the pleasure subsides, I pull out of her and yank my jeans up. Liz stands there, not moving as I walk past and inside the cabin. I head into the bathroom, pulling the condom off and tossing it in the trash. When I stand in front of the mirror and view myself, I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know if I ever really have. Not after her. Not after Nina.
10
Liz
I’ve let him fuck me more than once. Maybe I need the release. Maybe I’m just stupid and naïve. I honestly don’t know anymore. I don’t like him. He doesn’t like me. He made it very clear that all it was, was hate sex. It wasn’t a lie. He’s barely spoken to me at all since we’ve been here. Two days of near silence is almost unnerving. It’s given me too much time to think and I hate that. I don’t want to think about them, him. What he did to her. I lied. I told Danny what I wanted him to know. I couldn’t tell him the truth. Our family was fucked up anyway and that would have just been another blow I wasn’t ready for. So I lied. Not like it matters now. They may know where I am. Where I live. I drop my head into my hands as I listen to Knox yelling on the phone. He’s been doing that a lot the last two days. It’s different. He’s different. After that first phone call, he’s looked at me differently. Strangely. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that he knew, but there’s no way possible.
I jolt when the door slams and he comes stalking in. He paces the floor in the living room while I watch from my place on the couch. He doesn’t look at me, just tugs at his hair. I wonder if I should ask what’s wrong, but do I really give a shit?
“That’s annoying,” I say instead of asking what the problem is.
“Did I ask you?” His blue eyes turn my way and I nearly shiver from the glare. This is Knox Alder. This is who he is. I can see it in his eyes. He’s dark, evil, cruel.
“No, but I also don’t give a shit. Can’t you do that outside?” Before I can look away, he moves. He’s in my face, dragging me off the couch before spinning me in his arms. With my back pressed to his front, it’s hard to breathe. His scent surrounds me, closing me in.
“You’re in my cabin. Out here, I can do whatever I want, be whoever I want.” His words are a threat, I can hear that much.
“And who do you want to be?” I risk his wrath by asking but I also find myself intrigued by him.
“Who do I want to be? Me. I want to be me again. The man I was before her! The man that knew his path in life, not the man that’s lost and yearns for something that can never be.”
“Who was she?” His hands stay on my waist, gripping me tightly. I know I’m pushing for answers that he doesn’t want to give, but maybe, just maybe, I need to hear his re
ality to face my own.
“I didn’t love her. I loved the idea of her. Nina. She was mouthy and beautiful. A lot like you,” he says in a low soft tone. He thinks I’m beautiful?
“What happened to her?”
“She was a selfish bitch! She took a part of me when she killed herself. She ruined everything we could have had, could have been and for what? To rot in a fucking grave!” he roars in my ear. I flinch and try to pull away but he doesn’t let me. He slowly runs one of his hands up my stomach until stopping at my throat. At first his fingers are gentle but then they slowly wrap around my neck and squeeze.
“Knox?”
“You know what I hated the most?” he asks and I shake my head. What is he doing? Why is he doing this? “I hated that she just left the way she did. That she decided that she was better off dead than with me. Do you know how that fucks a person’s head up?” Again, I shake my head as best I can when he squeezes slightly harder. He lowers his head, his lips near my ear. I can feel the warmth of his breath as it dances over my flesh.
“Please.” What am I asking for? Him to stop? Him to keep going? I don’t even know what I want.
“Please what, Liz? Please let you go? Let you breathe? Or please don’t stop?” I don’t know the answer to that. His tongue comes out, tracing the shell of my ear when I gasp. Knox chuckles darkly before sinking his teeth in. “I will never let another woman break me like that again.” With that, he releases me and storms down the hall. I watch him go as my body trembles. Don’t ask me why I’m trembling either because I have no answer. I don’t know if that’s fear or lust that slips through my veins but either way, I like it.
Dropping back onto the couch, I close my eyes for a few minutes when he comes back. I don’t open my eyes to look but I can feel him, feel his stare. It penetrates the darkest of the dark.
“We’re leaving.”
“Already?”
“You want to stay? Do you think I’d fuck you a little more if we did?” Now I do open my eyes and peer up at him. He’s devastatingly dark and gorgeous. He’s the most beautiful devil I’ve ever seen.