Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze Book 1)

by Lila Felix

  “Well, now that I’m on the spot, I don’t have any. When you talk to her, do it without that Rhi person with her. She’s a little, I don’t’ know, she’s weird.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I swear I saw her start a fire without wood and a couple of people in town say she talks to herself, and Dena, the maid at the hotel, said there was some candles and shit in her suitcase.”

  “What was Dena doing looking in a guest’s suitcase?”

  He shrugged. “Said it was open. Like she wasn’t trying to hide whatever it was.”

  “Then maybe it’s nothing. She’s probably just one of those hippie types, candles and meditating or whatever.”

  He bounced his shoulders again.

  “When are you going to talk to her?”

  “I’m going to fly around for a while, up high. Get some energy out. Then I’ll go home and shower, put some clothes on…”

  “And procrastinate some more?”

  “And that.”

  He stood and shucked his pants. “I’m going back to my mate. Little one will be on his way soon. I don’t like to leave her alone for very long.”

  I watched him fly off, headed for the edge behind his house, just across the mountain from my own home. Though my dragon scratched and gnawed at my insides to fly, I sat there for an eternity. Kallie wasn’t the type of female to take this well. Either she was going to think I was mental or a prick.

  Maybe I was both.

  10

  Kallie

  I needed to clear my head. All the kissing and hotness had my brain unsure of what was actually happening. One minute I saw something I knew was there, one kiss later, nothing. Not that I could focus on his jewelry. Nope, my thoughts and butterflies were completely focused on his lips.

  In my pathetic experience, first kisses were always sloppy, yucky, awkward messes that basically said let’s get it over with. This. This was nothing like it. His lips barely touched mine before I wanted to throw myself into it completely. It took all my willpower to hold back as long as I did. Fair enough, I held back only like a microsecond, but the desire was there.

  Desire. I had no understanding of that word until the moment his tongue danced with mine. My hands had already latched onto him, pulling him closer as he began exploring, claiming, owning my mouth. The sound reverberating in his chest, shook me to my core. I did that to him. Me. My lips. My tongue. My inexperience.

  It was too much, and next thing I knew I was back on my new career goal of car thief. Driving down the road, my body still aflame and my mind still hazy I drove like a woman on a mission. Sadly my “mission” was non-existent, and as I passed a parked police car, at a speed nowhere near legal in a truck that was not mine, panic set in and I slowed to a near crawl.

  There was still time to go back and look at the files Liam was manipulating for a reason I still had yet to figure out, but as I inched closer, dread hit. No, as much as I needed answers that the building held, I just couldn’t.

  Three turns later I found myself at the bed and breakfast. Maybe a nap would help. Who was I kidding, there would be no sleep. My afternoon was going to comprise of replaying the events of the day over and over again, and nausea. Shady record keeping. Grand theft auto times two. Kiss of a lifetime. Weird disappearing jewelry. Nope. Sleep was a joke.

  Leaving the keys in the truck, I made my way back to the room, grateful that Rhi was out gallivanting for the day. I needed to process on my own before I could share my thoughts with her. Knowing Rhi, her entire questioning and advice would be centered on why I had remained clothed the entire time. She and I had a different idea of how fast a relationship should, or should not go, and kissing and fleeing were most assuredly not something she could wrap her head around.

  Turning the corner to my room, I walked straight into the housekeeping cart sticking out of my doorway. Crap on a cracker, leave it to me to have the worst timing ever. Peeping in the room, I didn’t see anyone working but I heard the faucet from the bathroom. If they were on the bathroom and the beds were still unmade, it was going to be at least a half an hour before she was done.

  Taking a walk it was.

  The B&B abutted the woods, giving me a way to walk, think, and avoid people. I wandered aimlessly, listening to all of the sounds of nature around me. If I focused on the birds and the leaves rustling, I could postpone the conflict between my body and my mind if not for just a wee bit longer.

  As the tree line came to an end, I met a brook with a few boulders scattered along the shore. My eyes followed the stream back up to the glorious mountain above. This place was the stuff of postcards. I found a dry patch in front of the largest boulder and took a seat, leaning my back against the makeshift stone seat. Pulling out my notes from my messenger bag, I began to read through them hoping to find something I missed or at least get my mind back on track.

  After reading them no less than ten times, I came to the conclusion that all I had of any value was the fact that Knox’s grandfather was part of the police force then, and even that didn’t mean a thing. At least not in isolation. The fact that Liam the jerk hid it was odd, but the look in Knox’s eyes when I mentioned it told me he had nothing to do with it. It was probably just Liam the jerk being a jerk.

  Shoving my papers back into my bag, I stood and brushed off my butt, glad I had worn an old pair of jeans instead of the white shorts I had originally planned to wear. The walk back was shorter than I anticipated, and to my relief, our room was no longer occupied by a housekeeping cart. Plopping on my bed, I pulled out my phone, typing quickly before I lost my nerve.

  Keys are in the truck at the B&B. I can bring it back if you need.

  And then the wait began. My heart logic told me that if he responded right away he wasn’t mad, but if he made me wait he was fuming. My cognitive logic told me he might not even have the stupid thing on and the wait time meant nothing, it was only his response that mattered.

  Two shaves and a haircut pounded into my door.

  “Who is it?” I called out as I finger-combed my hair. I was so turning into that girl and for Knox, it didn’t feel wrong.

  “It’s me?” My heart sunk as Rhi’s voice came through the door. So much of me wanted it to be Knox, which is stupid and girly and messed up, but there it was. “Can I come in?”

  “It’s your room, too.” I flopped back, no longer caring about my flyaway hair or anything but the unreturned message sitting on my screen.

  “Yeah.” The doorknob turned and in bounced Rhi with a backpack far too full for survival training. It was a wonder she could walk with all of that crap in her bag. What, was she carrying her entire suitcase with her? “But I saw his truck, so I was hoping you were getting some bow chicka wow wow.”

  Leave it Rhi to bring it straight to the sex.

  “Really?” I teased, glancing back at the screen and hoping I missed a notification sometime in the past ten seconds.

  “A girl can dream.” Her bag fell to the floor with a thump as she crawled across her bed until she propped her head up on her hands looking me straight in the eye. Her face was glowing in an odd way, as if my getting some somehow got her some too. Did she think his brother was single, because Knox mentioned a soon to be niece or nephew the first night, so he was off limits. Rhi might talk the talk, but she would never take someone who was married. “You’re his, after all.” She shrugged off, the starry-eyed gaze even more pronounced.

  “His?” Was she kidding? I stole his truck. Twice. I was so not his. “I’m not his.” That pronouncement hurt to speak. It was true, I wasn’t, yet so much of me longed to be, like some freakazoid stalker.

  “I mean,” she pulled herself to sit, looking almost nervous, “you have liked him for a long time.” She never once met my eyes as she spoke the words. Rhi was acting all kinds of not herself. Part of me wondered if she had smoked something while out in the wilderness. I could totally see her doing something like that out of shear boredom. We were so different in so very ma
ny ways.

  “Seeing a guy and thinking he’s hot does not make you theirs.” Although part of me felt that he was mine. I planned to leave that little truth nugget to myself. Rhi did not need encouragement. “If so, you would belong to all the guys you tell me about.”

  “Truth.” She was quick to agree. Almost too quick, but I’d take it. Today had had enough conflict already. “So, do tell. Does he kiss with teeth and passion or is he a slobbering fool?”

  “You jumped from stolen truck in the parking lot to kissing? Those do not connect, and how did you know it was his truck?” My blush had to be giving me away. I could feel my face burning and I yawned deeply to conceal it, or so I hoped.

  “I must’ve seen it that night at the diner.” I counted in my head until she fully understood what I had just told her. 1... 2… 3… 4… “Wait? Stolen?” And there it was. “Who are you and what have you done with my bestie?”

  “We got in a fight and I took his truck. No big deal.” I tried to sound all badass and failed miserably. Even I could hear the disappointment in us having fought. Heck, I could barely remember what we discussed. The only thing crystal clear in my memory was that kiss. That mind boggling, heat building, butterfly breeding, why the heck did I break away kiss.

  “Or a conviction for grand theft auto. Potato, potahto.”

  “No conviction.” I shook my head at her smirk. She knew me well enough to know that actual theft wasn’t in me. “He technically offered it as my out if I didn’t want to feel trapped at his home.”

  “You went to his home? His house?” Why that surprised her was beyond me. I might not live a wild life, but prude didn’t describe me either, and it wasn’t like there were a lot of choices in town. “You totally lost your V card, didn’t you?”

  “You went from stolen truck to V card?” Rhi had all sorts of theories on my virginal status and I became skilled in avoiding the topic, not that it stopped her from prying any chance she got. “Those things do not connect.”

  “Sometimes you just feel the draw.” She was now twirling her hair, something she often teased me about doing, wearing that stupid starry eyed look again. Rhi was acting so bizarrely. Normally, she would’ve gone straight to asking about his hand size and making connections that were far from appropriate.

  “Or sometimes you date first.” Glancing at my phone again, I flipped it over, not wanting to face the disappointment again. At least now I needed to make a real effort to see he hadn’t responded.

  “So did you? Feel the draw?” Something was off about the way she said draw. I had, of course, but how did she know that and when did it become more important to her than the deed. Maybe she saw something I missed at dinner when I did my awesome debut as bathroom hider? Part of me wanted to ask her, but the chicken inside of me didn’t want to see what can of worms that would open. Give her an inch and Rhi always took a mile.

  “Rhi.” I used my best stern lawyer voice and found myself reaching for my dragon statue.

  I rubbed my thumb down the little dragon’s spine, seeking its comfort. Knox made him; I still hadn’t completely wrapped my head around it. Of all the things I could have impulsively bought, I go and find something he made with his own two hands. What’s more, it gave me a feeling of comfort. I tried to not think too hard about the implications of that realization.

  “Fine.” She got up and meandered to the bathroom, going inside, but leaving the door open. “Maybe it was wishful thinking because you getting some would make this stupid trip worth it.” With that she turned the sink on. I didn’t bother to look and see if she was getting a drink or simply drowning me out. It didn’t matter. Not in the long run. By morning it would all be forgotten on his end and I would still be replaying the conversation a bazillion times. It was a habit of mine and probably why I did so well in my case analysis exercises at school.

  “Rhi, you invited yourself,” I mumbled as I checked the phone. Again. Pathetic was my new middle name.

  “To spend time with you,” she popped her head out, toothbrush in hand, “not because I think you plan to be queen of law school.”

  “Do you think before you speak… ever?” I let out an exacerbated sigh just as my phone vibrated.

  “I’m sorry. I stink at this.” She popped the toothbrush into her mouth just as I turned over the phone.

  It was just a reminder that if I wanted to make cash all I needed to do was text back the code 5182. For serious. Only I would get a spam text right now.

  “Being a friend?” I questioned. This was said with a tinge of guilt, and usually when Rhi sounded guilty she had a reason to be. Like the time she “accidentally” had a party in our room and “forgot” to tell me, or the numerous blind dates she set up for me without my knowledge.

  “Yeah.” It buzzed again. I looked down. It was him. “That.”

  Dinner?

  One word. One little word and the entire conversation I had with Rhi was forgotten. Oh Knox, how did you manage to worm your way into my being. Not one excuse came forward. Nope. There was only one answer my fingers were willing to type.

  Yes.

  11

  Knox

  As lightly as I possibly could, I rammed my forehead against the wall next to her hotel room door. It was possible I was attempting to knock some sense into myself, or get a little concussion drunk before I had to tell Kallie the one thing we never told humans.

  While she was gone, I had made it known, although it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone, that Kallie was my mate and human, and after tonight, she would know what I was—what we all were. My brother did his part in calling on some of the higher ranking males and Geneva, the pro-temp Alpha female, to tell them the news. Geneva was a little worried and aggravated, at least, that’s what Samson told me. She thought the other females would never take orders or advice from a human, no matter her status in the clan.

  It would be a bridge we would have to cross later.

  Right now, I had to tell my female that, one: she was, in fact, my mate. And two: she was the mate of an Alpha male who turned into a fire-breathing dragon in his spare time.

  My phone vibrated and on the screen popped up one word, maybe the word I’d been waiting for since she arrived again in my presence.

  There was no denying what had happened to me with her being so near. The voices had quelled. My dragon had slowed, no longer restlessly searching for his mate. She was here; she was close; there was possibility.

  I knocked on the door and waited for Kallie to answer. Instead, I got Rhi.

  “Dude, it’s been like three seconds since she answered you. Give a girl some time to chill and change her damn clothes.”

  I gave Rhi my best charming smile and kicked the door open a little with my toe. “Kallie doesn’t need time to chill and change clothes. I bet she’s ready to go right now, aren’t you?”

  I directed the question in the direction of my mate—rather my mate’s feet, which was all I could see around the partition in the hotel room.

  “I actually do need to change clothes, Knox.” She came around the wall with one of my small dragon sculptures in her hands. She held it near to her chest like it was a stuffed animal instead of scrap metal.

  “That’s mine.” I nodded my chin toward the dragon.

  Kallie pouted and looked down at the tiny beast. “It’s mine. I bought it. He’s mine.”

  My knees wobbled at the sound of those words.

  “I guess he’s yours now. Are you ready?”

  She turned and put the dragon on the hotel sofa. “I should probably change, right?” Picking at her shirt and jeans, she assessed them.

  “You look perfect, actually. There’s no reason to change clothes on my behalf. But if you want to, then I’ll wait.”

  Rhi had been looking between us, back and forth, like she was audience to a ping-pong game. “Can you wait while I throw up at you two?” she said, pretend gagging—maybe not pretending.

  “Shut up, Rhi. He’s a gentleman. I know ther
e aren’t many of those swarming around, but I think he’s the real deal.”

  Damned straight, I am the real deal.

  Kallie paused for another second. “You know what? If Knox says I look perfect, then I really don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. So there.”

  She grabbed her purse and checked her hair in the mirror, also perfect, before tugging on my hand, inviting me to walk behind her.

  “So, where are we going? The diner?”

  I cleared my throat. We really needed to get more eating establishments in this town. Then again, if we did, it would attract more tourists.

  “No. It’s a place out of the way a little bit, a local joint.”

  Her steps faltered a little, but she continued on. I knew she knew what I was talking about. After all, it was the place where Kallie had tracked me down last year.

  “What’s it called?” she asked, pretending to be innocent.

  I grunted at her question. The place didn’t have a name. If it had a name, people would talk about it and recommend it and try to take their friends to it. The place didn’t have a name for a purpose, the purpose of secret. Technically, it was Dolly’s per legal records but that neither here nor there.

  “Doesn’t have one, now that I think about it. We don’t really want it publicized. Like I said, it’s locals only.”

  By the time I’d explained the no-name place, we were back downstairs. “Wait, how did you get here?”

  “That.” I pointed down the street at the Ducate that I rarely let myself drive. I’d forgotten how much I loved that machine.

  It was the first time I’d seen Kallie speechless. Yet, I knew it wouldn’t be the last time she’d be speechless tonight.

  “I-I didn’t know you liked those things. Aren’t they dangerous?”

  I held her hand. It was the first time I’d seen even the slightest bit of fear in her eyes and I hated every single second of it. “Hey, it’s not dangerous if you know how to ride it, and I do. We can take the truck. I’m not asking you to ride it.”