Hard Knox - Riley Hart Page 0,52
you sure?”
Maybe I shouldn’t be. Maybe this should have been scarier than it was and I needed to take more time. It was all new for me, and I didn’t have a guidebook on how I was supposed to respond.
Step one after your first experience with a man: take a few days to think about it. Now, expect that you might freak out, and that’s normal…
Obviously, there was no how-to manual, so all I could do was follow how I felt.
And I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so good, the last time things felt this right. “I’m sure. Now get your ass into bed.”
“Damn, look at you, so bossy.”
But he came. Callum curled into my side, and we went to sleep.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Callum
I woke up before Knox did. At some point during the night we’d separated. I was positive that was on me. I was a bit of a wild sleeper. I had my legs spread and a hand on his face, but he didn’t seem to notice.
I pulled back, rolled to my side, and…well, watched him like a fucking creeper. He was so sexy, he nearly stole my breath.
Part of me was still trying to believe last night happened, but I guessed I wouldn’t be there, in his bed, wearing his boxers, if it hadn’t.
I didn’t know what we were, if he was my boyfriend or what, but we were something, and the thought made my chest swell. I wasn’t real fond of the fact that we had to keep it a secret for now, but I understood why. This was a coming-out for Knox, and I knew how messy those could be. And that they never stopped happening. We came out to different people our whole lives.
His eyes fluttered, then opened. I held my breath, waiting for him to say he’d changed his mind, but he didn’t. He just smiled and asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you sleep like an octopus on drugs, who can’t stay still?”
I laughed. “Maybe a time or two. Did I keep you awake?”
“Nah, it was fine.”
As I leaned down to kiss him, I heard a noise from the other room. Frankie Blue started going crazy, the front door opened, and then Logan’s, “Dad?”
“Oh fuck.” I scrambled out of bed as Knox did the same. There was panic in his eyes, and I tried not to take it personally.
“Bathroom. Go into the bathroom.”
I scurried to the en suite and closed the door as quietly as I could.
“I’ll be right out!” Knox called. I figured he was tugging on jeans, and then his bedroom door opened.
I heard a woman’s voice. “I’m so sorry. We tried to call, but it went straight to voice mail. I think your phone died. Something came up, and we have to run out of town for my uncle. Sorry to bring Logan back so early.”
“No, no. It’s fine. My fault. I must have forgotten to charge my phone last night,” Knox said.
“Where’s Callum?” Logan asked. Fuck. “His car is out front. We haven’t seen him in forever, and I have some stuff to tell him.”
There was a pause, and I was silently telling Knox to hurry the fuck up and come up with a lie.
“He, um…he’s upstairs. He came over last night, and then he wasn’t feeling too good, so I told him he could crash here.”
Yeah…in his bed. And now I had to sneak out of his room like I was a teenager. This was already getting messy.
“Who’s Callum?” a young boy asked. Jesus, I could hear everything perfectly through the walls.
“He’s my best friend,” Logan replied. “Well, my other best friend. He’s Dad’s other best friend too, besides Law. He’s awesome. You’ll have to meet him sometime!”
My heart melted, and I closed my eyes. How could I risk this? Logan had quickly become the world to me. What if this thing between Knox and me ruined everything? It was me who would end up alone.
“Oh, cool,” the other boy replied.
They spoke a little more before I heard goodbyes. The door closed, and Logan said, “I’m gonna go talk to Callum.”
“Wait!” Knox rushed out. “I don’t know if he’s up yet. We don’t want to wake him. Why don’t you take Frankie Blue out real quick, and we’ll give him some more time.”
“Dad,” Logan whined.
“Go on, she’s your puppy.”
Suddenly Frankie Blue’s feet were padding around the floor. The bedroom door jerked open, and I scrambled out of the bathroom. Knox pulled a pair of shorts and