Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze)(26)

“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 there 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.