The Locker Room(67)

I’ve missed him so freaking much.

He sets his backpack down and goes to leave the room, which gives me panic, so I clear my throat, causing him to snap his head up quickly. For a second, he blinks a few times as if he doesn’t believe what he sees.

“Holy. Shit.”

I’m about to say surprise when a female voice comes up behind Knox. “Knox, baby, I’m going to put my stuff in your room too.”

In slow motion, the door pushes open more and a very attractive woman steps into his room. Long blonde hair, petite frame . . .

Fuck. No. No.

I quickly throw my arm over my breasts and sink into the mattress just as Knox says, “Mom, get out.”

Mom?

Oh.

My.

God.

And then, as clear as day, I see the same eyes I’ve loved staring into over the last month over FaceTime.

“Huh?” she says, looking at me. Shocked, she stumbles back, hitting the wall and then covers her eyes. “Oh goodness, my apologies. Excuse me.” She shuffles out of the room and shuts the door, leaving me so humiliated.

On the verge of tears from the emotional rollercoaster my heart just took, I flip over on the bed and bury my head in the pillow, barely able to comprehend what just happened.

Knox’s mom, his apparent best friend, just saw me topless and in a G-string on her son’s bed . . . holding out a package of fucking Oreo cookies.

Oh.

My.

God.

Kill me now.

My face burns in embarrassment, and tears sting my eyes as I try to erase that entire scene out of my head.

And the worst part? I thought he was cheating on me . . . For that split second, my heart sank to the wood floor, leaving me breathless with a crack in my barely healed heart.

Tears fall and I hold back a sob that wants to escape. He wasn’t cheating on me, he wasn’t . . .

But her voice, God, that was the worst few seconds of my life. Knox, baby . . .

The mattress dips and Knox’s hand slides up my thigh to my bare backside. He leaves his palm on my ass as he leans down and presses a kiss where his hand is rubbing. From there, his lips press a hot and seductively wet trail up my back, to my shoulders, and then to my neck where he pushes my hair to the side for better access.

“Babe.” He rolls me over, revealing my naked upper half and my fallen tears. His eyes soften as he wipes at my cheeks. “Em, it’s okay.”

“I’m so humiliated.” I drape my arm over my eyes as my tears flow, unable to stop myself from crying now. This is not . . . this is so horribly not what I wanted.

His warm body lies next to mine as his arm falls across me, pulling me into his chest. He removes my arm from my face and turns my chin so I’m forced to look him in his beautiful eyes. It only makes me cry more.

“Baby.” He chuckles, pressing kisses across my eyes and cheeks. “Don’t cry, it’s okay. My mom doesn’t care.”

“It isn’t just that.” I take a deep breath. “For a second, when I heard your mom’s voice, I thought you were bringing someone back to your room with you.”

“Em.” He sighs and pulls me in tighter. “You know you’re all I want.”

“I know, and it was a split second, but that second hit me harder than I was expecting. It was as if everything that was right in my world was just stolen from me.”

“I can see how that would be upsetting, but Em, you’re all I want . . . ever.” He kisses my forehead then my eyes again and travels his lips down to mine, where he’s soft and sweet, inaudibly communicating how much he truly likes me.

With every press of his lips against mine, the dark cloud that started to steal my happiness begins to disappear until my head feels clear again, and my hand snakes up past the hem of his shirt. Muscle contracts under my touch as he groans against my mouth.

“Babe,” he whispers. “You can’t touch me like that, not with my mom on the other side of that door.”

“I missed you, Knox.”

“Fuck, I missed you too.” His tongue brushes against mine before he pulls away and cups my cheek. “I missed you so goddamn much, and I seriously can’t believe you’re here . . . in that. You’re so fucking hot.”

I glance down, still slightly embarrassed. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“Mission accomplished. I fucking got hard as stone seeing you when I walked in. Shit, babe, I had a boner in front of my mom.”

I stifle a laugh against his shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me she was here with you?”

“She surprised me last minute, coming back with me. She’s here for two weeks. Rented an Airbnb in the building across from ours. She loves watching the exhibitions.”

“Looks like you’re the guy to surprise.”

“I loved your surprise way more.” His hand falls between our bodies where he cups my breast in his hand, his thumb passing over my nipple, hardening it to a tight peak from the callouses on his rough hands.

“God, Knox.” My head floats back. “I want you so bad right now it’s ridiculous.”

“And you choose to tell me that with all my boys and my mom in the living room, waiting to have pizza together?”

“I know, I’m sorry.” I prop my body up and his eyes immediately fixate on my breasts.