All Chained Up (Devil's Rock #1)(79)

Her words gouged him as effectively as a swiping claw. Like she knew they would, but he had the taste of her still on his lips. Alongside the sight of her spitting rage, it was all the confirmation he needed. She still wanted him. Loved him. “Yes. You do.”

She stomped her foot and let out a muffled groan. “You’re crazy!”

“Just about you,” he returned, then in a more serious tone, he added, “I know I blew it, but I’ll wait until you realize I’m sincere. I can be patient. I spent years in prison waiting to be free. Waiting, even though I didn’t know it then . . . for you.”

An alarmed look crossed her face as she stubbornly shook her head. “You don’t mean that . . .”

“I do. And time will prove it.” He leaned in slowly, his mouth brushing her ear as he spoke, “And once you’re convinced, we’re going to hole up in your bedroom for a day at least . . . where I will convince you again and again and again . . . until neither one of us can walk.”

She jerked her head away from him, her eyes bright and heated. She shook her head again, this time almost sad. Yanking open her door, she slid into her car. He stepped away before she backed out and nearly ran her tire over his foot. He watched her go, telling himself she would relent and give them another chance.

She didn’t once glance back at him as she drove away.

KNOX DECIDED TO give her a little more space before coming around again. Two more days. He thought that would be enough time for her to start to wonder if he gave up . . . maybe enough time for her to worry that he had. Maybe enough time for her to miss him.

At her apartment complex, he noticed her car was parked in its usual spot, so he took the stairs to her condo.

He knocked. “Briar?”

Nothing.

“I know you’re in there. Baby, please . . .”

“She’s not home.” He spun around to face Shelley. She was leaning in her open door, a couple of kids crowded around her, watching him with big curious eyes that looked a lot like their mother’s eyes.

“Where is she?”

She considered him a long moment before answering, “Now I don’t know if I should be telling you that.”

He nodded. “All right. That’s fair. You’re looking out for your friend. I get that.”

“Yeah, you haven’t been precisely stellar boyfriend material.”

He nodded. “I know that. I’d like to make it up to her.” He paused for a breath. “I love her.”

“She mentioned you said that. She doesn’t believe you, of course.”

“I’m trying to prove it to her.”

“Hmm.” Shelley eyed him. “Briar doesn’t have a lot of experience with men. Not like me. She doesn’t understand that men don’t usually profess love. Not after they’ve gotten what they want, if you know what I mean.” She shot a quick glance to her children and then looked back at him, lifting her eyebrows meaningfully.

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“They don’t chase you down and say those three little words over and over unless they mean it.”

“I mean it.”

She nodded slowly. “I think you do.” Placing a hand on top of her little girl’s head, she guided her back into the apartment.

He turned to go, assuming she was finished talking. “She’s on a date with my ex-brother-in-law at the Bean House. You know the place? It’s a fancy little coffee shop on Peek Avenue.”

He stopped and looked back at her. “Your ex-brother-in-law?”

“Yep. I set them up. My ex has a decent brother. Thought she should see what else is out there.”

He glared at her.

She winked at him. “Maybe you should pop in. Order a latte and scone.”

He’d never eaten a scone in his life. Much less a latte. “Yeah. I’ll do that.”

SHELLEY WAS RIGHT. Daniel was nice and down-to-earth and he smelled good. Like fresh laundry sheets. He owned a hardware store in town. They shared a plate of assorted pastries and sipped their coffees, going through all the usual first date getting-to-know-you banter.

“My mother was a nurse. Worked long hours,” Daniel shared as he lifted the lid off his cup to cool the coffee.

“I work in a practice,” Briar explained. “Regular hours. Seven-thirty to four P.M. I get every third Friday off, too. It’s nice. A good place to work. Good people.”

“Well, that makes all the difference,” he said, smiling kindly. “Loving what you do.”

She smiled back at him. He really was nice. Nice looking. Steady job. So why could she only think of Knox? Why must she compare Daniel’s every feature, his every expression, to Knox? Was she always going to do this? Because there was no comparison. She would never meet another man to hold up to him in the looks department. And why did sitting here with this guy feel like she was betraying him? Knox and she weren’t together. She owed him nothing.

“Hello, there.” And suddenly Knox was there, pulling up a chair and sitting beside her and Daniel. She blinked for a moment, wondering if her thoughts had conjured him. Was she totally losing it?

But Daniel gaped, too. So this was happening. This was real. Knox was here and crashing her date.

It took her a moment to find her voice. “Knox! What are you doing here?”