Page 394 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“They’re my family.”
“We’re your family too.”
“I know that, but…please.” I don’t really know how to argue this one anymore. Why doesn’t he understand that I need to spend time with them, alone?
“It’s too far away,” he mutters.
“What is?” I blink.
“The hotel.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because, if something bad happens?—”
“Nothing bad will happen.” I try to find some patience, I really do, but I just want to scream. Onyx – and his brothers too to a lesser degree – would happily wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me away just from the threat of the unknown if they could.
It’s ridiculous.
Because of who I am, I will always be in some sort of immediate danger. I can’t let that stop me living my life. And I certainly don’t feel like I’m putting my dad, brother and everyone else in the firing line just by hanging out with them at their hotel for a few hours.
“You don’t know that,” Onyx insists. “I’ll be too far away to save you if I’m back at the academy and you’re at some hotel with them.”
“We have security for a reason.”
“They’re not me. They’re not good enough,” he growls.
“Onyx, for god’s sake! Stop suffocating me!” I shout, exasperated.
He doesn’t back down, getting in my face and lowering his voice to a dangerous tone. “I can’t risk your safety, Amelie. I have to know that you’re okay. I have to see it with my own eyes. It has to be me. No one else is good enough because I love you.”
“I love you too, but you’re driving me crazy!” I cry, actual tears of exasperation forming in the corners of my eyes.
Applause startles me out of our argument and I turn back to the others. Kalen is grinning and clapping, Slate and Sawyer are handing him cash from their wallets.
“What’s going on?” I demand.
“I bet them that when you finally admitted to loving each other it would be during a fight.”
“What? No. We’ve said it before?” I check with Onyx. He shrugs at me.
“First time,” he mutters. “And I still fucked it up.”
“You didn’t fuck anything up. It was perfect,” I say, pulling him into my arms for a hug. “I love you.”
He grins and kisses me. “I love you too.”
“Great! We all love Amelie, she loves all of us, and we’vefinallyall said it! Can we go home now?” Kalen complains.
“Shut up, dick,” Onyx complains.
“Monsterdick.”
“Yeah,” Slate chimes in. “We didn’t all feel the need to start sprinkling the ‘L word’ around like damn confetti a few hours after meeting her.”
“Hey! When you know, you know. I’m intuitive like that.”
“Brother,” Sawyer snorts. “You’re about as intuitive as a cut toenail.”
