Page 31 of Knox

Fuck, he is close.

So close, I can smell the scent of wood radiating off his delicious skin.

Oh, my God…

My heart begins to race as he moves closer and closer, completely invading my space.

I can’t breathe; yet I feel like I can finally breathe for the first time.

Part of me wants to shove his chest away and tell him to fuck off, but another, completely traitorous part of me wants to wrap my hands around his neck and taste his skin.

Knox reaches past my shoulder, his arm brushing my torso as if he’s about to pull me into a hug.

I tense.

But his fingers go past my waist and grab the seatbelt.

He pulls the strap across my body, stepping back into his own seat as the buckle clicks into place.

He then shifts into drive, and the truck pulls away from the curb.

As the city flashes past the window, the car falls into silence, and I welcome it. And for the whole ride, I stare out at the streets, unable to think about anything or anyone outside of this pickup truck.

Five hours later, it is past midnight, and I’m lying in the middle of my bed, staring at the damn audio sensor Knox mounted on my wall.

Knowing the bastard is on the other end of the line, with headphones on, listening to my every move, is driving me insane.

At first, I consider screaming at the top of my lungs just to blow his eardrums out for a week.

But let’s be real… that would just bring my uncle and a small army of Harknetts breaking down my door, making my life even more suffocating than it already is.

…So, screaming is out.

Then I think about taking the sensor down and leaving it right next to an open faucet so the constant rushing water would drive him insane.

But that’s a terrible waste of water, and frankly, I’m all for the environment.

…So, the faucet is out.

Then I think about putting on a movie at full volume, but that would just turn his surveillance feed into a free audiobook.

And where’s the punishment in that?

…So, a damn movie is also out…

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, fighting not to sound as annoyed as I am… Hell will freeze over before I ever give that man the satisfaction.

Fuck…

This is getting ridiculous.

I never do anything wrong, yet somehow I always end up with the short end of the stick. I’ve lost my parents; I’ve lost my grandfather, and now, I’ve lost my goddamn freedom.

I’ve lost my freedom to an infuriating man whose gaze angers me just as much as it makes my skin come alive.

And those hands… God. They look so rough.

Like they would bruise and caress me at the same time.