Instead of being a good girlfriend and telling him I was just kidding around, I let him stew over it. Pulling into the gym parking lot, he finds a spot. Shutting off the engine, he turns towards me.
“Seriously, Charlie, what should I do? If I take him down, he might hate me. But if he knows I’m going easy on him, he’ll probably be just as pissed.” He shakes his head, his eyes pleading with me to tell him to do, and now I’m really beginning to feel bad.
I’m about to tell him that he has nothing to worry about when Kale knocks on his window. Sighing, Knox opens his door and gets out. I follow, and the three of us walk into the building together.
“It’s about time, you two,” Kale says, smirking at both of us.
“What the hell are you talking about, Montgomery?” Knox asks.
He looks back and forth between Knox and me. “Lucy told me that you’re finally admitting that you’re a thing.”
Knox turns to look at me, raising his eyebrows. “A thing?” Biting my lip, I try to suppress the smile that’s threatening to cross my face.
“Hey, those are his words not mine.” I can tell that he’s still waiting for an explanation. “And I may have called Lucy yesterday from the restaurant bathroom and told her everything that happened.”
“That’s why you were in there so long?” he asks, his eyes narrowing as the rest of my comment registers. “What do you mean, everything?”
Before I can answer, Kale does for me. “She means everything. Up top, bro. I don’t even think I have stamina like that.” He lifts his hand up, waiting for Knox to give him a high-five, and I resist the urge to punch him in the stomach for that.
Dad’s voice interrupts the conversation. “Montgomery, you better not talking about my daughter, or I’ll show you how much stamina this old man has by kicking your ass.”
Placing his hand on the small of my back, Knox leans downs, his lips coming to my ear. “We’ll talk about this later, sweetheart,” he growls, sounding slightly annoyed.
I start to protest, knowing I didn’t tell Lucy anything that happened in the bedroom and that Kale’s just trying to get under his skin. “Knox—” but he cuts me off before I can even say anything else.
“Later.”
Leaving me to stand there, I glare at Kale. “I want you in the ring after my session with Dad. You’re going to pay for that.”
Grinning, he holds his hands up. “Come on, he makes it way too easy. I mean, look at him. You know he’s punching that bag pretending it’s my face.”
Looking over to where Knox is working a punching bag, I know Kale’s probably right. My guess is that Knox doesn’t like his sexual activities discussed, and I don’t blame him. I’d probably get pretty pissy if I found out I was locker room talk. When Knox says he doesn’t share, I’m pretty sure he also means the details.
“What’s his deal?” Dad asks, having changed into his sparring clothes.
Shaking my head, I pull my gloves out of my bag to put them on. When Knox sees that’s Dad’s ready to go, he walks over to us before I can answer him.
“Wade,” Knox says, nodding at him before climbing between the ropes and getting into the ring Dad and I usually use. We watch him circle the ring, letting out a few punches as he warms up. Stopping, he looks over at us. “Well?” he asks, gesturing towards Dad.
Dad looks at me and then over at him. “Well, what?”
“Are you going to stand there and watch me all day or are we going to do this?” Knox asks him, his gloved hands on his hips. While I feel bad that I instigated this, I can’t help the giggles that rise to the surface and bubble over.
“Wellington, are you challenging me? Seriously?” Dad asks, sounding surprised.
At this point, I’m doubling over. When I look up, wiping my eyes, Knox is glaring at me.
“Excuse me, sir, but your daughter told me this morning that you wanted to spar with me, not her.”
Dad looks over at me, dazed for a moment before he starts cracking up right along with me.
“Knox, I’m flattered that you think I can hold my own with you young guys, but I think my daughter was pulling your leg. I have no desire to get in that ring with you.”
Knox lets out a deep breath and then turns to look at me. He looks equal parts relieved and pissed, and the grin immediately falls from my face. I have the urge to hightail it and run, but I got myself into this, so I might as well suffer the consequences. Pressing my heels into the floor, I stand my ground as he exits the ring and crosses to me, stopping only inches away.
His thumb lifts my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I can’t read his expression, but the fiery look in his eyes sends a pool of heat between my legs. Even though Dad’s right here, I want Knox to throw me over his shoulder, take me home, and punish me Christian Grey style. It’s only been a couple of days, but I could see Knox as the spanking type in the bedroom, and I make a mental note to try and work it into a conversation later.
“Charlotte, were you fucking with me?” he asks in a soft yet gruff tone. Oh shit. The only time he’s ever called me Charlotte is when he’s been irritated with me or pissed.
Swallowing hard, I’m kicking myself for thinking this would be a good idea. I’ve seen the sensitivity underneath his hardened shell. I should’ve known not to mess with him like this, especially when it comes to wanting Dad’s approval.
I nod, and his nostrils slightly flare as his jaw tightens. And it’s honestly hot as sin. “I was just kidding, and I was going to tell you, but then I found it completely cute the way you were so worried about how to deal with Dad. I’m sorry for making you freak out. But I swear, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was about to tell you in the car but then Kale showed up.”
Dropping my chin, he steps back from me, not quite looking at me. I want him to lean in and give me a kiss on the forehead, tell me it’s fine, and smack my ass as he give me tips to take down Dad, but he doesn’t. Instead, he looks over my head and starts to walk away.
“Jace just came in, so I’m going to go find someone who’s actually going to spar with me today. I’ll see you later,” he says in passing, leaving me to stand there and watch as he walks away.
We’ve been dating for two days and I’ve already pissed off my boyfriend. Boyfriend. I smile at that word and decide to swallow my pride and follow after him. Catching up to him right before he’s about to enter the locker room, I grab his arm and try to pull him off to the side. Instead, he leads me out the side door into an alleyway. Pressing me up against the wall, I can feel the brick biting into my back as he places his left arm by the side of my head. Looking up at him, I whisper one more time, “I’m sorry, Knox.”
“What the hell am I gonna do with you, Charlie?” he asks, and it’s a small victory that he’s dropped the Charlotte.
I give him my sexiest grin. “I can think of a few things. Spanking might be high on that list.” I tease, but he doesn’t look amused.
His eyes are expressionless, his mouth set in a grim line. Shaking his head, he pushes away from me, turning his back as his hands come up and to rest behind his head.
Stepping towards him, I reach out to grab his arm, but he pulls away. He’s never resisted my touch, so I’m desperately racking my brain, trying to figure out how to make this okay.
“Knox, come on. It’s not that big of a deal. Dad didn’t care, and I wasn’t thinking it’d get this far. For what it’s worth, I really like that you care what Dad thinks about you. And trust me, he likes you. So please, let’s just go back inside and forget this happened.” I’m practically begging. I hate the way it sounds, but he’s still turned away from me, and I can’t stand not knowing what he’s thinking.