Beauty and the Billionaire

“I think I can do that.” I give.

“I’ll text you later.” She bounces out of the bed.

I lie there wondering what Knox is doing right now. He can’t be too mad at me about the whole kiss thing if he’s telling his sister to take me water and Advil.

I toss the blanket back, getting out of bed. I’m so not doing this miscommunication thing again. I’m going to straight out ask if he meant what he said last night. I pull on a pair of jean shorts and snag an oversized sweater to wear.

I take my phone and Kindle with me before venturing out of my room. I stare across the hallway wondering if Knox is in his bedroom or not.

“He’s in the gym.” I jump, Faith’s words surprising me. She’s dressed now.

“I was—”

“Girl, don’t try it.” She laughs and keeps walking down the hallway. I huff a breath. I’m not even sure where the gym is in this house. I wander downstairs and into the kitchen to find Kennedy and Oz making out.

“Sorry.” I turn around to leave.

“You’re fine.” Kennedy laughs. She’s sitting on the counter with Oz standing between her legs. It’s not shocking to find the two of them kissing. It’s actually really sweet that after all these years of marriage they still have that fire for each other.

“Have a good time last night?” Oh crap. “You’re not in trouble, Whitney. All we ask is that you’re safe and responsible, and you were. You guys are pretty much adults at this point.” I relax.

“I had a lot of fun.”

“That’s good, honey.” Kennedy’s face breaks out into a giant smile. “Can I make you some breakfast?” she offers.

“I was actually looking for the gym.”

“That way to the left.” Oz points.

“Thanks,” I say before I leave the kitchen.

I hear Knox before I get to the door. The sound of something slamming over and over again. I pull the door open slowly and slip inside. Knox’s bare back is to me as he destroys a punching bag.

I lick my lips watching him. The way that every muscle strains as he powers his fists into the bag. He’s a freaking machine. I stand there continuing to watch him for a few minutes before he stops. He pulls off the wrap things that are around his hands and tosses them away. He turns around to face me.

“Watching me, little bunny?” He smirks. That’s the second time he’s called me that.

“I wanted to say thank you for last night and this morning.”

“No thanks needed.” He makes his way over toward me. His bare chest is covered in a sheen of sweat, and I can’t help but take in every inch of him. The tattoos he has only add to his attractiveness. My mouth goes dry when I take him in. He comes to stand right in front of me. So close we’re almost touching. My fingers itch to reach out and trace along the lines of his tattoos but I stop myself, remembering what Faith said about him not liking to be touched.

“About last night. I know what you said, but Faith told me you don’t care to be touched.”

“I meant what I said.” He says it like it’s no big deal. I lift my hand and place it on his chest over one of the tattoos. He sucks in a breath as I trace it with my fingers. He closes his eyes for a long moment.

“Knox?” I stop when I feel something that isn’t smooth against his warm skin. “Who did this to you?” I fight tears at the thought of someone hurting him.

“Don’t cry for me.” He places his hand over mine. I can feel his heart beating. There are so many layers to this man. The moment I think I know him, he shows me another side of himself. I want to peel those layers back and see all of him.

Hopefully he’ll let me.

14

KNOX

“My past is fucked up. As much as I enjoy the tattoos, I started getting them to hide the scars.” Each brush of her fingers on my skin burns and not in a bad way. “I got a lot of bad draws when it came to foster parents.”

My chest is marked up with a handful of scars that are hard to see under the tattoos. Sometimes I think I still can feel the cigarette burns being pressed into my skin. She’s the second person I’ve ever told about the reasoning behind the tattoos. The only other person is Mick, and that’s because it’s his ink on my body.

“That’s horrible.” She drops her hand from my chest. I want to snatch it back. But then she does something even better. She wraps her arms around me, not caring that I’m all sweaty.

“My mom had some shitty husbands. I don’t have any scars unless you count the ones on the inside. Her last one was the worst.” She huffs out a warm breath against my chest.