Rock-a-Bye, Baby

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Knox grumbled. “You forgave him that easily?”

I flashed my brother a brilliant smile. “Yup, I sure did.”

Knox laced his fingers together and stretched his arms out, cracking his knuckles. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m harder to convince than you are.”

“Go easy on him,” I cautioned my brother. Then I decided to make him pay a little for the trouble he’d caused by adding, “I wouldn’t want you to damage any of his body parts that I have plans for later tonight.”

With that parting shot—and Knox’s pained groan ringing in my ears—I swiveled on my heel and marched away. I had wedding flowers to arrange...and another incredible night with my sexy rock god to look forward to. One I’d need to hold onto until we could be together again.

Chapter 7

Griffith

I watched Belle walk away, wishing I could go after her instead of dealing with her bastard of a brother.

“You want to stop looking at my sister’s ass, Thorne?” Knox growled.

I scowled and swung my head in his direction. “Seriously?”

Knox cracked his knuckles again as he stepped closer, and I barely contained the instinct to roll my eyes. “You take advantage of my baby sister, promise her a pack of lies, and I’m supposed to just stand here while you ogle her?”

“For the love of—” I didn’t bother hiding my eye roll this time. “I don’t know what your glitch is, but press reset and fucking listen to the words coming out of my mouth.” I didn’t back up a single step, meeting him toe to toe and making sure he could see the sincerity in my eyes. “Belle is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m going to do whatever it takes to be with her. To make her happy. For the rest of my life.”

Knox scoffed, but there was less conviction than before.

I tried a different tactic. “You’ve known me for what? A couple of years?”

“Long enough to have seen the number of women who throw themselves at you,” he spat.

“Have you ever seen me with any of them?” I countered. He shook his head, his attitude a little less violent. “Or any woman at all?”

“What’s your point?” His tone was a little belligerent, basically just being an ass since I’d taken the bullet out of his gun.

I folded my arms across my chest and leveled him with a direct stare. “You know exactly what I’m saying, Knox. You watched it happen with Drew and Becket.” They’d both fallen for their wives the minute they met them.

His eyes widened and his stance shifted away from me, letting me know that my bones would remain intact for the moment. “You’re in love with her?” His expression made it clear that if I didn’t answer correctly, said bones wouldn’t be so safe anymore.

“I’m not going to say that for the first time to anyone other than Belle.”

Knox’s eyes sparked with respect, and he backed off a little further. “Belle’s strong, but she’s a hopeless romantic. She wants the kind of marriage our parents have. She’s not built for a long-distance relationship.”

I shook my head and waved away his concern. “I already sent a text to Tyson about setting up a new meeting with Drew, Becket, and Zack. I’m going to sign the three-year contract. And when that’s up, I’ll sign another one. We’ll keep any tours short, and I won’t go unless she can take the time to go with me.”

“And if the band doesn’t want to stay?” he pushed.

“Then I’ll be going solo,” I answered without hesitation.

All of the threatening energy dissipated, though I still got the feeling I wasn’t Knox’s favorite person. Probably something to do with the fact that I’d seen his sister naked.

“When are you going to tell her?” he asked.

“As soon as the deal is done. If something goes wrong and I don’t end up with the deal, I’ll figure something else out. I don’t want to tell her one thing and then have to change the plan and put her in any more turmoil over how I’m going to make this work.”

“Fine.” Knox crossed his bulky arms over his equally big chest, giving me a meaningful glare. “You break her heart, and I’ll break your everything before I drop your body in the desert to be devoured by coyotes and scorpions.”

“There is nothing more important to me than Belle.”

Knox sighed. “Go. Before I decide to kick your ass just for the fun of it and piss off Belle even more.”

I sat in the back pew of the beautiful little chapel within the hotel and admired the wonderland my Belle had created. The Chapel of Dreams was small, but Belle and her sisters obviously put everything into making it as incredible as the most elaborate cathedral.