After Dark

Knox let’s out a hmph but doesn’t press the subject. I never thought in a million years that he would be so fucking submissive—not with the way he was bold enough to approach me in the diner.

“Guess that means you should go,” I state clumsily.

He sits up, rests on his side, and looks at me with a confused expression that I’m choosing to ignore. I look at the tips of my fingers, then immediately slide them behind my pillow. I thought I had gotten all the blood off when I showered, but it seems I was wrong.

“Don’t hide them,” he says quietly.

I turn my eyes toward Knox and raise an eyebrow as he reaches underneath the pillow to pull my hands back out into his view. The way he’s looking at them … it’s almost like he sees them as a prize to be won.

I tilt my head to the side and watch as he continues to worship my hands, sliding his fingers up and down the length of them before he interlaces them and pulls me up to a seated position.

“Blood-stained and beautiful,” he whispers.

I don’t know why, but I let him continue his worship. It seems to have my curiosity piqued and satiated at the same time. The reason Knox approached me was simpler than I could have imagined, and his obvious fixation proves it.

“Do you like everyone’s hands this much or just mine?” I tease him good-naturedly.

He blanches, steals a glance at me, and chews on his lower lip nervously.

Everyone’s it is, I think as I roll my eyes, sit up, and pull my hands out of his grip.

“So, like I said earlier, I guess you should go,” I say, my tone becoming low and stern. Knox looks like he’s just been slapped in the face, but he has to understand that I’m not going to play games.

Not when he can easily be one of my victims instead.

It’s been three hours since Knox left.

I had to almost physically remove him from my home, but he finally left after I snapped at him. I didn’t feel good doing it, but if he’s going to be a hand whore, then he’ll have to find someone new to set his fixations on.

I’m agitated and unsettled now which is not something that happens easily.

I lied to him about losing my job because I’ve seen him from the ambulance bay watching the diner when I want to have a peaceful meal.

I won’t be able to go back there for a while, but I’ve run the trash out of Baby Jane’s place so I’m sure she’ll be okay not seeing me for a little while. And if she runs into trouble, she’s one of the very few people who have my cell phone number, so I know she won’t hesitate to call.

The more I think about Baby Jane, the more I smile.

I pull my legs up underneath myself on the couch and dig another spoonful of cereal out of the bowl.

Baby Jane is different, and one of the very few people that has a reason to fear me. She doesn’t know all of my secrets because I trust her to a point.

I don’t know.

I guess it’s just nice to have someone to confide in.

I know her well enough to notbreak that confidence—especially since she’s well aware of what I’m capable of.

However, if push ever came to shove, I don’t think I’d be able to hurt Baby Jane.

With a shrug, I sit back and keep eating my cereal. I’ll have to take a nap soon so I can be refreshed for work and hope for a much more entertaining night than the one I had.

Chapter 17

It’s been a week since Bodhi kicked me out of his apartment. I fucked up. Yes—yes, of course I like hands. Not everyone’s, but I’ve liked more than just Bodhi’s. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I should have explained myself before allowing him to shut me out again. I should have told him how magnificent he is. I should have told him how I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about him.

I take a deep breath and try to focus on the piece that Jessa is playing for me. She’s been playing beautifully despite her injured fingers. She’s so strong and I tell her that every time I have to leave her. Closing my eyes, my head sways from side to side, enjoying the light sound of each note that she hits.

“You’re so incredible, Jessa; a natural. I can picture you playing for thousands of people; all of them shouting your name.”