Knock Love Out (A Sensual New Adult Crossover Romance) (19 page)

I set down the mug of coffee, leaning into the soft waves of marshmallow and vanilla. Honey-girl smells like I’m still asleep.

“Twice in one lifetime? How did I get so lucky?”

My lips dance under her chin.

She gathers my face into her hands, looking at me like the day before on the couch. Something beyond the simple green.

“
That’s
how you make love to a woman, Cash. You do it well.” Her face smiles, eyes glancing upwards. “Even with the stupid hat on.”

“Well,” I breathe, “You were my first. Congratulations.”

Her lips press to mine and I’m about to roll her over, lock her under me for the rest of the day, but between the lingering Jäger thumps and her hands—I’m denied.

“We have to work today. Seriously. No playing until both of us get our acts together.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you think your friend Hattie would mind if I stole some clothes?”

“All she has is jock-straps and flannel.”

“Be nice, Warren.”

“I could just buy you clothes.”

“I don’t want you buying me things.”

“Why not? It’s what men do when they …” Her face stops me dead. “I’m not Adam.”

“Clearly. But I don’t want your money.”

“It’ll be a loan. I have extremely flexible payment programs.” I palm her tits. “
Extremely
.”

“I bet you do,
Cash
.”

I tug her legs from under her, sending Lilla to her back, giggling and fighting against me as I push her legs apart. My hand slapping in between her thighs.

She squeaks, kicking her feet to me as I slap her again.

“Stop,” but her laughter isn’t matching those words.

“I’m not afraid to beat a pussy, Honey-girl.”

I slap her again, three times. Right
there
.

“My vagina doesn’t have time to be slapped swollen today. Stop.”

I let her sit up, watching as she doesn’t mean to grin, righting her clothes. A shove to my chest.

“Bastard.”

“I told you not to call me that name. Those who do, shall reap the consequences.”

“There will be no slapping of anyone else’s vagina. Not horny women in the grocery store or plastic dolls.”

“I didn’t know you were a jelly sandwich, Lil.”

“I’m not jealous. I just don’t share well. Contradictory. I know.”

“Never fear, Lilla, I only have pussy slaps for
you
.”

She kisses my cheek.

“Don’t say that word. It’s offensive.”

I swat her ass before she reaches for me, pulling me off the couch.

“Come on, work time, Love Lump.”

Our feet slosh through empty bags of chips and plastic cups.

“My head is in a world of hurt. My apartment is trashed. At the end of today, I could either be dating the girl who saves my family’s future or is going to be the ending of it. When did life get so damn complicated?”

I look around the house again.

“Fubba U Cubba Kubba.”

Lilla smiles, nodding.

“Indeed.”

PART ELEVEN

LILLA KING

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Ass—Adam changed the locks.”

I toss my keys over the porch, to the grass.

“It’s cool,” Cash kisses my hand, “I’m an expert at breaking and entering.”

“That’s illegal.”

“It’s
your
damn house, Lilla.” Cash pulls out his wallet, picking a credit card and shoves it along the door frame.

“Don’t worry, I was never a criminal—my mom just thought it was funny to lock me out when I missed curfew. I got tired of sleeping on the fucking porch.”

“Just hurry. I have neighbors.”

“Who will see you trying to get in
your own
house.”

“Just—hurry.” I watch the street. “I didn’t even know this really worked.”

“I feel like ‘Regulate’ should be playing.”

“Shut up and open the door.”

The door clicks. Sly grin. He’s lucky I love him.

“Learn something new every day, Honey-girl.”

Cash waves me inside, closing the door behind us. It’s awkward. No—it’s the most awkward moment of all time.

I see him glancing around. I feel his inner thoughts run uncomfortably down my spine. I’m forever grateful when he pauses in the living room, looking out the window.

“I’ll watch for Adam or the cops. Go get your stuff, Lil.”

Strange to feel so scared in my home. It’s not my home, though. Four walls and a roof. I take a box of things that will never belong to Adam.

Clothes. Toiletries.

I rest the box on the kitchen table and open the cabinet door. I blink. I open the cabinet next to it. The next.

“Oh, no-no-no. No. You cock-a-doodle. No.”

“Something wrong?” Cash is asking with laughter.

There is nothing funny here.

I open the drawers and fling everything everywhere. My hands frantic and searching desperately.

It’s not there.

It’s not here.

Slamming the drawer until it can’t take any more abuse. I kick the crap out of the bottom cabinet drawer. Cash is not laughing at me any longer.

I walk myself up the stairs, straight to his office and pull the keys from the top drawer, unlocking the file cabinet.

The window behind me is shoved open and I take every file in his desk and fling them outside. The cup of pens. The keyboard.

“This is quite a leap for someone who was against me using a credit card in the doorjamb.”

Goodbye little planner book with important things in it. Goodbye, sir.

“He took my grandmother’s cookbook.”

Goodbye back-up files little thingy that plugs into the computer. Goodbye, sir.

Cash’s voice shrinks. “A
cookbook
?”

I spin, looking for something else to toss.

“Yeah, a
cookbook
. I’ve had that thing since I was ten. It’s all I have left of my grandmother. You gotta problem with that, Cash?”

He shakes his head.

“No, Lil, please carry on with the destruction.”

My hands shovel an armful of papers from Adam’s desk, pausing when my eyes see the computer screen.

Words blinking like little neon lights.

Claude Valentine

Valentine’s Grocery

Before I can read it, I hear yelling.

Cash curses.

I move the mouse and click print, gathering the papers into my hand just as Adam walks in.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I stalk towards him.

“You’re an asshole!” I shove his chest, unable to keep my feelings at bay. The tears. The hurt. “It was my
grandmother’s,
you asshole!”

“Get out of my house, Lil.”

I shove him again. “I want my book.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

I hit him again. “Give me the book, Adam.”

“You destroyed my office, you’re breaking into my house, and
now
you’re assaulting me. Wanna play this game, Lil? You’ll lose, little girl.”

I slap repeatedly at him with everything I can muster, nonstop, until Cash tugs me away, winding his arms around me.

“You had to bring your boyfriend with you? In
our
house, Lil. Really?”

“I thought it wasn’t
my
house?”

Cash interrupts, tightening his hold.

“I’m only making sure she’s alright. This isn’t about being a dick. Just give her the book and we’ll go.”

“Get out of my house,” Adam demands.

I push Cash’s arms away, heading for the door, but my feet turn, finding myself pressed right up against Adam, my face a breath away from touching his.

“It’s fitting—really—because that was the
only
thing in this stupid damn house that meant anything to me. Just like
me,
Adam—you
destroyed
it. Something someone poured their life into. You took it for granted. It’s nothing to you. Nothing.”

“Tell your boyfriend to leave and we can have this conversation, Lilla.”

“There’s nothing to discuss—you’ve made it quite clear how you feel.”

“And
you
? What do
you
feel?” He grabs my arm and I pull away.

“I think your shit on the lawn is proof.”

“I was angry at you. I didn’t mean to hurt you with the book. See, Sweetheart? Makes it all better, doesn’t it? You slept with the kid behind you and I burned your grandma’s book. We’re all evened up.” He grabs my arm again, but I don’t have to push him away this time.

Cash takes me with one hand and shoves him with the other, Adam’s feet tripping backwards at the force.

“Don’t fucking touch her again.”

“Isn’t it your nap time, kid?”

I step in front of Cash.

“This
kid
has more sense in his pinky toe than you could dream of, Adam. This
kid
is brilliant and funny and I love him more than I was
ever
able to love you and you make my damn skin crawl I hate you so much—God—I
hate
you
so
much.”

I’m hitting him again. The papers crunch in my hands as I suck in a breath.

“It didn’t have to be like this. You ass, it didn’t have to be like this.”

I hit him again and my finger pops, causing me to walk right out of the room.

I’ve given him enough tears and enough pain and enough of my time.

***

“Make her laugh, dude. She needs to laugh.”

Heath makes faces at me. I squeak as Hattie pops my finger back in place.

“Sorry,” she apologies. “It worked. How did this happen anyhow?”

A small smile on Cash’s face.

“She hit her husband in my honor,” he smirks, a sigh escaping. “And Heath says my dick isn’t magical.”

“I hit Adam because he deserved to be hit.”

“Set on fire,” he corrects. “Castrated. I told you I could have brought two matches.”

“Leave her alone and eat your food, jerk-off. You’ve caused enough trouble,” Hattie spits.

Cash pops the lid off the container that contains the best shit ever. Loaded nachos from Border on the Run.

“Who the hell stops for nachos when their girlfriend’s finger is dislocated, anyhow?”

“I don’t know,” he pushes them toward me. “Maybe someone who wants to be nice and feed his girlfriend shit she likes when she’s in pain, but you know, whatever. The hell is your problem today, Hattie?”

“You. And men in general.”

“If you’re on the rag, I have a stash of candy bars in my pantry. Feel free to steal as many as it takes to wipe the bitch from your system.”

“Don’t call me a bitch, you bitch.”

“Jesus, you’re annoying today.”

“You’re annoying
every day
.”

“Yeah, since I was five years old. Why does this surprise you all of a sudden? Seriously, I have Hershey bars, peanut butter cups, M & M’s—even though their very
name
isn’t welcome in my house—” he looks at me. “
Snickers
.”

“I don’t need candy. I need a friend who acts like a grown up and doesn’t run out on me when I need him and acts responsible and—”

His friend starts hyperventilating.

Something tells me this is going to be a really, really, long day.

PART TWELVE

CASH

Chapter Twenty-Four

She’s like a human waterfall.

“You are acting so weird. What in the fuck is with you, chick?”

I reach for her shoulder but she swats me away.

“You eat so disgustingly! Practically attacking your food, you gross pig!”

I just smile at her craziness. “You should see me eat pussy.”

“I’m
pregnant,
Cash!”

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious. Trent and I are having a kid. I’m ten weeks.”

“That’s fucking … almost three months. You’ve been knocked up for
three
months and haven’t told me?”

“I didn’t even know. I just thought you were getting on my nerves more than normal.”

“Holy shit. You’re gonna have a motherfucking
kid
.”

“I know.” She beams sniffling through her tears.

Fucking
beams
.

I’ve never seen anyone look so happy.

“Shit, Hattie.” I slide away from my chair and I hug the hell out of her. “I’ll stomp Trent’s ass if he doesn’t ask you to marry him.”

“I know you will, Cash,” she cry laughs.

“Goddamn right.” I touch her belly. “Hey little bastard baby, it’s me, your uncle.”

“Jesus help me, you’re never going near my child, Cash.”

I rub her stomach again, hands to it and just in fucking awe. There’s a
life
in there. Hattie has a baby in her stomach. A
human being
for Christ sake.

“This is like … the most surreal shit ever. I’ll stomp him
dead
, Hattie. Dead. I swear.”

She laughs, squeezing my arm.

“I know.”

“Here—sit on my lap.” I scoop a chip under the pile of cheese, rice and chicken. “My first nice act towards my nephew or niece.”

She opens her mouth, eating the nacho. Pats my head.

“You better hurry and grow up. I want my kid to have a friend like how we were.”

“
Are
,” I correct her.

Her fingers wipe around her mouth.

“Bah, don’t be so nice. It creeps me out.”

“You look kind of fat. Your pregnant body is crushing my leg.”