Taking Chances (Blackrock Book 2) (37 page)

“Okay
player, show me your moves,” I tease making him jump on me. Our
lips meet in a sensual kiss. Knox explores my body taking every inch
with his mouth.

His
hands leaving a trail of heat all over me the rest of our clothes are
quickly discarded as he descends on me again pushing deep inside, his
tongue greedily exploring my mouth as he thrusts his hips, his hand
grazes my thigh as he pulls my knee up allowing him to push deeper. I
feel the groan deep from his chest as we crash over the edge
together.

“Damn
babe, I need to get you liquored up more often,” I say kissing
his lips.

“Yeah
drunk sex, huh?” We both laugh as we lay in a tangle of legs
and arms. Knox slides beside me, resting on his elbow brushing the
hair from my face.

“I
have to tell you something.” He looks serious and it’s
the second time he said that tonight. I match his pose, resting my
head on my elbow I look into his eyes.

“Will
I like it?”

Scrunching
his face he lets out a long sigh. “I don’t know, probably
not.” I don’t know what to think and I don’t know
if I want to hear what he has to say. Things are good with us and I
have a bad feeling about his news. “Darlin?” I look back
up to him bracing myself.

“Tell
me,” I whisper as my heart beats harder.

“My
dad offered me an internship during the summer for eight weeks.”

I
sigh and lie on my back. “Jesus, Knox. I didn’t know what
the hell you were going say.” I smile relieved but he still
looks apprehensive.

“What
do you not want to do it?” I ask.

Sitting
up, he swallows looking at me through his eyelashes. “Yeah I
do, but it’s in Singapore.”

My
jaw drops as I stare at him. “What?” I don’t know
if I heard him right. Maybe I drank more than I thought

“Singapore,”
he repeats.

Climbing
out of bed, I pull on a t-shirt and stare at him. “Do you want
to go?”

He
nods drawing his knees up and resting his arms on them “I think
it will be good for me to get business experience and it’s my
dad.” He shrugs.

“Yeah,”
is all I can manage not really trusting myself to say anything else
for a few minutes.

“Okay,
so when did he ask you this? I thought he has been out of town for
the last few weeks?” I begin pacing the room with mixed
emotions.

“Fuck,”
he says running his hand through his hair. I stop pacing waiting for
an answer. “Just before spring break” is not the answer I
expected. Spring break was nearly two months ago; it’s a time I
won’t forget in a hurry.

“It’s
just for a few weeks, darlin’. I’ll be back in the middle
of August.” I nod then leave the room. Walking into the
kitchen, I grab a bottle of water and chug it.

“I’m
sorry I didn’t tell you sooner but we had things going on and I
wasn’t sure I would even go.”

“So
we have the next two weeks together and then I have to go back to
school.” I turn to see him watching me from the doorway. “It’s
cool; it will be good for you and I will be with my dad anyway. So
when do you leave?” I ask watching as his jaw tenses.

“On
June the twentieth.”

I
sit down hard as tears fill my eyes. “Knox, I will miss your
birthday and when in August will you be back?”

Bending
down in front of me, he wipes my tears with his thumb. “On the
twenty fifth.”

Now
I am mad. “What?” I shout at him pushing him away from
me. “Knox, you will miss my birthday too. This is bullshit,
it’s our first time together for our birthday s, and you won’t
be here.”

“I’m
sorry darlin’, but you never told me when your birthday was.”
He smiles, pissing me off even more.

“It’s
the twenty third, Knox. Two months after yours!” I shout
stepping over his legs walking into the bedroom crawling into bed
still crying.

“Baby,”
he says, climbing in beside me.

“No leave me alone. I don’t
like you.”

He
chuckles at me, wrapping me in his arms. “You don’t like
me, huh?” I shake my head no and he kisses my cheek and temple
I can feel his smile against my skin. “I won’t go if you
don’t want me to, darlin’. Just say the word and I will
stay here.”

I
shake my head no wiping my nose on my hand. “No, go babe. I’ll
be okay. I’ll go home.”

He
turns me over “Bailey, this is your home.”

I
shake my head again. “No, I agreed to take a chance for myself
and move in with you for the summer, but now you won’t even be
here.” Fresh tears fall as my lip quivers.

Knox
looks like he is going to be sick. “I’ll stay. I know you
gave up your dad to come live here.” He sounds sad.

“No,
go. I will be in school anyway for June and then it’s just July
and my birthday,” I cry again as he pulls me closer.

“Damn
darlin’, you’re goanna make me cry in a minute.” We
both lay awake for a while neither of us talking. We got into bed
after three in the morning and now it’s just after six. Without
sleep I slip out of bed and go for a run needing the time to think
about spending the summer without Knox.

The
street is quiet so run on the road with my music blasting, I don’t
know why I acted so crazy when Knox told me and what a time to tell
me too after we make love and had a great night out, just showing me
everything I will be missing when he is gone. I pound my feet as I
run up the hill finally realizing I am almost at my dad’s
house, I continue running until I reach home and meet my dad on his
way out. He stops the car looking at me “Did you run up here?”
I nod panting heavily.

“Can
you open the door I don’t have my keys,” my dad laughs at
me,

“No
I have to get to work I’ll drop you back” climbing into
the car I turn off my music.

“You
do know you just ran over ten miles?”

I nod checking my running app
“Yeah I need to think things through,” my dad winds the
car through the hills “Oh what about?”

“Nothing
dad I’ll tell you later drop me off at the edge of campus
please.”

He
lets me out frowning “Bailey take it easy,”

“I’m
good dad I haven’t dropped yet” I smile closing the door
waving as I take off through the campus to the football field running
laps. All I can think about is being alone and it’s freaking me
out I never realized that until last year I was never really alone
Summer was always there or Roger. We always slept in one or the
others house and the only time I was alone was last year when I first
moved here but then again I was grieving so I wanted to be alone but
now, now I am happy and in love and I am being so selfish right now,
I scold myself. Once my legs begin to ache I walk back to the
apartment my clothes soaking and my head a little clearer. Opening
the door I find Knox on the other side “Hi babe” I smile
to his frown “Hi” he looks sexy with his bed hair and
boxers.

“Where
you going out like that?” I nod at him.

“No
I saw you walking into the parking lot” kicking off my shoes I
strip as I walk to the shower,

“Where
did you go you’ve been gone for two hours?” turning on
the water I turn to him “Awe babe did you miss me?” he
nods crossing his arms.

“Well
I actually did not run all the way my dad drove me back down the hill
then I hit the football field.”

I
climb into the shower followed by Knox “you ran all the way up
to your dad’s?” I nod rinsing off my hair while he grabs
my shampoo and begins to wash it for me, “I don’t know
what to do now darlin.”

He
sighs rinsing off my hair before adding conditioner, turning I smile
at him “Babe I will miss you so bad but it will be good for you
to go” taking my face in his hands he places a soft kiss on my
lips “are you sure because I will stay if you need me to”
I lean against his chest.

“Of
course I need you babe but I am not going to ask you to stay I will
be fine before you know it you will be home” he nods holding me
close.

“You know you’re the
best thing that ever happened to me?” he whispers.

“And
you to me” I kiss his neck then turn off the water.

After
breakfast we walk into the tattoo shop Knox is getting his Celtic
piece done like Max’s. I watch as the artist puts the negative
onto Knox’s back and begins the outline and as he makes the
Celtic circle with knots and ropes like Max’s, it has another
design like wings and a tail flowing through it. I watch in awe as
the buzz of the needle pierces Knox’s skin filling in the ink,
the guy wipes away blood as he moves the needle around. After an hour
the out line is complete and Knox stands the guy wipes ointment all
over and covers the new ink with gauze. He makes an appointment for
next week to get it finished and we leave.

“Did it hurt babe?”
he smiles and nods

“A
little at first but I am used to it now,” “Maybe I should
get one,” I say swinging his hand.

“No way” he grabs me
in a headlock “Wow double standard Mr. Porter you can have
plenty of tattoos but I can’t get one?”

“I
never said you can’t I don’t think you should, mine all
have personal meanings and a tattoo is for life not just for
Christmas” he points at me, slapping his hand away.

“You mean a dog babe the
saying is a dog is for life” we walk back to the apartment.

“I have a few phone calls
to make darlin then we are hitting the mall” I agree and
quickly order his birthday present online while he is on the phone. I
have two weeks for my plan and I need alone time to pull it off. Knox
and I spend the rest of that day shopping buying business clothes for
his trip he lets me pick everything telling me when he dresses each
day he can feel like my arms are around him, tears prick my eyes and
the sales lady croons at us.

“You
really know how to impress a girl,” I say leaving the store.

“Only
you beautiful, only you” I slip my hand into his back pocket as
we walk back to my car loading it up with bags. “You wanna look
around darlin?” I laugh at him,

“No
way I did my savings in with Paige last month.”

“Sure? My treat” he
calls and I shake my head no climbing behind the wheel. “Thanks
babe but I’m good I only want you” I wink as I pull out
of the mall. We get home and flake out on the sofa “I have to
work tonight are coming over for dinner?” he asks climbing
beside me.

“Yeah
I’ll swing by” he kisses me then puts his head on my
chest.

“Are you sure you’ll
be ok Bailey?” “Yes” I tell him running my fingers
through his hair.

Just
before six Knox is leaving for work and I agree to bring his dinner
over at eight, as soon as he is gone I grab both our computers and
pull off photographs from both. I make a movie of our pictures from
when we met up until before spring break and add three sound tracks
to it of songs Knox has sang to me over the last few months, which
have been hundreds. I am so engrossed in my project I jump when my
phone beeps.

Knox:
starving here.

Me:
sorry!

I
forgot to go over at eight now it’s almost nine, grabbing his
dinner I walk over to the bar “Hi babe sorry I was on the
computer” we go in the back so he can eat.

“What were you doing?”

“School
stuff you know” I walk back out to the bar making myself a
drink watching for customers but most people have gone home for the
summer so it’s quiet. Ten minutes later Knox joins me,

“Helping Yourself?”
he nods at my drink and I smile.

“Yep I am pretty much
family” he smiles at me leaning down to kiss my lips.

“Yes you are darlin.”

June 19
^th

Walking
home from class I bite back my tears I promised myself I wouldn’t
cry today but I am already breaking that one, at lunch time I bawled
in the bathrooms like a baby thinking of Knox packing his suite case
at home texting me every five minutes asking where this or that was.
Taking a deep breath I open the door to the apartment swallowing hard
at the sight of his case sitting by the door.

“Hey darlin” he calls
from the kitchen as I walk down the hallway.

“Hi babe” I smile
“Hey Max” we have decided to have a going away slash
birthday party tonight so neither of them are working but we will be
in the bar just in case they are needed.

“How
was school?” I groan in answer pulling open the fridge grabbing
yoghurt “You want dinner?” Knox asks pulling me onto his
lap.

“Nope this will do I’m
not hungry” we sit together a while in silence all feeling a
little down. “So I’m going to get changed I will leave
you to it” finishing my yoghurt I leave the kitchen, jumping
into the shower where I finally let the damn open again for a few
minutes. I wear my leather mini skirt and my corset top on request
from Knox with my five inch heels, walking into the kitchen I find
them both looking glum.

“Come on it’s
supposed to be your birthday celebration” Knox smiles at me and
Max makes a weird snorting sound as they stand.

“Where’s
Paige?” Max shrugs.

“I told her where we would
be” doesn’t sound too good so I drop it.

Walking
into the bar I see Paige waiting in our usual corner she has balloons
and a large white banner with ‘Happy Birthday Knox and Max’
in black letters and a table of shots waiting, both Knox and Max stop
walking when they see it. Paige, Amber, Chase, and I shout surprise
to them. We invited a few of their friends from school who are still
around.

“Shots for everyone”
Paige calls out we take our glasses and make a toast.

“To Knox and Max” the
bar is not too busy, so we have it to ourselves we dance and drink
and sing some karaoke. “Hey babe” I whisper to Knox.

“Yes darlin?”

“I’m
going to sing try not to start a fight” I tease kissing him
quickly. Stepping on stage I flick through the playlist, Billy the DJ
knows me by now so he doesn’t care I point to the song and he
sets it up. “Happy Birthday” I blow a kiss at Knox and
sing ‘A moment like this’ by Kelly Clarkson. When I am
done I am crying. Knox grabs me tight burying his face into my hair.