Page 66 of Keep Me Close

That truth settles deep into my bones until it becomes a permanent part of me.

I shove away from the door and head back to my room before I do something I shouldn’t, like knock.

My bedroom is dark as I cross to the nightstand and reach for my phone. That’s when I notice a text from an unknown number. I hesitate before opening it. A photo of Chey and me on the red carpet fills the screen. Our arms are wrapped around each other and we’re caught in the middle of a kiss.

Unknown Number:

She will never belong to you

23

Cheyenne

My phone starts ringing before I’m fully awake. For a split second, I don’t know where I am. The ceiling above me isn’t mine, the sheets smell like laundry detergent instead of the expensive linen spray my mom insists on, and the room is too quiet.

That’s when it all comes rushing back.

Knox’s penthouse.

The Railers event.

Him playing the piano before he pulled me onto his lap and wrapped an arm around me. Then there’s the way he looked at me right before he said we should probably get some sleep.

My stomach flips at the memory.

The phone continues ringing from its spot on the nightstand. With a groan, I grab it without checking the screen.

“Hello?”

“Cheyenne.”

That’s all it takes for my eyes to snap open.

Damn… Mom.

I hate when she catches me early in the morning and I’m too groggy to think clearly.

I push up onto my elbows, wide awake now. “Hi.”

A long, dramatic sigh floats through the speaker. It’s the kind she uses when she thinks I’ve made her life unnecessarily complicated.

“Please tell me you’ve seen what’s going on.”

My stomach tightens. “What are you talking about?”

“The photo, Cheyenne. The one of you and Knox on the red carpet. It’s everywhere.”

I scrub a hand down my face and swing my legs over the side of the bed. “Yeah, that was all part of the plan, Mom. Dakota needs to see that I’ve moved on.”

There’s a long pause. “Are you sure that’s all this is?”

My grip tightens on the phone. “Of course. What else would it be? He’s helping me out.”

“So there’s nothing to it?”

The question gives me pause. To be honest, I’m not sure what’s going on with Knox. A week ago, I would have snorted and said absolutely nothing, but now…

I’m none too sure.