Page 43 of Unmasked

He hung up, then turned to Everleigh. “Do you have stuff in the car you want to bring with you?”

She nodded. “There’s a bag in the trunk, and my purse is in the backseat.”

He grabbed her things and transferred them to his truck, then he stowed her inside. He slid into the cab and pulled her closer to him on the bench seat. Looping an arm around her shoulder, he held her close and pressed his lips to her temple.

If that idiot was the one responsible for this, he was going to rip him limb from limb. He didn't want to reach out to Mason just yet with Everleigh present, but he filed a mental reminder to let him know what had happened as soon as they got home.

Half an hour later, the tow truck pulled Everleigh’s car onto the back of the rollback and headed toward town. Once that was taken care of, he drove Everleigh to his house. She'd been mostly quiet, but he knew she was smart enough to suspect something was going on.

Inside, she turned to him as he dropped her bags on the bedroom floor. “You think it was intentional, don't you?”

He stared at her, debating exactly what to say. He’d never been able to lie to her, and he wasn’t about to start now. She deserved to know the truth. “I don't know yet.”

She tipped her head a little bit in challenge. “Don't lie to me.”

He drew in a deep breath before moving forward and pulling her against him. “Not lying, baby. I can’t know anything for sure, but it's a good possibility. When the mechanic replaces the lug nuts, I'm going to have them take a look and see if they can see any obvious signs of damage from where someone may have sabotaged your car.”

A little shudder racked her body. “Why is he doing this?”

“I don't know, sweetheart,” he murmured. “But I promise I won't let him hurt you. Between Mason and me, you're going to be safe. I won't let you out of my sight again.”

He didn't want to suffocate her, but he also refused to put her in danger by leaving her alone.

He tugged her to him, turning her and pinning her body to the mattress as he took her mouth in a hard kiss. Right now she was there, safe with him, and the only thing she’d need to focus on was the pleasure he planned to wring from her body.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

Everleigh fiddled with her fork, her mind swirling with thoughts. Knox sat across from her, filling the silence with details from years past.

He told her how he had reached out to his grandmother’s friend, Violet, and asked her to care for Vivi while he entered bootcamp and then joined the Marines. Violet had become a kind of surrogate to them, and Everleigh was grateful to her for that. Knox lamented that the older woman's mental health was failing, and Vivi was taking it pretty hard.

Violet had given Knox the funds to start Vantage when he had approached her with the idea, and Everleigh was incredibly proud of everything he had accomplished. He seemed to have the world at his fingertips, which made her even more hesitant to share her feelings with him. She didn’t want him to think she was using him or only dating him because of his recent success.

“Everleigh?” Knox’s voice broke through her thoughts, and she jerked her head up to meet his gaze. The look on his face told her it wasn't the first time he had said her name. “Sorry, I was daydreaming,” she replied.

“You okay?” His expression indicated he knew something was bothering her.

Everleigh forced a smile. “It's nothing. Just... thinking.”

“Looks like some heavy thoughts,” he said softly.

She sighed and rested her fork against the edge of the plate. “Kind of.”

“You can talk to me, you know.”

“I know.”

He nodded and fell silent for a moment before speaking again. “How was your day?”

Everleigh stared across the table at him. Had Mason told him about her meeting with Sierra? She couldn’t perceive anything in the dark depths of his eyes. “Good. I met with a friend today. We went to school together, but she's working as a realtor now.”

Knox didn’t say anything, and she continued. “Actually, a few weeks ago, I reached out to her about finding a place. Staying with my parents was fine at first, but… I need a place of my own.”

Though he tried to hide it, Knox stiffened at her words. She kept talking in an effort to put him at ease. “When we talked the first time, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted, so I decided to meet with her today to discuss some of my options. But… I’m not sure what to do.”

“Are you having second thoughts?” Knox’s demeanor was stiff. Wary.