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Taking a deep, calming breath, I started up the engine.
* * *
I was glad that the sun was still out so I had an excuse to wear the huge shades that covered the redness around my eyes. Rationally, I knew that the number of people that passed their driving test first time was under fifty percent, but I’d been so hopeful that I was going to pass. My instructor had done his best to reassure me, and he’d even booked in another test attempt for me at the end of the following week, but my confidence had been knocked.
Now, all I wanted was a hug. That was it. Something so simple, but it was the thing I missed most about my uncle. He’d given the best hugs, warm and caring, always comforting me if I was upset.
My mum wasn’t an option—as soon as I saw her, I was going to confront her about everything, and hugging would be the last thing on either of our minds. So instead of going straight back to the Ashcroft mansion like I’d planned, I’d asked my driving instructor to drop me back at Hatherley Hall.
The place where Knox was currently playing in a lacrosse game.
I arrived around ten minutes before the end of the game, according to the clock, just in time to see Knox racing across the field towards the goal. In the blink of an eye, Link Bellingham launched the ball at him, and he lifted his stick, swiping the ball out of the air and catching it. He didn’t even pause for breath before he sent the ball soaring in a high arc, straight into the back of the net.
He was gorgeous like this, covered in mud, with a wild grin of triumph on his face as he fist-pumped the air and then was swarmed by his teammates. My breath caught in my throat as I leaned against the side of the stands, hopefully unnoticed by anyone else.
When the game came to an end, with the Hatherley Hall team victorious, I shrank back into the shadows around the back of the stands as the spectators began to disperse and then made my way across the grassy area next to the lacrosse field in the direction of the changing rooms.
My plan worked. I saw the moment when Roman noticed me as I drew level with the goal line, and he grabbed Knox’s arm, giving a subtle nod of his head in my direction. Knox said something to him, and then he pulled off his helmet and jogged over to me, leaving the rest of the team to file inside the changing rooms.
He stared down at me, shading his eyes with his hand to stop the last of the sun’s rays from blinding him. “Did you pass?”
I shook my head, biting down on my lip when it trembled, hugging my arms across my body.
“Take off your sunglasses.” His voice was soft but commanding, and I drew my shades up onto the top of my head, letting him see my eyes.
“Fuck, Elena.” He glanced down at himself, covered in mud, then at the changing rooms, then back at me. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
When he returned, I was leaning against the goalpost, my sadness temporarily forgotten as I watched him approach. So fucking sexy. Like, ridiculously. My body responded to him instantly, and dirty thoughts flashed through my mind.
“Here.” Grabbing my hand, he placed something into my palm and curled my fingers around it. “You don’t have to use fingerprints to get into the crypts. Open the panel underneath, and you’ll find a keypad. I’ve written down the entry code, and you have the key to my bedroom. Close the door behind you, and it’ll automatically lock, but you can still open it from the inside. Go and wait in my room for me, okay?”
My jaw dropped, and I forgot all about my ridiculous libido. I was completely floored. He was trusting me with the code and his key, trusting me to be alone in his inner sanctum?
This washuge.
“T-thank you,” I managed to whisper.
Giving me a long, scrutinising look, he released his grip on my hand. “I trust you. With this. I want to trust you with more than this, Elena.”
“I know.” The lump in my throat wouldn’t go away.
His lips curved up in the barest hint of a smile. “Good. I’ll see you soon.”
* * *
I took a seat on the edge of Knox’s huge wooden bed, topped with the softest mattress and a thick, luxurious duvet in rich, black fabric. Breathing in and out slowly, I pulled my phone from my bag. Before anything else happened, I had a call to make.
Glancing down at the screen, I noticed that I didn’t have a phone signal, so I jogged back up the stairs and out of the crypts, propping the door open.
When the voice at the other end answered, I took a deep breath. “Hello. This is Elena Blackwood. Can I check if I’m still on the visitor list for Jason Myers?”
35
ELENA
There was a soft knock at the bedroom door, followed by a low voice saying my name, and I climbed off the bed and let Knox in. He was freshly showered, his hair still damp. The second he dropped his bag, he wrapped me in his arms, and it was like I could breathe properly for the first time since I’d learned that I’d failed my test.
“How the fuck have I gone from wanting to throttle you to wanting to make you feel better when you’re down?” he murmured into my hair. “Makes no sense to me.”
