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“A gentleman…”
“You were with a guy?” He smirked. “Interesting.”
I rolled my eyes in an effort to hide my discomfort. I was worried Jude would put the pieces together and realize what I’d done. Who I’d been with.
“I know. I know.” He held up his hands. “A gentleman never kisses and tells. Just answer one question.” I tried to school my face into a neutral expression as I waited. “Is it serious?”
I shook my head, forcing out the words, “It’s—” I blew out a breath. “Nothing.”
Because it could never be anything more than last night. One perfect night that never should’ve happened.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Ilifted my shirt to my nose, inhaling the scent of Knox’s cologne. It smelled like vacation. Like freedom and fun. Like comfort.
He always made me feel so safe. And even just having this small token of his was calming. It grounded me, blocking out the smell of antiseptic.
God, I hate hospitals.
I peered over at my mom. She was sleeping peacefully, and her vitals looked good. She’d been admitted early this morning for an infection, and after testing, they’d discovered she had mono.
Unbelievable.
I wanted to blame Joe, but I knew he felt terrible. Besides, he’d been the one to convince her to come to the hospital. And he’d been at her side the entire time.
The doctors assured me she would recover, but we hadn’t had a scare like this since the beginning. It didn’t matter that Joe was here. I should’ve been with her. I should’ve been paying better attention so it wouldn’t have reached this point.
But I’d been distracted. Wrapped up in Knox. And not just last night.
God. Last night.
The memory of it filled me with equal parts pleasure and guilt. It was empowering and liberating. And also so,sowrong. Part of me still couldn’t believe what I’d done.
I’d slept with my boss. Well, technically, my former boss. But even more than that, I’d slept with Jude’s dad. I’d slept with two men who were related—first the son, and now his father.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“Kendall,” Joe said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you go home? Get some breakfast or a shower.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry. I’m—” I rubbed my eyes. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.” And Ihatedhospitals.
“I know.” He rubbed a hand over his face, his eyes on Mom. And I realized Joe had lost sleep for an entirely different reason. Which only made me feel worse for not being there for her.
“I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I know you’re only trying to help. I’m just—” I blew out a breath. I wasn’t used to this—having someone be there for us. Be there for Mom. “I’m worried about her.”
And how we were going to afford this. Between her medical debt and my student loans, we were barely keeping our heads above water. The placement with Knox had been nice while it had lasted, but now that was over.
Hopefully the Hartwell Agency would find something else, but there was no knowing how long that would take. And with how unpredictable the tutoring website had been lately, I couldn’t depend on that either.
Maybe I should’ve taken Knox up on his job offer.
“She’s going to be okay,” Joe said with more confidence than I felt. “She has to.”
The way he looked at her, with such intensity and devotion, I realized it was the way Knox looked at me. My heart clenched painfully in my chest, and I sank down onto the chair and placed my head in my hands.
A headache had been building all morning. And I had a feeling no amount of coffee would cure what ailed me. This was more than an “orgasm hangover,” as Emmy would’ve called it.
Last night was… Well, it was only supposed to be for one night, but what a night it had been. The culmination of months of tension. The realization that it had been so much more than just sex.
