“Breathe,” Knox reminded me as we stepped out of the elevator hand in hand, en route to his sister’s office.
Dragging my gaze to his, I flashed him a soft smile and nodded, hoping the simple gesture would fool him into believing I wasn't nervous at all. But Knox never missed a beat, so it shouldn't have surprised me when he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and pulled me into his side, his lips pressing a tender kiss to my temple that quietly urged me to relax. Hooking an arm around his waist, I took a deep breath and counted to ten, blowing it out slowly between my lips as my fingers scrunched the soft fabric of his tee in what felt like desperation when relief failed to wash over me. Knox’s presence usually soothed me in a way nothing or no one else could, but clearly the extent of my anxiety wouldn't allow it this time around. It was disturbing, to say the least; which, in turn, only made me all the more nervous.
The closer we stepped toward the door, the more my stomach churned about. I couldn't believe this was finally happening. For years, I wondered about her. Wondered how it might be if she were around. She, Bernie’s daughter, Maya. I didn't know much about her and I'd known better than to ask. Mostly because the first time Bernie even mentioned having a daughter – shortly after he took me under his wing – I pressed a little too far on her whereabouts, and as a result, he was closed off and robotic in the days following. It took him a while to finally explain the painful details of what happened between them, and by the time he choked out the last bit of it all, I understood why it was a topic of conversation he didn't care to rehash.
So now, here we were, moments away from finding out where Maya had been living her life for the last seven years, and Bernie wasn't even here to learn the truth. My chest ached, the thought of him and all that he was shooting white-hot tears of grief to the brims of my eyes. His death was still so fresh, only a little over half a year old, making the current situation more difficult than I’d initially anticipated. I clung to Knox all the more, willing my emotions to subside, as he opened the door and ushered me into the waiting area of Karley’s law firm. I’d never been here before but at a first glance, the place immediately screamed Karley Carr; White walls, black furniture, teal pops of color in all the little details, and bunches of fresh flowers strewn about. With my body firmly in his grasp, we sidled up to the small window where a mousy brunette with rosy cheeks and a bright pink lip greeted us.
“Hey, you,” she said to Knox, far more friendly than I cared for, if I were being completely honest.
“Hey, Sasha. Is my sister back from lunch yet?”
Sasha’s big green eyes flickered to where I stood for a split-second and then she nodded, flashing Knox what appeared to be a sexy smile. I wanted to knock it right off her pretty little face, my hand clenching into a fist at my side as I stared her down from the short distance separating us. You’d think I would’ve been used to it by now, how everyone – and I mean everyone – admired Knox, but it was cheeky broads like Sasha who pissed me off every single fucking time. Don’t smile at my man with that saucy little grin, visions of him fucking you into oblivion so clearly set in your eyes, when I’m standing right beside him. In fact, don’t smile at him at all.
He’s mine.
Back. The. Fuck. Off.
“She just got back about twenty minutes ago. Let me tell her you're here, then I'll buzz you through,” she purred, pulling me out from a very vivid daydream that consisted of me beating her face in.
Repeatedly.
Swiveling away from us with that snarky smirk set firmly in place, she rose to her stiletto-clad feet and sauntered away to Karley’s office, her hips swaying in an exaggerated fashion that was obviously meant for Knox to enjoy.
I know, what a bitch.
Hence why my reaction was instantaneous.
An inflamed, angered veil of red briskly clouded my vision, throwing all rationale and my previous anxiety out the window. Who the fuck did this chick think she was? Grinding my teeth together, I sucked in a breath so deep, my chest puffed up along with it, like one of those hardcore gym rats training for a bodybuilding competition. Not that Knox and I weren’t gym rats, but you get what I mean...
“Easy there, tiger,” he chuckled beside me, prompting me to peek up at him slowly from the corner of my eyes, my lips set in a grim line. He knew how much I hated tiger.
I wasn’t a damn tiger; I was THE Lioness.
The irate expression on my face did nothing but earn me another amused chuckle, though, because much to my dismay, my glares didn’t faze him. Ever. It’s like he was immune to them. Cupping my face in his hands, he brought our lips together in a chaste kiss and smiled.
“Relax with the claws. She’s had it out for me since she started working here a few years back. I never gave her the time of day then, and I sure as hell don’t plan to now,” he assured me, rubbing his thumbs along my cheeks.
“I still don’t like it. She’s fresh as fuck eye-fucking you like that when she can see you’re not here alone,” I growled indignantly.
“That’s Sasha. She gives no fucks, baby, and you shouldn’t either. I’m yours and only yours.”
“You better be,” I muttered and he swiftly kissed me again, countering with a fervent, “Forever,” that skipped the beat of my heart.
Ahem.
Our heads snapped toward the disgruntled sound in tandem, the tender moment between us slipping away like a shard of ice. Apparently Little Miss Sasha was back, looking none too pleased at the amorous image painted out before her. Her brow was arched, lips puckered in an unamused smirk. She was burning a hole through my head, too, and all I could do was smile in satisfaction.
“She’s ready for you.” Her voice wasn’t as cheerful and flirtatious anymore as her eyes pinned me not so subtly in place.
Clearly she had no idea who I was.
Unfazed in her efforts to intimidate me, I held her stare without falter and wrapped an arm around Knox’s middle, pressing myself against him with coy, rightful purpose. Watching her face fall as his arm snaked around my waist was the cherry on the top.
Burn, bitch, burn.
“Great, thanks,” Knox said evenly, guiding me away from the window and my estrogen-fueled showdown of propriety.
I could all but feel the silent amusement radiating off him, which was obviously a good thing. Most men hated jealousy spats, but not mine. He reveled in it; said the feeling of being wanted and protected by the woman he loved proved we were meant for each other. Then again, he was probably just saying that because he was pretty damn jealous himself, so he knew exactly how I felt.
The dull buzz alerted us we were clear to pass through into the back, and as we sauntered past an irked and very defeated Sasha on the way to Karley’s office, I couldn’t help but giggle. Served her right.
“You're impossible,” Knox whispered candidly.
“She started it.” I hooked a shoulder. “I simply finished it.”
“Wait till Karley hears about this.”
“You're gonna tell her,” I squeaked, my hand squeezing around his like a vice.
“I won't have to. Sasha will, for sure.”
“Seriously?”
“Without a doubt. She's been trying to get Karley to hook us up since she started here,” he explained, rapping his knuckles against the deep chestnut door.
Knock, knock!
“Come in!” Karley’s sweet voice called out from inside her office.
Knox turned the steel handle and pushed open the door, motioning for me to go in first. I shuffled into the chicly decorated room - again all black, white, and teal - and caught sight of my man’s sister sitting behind a massive, inky-colored desk with papers strewn about. The entire wall behind her was lined with books, mostly encyclopedias and law-related material. Karley smiled brightly and shot up to her feet, bounding toward me with an almost inaudible squeal. She wrapped me in her arms and I embraced her in return, smiling fondly as her now comforting scent enveloped me. The woman might have been Knox’s sister, but she'd become mine too.
“How are you?” she asked, pulling away, same blue eyes as her brother’s shimmering in the light.
“Nervous,” I admitted.
Now that we’d left Sasha behind, the anger that had taken place of disquietude in her presence swiftly fell away, leaving me in a newly-restored anxious state at the reminder of why we were here.
“Don't be,” she beamed as Knox came up behind me and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Releasing me from her grasp, she motioned to the leather seats that faced her desk. “Sit, sit, so we can get started. I have a meeting with one of my clients in thirty, hence the mess, and I want to fill you in completely.”
Shuffling around her desk, Knox and I dropped into the two chairs, his inked arm stretching out toward me, beckoning for my hand. I took it without hesitation, needing his touch to keep me grounded for what was to come...