This made no sense.
Kent picked up his hockey bag, his eyes still on Beth. What, did he need to stare her down to feel good about himself? What was he doing? Knox shifted his eyes over to Beth. If Kent was making her uncomfortable, he’d say something about it, no problem. If he had to punch the guy to get him to stop staring, he’d do that too, even though he’d probably get his ass kicked. Kent was bigger, after all.
Not that that had stopped him before.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kent said before finally looking back at Knox. “I look forward to playing with you, Knox.” He nodded in his direction - a polite way to tell him to fuck off, Knox knew, but Knox wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to realize Knox was Beth’s best friend. The only reason Beth was even here was to hang out with him. Not Kent, but Knox.
And for some reason, Knox felt particularly smug about it.
Kent headed out the door, leaving Beth and Knox alone in the cold hallway. Knox made sure he had everything and glanced over at Beth. Currently, there was a deep wrinkle in her brows and her gaze was narrowed, jaw locked. Rarely did he see her pissed off, and even more rare was when that anger was directed at him.
“What?” he finally asked.
“What the hell was that about?” Beth asked as Knox began to make his way down the hall.
He didn’t answer, pretended he hadn’t heard her. Because the truth of it all was that he didn’t know the answer to that question, and that bothered him more than it should have.
6
Beth
“You’re not going on that date.”
Beth was glad they had completely foregone breakfast entirely. She was in no mood to sit across from Knox and pretend to be civilized when all she wanted to do was throw syrup on his short, black hair.
How dare he?
Who did he think he was?
“I’m sorry, but what gives you the right to tell me what I can and can’t do?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and all but stomping across the living room.
She had no idea how they made it back to his condo. She shouldn’t even be here but she was. Probably because she wanted to talk out this frustration, to understand why he thought he had any right to tell her what she was allowed to do, especially where it concerned her love life.
There always seemed to be this unspoken rule between her and Knox - they didn’t talk about romance. When he would hook up with puck bunnies or girls he found at the skatepark, she would bite her tongue and pretend they didn’t exist. Luckily, they never lasted long and she didn’t have to deal with them for very long. Tora was the only one she remembered lasting more than a few days but they only lasted a month - though, for Knox, that was a big deal. He never did tell her why they broke up though and she never asked. He was upset about it, so she tried to distract him with food and Will Ferrell movies. It seemed to do the trick.
What Beth didn’t understand was what changed? Was it high school graduation? Was it getting drafted by a professional hockey team? What suddenly came over him to the point where he thought he could tell her what to do. It didn’t make any sense. It infuriated her because she didn’t understand why all of a sudden, he cared.
He’s jealous.
She almost wanted to laugh at that. Knox? Jealous? She had known Knox practically her whole life and he never got jealous. Nothing like that phased him. She had seen plenty of his hookups try to make him jealous by flirting with his friends or making out with other people in front of him, but he would just laugh if he even noticed at all.
No.
Knox wasn’t jealous.
“I’m looking out for you,” Knox said. He opened his fridge and pulled out a Fiji water bottle before tossing it to her. She caught it easily and cracked it open. She was tempted to throw it at him but thought that would be a waste of damn good water. “You don’t know Kent. He could be an asshole. He could be a creep.” He straightened, pulling out his own water and closing the fridge door.
“He could be a lot of things,” Beth agreed. “And I intend to figure out what he is tonight when I go on that date with him.”
“You’re not going on that date,” Knox said. Insisted.
In all honesty, Beth had never heard him talk this way to her before. He was firm, serious. Even as she looked at him, she could see that there was no playfulness in his dark eyes, no sparkle of boyishness at all. Even his dimple was noticeably absent.
She tried to ignore it. It wasn’t fair that Knox got to dictate who she was allowed to date. It wasn’t like she got to tell him not to date the slutty bleach-blond with the fake tits or the brunette who only wanted to know what it was like to fuck a hockey player.
But she supposed it was different. Beth was going on a date. Knox just fucked them and left them. And, for the most part, the women seemed to understand the nature of the game. They know what role they’re going to play. They know they won’t be staying overnight, they won’t be waking up with him in the morning. Meanwhile, Beth was going to get to know Kent. She was going out to a restaurant. It could be the start of...something. It could also be a one-time thing on the off-chance that they didn’t click. Sex wouldn’t even factor into it, at least, not right away.
“I don’t understand why this is such a big deal,” she said, resting the Fiji bottle in her lap rather than drinking anything for the moment. She shifted a little, trying to get comfortable.
“It’s...I just don’t think you need to waste your time with him,” Knox said before taking a long sip of his own water.
For some reason, he was keeping his distance. He remained in the kitchen while she was on the couch in the living room. It was probably a good thing, if she was honest. He wouldn’t be able to distract her with his eyes up close, a touch to the back of her hand, a grin he saved just for her.
“It’s not a waste of time,” she said. She didn’t want to be distracted by him anymore. Didn’t he understand that? Didn’t he realize that she was desperately trying to fall out of love with him and she needed someone to help her with it because she couldn’t do it on her own. She wasn’t able to; she had been trying for years. “It’s a date. You know, dates? You’ve been on a few, sure, but I’m certain you know what they are.”
“Oh, ha, ha.” Knox rolled his eyes and pushed off the fridge from where he had been leaning. “The thing with professional athletes -”
“Oh, God, please don’t tell me you’re going to give me a lecture on professional athletes,” she said. “I was there during the draft last year. I’ve been to every one of your Mayhem games. I even went out with your team a couple of times for celebrations. I know how professional athletes can be. Especially the young ones. Kent is a little older. Maybe he’s looking to settle down. Hockey players tend to get married in their early - to - mid-twenties, and that’s Kent.”
“Not everyone follows that rule,” Knox said, wrinkling his forward.
“Yeah, I know.” Her eyes lingered on him.
He frowned. She must have made some sort of face that he took offense to because he dropped onto the coffee table in front of her. “What does that mean?” he asked.
Beth sighed, looking away. How to explain this without insulting him? It should have been easy. Knox wasn’t the type to get insulted by much. And yet, his tone seemed to imply that he was already agitated and she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like she had ever prevented him from going on a date with someone. She never even thought she had that option and, quite frankly, it pissed her off that he thought he had it.
“Look,” she said, stretching her legs in front of her and reveling in the tug on the back of her hamstrings. “Let’s just drop it, okay? I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Is that what we’re doing?” he asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know,” she replied, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. “We don’t really fight.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, nodding. He kept twisting the blue cap on the bottle, opening it, then shutting it. It was such an
unconscious gesture, Beth didn’t even think he knew what he was doing.
“But it feels like this is one,” she continued.
“That’s because you’re taking it like one,” Knox said. There was an edge to his voice, almost as though he was slightly defensive. His dark eyes snapped into hers, and like usual, they pinned her in place. “I’m not trying to fight with you, Beth.”
“Then how would you like me to take it, Knox?” she said. She never liked when he said her name when he was annoyed or frustrated with her. It was like a swear word, something he uttered out of malice rather than love. Not that he loved her in the same way she loved him. She wasn’t that stupid. “Because, from where I’m sitting, it feels like you’re telling me what to do when it comes to dating or sleeping with someone -”
His brow wrinkled as he choked on the large gulp of water he took. “Now you’re going to sleep with the guy?” he demanded to know after he got control of his coughing.
“That’s none of your business,” she said, furrowing her brow.
In all honesty, Beth had no intention of sleeping with Kent. She barely even knew the guy. But Knox didn’t need to know that. Not that she enjoyed toying with his emotions. She wasn’t doing that. But he didn’t get to dictate everything she did and said and who she went out with. In fact, she had no idea where he thought he had that freedom in the first place.
“What?” Knox asked, his voice low, dangerous. Husky.
Dark eyes narrowed on her, and Beth ignored the way her body shivered under the intensity of his gaze. She tried to swallow, to moisten her suddenly dry throat, but it didn’t work. She didn’t think she had ever heard him speak in that way, and it had such a profound effect on her that she definitely didn’t want to analyze, especially not in front of him.
“I said,” Beth managed to get out, keeping her voice surprisingly steady even though she honestly thought her words would stumble and trip over themselves. “Whether I choose to sleep with Kent or not is none of your business.”
“Beth,” he said, the warning still in his voice.
“You are not my father, Knox,” she pointed out. “You’re not even my brother. And you’re definitely not my boyfriend. You have no right to tell me I can’t sleep with the guy, especially since you sleep with every girl who breathes in your general direction.” She threw her arms out in order to emphasize his point.
“You’re my best friend,” Knox pointed out, as though that was more significant than those other types of guys she listed. “I’m allowed to be concerned -”
“Oh, bullshit!” Beth said, standing up. She was careful not to touch Knox when she stomped around the couch. She needed more space between them because now she was pissed. “You aren’t concerned. I don’t know why you suddenly care about who I’m with because it’s not like you cared about any of my boyfriends before, so -”
“You think I didn’t care?” Knox said, furrowing his brow low over his eyes. “Of course, I cared. Every guy you were with was a piece of shit, Beth. They didn’t deserve you -”
“You never said anything about it before,” Beth pointed out.
“What did you want me to say?” he asked.
“Nothing!” she said. “Nothing. You want to know why? Because it’s not your business. I don’t understand why all of a sudden you decided to say something now. You don’t just get to dictate when you care and when you don’t. That’s not fair.”
Knox clenched his jaw so hard, it popped. Beth’s eyes narrowed at the gesture. She rarely saw him do that, and when she did, it always caused a flood of warmth to drip down to her pelvis. Knox never got mad, but when he did…
No.
She couldn’t think about things like that. Not right now, when they were supposed to be fighting.
“Why does this upset you so much?” she asked. “That’s what I don’t understand. Knox, you never cared -”
“You’re my best friend,” Knox repeated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course, I care about you. I want what’s best for you. And I don’t know if Kent is the right guy for you.”
“Don’t you think I’m the one entitled to figure that out?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
She appreciated his protectiveness over her, she did. But she wasn’t a little girl anymore who needed to live in his shadow to feel safe. She wanted to figure things out on her own, and that meant living a life away from Knox. She was already too entangled in him to see straight, and she hated it. She hated loving someone who only saw her as some kid sister, even though they were the same age. She needed to try and move on, or else she never would, and she refused to stay in this mess of a relationship. He might see her as a friend, but she wanted so much more. And since she couldn’t have that, she needed to move on or their friendship would suffer.
And that was something Beth couldn’t let happen. He was too precious to her.
“I’m going to go,” she finally said.
So, she did.
And Knox didn’t stop her.
She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
7
Knox
Knox tried to go after her, but Beth was already gone. She was quick, especially when she was angry. It was a rare occasion when she was angry at him, so all of the harsh words and the biting looks weren’t exactly something he was used to being on the receiving end of, and he didn’t know how to process it.
He stalked back to the door and tried to call her once, twice, three times, but it didn’t amount to shit. She wasn’t answering.
Under normal circumstances, Knox was the one she turned to when she was going through something like this. Usually, it was about a boy, though she had only three significant men in her life: Tommy from middle school, Randall from freshman year, and Jeremy, from junior year. Jeremy lasted until March into their senior year, but Knox never liked the guy. In fact, if Knox was being honest, he didn’t like any of them, probably because they were all assholes. Honestly, she had the worst taste in men.
He went to his fridge and pulled out a glass-bottle Coke. Typically, he didn’t drink these until after a good game. These were sweet treats he allowed himself to indulge in on occasion, when he felt like he earned it. This wasn’t exactly him earning anything but he needed to get through this or he wasn’t going to. He needed a pick-me-up.
He plopped on the couch and kicked his converses-clad feet onto the coffee table before leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. He had yet to take a drink of the Coke, but the glass felt smooth and cool in his hand. It was enough for him just to hold it. He grabbed the remote, but didn’t bother turning the television on just yet. He had no idea what he was in the mood to watch, and right now, his brain wouldn’t let him think about anything else but Beth and Kent and what they were doing.
Had she worn that sky blue dress that came just above her knees but dipped down low in the back? If so, she probably wore her hair up in a messy bun, so a couple of strands of hair could frame her face and she could reveal the elegant slope of her neck, the sensual curves of her back.
Knox blinked. Not that he noticed.
Not that he thought of her that way.
At all.
They were just friends. He just knew her, was all. He knew her outfits. He knew what she liked to wear. He paid attention. It didn’t mean anything.
He was her friend.
He finally brought the bottle to his lips and took a long drink. The bubbly, smooth liquid slid easily down his throat, but it wasn’t enough to appease him. His mind kept reeling with possibilities and he hated it. He didn’t want to think about Beth wearing that purple dress, the one she thought no one knew about that was shorter than should be allowed, sleeveless so it revealed the curves of her shoulders, her dainty arms, and Jesus, those toned legs. They were long and lean, but muscled because she walked three miles on that treadmill, he got her for Christmas three years ago. Some guys would call them thick, but Knox knew how much she hat
ed that word. To her, that implied fat, but that wasn’t what the word meant. It just said she had meat on her bones. And the curves she had insisted that everyone take a look, notice her.
Damn her, she couldn’t help the attention she got. And the worst part of it all was that she didn’t even realize it.
Part of him was guilty. Part of him knew he had no business telling her what to do, especially when it came to her love life. But he couldn’t help himself. It was natural to want to prevent her from going. He didn’t get a good vibe from Kent, and he didn’t want Beth hurt.
That’s a lie. You know Kent is a good guy.
Knox snorted. Good? He wasn’t so sure. The guy had a reputation. He dated around, though no one actually labeled him as a heartbreaker. Probably because he dated one girl at a time for a decent amount of time, but never actually got close to them. Never took them home to meet his parents.
Not that Knox had been sitting around researching the guy. That would be pathetic.
Obviously.
And Knox was not pathetic. Especially not over Beth. Beth was his friend, and nothing more. If he happened to fantasize about her during the long nights, well, he couldn’t help it when she looked like that. And she would never know. Hell, he didn’t even think about it. It was just something he did and never acknowledged.
He needed to get out of here.
He needed a distraction.
He picked up his phone and dialed Brandon’s number. Brandon answered after the second ring.
“Dude, I’m about to hook up with Patty from that party two months ago,” Brandon greeted. “This better be important.”
“I need to get the fuck out of my house?” Knox asked, hoping that was enough of a reason. Though, Knox did remember Patty from the party two months ago, and he knew it would take a lot to get Brandon away from her. Patty had nice, if very fake, tits, and tits were Brandon’s downfall.
Rookies Hit It Better Page 4
