by Smoke, Lucy
"Six," Bellamy answered.
I glanced at the clock and decided I had just enough time for a shower and some play time with Cleo—if she still wanted to see me after I almost crushed her to death. "Alright," I said, heading for the door. "Meet you in the foyer at five-thirty."
* * *
It felt strange to be back in Alex's Diner. So much had happened since I had last walked between the old countertop and the sticky booths of the place that had been a pillar in my life for several years. A part of me felt like I had stepped back into the shoes of the old Harlow—the person I had been before the guys had come into my life. Yet, another part of me knew that I was forever changed.
"Looking good, lil mama," Carl, the cook said as I passed through the kitchen. "Ain’t seen you here in a hot minute."
I smiled as I tied my apron around my waist and reached for an order pad that had been left on the wait station. Soft music played from Carl's radio, the noise combining with the low hum of silverware scraping against plates and people talking out in the front dining area.
"Yeah," I replied, propping my hip on the metal table against the wall. "It has been a while."
"Alex said you were coming in today," he commented.
"Is he here?"
Carl looked up from the fryer and shook his head. "Nah. Boss got a call and had to leave. It's why he called you in—usually he’d just take care of the shift himself. You always were one of his best."
I grinned, pleased by the compliment. "Thanks," I said.
Carl hummed and nodded as he flipped up orders, depositing them on plates and in baskets as he yanked down tickets at an unreasonably fast pace. This place hadn't changed at all. After a moment contemplating the strange feeling of nostalgia, I shook my head and headed out into the dining area.
"You're up," Lana—one of Alex's new hires—said as she passed me. "Your section got a few tables while you were back here getting ready."
"Thanks," I said, cutting behind the counter and heading for the booths in the back. I greeted an older couple, fetching them coffee and soups before heading back for the young family that had come in after them.
And so it went like that, for several hours. I fell back into the routine with the ease of riding a bike. I forgot how mind-numbing waitressing could be. It was nice when the customers were polite and cheerful, annoying when they weren’t, but the work itself wasn’t all that thought provoking. I could let myself sink into the movements without really thinking. The sun had set far below the horizon and the dinner crowd had died down. I was wiping down the last of my tables as Lana brought out orders to the two people left sitting in her section when the front door opened.
"Welcome to—" I started, turning towards the door.
"Hey, Little Bit."
I felt a grin overtake my face as I broke off my welcome. Cocking my hip out, I propped the menus in my arms on my side and looked him over. Fresh mud caked his shoes and his shirt was darker around his neck as if he had sweat right through the fabric. I shook my head. "Take a seat at the counter. I'll get some sweet tea," I said.
Knix nodded and moved past me, his hand coming up to brush my shoulder. Hot tingles raced over my skin where he had touched.
Dropping the menus off in their stand, I headed for the back and poured the last of the sweet tea into a glass of ice. "Seems like we're back where we started, huh?" I commented as I set it down in front of him.
Knix's crystalline gaze revealed his amusement as he chuckled. He clasped the glass in his hand and raised it up, chugging down the liquid. My lips parted as I stared at the column of his throat, watching the muscles tense and loosen as he swallowed. It was a moment before I realized he had downed half the glass.
"You know that was the last of the sweet tea," I said with a grin. "If you want more, you'll half to wait a moment before I can make some and even then, it'll take a few minutes to cool down if you don’t want it watered down with ice."
Knix drank until it was all gone anyway, setting the glass back down on the counter with a heavy sigh of relief. "That's alright," he said. "I can drink water. I just needed something for my throat."
I took his glass away, dumping it in the sink behind the counter and refilling it with ice and water. "Long day?" I asked.
He nodded as I set the glass back down in front of him.
“What were you up to?” I asked.
He inhaled and stretched his arms out as if loosening sore muscles. “Working at one of the sites today. Building a new Library out in Whitesville,” he answered.
I hummed curiously, but truthfully, if he was coming from Moncks Corner it made no sense why he’d come here afterwards, unless he knew I’d be here. "So, what are you doing here?” I asked.
His eyes slid to the side. "Just came by to check on you. I know Bell and Tex dropped you off—they texted me—I was gonna stay until you needed a ride home."
Crossing my arms in front of myself and propping them on the edge of the counter, I leaned over. "Oh yeah?" I asked, teasing him with a smile.
Knix turned his head, slowly, until his eyes captured mine. My lips parted and instinctively, I leaned forward. Knix's fingers reached out. He ran a finger up and down one of my arms, his eyes watching me, a smile playing at his lips.
"I also wanted to know if you'd like to go somewhere with me?"
I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"
"A date," he replied. "You and me. There's a benefit I'm going to downtown. I'm representing my dad's company. I thought you'd like to go with me."
"I thought it was your company," I said absently. My entire focus was fixated on the way his finger rested against my skin. His eyes on my face.
He stilled before huffing out a sigh. "Yeah, sorry, habit." I almost pouted when he pulled his hand away and rested his elbows on the countertop, linking his fingers, and resting his chin on them. "It is my company now, though my mom has a ten percent share."
"Hmmm." I felt like something was arching between us, a magnetism that drew me nearer and nearer.
"So, the benefit?" he said again. "Will you come?"
"Is it formal?" I asked.
He smiled. "It's dressy."
"That means it's formal." I sighed, uncrossing my arms. I tugged myself away from the counter for fear if I stayed another minute longer, I would try to climb over it to get to him. My how things had changed.
"Please?"
I groaned and looked at the ceiling, bracing my palms on my hips. "Yeah," I finally decided, looking back at him. "I'll go. When is it?"
He grinned. "Couple days. Texas wanted to take you shopping for it if you said yes."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You knew I would."
Knix dropped his arms and leaned back. "That's not true. You often surprise me."
I kept my gaze on him as I edged towards the open doorway leading to the back. "Good thing you like surprises." With that, I turned and headed back into the kitchen.
"Only when you're attached to those surprises," Knix called back.
I resisted the urge to grin and failed miserably.
Chapter 6
Texas flung himself on my bed and groaned loud and long. I lifted one eyebrow, staring at him for a brief moment before I rolled my eyes and held up the yellow dress I'd taken out of my closet and then tossed it on the bed next to him. "I don't need to go shopping," I said insistently, knowing exactly why he was behaving so obnoxiously. "I have enough clothes. Besides, we don't have time."
Texas narrowed his eyes at me from the bed as I opened my closet door and went rummaging around for another choice. "I offered to take you as soon as you got home from work. I offered to take you yesterday. I offered to take you this morning!" he huffed. “But no, you wait until the last second to make sure you have something to wear. What if you don’t? If you don’t then you’ll have no one to blame but yourself. I could’ve taken you.”
“You weren’t the only one who wanted to go,” I said. “It’s not like Marv is in here throwin
g a fit.”
“I understand how important this is!” Texas snapped.
“I have dressy dresses,” I assured him.
The door opened and Bellamy popped his head inside. Seeing Texas throwing a temper tantrum on my bed, he chuckled and moved further into the room, leaning back against the wall as I selected a green slip dress. "How long are you going to complain?" Bellamy asked, amused as he directed his attention at the big cry baby lying on my mattress.
"Until she apologizes," Texas said with a pout.
I smirked, dropping the green dress next to the yellow and leaned over his chest. I kissed his lips and they parted in surprise, his eyes widened as I pulled back. "I'm sorry," I said.
He gaped at me for a minute, his lips parting and coming back together like a fish. "I-I...did...you..." A blush stole across his upper cheeks and he sat up abruptly, pointing at me accusingly. "You did that on purpose!"
"I don't know what you mean," I replied with a smile, turning to give both him and Bellamy my back as I grabbed the green dress and stepped into it. I shimmed the fabric up my legs and then over my butt underneath the robe that I wore.
"You saw what she did, didn't you, Bell?" Texas turned to Bellamy as though he were tattling. I rolled my eyes again and finished pulling the dress up to cover from my breasts down before I dropped the robe.
"Can one of you zip me up?" I asked.
Bellamy pushed off the wall and strode over. His fingers found the edge of the zipper, the warmth of his hands against the bottom of my spine. I shivered as he tugged, sliding the zipper up and over the ridges of my back until it stopped above my bra. "I like this dress," he said quietly.
I turned. "Thanks." He leaned down and brushed a kiss on my cheek. Tingles raced through my flesh. My muscles tightened.
"Knix’s ready," he whispered against my skin, bending down to press a butterfly light kiss to my neck. I sucked in a tense breath. "He's waiting for you."
"O-okay," I stuttered out my reply. "Thanks for letting me know."
Texas eyeballed us when we pulled away, but it wasn't in any sort of accusatory way. To be honest, I was surprised he hadn't yet asked about my date with Grayson. Speaking of Grayson... my eyes moved to the half-open door.
"Do either of you know when Marv and Grayson will get back?" I asked.
Bellamy and Texas exchanged a look that I couldn't read. I frowned. "You wouldn't be hiding anything from me, would you?" I said, lifting a brow. I still hadn’t managed to pin them all down in one place. I needed to and soon. That check was still burning a hole in my purse. I honestly wished I had just left it on the counter at the Cancer Care Center. Right then, I felt like I was carrying around a dirty little secret and I didn’t like keeping secrets from the guys.
Texas shook his head. "No. We're not sure when they're getting back."
"And no," Bellamy answered, "we're not hiding it from you. You'll know when they get back as soon as we know."
"Or sooner," Texas said. "They'll probably come looking for you as soon as they do."
"Why don't you text them to see if they're okay?" Bellamy suggested.
I started. He was right. I could've texted them. I hadn't even thought of it. I shook my head and shot both of them an apologetic smile. "You're right," I conceded. "I'll text them when I get home tonight if they’re not home already."
They both followed me out into the hallway. “I’ll see you when you get back,” Texas said, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek.
I nodded as he turned and disappeared around the corner. “You excited?” Bellamy asked, his hand reaching for mine.
I let him take my hand and raise it to his lips. He pressed his mouth against my knuckles as he waited for my answer, but I couldn’t think with his mouth on my skin. My thoughts were all jumbled, stumbling over one another. All they cared about was the way he dragged his lips from one knuckle to the next, watching me, waiting for an answer.
“Yeah,” I finally managed to choke out. I hoped it was answer enough to whatever he had asked me. It seemed to work as he smiled brilliantly and then leaned in close, backing me up against the wall.
“I hope you have a good time tonight, Sweetheart,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t worry about Marv or Grayson—”
“I’m not worried,” I denied promptly.
Bellamy smirked at me, one corner of his mouth tilting up. “Sure.” I narrowed my gaze on him and he laughed. “It’s okay, Sweetheart.”
I blew out a breath. “How could you tell?” I asked.
He shrugged. “You keep asking when they’re getting back.”
I flinched. Yeah, because I wanted to wait until they were back before I dropped the bomb about Grayson’s mom seeing me at the Cancer Care Center. I bit my lip and looked away, but Bellamy’s fingers touched my chin, turning my face back.
“Maybe this will help take your mind off things,” he whispered just before he moved forward and kissed me.
I sighed into the surprise kiss, closing my eyes and automatically reached up to curl my arms around his neck. I hung there, suspended against his broad chest, letting my fingers reach up and twirl around the ends of his curls where they touched his shoulders. My body shuddered as Bellamy moved in impossibly closer, pushing me up against the wall so that there was no space between either of us.
His strong hands reached down, finding the underside of my thighs and he lifted as I leapt, spreading my legs to circle him as the fabric of the slip dress moved up, parting the way to let him move closer. I shivered against him as I let him keep me pinned between his chest and the wall. I kissed him reverently, soaking in the attention, the addictive feeling of being loved by him. Kissing Bellamy was always hot. Sparks shot through my abdomen, skimming up my chest and into my quickly flushing face. I inhaled his scent—slightly cinnamon tinted, but I could also smell paint on him. I relished in it, loving what made him Bellamy.
“Harlow…” he whispered, pulling back for a breath.
I shook my head. I didn’t want to breathe, didn’t need it as much as I needed his mouth on mine. I pulled him back down, reclaiming his lips with my own. I let my tongue touch his bottom lip and then delve further into the recesses of his mouth. My heart pounded against my ribcage—giving a whole new meaning to the term ribcage.
I groaned low in my throat, rubbing against him before stopping. As much as I loved kissing him, this was neither the time nor the place for more, no matter how much I wanted it. I pulled back with a disgruntled sigh. Bellamy let me, resting his forehead against mine as we caught our breaths.
“I’m sorry,” I said, panting lightly.
Bellamy shook his head, his forehead brushing back and forth at the top of mine. “Don’t be,” he said. “You’ve gotta get going.”
He slowly released me, letting my legs drop back to the ground. I had to press my spine against the wall to keep them steady for a moment while I readjusted and calmed my raging libido. Who knew living with five guys and starting a relationship with not just one of them, but all of them, would do this to me?
“I’ll see you when I get back, though?” I asked. It was a dumb question, I knew I would, but sometimes, old fears resurfaced and I wondered if they wouldn’t magically disappear from my life as though they’d never existed in it, never driven me away from the wreckage of my past and the sad, lonely existence I had once led.
He nodded, stepping back. There was a tugging in my stomach as I watched him go—as though there was a string inside me attached to him and it pulled tighter and tighter with every step he took that led him further away from me.
I stood, alone, against the wall outside my bedroom, floored by how different my life was. I had noticed when I went back to Alex's Diner, but here I was both confused and happy. Confused, perhaps, because I was happy. I wasn't sure. What I was sure of: what I had with these Iris Boys, I wanted to protect it.
"Harlow? You ready?" Knix's voice from the front of the house calling me brought me back to reality and ou
t of the musings in my head.
"Coming!" I called back, grabbing the shoes waiting just inside the door to my bedroom and slipping them on before I headed his way.
Knix stood by the front door in a handsome black and white suit. His collar was open, revealing a small expanse of tan skin at the base of his throat. "Wow." I gaped at him, but the comment came from his mouth, not my own. I looked down at myself and then back at him.
Knix smiled and stepped forward. "You look beautiful, Little Bit."
I stared up at him. "So do you," I replied a bit breathlessly.
He chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
I nodded. "Good. I meant it as one."
“Ready to go?” he asked.
I nodded and when he stuck his arm out for me, I took it, letting him lead me to the door and down the front steps to the dark SUV he and the guys shared. Knix opened the passenger side door for me, releasing my arm and taking my hand, helping me up into the cab of the vehicle. For a moment, he paused just outside the door, and before he closed it, he leaned forward, letting his lips touch a chaste kiss on my cheek.
It was so quick, I blinked and it was over and he was closing the door and striding around the front of the SUV. My eyes watched him hungrily, confused and more than a little giddy. I gulped down a breath as the driver’s side door opened and Knix climbed into the seat. I stared out of the windshield as he turned the ignition over and pulled out of the driveway. After a few minutes of silence, he switched on the radio—something low and jazzy—and then reached for my hand. The second his fingers closed around mine, something inside my chest unfurled and I sighed.
Comfort, happiness, and love echoed in the interior of the car, though neither of us said a word.
Chapter 7
The party's venue was a massive plantation home. As Knix rounded the long circled driveway in the SUV, coming to a stop in front of the doors, I stared at the four, tall, lily-white columns that adorned the front porch of the home. Lights shone from inside, illuminating the front lawn in a golden glow.
