The Beastly Groom (Texas Titan Romances)

by Cami Checketts

  “Whoa, Knox, you really need to slow down.”

  All his hopes deflated. She was saying no?

  “Knox.” Ema laughed weakly, and it grated at him. “I’m not saying no.”

  How did she know his ultimate fear? Losing her. “What are you saying, then?” he ground out.

  “I’m saying … maybe, probably. But can you give me some time to think about it?”

  He hated maybe. Probably was a little better. Thinking about it, in his limited experience with women, meant no. He was a soldier, a warrior. You didn’t stop and think about it; you attacked, you moved, and you fought.

  “Please, Knox? I know you don’t do casual, and I don’t want to commit to something, then hurt you if it doesn’t work out. Please give me some time?”

  Knox’s shoulders lowered. Please. How could he ever resist a please from her? The thing she didn’t seem to understand was that if she left him now, she would devastate him. Her worry about committing and then hurting him later was stupid. He was already committed. He nodded shortly.

  Her lip quirked up in a smile, and she started to walk away.

  “Where are you going?” he demanded.

  Glancing back over her shoulder, her smile broadened. “To think about it.”

  “Can I come with you?” He was such a needy little boy around this woman.

  “No. Thinking about it means I need some space.”

  “Like ten minutes?”

  She laughed. “Maybe fifteen.” Shaking her head, she walked away from him, across the open space toward the trees.

  Knox stood there, watching her go. He clenched and unclenched his fists. That hadn’t gone the way he’d planned at all. In his mind as he worked out this morning, she’d flung herself against him and told him of course she wanted a chance to date him and be with him and Shelby, and then they’d kissed longer than they had last night. He rubbed at his beard and forced himself to turn to the lake as Ema disappeared behind some trees. All his bravery was probably just stupidity.

  Ema slowly walked through the trees on Knox’s property. Her ankle was still tender, but her head had felt much better this morning … until Knox confused her with his ideas. She loved that he’d come up with a plan to get to know each other better, to date, but there was something so intense about Knox. She didn’t want to hurt him or Shelby, ever. If she committed to dating him, flying back and forth on his plane to spend time with them or having the two of them come with her, that was like full-on dating and a seriously committed relationship. Did they know each other well enough to go for that? Every minute spent with him pulled her in deeper. What happened when football season started and he was busier than she was? What happened when their demanding careers pulled them completely apart? She was trying to think logically about this so she didn’t hurt Knox, but emotionally she was already too invested.

  “Ema!” Mike’s voice pulled her from her contemplation.

  She glanced up in time to see him jog from behind a tree. “Mike? What are you still doing here?”

  He grinned. “I stayed in Knox’s guesthouse last night and I did a bit more filming of the ranch and Knox’s staff to flesh out the show. I’ve sent everything over to editing; they’ll get it ready for this weekend’s release.”

  “Oh, great. But why are you still here?”

  “Ema.” Mike’s voice deepened. In a burst of motion, he grasped her arms and pushed her up against the rough bark of a huge pecan tree. “I couldn’t leave you alone with the Beast.”

  Ema stared at him. “He’s not a beast.”

  Mike shook his head and moved in closer, his body overshadowing hers.

  “You need to back up,” she said sternly. Why couldn’t Mike give up on the idea of them being a couple? How many times did she have to reject the guy?

  “Ema, I’ve been in love with you for years. I won’t let you go without a fight.”

  “I don’t—”

  Mike cut off her protest by smashing his lips against hers and pushing her even harder into the tree. The bark scratched at her back, but the pressure of his lips and teeth grinding against hers was even worse.

  Ema finally wrenched her head free. “Mike!” she yelled at him, wiping the wetness of him off her lips. “Get away from me!”

  Mike glared down at her. “No. He can’t have you. You’re meant to be mine.”

  He tried to kiss her again, but she yanked her head to the side and screamed, “Stop!” But words obviously weren’t working. Bringing her knee up quickly, she caught him in the groin and he released his grip and cried out in pain.

  Ema slipped out from the small space between him and the tree, running toward what she hoped was the spot she’d left Knox. Her foot came down on a rock and her already sore ankle twisted. Ema screamed and went down, slamming her knees and hands into the rock-and-twig-strewn ground. She gasped in pain and fear traced through her as she heard Mike’s footfalls coming toward her. “Leave me alone,” she begged.

  “Ema.” He pulled in a fast breath. “I wouldn’t hurt you. You didn’t need to knee me.”

  “Just get away from me,” she said. She’d never thought he would hurt her, but he’d kissed her forcefully without her consent and she just wanted to be far away from him.

  Footsteps pounded toward them through the trees. Ema looked up to see Knox sprinting at them. He looked glorious and terrifying. He zeroed in on Mike, and as Mike straightened to face him, Knox slammed his fist into Mike’s abdomen, lifting Mike off the ground and flinging him back into a tree. The momentum Knox had from his sprint and the strength of his punch could’ve killed someone.

  Ema gasped out, “Knox.”

  Deaf to anything but his rage, Knox picked Mike up by his clothes and hurled him forward through a bush. Mike slid along the ground on the other side. Knox stood over Mike, who was cowering on the ground.

  “Don’t hurt me,” Mike begged, staring up into Knox’s clenched fist. “It was just a kiss!”

  “You kissed her?” Knox growled.

  Mike nodded, whimpering.

  Ema could practically hear the muscles of Knox’s hand creaking as his fist squeezed tighter. “Knox. Please,” she said.

  Knox looked like he might lay into Mike again, but instead he ground out, “Why did she scream?”

  “I-I didn’t mean to scare her.”

  Knox glanced over his shoulder at Ema. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, not sure how to respond. Mike had definitely gone too far pushing her into that tree and forcing her to kiss him, but she’d already kneed him. He didn’t deserve a thumping for it.

  Knox reached down and grasped both of Mike’s arms, ripping him to his feet. “I want you off my property … Now!” he roared.

  Mike’s head bobbed up and down. “Okay.”

  Knox released him and Mike scampered away, not looking back.

  Ema was still on her hands and knees as she watched the terrifying interaction. Was this really the man she wanted to love and commit to date seriously? He told her he’d turn back into the Beast if Ema or Shelby were threatened. On one hand, she loved that he would and could protect her from anything, but on the other hand, why hadn’t he stopped and asked her what was happening before he went into beast mode and thumped her film guy? Mike was a horrible kisser and didn’t have a clue about women, but as the horror of him kissing her faded away she thought he was telling the truth that he wouldn’t have hurt her.

  Knox’s chest was heaving with emotion. He strode to her side and gently lifted her to her feet. Ema pulled from his grasp and backed away.

  “Ema,” he murmured. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach and shook her head. “That was overboard, Knox.”

  His eyes widened and he pointed toward the direction Mike had escaped. “That?”

  “He wasn’t going to hurt me, and you could’ve killed him coming at him with your speed and strength. He was helpless on the ground and you wouldn’t quit. This
isn’t some football game or war.”

  Knox reared back. “You screamed, Ema. Twice. Then when I saw you, you were on the ground and he was bent over you. Did you really expect me to stop and say, ‘Hey, this looks like an uncomfortable situation, how should we work it out?’”

  Ema could see his point, but her body was trembling from the adrenaline rush settling. She was confused by Knox sweetly asking so much from her earlier and now seeing him go into full-on beast mode. It was all too much.

  “I don’t know, Knox.” She shook her head. “I don’t think you and I are going to work. You want some pledge of a committed relationship after knowing each other four days? You don’t do casual, and right now casual is all I have time or energy for. You have a commitment to your daughter that is much bigger than the two of us. And honestly, you’re just too … intense for me. I don’t know that I want a boyfriend who’s going to slaughter some guy for trying to kiss me.” Her Hawaiian heritage was all about no worries and being chill. Knox definitely wasn’t chill.

  Knox’s lips got thinner as she talked and his brows drew tighter together. He didn’t say anything when she finished, and she could hardly meet his gaze. A muscle worked in his jaw and his shoulders bunched together as he clenched his hands into fists. She knew he would never hurt her, but he looked like he needed to punch something, or somebody. Hopefully Mike had already vacated the property, for his own sake.

  Ema waited, wanting him to acknowledge her fears, maybe talk through them with her. She’d laid it all out there and it was ugly. Some of it was unfair to him, but it was all legitimate worries she needed to work through. Part of her had fallen for him harder and faster than he’d fallen for her, but most of her was very scared and uncertain and needed to escape the Beast’s lair and have a few days, or maybe years, to think this all through.

  Knox’s mouth opened, then closed. Finally he shook his head and simply turned and walked away from her.

  Ema didn’t move as his broad shoulders disappeared through the trees. She sank onto the ground and rested her back against the rough wood of a pine tree. Tears pricked her eyes, then started flowing down her cheeks. She thought she might be in love with Knox Sherman, and that scared her more than anything.

  Chapter Eleven

  Knox went through the day in a haze. All he could think about was this morning when the Beast had been unleashed and he’d terrified Ema. He wasn’t worthy of her, and he didn’t blame her for not wanting him. He kept picturing Brig, his head of security, escorting Ema into his Hummer and driving her away. He’d watched from the third story.

  Not even Shelby could get him out of his funk. At lunch she started crying, “You no fun a day, Daddy! Why my Miss Hawaii leave?”

  Knox had no answers for her. They snuggled in her room after lunch and watched some cheesy princess movie. The girl in the show was Hawaiian. There was no mercy for his heart anywhere. Shelby fell asleep during the movie and he wished he could fall asleep himself, shut out all the voices in his head telling him he’d screwed up any chance with Ema. He’d thought she could be the one, but he was too intense for her. She didn’t need to love someone like him.

  Slipping off of Shelby’s bed, he asked Genevieve to take care of her when she woke up. He went for a long run around his property, but that reminded him of Ema. He swam laps for a while, but it didn’t shut her out. Finally, he forced himself into his office and dealt with all the emails and financial concerns from lawyers, consultants, coaches, fans, and Claire.

  Nellie brought him a plate of dinner—katsu chicken, rice, and veggies, with a side of macaroni salad. He glared at her when she set the plate down. “Why did you cook this today?”

  “What?” Her eyes were all wide and innocent. “Genevieve requested it.”

  He rolled his eyes and muttered, “Thanks for dinner.”

  She smiled and left, carefully shutting the door behind her. Knox glowered at the food as if it had personally offended him. It was a typical Hawaiian dinner. He forced himself to shove down the meal because he needed the energy, but Nellie’s usually fabulous food tasted like sandpaper to him.

  His back ached from sitting in his office chair. He hated sitting. When his cell phone rang, he snatched it up and stood, grateful to stretch. “Claire.” Had he ever been so happy to hear from her? Could she give him some kind of advice to get Ema back?

  “Have you been on social media?”

  He grunted. “You know I hate social media.”

  “Oh, Knox, it’s heavy.” She sighed loudly.

  “What did I do now?”

  “Not you. Ema. She and her camera guy put up a show on YouTube and blasted it on all their show’s social media sites. It’s gone viral. VH1 is claiming no affiliation to the scandal and I’ve got an inside scoop that they’re going to pull her show. She’ll never get ABC now. It serves her right, but the things she put out there … It’s really bad, Knox.”

  “What’s bad? Why would she and Mike go on their own like that? They had to know it would mess up their chances with ABC.” As he spoke, he bent down to his computer and clicked on Safari and YouTube, typing in Ema’s show name. It served her right? Ema had worked so hard to succeed with her show. He didn’t want her to lose her chance at success.

  “I don’t think VH1 would’ve let them air a show like this. It’s slander, Knox.”

  “Slander? Against who?” But the pit growing in his gut and the first video that popped up on YouTube gave him his answer: “Knox Sherman, the Beast.” The next thing down was a Twitter post from Live Like a Celeb: “See my latest YouTube video for a Beast exposé.”

  Ema had slandered him. He sank back into his office chair.

  Claire stayed on the line but didn’t say anything as he watched the show. It was much shorter than Ema’s usual hour-long show, only about fifteen minutes. It showed every angry, horrible moment Knox had with Ema—glowering, looking grumpy, being downright jerky. Then it showed some of his staff saying things that could be construed as negative. Knox could tell they’d been led to say something bad and their words had been cut to make it look worse. He didn’t blame any of them.

  The absolute horrid part was the footage of Shelby running to him outside the horse arena. She looked adorable and Mike used every bit of it, focusing on Knox sheltering her with his body as he yelled at Mike twice to cut the feed.

  The video ended with Ema, looking beautiful and happy, saying, “Well, that’s Knox Sherman, my friends, aka the Beast.” She grinned and the show ended.

  Knox’s shoulders rounded as the pressure of the world seemed to dump on his head. He didn’t care about Ema making him look bad, but how could she expose Shelby like that? She knew Shelby was all that mattered to him. He was such an idiot to have ever trusted her. She was worse than Paris, worse than any Delilah his mother had warned him about. She’d taken all his strength and everything that mattered to him, and she’d grinned while doing it.

  “What do you want to do, Knox? Shall we have your lawyers sue for defamation?” Claire asked quietly.

  “I don’t care about that.” He closed his eyes and scrubbed at his beard. “Claire, what if someone comes after Shelby because of this?” The kidnapping attempt had been over two years ago, but it still lingered and terrified him. The fact that Paris had shown up shortly after, claiming she was “heartsick” about her baby being abducted. The truth was she loved getting tons of media exposure from the event and it only confirmed to him what his private investigators believed but couldn’t confirm—Paris had orchestrated the kidnapping attempt to either steal her daughter or get more social media exposure. That woman had broken his friend’s heart with her cheating, but she wouldn’t hurt his daughter.

  “You’ll protect her, Knox. It’s what you do. I’m going to get some suits started and a statement out.”

  “Whatever.” He would protect Shelby, and his large security team were top-notch; Brig was tough enough he could intimidate Knox. Yet what if someone got through them? What if Paris show
ed up again? How many times would he have to fight her?

  “I’m here for you, big guy.”

  Knox sucked in a breath. He only wanted Ema calling him big guy. No. He shook his head quickly. No. He never wanted Ema anywhere near him again.

  “I’ll get back with you soon,” Claire said.

  “Thanks,” he managed.

  He pulled the phone away from his head but had no time to recover as it rang again. It was Brig, his head of the security. “Sir. Beau just alerted me that we have a situation at the front gate.”

  Knox’s chest tightened with fear. “Where’s Shelby?” he demanded.

  “Her tracker shows her in the kitchen. Sir, you need to get out here right now.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I find Shelby.” He jammed the phone into his pocket and tore out of his office. “Shelby!”

  She met him as he raced into the great room. She had chocolate smeared on her cheek and a big grin on her face. “Daddy!”

  Knox swept her off the ground and into his arms. Peace settled over him. His daughter was okay. Whatever the situation was at the gate didn’t matter as long as she was safe.

  Genevieve strode to them. “Are you all right?”

  “No. Take her up to her suite and stay with her until I get back. I’ll get some of the security guys up there soon.”

  Genevieve’s eyes widened. “Okay.”

  Knox gazed down at his daughter. “You go with Aunt Genny and I’ll come sing you good night soon, okay, love?”

  “I want to finish my cake,” she protested.

  “Nellie will take it upstairs for you.”

  Nellie nodded quickly.

  Knox kissed her cheek again, then handed her off to Genevieve. He walked with them to the front staircase and watched them go up before dialing Brig again.

  “Sir? Are you coming?”

  “I’m on my way, but I need Beau and Rudy to come to the house. I want Beau outside Shelby’s door and Rudy walking the perimeter of the house.”