Part 13 (1/2)

The morning sun glowed around him, framing his head in a yellow halo. If that wasn't irony . . .

”Well, no, I can't be with you all the time. Campus security frowns on guys following girls into the women's bathroom, not to mention your professors probably wouldn't be too eager to see Knox Jagger squatting in on their cla.s.ses.”

Imagining Neve's face when she noticed Knox in her Journalistic Ethics cla.s.s almost made me laugh out loud.

”But in a way, I will be with you everywhere you go.”

My brows knitted together. ”I don't understand.”

”Once this douche learns you're living with me and a.s.sumes we're a thing, he'll be less brazen. He's going to triple-think his moves when he knows I could be around any corner.”

Rolling onto my side, I propped my head up with my hand. ”And brazen wasn't roofie-ing me while I was handcuffed to you?”

The closest thing to a sheepish expression went into place on his face. ”He was drunk or driven by extreme emotion-or something else that made him forget caution. I guarantee you he won't make the same careless mistake again. He'll be more sneaky, hanging even farther back in the shadows, which means you need to be ten times more on guard.”

”Good thing I've got you and your shadow following me around,” I said under my breath. I'd have been lying to myself if I said I wasn't worried. That someone was targeting me specifically, and seemingly relentlessly, didn't do anything to convince me that this would all blow over soon.

”I don't want to deceive you, Charlie. Moving in with me isn't a guarantee that you'll be safe. There's still a risk out there; we're just decreasing it. We're buying time. This isn't fool-proof, and there's still danger out there just waiting for you to make a mistake.”

I allowed myself two full breaths to let the fear have its way with me. I gave myself that time to feel the adrenaline firing inside me. Then I let it all out with one long exhale. ”Where would the fun be if my life weren't in danger every now and then? Danger keeps a girl on her toes.” Sure, I was exaggerating my confidence, but fake it till you make it, baby.

”Not to be cra.s.s, but I don't think this guy's interested in you staying on your toes.”

Staring at the ceiling, I moved on from the topic at hand. Where and how this guy wanted me was not a welcome thought. ”Not that I'm agreeing to this insane idea, but let's just say I'm considering it . . . is there anything else we need to go over?”

From roommates, to ch.o.r.es, to t.u.r.ds-we'd covered a gamut of topics.

”Just one more thing-one important thing.” I could feel Knox waiting for me to look at him. He waited until my eyes met his before continuing. ”What happened last night . . .” He chewed the inside his cheek for a beat. ”I want you to know that will never, ever happen again.” Even as he said it, his gaze dropped to my mouth. ”I just don't want you to be worried or feel uncomfortable living here because a repeat of that could happen. Contrary to popular belief, I can behave myself when I really put my mind to it.”

I wasn't sure what to say, but he was clearly waiting for me to acknowledge what he'd just said. Was I as conflicted over what had happened last night as he was? I doubted it. Was I so certain I never wanted a repeat of it to take place? Not even. Was it a mistake? I couldn't be sure yet. I guess it was truly a matter of only-time-will-tell.

”Oh. Okay. Sure.” My gaze drifted back to the ceiling because looking at him only confused my thoughts more. ”Thanks for that . . . oath?” I squinted. That wasn't the right word. ”For that promise?” Closer but not quite. ”For that-”

”Solemn vow,” he filled in, his voice strong. He sat up even higher, and his free hand curled around the crucifix dangling at his chest. ”I swear on this that I will never let that happen again.”

Well, I guess that confirmed it. Knox's and my relations.h.i.+p had gone as far as it would ever go. If he was throwing out solemn vows and swearing on religious relics, he was pretty much writing a message in the sky that a repeat of what had gone down between us would not be happening. To him, it must have been a mistake.

”Great. I'm convinced.” As the flood of emotions drained out of me all at once, something else made its way to the front of the queue. The handcuffs binding us only made it seem that much more urgent. ”Eh . . . Knox?” My foot tapped frantically.

”Eh, what?” he replied.

”Nature is calling again”-I'd found myself in this same bladder-bursting predicament last week-”and from the feel of it, won't be patient.” Seriously, it was like a whole gallon of lemonade had just been funneled into my bladder. Maybe it was another effect of the drugs, or the fact I just hadn't gone pee in close to twelve hours, but whatever was responsible for it was also about to be responsible for making a mess on Knox's couch. I supposed that would be one way to get the roommate invitation revoked. House-breaking seemed kind of standard when it came to roomie requirements.

His gaze drifted down my stomach right before moving to the cuffs. ”Well, lead the way. I'm next on nature's call list.”

I popped up and swung my legs over the couch. ”I am not peeing with you in the same room. No way.”

”Why not? I wouldn't hesitate to go with you close by.”

”That's because you're an animal.”

”If I was an animal, I wouldn't use a toilet.”

Both my feet were tapping now as I looked over my shoulder toward where the bathroom was. ”So you're a particular animal, but either we can go in search of those bolt cutters-quickly-or we can keep arguing about this, and I'll make you wish you'd invested in plastic seat covers like our great-grandmas did.”

”That's a new couch. I'd appreciate it if you didn't do anything that would make me have to go furniture shopping again. After my last experience, I'm pretty convinced that h.e.l.l is going to be the inside a furniture superstore.”

I crossed my legs to see if that would help. From the feel of it, nothing would help other than reliving myself. ”Then what are we waiting for?” I went to stand, but Knox stayed put, bringing me right back down on the couch.

”For you to agree to be smart and move in until we get this guy.”

I whipped my head from side to side. ”That's too big of a decision to make in my present state. After I heed nature's call, I'll do some more considering and give you my answer.”

”Yeah. That doesn't work for me.”

Knox stayed put when I went to stand again. ”So help me G.o.d, I will drag you to the garage if I have to in order to find those bolt cutters.” I glared at the handcuffs, wondering if there was anything I despised more. The person who was trapped in them with me was in the running for that honor.

”So do it.” He smiled at me. Actually smiled.

”You're going to regret that when I go all bionic-woman on you,” I warned. I grabbed his handcuffed wrist in my free hand and, making sure I had a good hold on it, pulled.

He barely budged, still smiling. ”I expected more from the bionic woman.”

Hoping my anger would bolster my strength, I braced myself, got an even better grip around his wrist, and gave it my all. I pulled on him so hard, a few grunts actually slipped past my lips, and the only movement I managed out of Knox was his smile turning up.

”d.a.m.n it, move!” I shouted.

”You got it. As soon as you agree to move in, I will willingly move.”

”Knox!” That was all I had left-nothing other than screaming his name in frustration as I collapsed back on the couch.

”Charlie,” he whispered, making it clear he wasn't going to be sucked into a screaming match, ”the choice is yours.”

In my adult life, I'd never been so close to wetting my pants. As tempting as it was to teach him a lesson and ruin the couch, I had too much dignity for that. Or just enough. ”f.u.c.k!” I bounced in my seat from frustration and trying to keep p.i.s.sing my pants off of today's to-do list. ”Fine! I'll do it!”

”You'll do what?” He looked ready to lope a victory lap as he dug around for something in his pocket.

”I'll move in with you. Temporarily,” I added. At that point, I would have agreed to anything-running naked through a hornet's nest included.

”See? Was that so hard?” Whatever he'd pulled from his pocket was small enough to hide in his hand.

”Harder than I could ever express or you could ever imagine. Now, bolt cutters. Where the h.e.l.l are they?”

Knox held up what looked like a straightened paper-clip before he lowered it to the lock of my cuff. ”Who needs bolt cutters when I'm”-after a twist of the paperclip, followed by a little wobble, the cuff sprang open-”a pro at busting out of handcuffs?”

Knox was already working the lock of his cuff free when what he'd just done registered. I threw my hand toward the paperclip. ”You had that thing with you the whole time?”

”I never go anywhere without one of these things,” he said with a casual shrug as the cuff sprung free from his wrist. ”You never know when you might find yourself in a tough situation.”

”You had that thing with you the whole time, knew how to use it, and kept us cuffed together just so you could get me to agree to move in here?” I was already backing down the hall toward the bathroom, but I wanted him to see the look on my face.