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I didn’t think. I just peeled off my clothes and stepped into the shower.
I slipped between him and the spray, pressing my bare chest to his, and wrapped my arms tight around him.
At first, he didn’t move.
Then his arms came around me, hard and unbudging, tucking me against him like he couldn’t hold me close enough.
The backs of my eyes stung. Goddamn it. I was going to cry. Or scream. Or want to stay here forever.
The limo would be here in a few hours.
How the hell was I supposed to leave this?
Leave him?
I tipped my head back to look at him. His eyes were already on mine, then flicked to my lips.
“Knox,” I whispered.
“Caroline,” he rasped, rough and aching.
And then we collided in a hungry, desperate kiss like the world was ending.
CHAPTER 23
KNOX
As soon as we got to the hotel, I knew I was going to break down. I couldn’t let Caroline see that.
I barged into the bathroom and got in the shower, dissociating before the water hit my shoulders.
I lost track of time. It could have been minutes or hours later when the bathroom door creaked open, but I didn’t look.
I just stood there under the scalding spray that made all my various injuries burn and sting like a motherfucking bitch. Fuck, it hurt so bad.
Good.
My eyes were closed. My shoulders locked so tightly they cramped. My hands hung limp at my sides. I couldn’t tell if my skin was actually burning or if I was too numb to give a single shit.
Either way, I deserved the misery. It was just a small penance for all the pain I caused the Devils.
Then she was there.
A bare, warm body between me and the water. Caroline. She pressed close, her tits squishing against my chest when she wrapped her arms around me like she was trying to hold me together before I crumbled apart.
Engaging with her felt like a betrayal of everything my brothers stood for. I didn’t deserve to have a woman comfort me, especially not her. This was exactly what Jackson didn’t want.
Fuck, I hated myself.
I didn’t move at first. Just stayed frozen. I could barely breathe right.
I expected her to give up and snap, to get out and slam the door, shouting, fine, be a zombie for all I care!
But she stayed.
And that meant the fucking world.
My body gave in before my head did. Slow at first, my arms looped around her. Then they were crushing, holding her like a lifeline.