Page 41 of Save Me

His hand tightened around the steering wheel. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he stayed quiet until he pulled into his driveway. We both climbed out. As I headed for my house, I dug my keys out of my backpack. Knox intercepted me. He snatched my keys from my hand and took my backpack from my shoulder. I barely saw him swoop down and grab me by my legs. My feet were lifted off the ground and I was being carried over his shoulder.

“Knox,” I grunted as I hung upside down.

He ignored me as he unlocked the front door of his house and carried me inside. He dropped my backpack by the small table just inside and tossed both of our sets of keys in the bowl. He took me all the way to his bedroom and set me on his bed.

Stunned, I watched him kneel in front of me and begin taking off my shoes and socks. He fiddled with my anklet. “On or off?”

“For what?” I asked.

He looked up at me. “You’re going to sleep.”

My panic spiked. “What?” I tried to scoot away from him, but he grabbed me by my ankles, holding me where I was.

“You’re going to sleep, Shiloh. Even if I have to hold you down.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to sleep.”

“Why?”

I snapped my mouth shut.

He tugged on my anklet again. “On or off?”

“Why bother asking? It’s not like I have a say.”

“I recommend you get comfortable, because you’re not leaving this bed until you’ve gotten at least eight hours of sleep.”

I sighed frustratedly. “Off.”

He unclasped my anklet and stood to put it on his dresser. I reached behind me and under my shirt to unhook my bra, then pulled the straps off through the armholes and removed it entirely from the bottom of my shirt. I held my cobalt-blue and red Superman bra out to him. If he wanted me to get comfortable, I’d get comfortable.

He took it and tossed it on his dresser. I leaned back on the bed and unbuttoned my jean shorts and shimmied them down my thighs. His gaze followed my shorts as I pushed them down my legs. I kicked them off at the ankles and they flew in his direction. He caught them with a tight expression. I sat up to undo my bun and shake my hair out.

Knox set my shorts next to my bra. I froze when he undid his belt and toed off his shoes. I stopped breathing when he reached over his head and pulled off his shirt. I refused to blink as he unbuttoned his pants and stripped down to his tight, gray boxer briefs. He had a few tattoos. One on his hip that looked like script and another over his ribs on his side that was of a car engine wrapped in feathered angel wings. Beneath it was more script that I couldn’t read. I tried not to let my eyes drop lower. I tried and failed. As if drawn by a beacon, my gaze dropped and saw that his boxer briefs left very little to the imagination.

He put his hands on his hips and I knew I was caught. I blushed, my eyes traveling to his. He was frowning.

I rolled my eyes. “Like you didn’t get a long look at my vagina,” I muttered as I scooted back toward the pillows.

He opened his dresser and pulled out a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt. “I thought you wanted to pretend that didn’t happen.”

I climbed under the blankets. “You were giving me theshame on youlook and needed to be called out.”

I saw the corner of his mouth twitch before he put his shirt on. “You could have averted your eyes.”

I scoffed. “Youcould have averted your eyes in the kitchen.”

He put on his basketball shorts before climbing into bed next to me. “I guess we’re even, then.”

“We’re far from even. You saw everything. All your bits were covered.”

He smiled, shaking his head, and got settled under the covers. Silence stretched between us as we both lay there. I stared at the ceiling, fighting back my fear.

“Close your eyes, Shiloh.”

My hands fisted his white comforter. “I can’t.”

“Why?”