On the Edge Read online

  “Damn straight. I have to make sure everyone knows your ass belongs to me,” Cole interrupts.

  “I see that.” Juliana cuts her eyes back and forth between Cole and me as if she is searching for something. Part of it is the fact that I’m with her brother, and the other is her trying to adjust to seeing Cole kiss me like that. Then she smiles, grabs my arm, and pulls me away from the guys.

  When we’re far enough away from the guys, she tugs my arm to stop and turns to me.

  “What. The. Fuck?”

  “I know! That’s what I keep asking myself, too!”

  I give her a quick rundown of what happened last night. She listens to my story, and when I finish, she comments.

  “So, he said that he was making you his girl, and you’re under the protection of the family?” Juliana asks.

  “Yes?” I don’t understand why she chooses to question that part.

  “You know, in my family, that is as good as a marriage proposal. When the guy says that, it’s basically him saying that she is the one.”

  Panic moves in and tightens my chest. Cole doesn’t really mean that, does he? I think back to the words we exchanged last night, and the sudden urge to sink to the ground overwhelms me because I know he means exactly that. I’m freaking out. This is not part of my plan. I have to make Cole understand that I’m leaving for college. I’m not going to be stuck in Belmont. I’m not sure I ever want to move back, but I have to go away for college.

  “Kat, are you okay?” Juliana asks, concern lacing her voice.

  “Yes, I’m fine. It just surprises me a bit to find out how serious Cole’s intentions are,” I reply honestly. Well, as honest as I’m going to be today.

  Cole’s eyes bore holes in me and he can tell something is wrong. His struggle not to rush over to find out what’s going on is obvious to everyone.

  “We better go back to the guys. Cole is getting antsy,” I tell Julie.

  She sees her brother staring at us in unease and nods her head in agreement. As we walk back towards the guys, I work hard to compose myself. I can’t let this shake me any more than it already has. After college, if he still wants me, then I will come back to Belmont. It may make me seem heartless, but I don’t want to be anything like my mother. I know that if I don’t get out of Belmont, I will become Cole’s arm candy, and one day, I’ll be in the same place my mother is in now. I’m never going to let that happen to me.

  Cole reaches out and pulls me so that my back is against his chest. His arms circle my waist in a close, protective hold. His warm breath caresses me as he bends towards my ear and whispers, “Is everything okay?”

  I give a small nod to assure him that everything is fine. I don’t want to admit how good it feels to have Cole holding me. It’s going to be harder to leave him in six months than I originally thought. This is evident to me only twelve hours into a relationship with him. In six months, I will be so lost in him. This connection, this bond between us, is like a spark every time we touch.

  As I look around, I can’t help but notice that the other students around us are watching. You don’t live in Belmont without knowing who the Knights are. I’m sure they are trying to figure out how I hooked up with Cole.

  I can’t think about it anymore. I decide, here and now, that I will just go with the flow, enjoy Cole while I can, and when it’s time to leave, I will deal with it then. For now, I’m going to appreciate the way Cole’s arms feel around me and pretend I live in a world of fairy tales where everyone gets a happily ever after. I know that isn’t a smart way to deal with it, but it’ll work for now.

  As I nestle closer to Cole, I look at my friends and brother. They are all I have as long as I’m in Belmont. I need to make the most of my time with all of them. Until this moment, I’ve never realized just how much I’m missing. Drew and I are used to being on our own and only depending on each other. Now, I have Cole, Juliana, and Justin, as well. I can be a better friend to Juliana over the next six months and, just because I’m leaving, that doesn’t mean we can’t remain friends. The same can be said for Justin. I will have them as friends even after I go to UCLA. I’m not as confident that Cole will be as easy to convince.

  The next week, Julie and I spend more time together at school, and she comes over to the house to keep me company while the guys are out doing their shit. I never ask questions, because the less I know, the better.

  Surviving when I leave for college is out of the question because, barely a week has passed, and my heart is completely wrapped up in Cole. I try to tell myself that it’s just a crush and that there is no way I’m in love with him. I’m not sure why I thought I could have a relationship with Cole and not fall for him hard. I’m so naïve when it comes to this shit.

  Now, I’m waiting in the living room for Cole and Drew to come back, and then the three of us are going to my house to see what the situation is. I almost dread the confrontation with my mother that I know is going to happen. She is going to be pissed that Drew and Pete beat the shit out of Jim. She will never believe that Jim came on to me, just as she never believes that any of her other men looked at me or acted in ways they shouldn’t. In fact, usually she blames me. Fucking bitch. They won’t let me go home alone because they don’t trust that Jim is not still around. This is not going to be pretty, and with Drew along, he’ll lose his shit with our mom like he always does.

  When the car pulls into the driveway, the nervous fidgets hit me. I really don’t want to go back to my mom’s house. This past week with the guys is the most normal I’ve ever had in my life. Even when they’re always gone doing who knows what. Even sleeping, wrapped in Cole’s arms every night, fighting temptation to beg him to fuck me senseless. God, I want that guy in the worst way.

  The guys are talking to each other as they come into the living room, but stop short when they see me.

  “Kat, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” Drew asks with alarm.

  I shake my head no. I can’t seem to find my voice. Cole moves towards me until he is scooping me into his lap on the couch. I’m frozen in his arms.

  “Kitten, what is wrong?” His voice gives way to his worry over the way I’m acting.

  I sit there for a few minutes just letting Cole hold me, my face buried against his neck. His scent soothes me and makes me feel safe. I know they are waiting for me to say something, but I need to calm down before I can finally speak.

  “I don’t want to go home. I know Mom is going to blame me for everything. It’s going to get ugly, whether Jim is gone or not,” I finally say, speaking so softly I’m not sure if they hear me. Cole is the first one to respond.

  “Kitten, we won’t let her do anything to hurt you. That’s why we insisted on going with you.”

  “That bitch we call mom has a lot to answer for,” Drew says with pure malice lacing his voice.

  Pete grabs my bags and takes them out to the car. My anxiety increases and I’m alarmed by how affected I’m about having to return home. It’s partly due to the uncertainty of what I’m going to find when I get there, but mainly, I don’t want to be away from Cole. Despite my not wanting to become attached to him, when I’m wrapped in his arms, I sleep better than I have in years. I don’t have to look over my shoulder or watch what I say to try to keep the peace.

  “I guess it’s time for me to suck it up and go home. I really appreciate y’all letting me stay here. It’s made my week so much better than it would have been.” I hope they understand the meaning behind my words and realize that they’ve saved me from so much this past week.

  My brother has been on his best behavior. I can’t believe they live quiet, calm lives on a regular basis. I’m sure girls usually come and go like revolving doors, but not once did I wake up with a strange female in the house.

  Cole and I stand, and he grabs the keys off the coffee table.

  “I’ll drive Kat in your mom’s car. You guys follow behind us.”

  I love how he takes charge of situations. I never thought
I would like that kind of guy, but here I’m dating a man who asserts control like an alpha caveman, and it makes my body tingle. Not that I let him get away with it without giving him shit, but in the bedroom, I would let him dominate me all he wanted. Another reason why I need to go back to my mom’s is to lessen the temptation of having sex with him. I mean, realistically, how long can we sleep with one another and make out before it leads to more between us? I know my self-control will only go so far.

  Cole leads me out to the car. I remain quiet as he drives us towards the cunt face’s house. Fifteen minutes later, we pull into the driveway. Cole shuts the car off and looks at me. I try to smile, but I really don’t want to go in the house. He leans over and gives me a soft, reassuring kiss. My lips tingle at his touch. This guy drives my body bat-shit crazy. It would be so easy to lose control with him.

  In the middle of our kiss, there’s a bang on my side of the car. I pull back from Cole to see Drew standing there giving me a stern look. He jerks open the door.

  “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  I get out of the car and follow behind my brother and Pete. Cole walks by my side, letting me know he is there for me without saying a word.

  When Drew opens the front door, the guys head into the living room. I stop short when I see Jim sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee with my mother at the small, chipped table in the corner. A bottle of whiskey sits between them, and cigarette smoke fills the room. The dull, scarred cabinets and cheap, stained countertops of this shabby kitchen pale in comparison to the ones in the guys’ house. That mother has not bothered with the upkeep of this house is easy to see.

  She looks up, and the sneer on her face lets me know that this is going to get ugly, so I brace myself for whatever she has to say.

  “Oh, so the little whore comes home now.”

  Numbness comes over me. It has always been my coping mechanism whenever she starts in on me. My emotions shut off and I hear nothing she says or sense none of what she does to me.

  “What? Little bitch have nothing to say? You try to seduce my boyfriend and then lie and have your brother beat him up?”

  I still say nothing, nor do I move, but when an arm wraps around my waist, instinct tells me Cole is beside me.

  My mom pauses for a second before continuing. “I guess this is the guy you’re fucking.”

  Cole tenses and struggles to keep himself in check. I get it, I really do, since I have wanted to unleash on my mom more times that I can count, but I need life to be as peaceful as possible until I leave for California.

  The smirk on Jim’s face disappears, and as his eyes widen, his color fades. That’s when I realize that Drew and Pete are standing behind Cole and me. Jim is scared, and he should be. These guys already fucked him up once.

  “Say something, you little whore,” my mother yells.

  Drew pushes through and stands in front of our mother “What the fuck, bitch. Why are you so hateful to your own daughter?”

  “Who are you to talk to your mother that way, boy?” Mom’s voice wobbles, showing me that she is not as confident as she was in the beginning.

  “You haven’t been my mother for years. Just the cunt who gave birth to me,” my brother says in a quiet, deadly voice.

  I can’t handle all the tension and start inching back towards the door. I hit a hard surface and know that I’ve backed into Pete. He reaches out and steadies me when my knees tremble, then nudges me towards Cole, who pulls me into the protective shelter of his arms. The tension in his body radiates through me even though his hold isn’t tight. Like a rubber band stretched too far, he could snap at any moment.

  “Your sister is nothing but a little slut who tries to seduce all my boyfriends. Don’t let her fool you.” Spit flies as she screams at Drew. Cole’s grip on me tightens. Then my mother turns and sneers at Cole. “Take all this in, boy. She’s a slut and will do nothing but bring hell to your life.”

  Cole kisses my head, runs a gentle hand over my hair, and then hands me over to Pete. After pushing Drew out of the way, he corners my mother up against the refrigerator. “Do you fucking know who I am, you stupid bitch?” he bites out with controlled anger.

  My mom cowers under Cole’s imposing gaze and commanding voice.

  “My name is Cole Knight.”

  Recognition dawns on her face and fear returns full force.

  “If I ever hear you talk about Kat that way again, someone will cut your tongue out to guarantee you never say another bad word about her.”

  Well, damn! I think, in a strange way, Cole just scared me and made my panties wet at the same time. His threat to cut out my mother’s tongue shouldn’t turn me on, but strangely, it does.

  Yep, I’m definitely fucked in the head. What a surprise! Look at what I’ve lived with my whole life.

  My mom has figured out real quick that she isn’t winning this time.

  “Do you understand me?” Cole asks in that cool, controlled, but authoritative voice.

  When she nods her head, he says, “I want words, cunt.”

  “Y-y-yes,” she stammers out.

  Then he turns to Jim.

  “You were told to be gone. You don’t listen very well, do you? Pete, you know what to do!”

  Pete’s malicious grin is all the answer Cole needs. He turns, and grabbing my arm, rushes me from the room. Sounds of fists meeting flesh reach my ears as Pete and Drew begin their second assault on Jim this week.

  Cole stops at the base of the stairs. “Kitten, go get anything you need. You’re not staying here another night.”

  “Cole! Where am I going to go? I can’t stay with you anymore!”

  “Why can’t you stay with me?” Anger laces his voice and his fingers squeeze mine.

  “Because, how will we make it six months if we share a bed every night?”

  “Fine, go pack your shit,” he orders. “I need to make a call.”

  I’m sort of torn between loving and hating bossy Cole. I want to remind him I’m not one of his guys, but I don’t push it. I head upstairs and pack a bag as he suggested.

  When I come back down, my mom sits on the kitchen floor, cradling her loser boyfriend in her arms, tears streaming down her face. I feel nothing but disgust for her.

  “Just remember, we’ll be back with a crew tomorrow to move her. I suggest you not be here when we show up,” Cole says in a cold voice that sends a shiver down my spine.

  “What do you mean a crew to move me? I told you I wasn’t staying with y’all,” I yell at Cole.

  Drew gives me a ‘shut up’ look.

  “I know, Kat. That’s why you’re going to stay with my dad. Julie is so excited to have another girl moving in besides that bitch my dad calls his wife.” Anger laces Cole’s voice.

  I wonder what I’m going to be dealing with, and part of me can’t help but be curious about staying with Julie. It’ll be the best of both worlds. I won’t have to live at home any more, but I won’t be living with the daily temptation of Cole in my bed.

  When we leave my mom’s house, we head in the opposite direction because Cole is taking me to his dad’s house. A part of me is relieved because, at this point, I don’t trust myself alone with Cole anymore.

  My first glimpse of the Knight home completely blows my mind. Giant granite columns line an oversized porch that wraps around the sides. The sun sparkles off what seems to be hundreds of windows, and a colorful rainbow of flowers spill out onto the manicured lawn. Everything around me screams money. I don’t belong here, and this idea looks worse by the second.

  The moment the car stops, Juliana runs out the cavernous front door. Sensing my tension, she wraps me in a huge hug. “Bitch, this is going to be so much fun.”

  I smile at her enthusiasm even though a part of me is scared to death of what is happening. This is going to make it harder in the end for me to leave. I should have kept my distance and not let them pull me in, but I’ve missed Drew and wanted to be near him. How was I to know that I
would meet Cole and fall hard and fast for him? I was a goner the second our eyes met. None of this is part of my long-range plan, and when I finally leave him behind for my new life in California, it’s going to hurt like hell.

  I turn back to see Cole smirking as his sister leads me into the house. I’m not sure moving into the Knight mansion is the right thing for me to do. Even if crime is the norm in this family, their loyalty never ceases to amaze me. Thankfully, while Juliana’s eagerness to have me there is not common, for me it’s not altogether foreign. She drags me into what appears to be a large family room off the foyer. It has a homey feel to it. Dark beige couches in the center of the room hold an assortment of hunter green throw pillows. The curtains match the color of the pillows to a T. A huge TV dominates the front of the room.

  Justin ignores us while he plays a video game, and the small boy sitting beside him studies the TV and clicks the buttons on his game controller. The serious expression on his face makes me smile. I know right away that the little boy is Seth, the half-brother that the older Knight siblings adore. I have heard so much about Seth this past week from Julie, Justin, and even badass Cole.

  When he looks away from the TV, Seth’s eyes light up and he yells out, “Cole!” His little legs carry him across the floor, and he slams full force into his big brother.

  A smiling Cole lifts him high in the air, and his laughter joins Seth’s giggles.

  “Hey, buddy!” Cole says.

  “She’s hot! Who is she?” Seth asks. Eyes almost identical to Cole’s peer at me. I struggle to keep from laughing at the little imp.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Cole whispers loudly to Seth. Seth nods his head, barely missing Cole’s chin. “This is my girlfriend, Kat.”

  “Aw, man! I wanted her to be my girlfriend,” Seth whines in the cutest voice. My heart melts, and at that moment, I fall in love with that little boy.

  “Sorry, buddy. You will find your own pretty girl one day,” Cole says. “Kat is Drew’s little sister”

  “Drew’s your big brother?” He turns to me, awe in his voice. Cole’s told me that Seth thinks my brother hung the moon. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.