On the Edge Page 6

  He plops down on the bed with me, done for the moment. He pulls me into him, giving me a long, wet kiss. We lie wrapped around each other, trying to catch our breath. It’s the last thing I remember before drifting off to sleep.

  Cole and I sleep tangled up in each other all night. When I wake up, my first thought is that I’m being squished to death. Cole’s arms hold me in a tight squeeze, but I don’t really mind. I love how being in his arms makes me feel so secure. No matter how many times he holds me like this, it never gets old. I want to stay wrapped up like this forever, but I have to get up and start my day. I have a little boy who I promised to take on a special date, so I nudge Cole awake. He groans but his eyes pop open.

  “Kitten,” he says gruffly, his voice still riddled with sleep.

  “I need you to take me home so I can shower, dress, and plan my date with Seth.”

  “Damn Seth, stealing my girl from me.” I let out a short laugh. “It’s not funny, Kat.”

  “It kind of is. Hey, at least it’s Seth and not Justin I’m going out with.”

  “Fuck that! If it was Justin, I would kill him.”

  “You would not kill your own brother.”

  “Maybe not, but I would beat his ass.”

  I climb out of bed and collect my clothes off the floor where I dropped them when I stripped last night.

  ‘Who are you sending with Seth and me?”

  “I’ll probably have Rocco tail you guys.”

  I nod, thinking Rocco is a good choice. As the primary guy assigned to me these days, it seems wherever I go, Rocco follows. He has that typical menacing bodyguard look to him even when he’s just standing there doing nothing.

  Cole throws on clothes and we head straight to the Knight mansion. Cole follows me upstairs as I head to my room, but stops right outside my door.

  “Wait for me to shower,” he commands and walks down to his room.

  I’ve decided to take Seth to the zoo because he and I both love the animals, so I choose my clothes accordingly. I smile when I think how easy things are right now. This semi-normal life I’m leading is unreal, and I can’t help but wish it would stay. My past keeps me from trusting that anything good can last forever. It’s only a matter of time before the shit hits the fan.

  The door opens and Cole enters, throws his clean clothes on my bed, and yanks me towards him. When he lifts and tosses me over his shoulder, happy giggles escape me, and a hard smack on my ass makes me yelp.

  “What the fuck was that for?” I demand.

  “I felt like spanking your ass,” he says, chuckling.

  Cole carries me into the bathroom, turns on the shower, and then slides my body down until my feet touch the floor. I longingly look at the garden tub in the corner, wishing I had time for a long soak. My bath oils rim the tub, my makeup clutters the counter, and I realize just how much at home I have become here.

  He rips his shirt over his head, unbuttons his pants, and pulls them off, kicking them to the side of the room, then strips my clothes off me. Lifting me again, he steps into the shower, immersing us under the hot jetting stream of water.

  I’m not entirely sure what Cole is doing. Us naked together in the shower can’t be good. When Cole sets me on my feet again, my eyes track his hands as he soaps up his body. The chiseled muscles and beautiful six-pack show he works out regularly. The Knight Shield tattoo covers his back, and I just can’t help myself. I reach out and lightly trace the beautiful artwork. The family crest symbolizes that Cole is not only a Knight by blood, but by choice as well.

  I’ve seen a smaller version of this same tattoo on the guys who work for the family. Each of them choose where to get the tattoo placed, but they all have some form of it.

  Cole tenses under my fingers but then relaxes as I continue tracing his ink. Stepping closer, I press myself against his back and place a small kiss on his shoulder. He turns and suddenly, I find myself wrapped tightly in his arms.

  “I love the shield. It’s sexy on you,” I say as his lips move to my shoulder. I let myself have this moment to feel happy. I’ll take it while I can and not worry about what my future may hold.

  “Maybe one day you’ll get your own shield,” Cole whispers next to my ear, sending chills across my body.

  “Maybe,” I say softly. I would love to have the Knight shield inked on me one day, and more, have it signify something between Cole and me. I want to believe that everything will work out for the best.

  When Cole and I finish washing, we step out of the shower, and he wraps a towel around me before wrapping one around himself. I dry myself before dropping the towel in the hamper and walking into the bedroom. Cole follows and my eyes feast on his naked body. I’m not the only one peeking. His gaze lingers on my body, too.

  When I look at the time and see it’s now ten o’clock, I figure Seth will probably come looking for me soon, so I slip on my shorts and T-shirt and leave Cole dressing. I open the door to Seth’s room and see the typical little boy’s room decorated in all things fast cars. Before I spot Seth, he sees me.

  “Kat, you came.”

  “Of course I came, buddy. I told you I’d take you out today.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I thought I’d take you to the zoo.”

  My words are met by a loud shout from Seth. Laughing at the cuteness that is Seth, I make my way to his closet to dress him properly in shorts and a t-shirt along with socks and sneakers. Then we head off to find Bruce to let him know Seth and I are leaving, and to check in with our bodyguard from Cole. I know that after the run in with Sal last night, Cole is not going to let Seth and me go without protection.

  We find Cole holed up in Bruce’s office, filling his dad in on what happened last night. I only know this because, as I walk into the office with Seth, Bruce chuckles and greets me. “Hey there, Rocky.”

  “Ha, ha! Seth and I are ready to go, so summon our escort for our trip so we can head out on our very important date.” I say.

  The dark office screams that it’s a man’s workplace. One wall is all built-in bookshelves. Bruce’s desk sits in the center of the room and a couple of chairs surround it. However, Cole and Bruce sit in a small area in the most private corner of the office. To the side is a bar with several bottles of liquor on it.

  “Rocco will drive you and follow behind at the zoo, but he’ll try to stay far enough back to give you private time with Seth,” Cole says.

  “That’s fine.” I don’t care anymore who is assigned to follow me. “Come on, buddy.” Seth and I start walking out of the office.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Cole demands from behind me.

  “I don’t think so,” I say.

  “Kitten!” Cole sternly says.

  I freeze in my tracks. I know better than to test him, but I can’t seem to help myself.

  “Fine,” I sigh, exasperated with the guy. I turn back around, walk over to Cole, and plant a chaste kiss on his forehead. When I turn away, he tugs my hand, which makes me fall into his lap. Then he plants a kiss on me that makes my cheeks tint pink. He should not kiss me like this in front of his dad or little brother. I finally shove away from him.

  “Don’t do that in front of Seth again,” I yell. I’m not seriously mad at him, because honestly, that kiss has me feeling all kinds of tingles.

  “I will kiss you whenever I fucking feel like it,” he smartly replies.

  “Watch your mouth in front of your brother, jerk face.”

  “Daddy, Cole’s being mean to Kat. Make him stop,” Seth calls out.

  Bruce chuckles. “Son, they’re just playing. Cole isn’t being mean for real. He thinks he’s funny.”

  “I don’t like it,” Seth says, and gives a swift kick to his big brother’s shin.

  I lose it. Laughter bubbles out of me as Cole grabs his leg and hollers. “You little shit.”

  “Run Seth,” I grab him up and take off out of the office. Bruce’s laughter rumbles behind us. Justin is standing in
the hall talking with Rocco, and Seth and I almost take them out. Thankfully, Justin is quick on his feet and steadies me so I don’t fall. By this time, Seth and I are both laughing hysterically.

  “What the hell, Kat? What is wrong with you two?” Justin asks.

  “Seth may have just kicked Cole in the shin for being mean to me,” I say between laughs.

  “Did you do that, buddy?” Justin asks his little brother.

  Seth nods his head in the affirmative.

  “Give me a high five,” Justin says, and Seth does.

  “Are you ready to head out?” I ask Rocco.

  “Yes, I was just waiting for you two.” His smile says that he clearly enjoys Seth and me ganging up on Cole.

  “Seth,” Cole hollers.

  “Oh shit,” I grab Seth back up, and place him in Rocco’s arms. “Take him out to the car. I’ll be right there.”

  “Katarina, if you help that little shit get away, I’m going to spank your ass,” Cole yells to me.

  “Go! Go, Rocco, don’t just stand there.”

  With Seth secured in his arms, Rocco finally moves out towards the car.

  I turn to face my unhappy boyfriend, which just makes me laugh some more.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Kat?” he asks.

  “Cole, he’s 4! He didn’t like you being mean to me,” I say, snickering.

  At this point, Justin is doubled over laughing.

  ‘Fuck off,” Cole says to his brother.

  “Damn, Cole, you’re so mean to your brothers. No wonder they hate you,” I say, still laughing. I should have taken my opportunity to escape, because the next thing I know, Cole has me thrown over his shoulder, and is smacking my ass for the second time today as he carries me out the front door to the car where Rocco waits with Seth.

  When we reach the SUV, Cole sets me down and gives me one last smack on the butt. He snakes an arm around me, pulls me against him, and kisses me senseless. “Have a good time and be careful,” he says as I get in the car.

  “I’ll be fine. I have Rocco and Seth both to protect me,” I say.

  “Yes, Seth will definitely protect you.” Cole chuckles.

  He shuts the door and we’re off to the zoo. Rocco finds a place to park fairly close to the entrance. As I get Seth out of the backseat, I explain the rules of our outing and make him agree not to run off from me at any time. Rocco leads us to the gate and pays for our tickets into the zoo. That’s one thing about being Cole’s girlfriend, I never want for anything. I’m just now getting used to this part of being with him. It makes me uncomfortable that he or Bruce pays for everything I have now. Bruce even gives me a fucking allowance, not that I spend much of it. Most of the money is locked up in a box in my room.

  ‘So, where we going first, lil man?” I ask Seth.

  “Lions!” he shouts with pure excitement.

  I consult the map we got at the gate, take his little hand in mine, and we head off to the lions. It takes us about five minutes to reach the exhibit. Seth is super excited, jumping in circles and chattering a mile a minute. His shrill scream lets me know that we’ve arrived. A male lion is standing on a rock and smaller lions are on the ground below him. I can’t help but think it reminds me of Bruce or Cole when they meet with the guys.

  I notice Rocco standing nearby, but he’s doing his best to give Seth time alone with me. I appreciate the effort he puts into protecting us, yet giving us privacy. This is so important to little Seth who, like me, has a shitty mother. The one advantage he has over me is his father adores him, as do his three older siblings. Seth will make it in life because he has an awesome support system.

  I have always been lucky to have Drew. We’ve tried hard to be there for each other, but we never had a positive example in our home of what support should look like. I understand why working for the Knights and becoming part of the family is so attractive to my brother. He has gained something the likes of which we never had. I find myself super fascinated with all of them because of how they just accept me. I hope that I always have them in my life.

  Seth and I spend three hours at the zoo checking out every exhibit possible. Rocco patiently follows us around. We stop in the gift shop on our way out, and Seth and I load up on souvenirs for his siblings and ourselves. As we walk back to the car, Seth complains about being hungry.

  “Rocco, can you find us a place to eat, please?” I ask.

  He nods and we head down the highway. When he sees big golden arches, Seth begins hollering for us to stop. Rocco doesn’t hesitate to pull in, and make our way into the dining room and walk to the counter.

  I look down at Seth. “What do you want to eat?”

  “Nuggets with chocolate milk,” he chirps.

  I give Rocco our order and then lead Seth over to a table where I get him settled. I sit down beside him, tickling him while we wait. He is giggling like crazy when a shadow crosses our table. When I glance up, Sal is standing there with another guy. The smile slowly drops off my face as I instinctively pull Seth in closer to me. My only thought is to keep him safe and oblivious to the possible danger. I look over to the counter and see that Rocco is already aware of what is going on. He heads straight towards us with the food and sets it down on the table in front of us.

  “I should have known Knight wouldn’t let his girl and lil brother out without some kind of guard,” Sal snaps out.

  “Dude, move on. Not in front of the kid,” Rocco states calmly.

  ‘I think I want to sit down and talk with the beautiful girl.” He pulls out the chair across from me and sits down. The guy with him stays silent and remains standing behind him. Rocco remains standing as well and I try to keep myself in check so I don’t scare Seth.

  “We have nothing to say to each other,” I say.

  “Oh, I think we can find plenty to talk about, beautiful.”

  I feel a tug on my arm and look down to see confused little eyes staring back at me. “Who is he?”

  “No one important,” I say to the sweet, innocent little boy. I glance over at Rocco and wonder what his plan is because he seems fairly calm. We sit there in tense silence for what seems like an eternity while I try to keep Seth busy eating his food.

  “Can you please just leave? I can’t eat with you sitting here ruining my appetite.” I tell Sal sarcastically.

  “No, I’m good. Just enjoying the view.”

  “Whatever, asshole,” I snap out.

  Rocco shakes his head, signaling for me to shut up. I scrunch my face in disgust, not happy that I’m in this situation. A few minutes pass, and then the whole atmosphere in the restaurant changes. It goes from a happy family environment to doom and gloom. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but Cole, Drew, Justin, and Pete walk into the dining area. The guy standing behind Sal tenses. I know it’s getting ready to get real up in here.

  “You aren’t supposed to be here, Cole,” Seth cries out upon seeing his older brother. I try to quiet him. Justin comes closest to us. “Hey buddy, why don’t you come with me for a minute?” Seth starts to protest, but I encourage him to go with Justin. Once they are out of range, it doesn’t take long for shit to get real.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Sal?” Cole bites out, anger clear in his tone. His posture is stiff and he is right in Sal’s face.

  “I was just enjoying a lovely afternoon until you showed up.” He smirks.

  “You need to stay away from my girl. You have enough problems without adding this to the mix.”

  People sitting around us begin clearing out. It’s not as if they don’t know who the Knights are in this town. Before long, the workers are the only ones left in the building besides us.

  “Kat, you need to get out of here,” Drew says.

  ‘Fuck that. I’m not leaving,” I yell at my brother.

  “Katarina, get your ass moving,” Cole barks out at me.

  I stand up in a huff, ready to say something else, but Drew picks me up and carries me outside to Justin. Not that I go s
moothly. I kick and fight my brother the whole way out of the building.

  “Whatever, Kat, you don’t need to be around what’s going down,” my brother says.

  “Fuck face,” I holler.

  Drew makes his way back inside and, when I hear Justin trying to calm Seth, I take my chance and dart back into the dining room. I stealthily make my way to the counter where the workers are all huddled in the back. The guys are so into what they are doing, they don’t realize I have come back in. I hope it stays that way.

  “Man, I told you to stay away from her last night. Our families have enough drama without you pissing me off over my girl,” Cole says to Sal.

  “I really don’t give a fuck. I want a taste of your girl and I won’t stop until I get one,” Sal retorts. That causes my stomach to churn and I feel dirty all of a sudden. As if I would ever let that fucker touch me.

  He barely finishes his statement before Cole’s fist flies into his face. From there, it is on. Pete holds Sal’s guy in place and Drew and Rocco stand and watch. I appreciate the guys letting it be one on one between Cole and Sal. In fact, the guys earn my respect with that move.

  Cole throws an uppercut into Sal’s jaw and I fight the urge to cheer him on. He doesn’t let up on Sal, but steadily throws blow after blow anywhere he can land one. Sal gets in a few of his own, but for the most part, Cole dodges those punches. I catch myself cringing every time Sal lands one.

  They fight for what seems to be an eternity before Cole finally has Sal down on the ground beating him. It is clear that he’s lost control, and if I don’t stop him, he will either inflict serious damage or kill Sal. I really don’t want to visit Cole in jail. Since no one else is willing to stop the fight, I decide it’s up to me, so I hop off the counter and walk over to the guys.