When I Surrender. Kendall Ryan

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СКАЧАТЬ just to feel something. To feel alive. I dated in high school, and slept around a little, but after a while, it just wasn’t enough anymore. I needed something more. I started going out to bars and girls were even easier to pick up outside of school. It was simple. I didn’t really think about it. And when I was with them, I forgot all about my fucked up life. For a short time anyway. It was a coping mechanism.’

      ‘Didn’t that bother you – using them that way? Those were people’s daughters.’

      ‘If you think they weren’t using me too, you’re more naïve than I thought.’ He smirked at me, challenging me to disagree.

      I’d never thought about it that way, but I supposed he had a valid point. Knox wasn’t the type to promise them the moon and stars. He was a take it or leave it kind of guy. And they freely took what he’d offered.

      He’d been getting love the only way he knew how – by sleeping with anything with a vagina. It was sad, but on some strange level, I understood. Knox had spent many years feeling unloved and not capable of returning love. But I knew he was capable of more. I saw firsthand how sweet he was with his brothers. He’d stepped up to raise them and set aside his own goals and dreams. And I suspected he wanted to change. He’d been attending my sex addicts meetings for over a month now and hadn’t pushed me away, despite my constant questions.

      ‘Still, Knox, you had to know that wasn’t right….’

      ‘It’s the only thing I know.’

      ‘Then discover something new.’ My eyes were pleading with his and I saw the moment my plea registered. His gaze turned hungry as his eyes flicked down to my mouth.

      He leaned closer, his eyes soft and probing. ‘Meeting you has been interesting for me.…’

      My heart swelled in my chest and I wanted so badly to hear him continue. But he took a swig of his beer and let his eyes wander out onto the dance floor.

      ‘So assuming you were still…that way, you’d be looking for a girl here tonight?’

      ‘Most likely,’ he admitted.

      The truth stung, but at least he was honest. We watched in silence as a group of girls, one wearing a tiara and a sash that declared her the Bride, shimmied on the dance floor to the beat of hip hop music.

      ‘So if you were here to pick up a girl tonight – who’s your type?’ I looked on as a blond with large breasts thrust her hips back and forth, too embarrassed to meet Knox’s eyes. I wondered if he’d go for someone so obvious about her body and looks. Someone so completely opposite of me.

      ‘You really want me to answer that?’ he asked. I nodded, still unable to meet his gaze. ‘Look at me,’ he commanded.

      I did. And his heated stare lit me up from the inside out. I felt my chest and neck flush. I dropped my gaze, sliding my drink toward me and sucking down a big mouthful. ‘Yeah, I want to know,’ I said, finding my courage. The alcohol flowing through my veins was the likely contributor. When he was like this, so dominant and commanding, my body turned to a pile of mush, ready and waiting for his next command.

      Knox’s eyes reluctantly left mine and he scanned the dance floor with a bored expression. Not finding anyone of interest, his gaze turned toward the crowded bar. ‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ he said, his eyes not returning to mine.

      Unease churned inside me as I watched him cross the room and head down the back hallway alone. What was he doing? Had he already picked out a girl and given her a special wink? I couldn’t believe he’d really disappeared and left me sitting here all alone. I sucked down more of my drink as tears blurred my vision.

      I hated how I couldn’t be what he needed and he chose instead to fulfill his needs without me. I sensed that Knox was developing real feelings, too. So why did he continue on with this charade of hussies? Because even if he did have feelings for you, McKenna, you’re a virgin. You can’t satisfy his needs. That realization sparked something inside me. Rebellion. It made me want to try.

      A few moments later, Knox strolled back to the table, his expression unreadable. ‘McKenna?’ Spotting the unshed tears shimmering in my eyes, he stood immobile in front of the table. ‘What happened?’

      ‘You left me.’ I pressed my fingertips to my temples, willing the tears away.

      He slid into the booth next to me and pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my temple. ‘I went to take a piss. You didn’t think…?’

      I nodded slowly.

      ‘Christ, McKenna. I wouldn’t do that. I used the restroom, washed my hands, and came right back to the table.’ I suddenly felt foolish for freaking out. He hesitated for several long moments, his jaw clenching in the dim light. ‘What do you want from me? You know who I am.’

      ‘Friendship, Knox. I want your friendship.’

      ‘That’s it? There’s nothing more….’ He smiled, crookedly, begging me to disagree.

      He was hinting at the burning chemistry between us, brewing just below the surface. My obvious jealous reaction at thinking he’d gone after a girl. He felt this intensity between us and apparently he knew I did, too. I hadn’t been hiding my true feelings well enough. He saw it in my lingering gazes, the way I cared for his brothers, and the ways my eyes always went to his while we were in group. There was no point denying it, since I knew eventually he’d see through my game. The truth was I wanted much more than friendship. I wouldn’t have taken things physical with him if I hadn’t. Something told me he understood that.

      I took a deep breath, settling my nerves. ‘As for more…yes, I know who you are. You’re a man who takes care of his family, who takes on the world for those boys, who works hard and plays harder…but you’re also a man on the cusp of change. If you want anything more than friendship with me, then you’ll have to show me.’

      ‘Show you what? I told you I don’t do love.’

      ‘So change.’ I shrugged, flippantly, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Knox said he didn’t do love, but he was wrong. He loved his brothers fiercely. He might not have done romantic relationships, but I believed in him, I believed anything was possible, as long as he wanted it bad enough. And selfishly, I wanted to be the one to change his mind about love. He was helping me and some little voice deep inside told me we could do this. It might have been foolish, but when everything else had been stripped away from me, I needed that hope. I would cling to it like a life raft until I was forced to admit he wasn’t my savior and I wasn’t his.

      ‘What about Brian?’ Knox asked, drawing another sip of his beer and signaling the bartender for another.

      ‘What about him?’

      ‘You and him. You ever thought about that? You guys could be good together.’

      Was he seriously encouraging my relationship with Brian? After all this? ‘First Belinda and now you, really?’

      He shrugged. ‘Just pointing out your options.’

      Frustrated, I pushed a chunk of hair behind my ear. Brian had always been there for me. Would always be there for me. He was sweet and had cute boy next door looks to match. Would it really be the worst thing in the world to see if real feelings could develop between us? Sometimes I wondered about СКАЧАТЬ