: Ever Heard Of Knocking?

***

~~KNOX~~

***

I must say, I did not expect Finn’s best friend to be this charming.

Finn’s always painted her as some awkward nerd.

But this?

This sharp-tongued, darkly dressed woman standing in the middle of the sex shop, casually discussing electrocution and BDSM gear with the sales rep, is not what I signed up for.

And yet… I can’t look away.

Her leather pants are sinfully tight.

Her dark boots are heavy against the polished floor.

Her blouse clings to her like a second skin, and those blunt bangs and glasses? They remind me of the dominatrixes in my club. All she's missing is a riding crop and a stern command on those full lips.

I watch as she lifts a violet wand, a device used to deliver electrical sensations such as shocks.

“How dangerous is this?” she asks the sales rep.

“In what sense?”

“Like… would the highest voltage be enough to cause, I don’t know… electrocution? Just enough to zap someone’s soul out of their body.”

I nearly choke fighting a laugh.

“These devices are built to be completely safe,” the sales rep says. “They’re designed for sensory play, not… actual harm.”

Sloane sighs, setting the wand back on the display.

“That’s a bummer,” she says.

She turns to the sales rep with the most deadpan expression I’ve ever seen.

“Are you sure there's nothing more deadly around here?”

The sales rep's eyes widen. “Technically… if you think about it,” she stammers, “everything is potentially life-threatening, right? I mean… people have died from sneezing too hard.”

“So the answer’s no?”

I can’t do this anymore. The poor girl looks like she's about to call security or faint. I step forward, sliding smoothly into their conversation.

“Pardon my wife,” I say, placing my hand at the small of Sloane's back. I feel her stiffen. “She gets… intense sometimes. We’ll take it from here.”

The sales rep all but runs away.

Sloane is staring at me strangely. It probably has something to do with me mentioning the word ‘wife.’

“You know," I say, leaning in close enough to catch her scent, "if you really want Delilah dead, you could just hire an assassin."

“That’d be too obvious. They'll track it right back to me.”

I smile. “Right. But if you do it right, they won't.”

“Do you have a contact?”

I shake my head. “I don't.”

“So you're like a fake gangster?”

“Who says I’m a gangster?”

She eyes the tattoos peeking from my shirt. “You're not?”

I chuckle.

This is going to be fun.

“Tell you what,” I say. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find an assassin.”

“That'd be very much appreciated.”

I release her and start browsing the shelves, casually grabbing a pair of handcuffs, a leather paddle, and a silk blindfold.

I hear Sloane following behind me.

“You seem well-versed in all this,” she says. “It’s as if you know exactly what you're buying.”

“It’s my line of work.”

She pauses. “You sell sex toys?”

“More like… I produce them. And I own a sex club,” I say, turning to face her, bracing for her reaction. Most people either get uncomfortably excited or visibly repulsed. Both reactions are tedious.

She just stares at me, face blank.

“You must be loaded,” she says.

I didn't expect that at all. “Well…”

“Well, what, Knox?”

“I wouldn't know.”

She frowns. “The fact that you're not sure if you're loaded means you actually are. Poor people don't have doubts that they're poor.”

“Is that right?”

“Yep. You're definitely loaded.”

I smile. “Okay, Sloane. Whatever you say.”

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed talking to someone this much. She’s… different. Most people get all weird when I mention my line of work, my family included. But she seems normal about it. Like it's just another job—which it is, albeit a lucrative one.

Which is probably why I can’t stop myself from asking what's been on my mind for a while. “So… you and Finn. Are you two… a thing?”

Her face goes stiff.

“No.”

“Do you sleep together?” I ask.

“Hell no.”

“Right.”

She looks ready to murder me.

We check out the items at the counter, asking for them to be gift-wrapped.

As we sit waiting, Sloane crosses her arms.

“How are you comfortable with your friend marrying your brother’s ex?” she asks.

Hmm. She went right in. “Well,” I say. “Delilah’s a gold digger. Hunter has the money.”

“Ah. Classic.”

“Hunter’s my friend. I might not like his choices, but as a friend, I respect them.”

“Are you really a friend if you can't fight some sense into him?”

“That would only make me the enemy. You won't win a fight against love, Sloane.”

She glares at me. “I can definitely try.”

I smile, unable to help myself. Her naivety is both endearing and tragic.

“How long have you been trying with Finn?” I ask. “Where has that gotten you?”

Her entire body stiffens. I’ve hit a nerve.

I should stop. Shouldn’t push her.

But there’s just something about her.

Something about seeing someone so pure and innocent that makes you want to crack them open. Break them apart.

“The universe is going to align people who are meant to be together,” I say, eyes fixed on her. “Whether they’re good or bad. Whether it makes sense or not. Best you can do is let people live their lives, Sloane.”

Her eyes are blazing.

“You’re not a very good friend, Knox,” she says.

“Because I tell myself the truth?”

“No. Because you’re selfish.”

I smirk. “Oh? And where has selflessness gotten you? Have you had a proper date in months? Are you seeing someone right now? Or does your entire life revolve around Finn Hartley and his pathetic obsession with a woman who doesn’t give a shit about him?”

Her eyes darken with something violent.

And for a moment, I think she’s going to slap me.

God, I almost wish she would.

But instead, she rises to her feet, her eyes burning holes through my soul.

“Fuck you,” she spits, turning on her heel and storming toward the exit.

I lean back against the counter, watching her walk away.

Her hips sway a little too much in those tight leather pants. And the way her short hair bounces over her shoulders as she pushes open the door and disappears into the night?

Perfection.

I’m going to have a hard time keeping myself from provoking Sloane throughout this wedding.

I’m also going to have a hard time keeping my eyes—and my hands—off her.

She’s trouble.

The kind of trouble I want to drag into my bed and ruin.

~~~

Slaone stares out the window throughout our trip home.

Arms crossed. Jaw tight. Silent.

It’s honestly impressive how committed she is to ignoring me. Not a single glance in my direction, not even when I deliberately rev the engine just to see if she’ll react.

I’ll admit, I kind of miss the talkative Sloane.

When I pull into my parents’ house, her head jerks up.

I can see her looking at the mansion in surprise, with so many questions written on her face. But whatever she wants to say, she swallows it back.

She unbuckles, gets out of the car, and pulls her bag out of the trunk.

“Let me help you with that,” I say.

“No. I have hands. Thank you very much.”

O-kay.

I let her have that one, walking beside her as she marches toward the entrance.

I open the front door for her, and when she walks in, her eyes sweep over the grand foyer.

“Is there something I should know about your parents?” she says, finally speaking to me.

“Like what?” I ask, though I know exactly what she means. I've seen this reaction before.

“Like, are they from old money or something?”

“You can ask your best friend. He’s upstairs.”

She rolls her eyes, turning her attention to the massive staircase stretching up to the second floor. I know what's on her mind. She's wondering how she's going to drag that bag all the way up.

“Just keep the bag down, Sloane,” I say, amused. “Someone will take it.”

She doesn't argue. She drops it.

“Where are your parents?” she asks.

“Out of the country. They should be back tomorrow or next.”

“Great,” she mutters. “So we have the house to ourselves?”

“Umm… once you exclude the employees, I guess we do.”

“Awesome.” She gives me a look. “Please lead me to Finn’s room.”

I press a hand to my chest mockingly. “Of course, ma’am.”

I lead her up the stairs. We walk down the long hallway before stopping in front of Finn’s room. I don’t even bother knocking, just push the door open.

“Little brother,” I announce. “Your bestie is here.”

And then we see it.

Finn and Delilah pulling away from each other in a hurry.

They’d been kissing.

Finn goes completely still.

Delilah, on the other hand, barely reacts. She just smooths a hand over her hair.

“Ever heard of knocking?” she asks.

I glance at Sloane. Her face has turned to stone.

“How stupid are you, Finn?” she asks.

: They're Soulmates

***

~~SLOANE~~

***

I can’t believe this.

Three hours on a plane. An hour stuck in that miserable Asheville airport. All to find Finn tongue-deep in Delilah Crestfield?

Finn has the audacity to look guilty.

“Sloane, I’m so sorry you had to see this—”

“Sorry?” I cut him off, my voice trembling with rage. “I expect you to have a modicum of self-respect, Finn. That woman is getting married in two days, and you're making out with her?”

“Would you rather he make out with you instead?” Delilah asks.

“Don’t do that,” Finn snaps at her.

“Why not? She’s miserable because no one wants her. That’s why she spends her life trying to control yours. You’re old enough to do whatever you want.”

"Old enough? You both are acting like children," I say. “What’s the plan here, Finn? Sneak around behind her fiancé’s back? Screw her in the honeymoon suite while poor Hunter’s passed out?”

Delilah laughs like this is all some kind of twisted joke. Her engagement ring flashes in the light, something obviously expensive, which only makes my blood boil hotter.

“Delilah’s leaving Hunter,” Finn says, looking confident.

But Delilah frowns. “No, I’m not. Where did you get that idea from?”

“We just kissed.”

“So? Doesn’t mean I should call off my wedding.”

“That's exactly what it means, Lila.”

“Are you serious right now? The wedding is happening, Finn.”

I watch the hope drain from Finn's face in real time, replaced by hurt.

This is killing him. And it makes me mad. When will he ever learn?

“Take your manipulative, cheating self out of here,” I spit at her.

Delilah smiles. “Or what?”

“You enjoy this, don’t you? You enjoy torturing him. You enjoy dangling yourself in front of him, knowing he’s too in love with you to see what a sick, manipulative game you’re playing.”

Delilah rolls her eyes. “What are you going to do about it? Scold me to death? Jeez. Even Finn is tired of your scolding, Sloane.”

“Shut that hole in your face,” I snarl, stepping toward her. “Get the hell out.”

“Sweetheart, he’s the one who invited me over. Maybe if you were as hot and as skilled in bed as I am, he’d look your way.”

I lunge for her.

But Knox catches me.

I'd completely forgotten he was here. His arms wrap around my waist like steel bands, pulling me against his chest and away from my target.

"Unhand me, Knox,” I say.

"I can't do that, Sloane."

I struggle against him, fury lending me strength. "I'm going to get very violent with you right now.”

“Let it go, Kitten. Let them be.”

Kitten? “Why the hell would I do that?” I ask.

“Because they need to sort things out between themselves. Your presence is only going to make things worse. Let's give them some privacy.”

I want to argue. I want to scream. But he’s right. And I hate that he’s right.

So, I let him pull me away.

I can hear Finn’s voice behind me, soft and broken as he pleads with Delilah not to leave. It makes me want to throw up.

By the time we reach the living room, I feel like I’ve been set on fire from the inside out. I drop onto the couch, fuming.

Knox sits beside me, stretching out.

“Is that how dramatic you usually are?” he says. “You were making it painfully obvious, by the way.”

“Making what obvious?”

“That you’re in love with Finn.”

My heart jumps. How did he figure that out? “I’m not in love with him,” I say.

“Oh, you are,” Knox says lazily. “Even Finn knows.”

“What are you talking about? Did he say something?”

Knox shrugs, studying me with those dark, knowing eyes. “Does he have to? We only just met today, and I sensed it. He's known you for years. Do the math.”

I stand and begin pacing, my hands shaking as I try to process this. The room suddenly feels too small, the air too thin. “Well, you're wrong about whatever you think you know. I’m not in love with Finn.”

“Right.”

“I’m not, Knox.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Kitten.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“What? Kitten?”

Before I can hurl something at him—an insult, a vase—Delilah storms down the stairs, running for the front door. Finn is chasing after her like the goddamn simp he is. They both run out, and the door slams behind them, the sound reverberating through the house.

I don't even pause to breathe. I move to follow them, but Knox—being the troublemaker he is—grabs me by the waist again.

“What is your problem with me?” I hiss, twisting to face him.

“I don’t want you doing something stupid in my parents’ house.”

“I care about my friend. You clearly don’t care about yours, or you’d be calling Hunter right now to tell him his fiancée’s cheating on him.”

Knox snorts. “You think Hunter doesn’t know? She’s been cheating on him for months.”

My mouth falls open. “Are you serious?”

How does she do it? How does she have such power over these men?

Knox pushes me toward the window, his grip firm around my waist. I can feel every inch of his body pressed against mine. The heat. The muscles. His scent. They all wrap around me, making it impossible to think clearly. It's an odd sensation, so odd that I don't even know what to call it. All I can say is I’m painfully aware of Knox's presence. It's like he's everywhere at once. Or maybe I’m reacting this way because it's been so long since I was last touched by a man.

I try to focus on the scene beyond the glass. Finn and Delilah are by the pool, arguing. Finn’s hands are clenched at his sides, his jaw tight with frustration. Delilah, on the other hand, looks calm. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I don’t need to. I’ve seen this scene play out too many times before—Finn pleading, Delilah stringing him along. A bitter knot forms in my stomach.

“If you want to spy on them, Kitten,” Knox says, his lips close to my ear, “you can get a good view from here. This way, you won't interfere in their business. We can even gossip about them if you like. Now tell me, Sloane, what do you think they’re arguing about right now?”

I try not to notice how ticklish his breath is, how it raises goosebumps along my neck.

“Probably about how she’s leaving him for good,” I say.

“You’re wrong. She’ll never leave him. And he’ll never let her go. They’re soulmates. Toxic ones. But it is what it is. The cycle never ends.”

There's something almost resigned in his tone, like he's watched this drama play out too many times to count. Unlike him, I’m not ready to give up on my best friend yet.

"Newsflash, Cupid,” I say, “she's marrying someone else. Your soulmate theory isn't exactly fact."

"You think the wedding would hold?"

“Of course it will.”

“It won't.”

I scoff, turning to face him. "What do you mean by that? Are you going to sabotage it?"

"I don't need to. It's just the way they are. They break up, they make up. It's their toxic little cycle."

"You're sick, Knox. Are you seriously hoping that your friend's fiancée breaks his heart?"

"Nothing would gladden me more than to see Delilah back with Finn." His tone is so casual, so nonchalant. I want to slap that smug look off his face. "Hunter's a good man. He doesn't deserve to go through this."

"And your brother? Does he deserve this? Does he deserve to be constantly tortured by that woman?"

“What do you think my answer to that question is, Sloane?”

“I expect you to act like you care.”

“You think I don't?” he asks.

“Do you? If you did, you'd be chasing Delilah out of this house right now.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because he's your brother.”

“A brother who is obviously in love.”

I can't believe this. “You call that love? She's using him. How is that love? Maybe you've never been in love before, so you don't know what it looks like. I can tell you with my entire heart that it doesn't look like that.”

“What does it look like, Sloane? Is it the same as the feelings you have for Finn? Because that looks really miserable.”

: The Bet

I feel something break inside me. How does loving Finn make me miserable?

“Let me go, Knox,” I say, my voice trembling. “You might not be a good brother, but I’m a good friend. I’m not going to sit around and watch my friend be deceived again. I’m going out there.”

Knox doesn’t budge. His grip on my waist remains firm, his body immovable.

In a voice so calm it only fuels my rage, he says, “I can’t let you go out there, Kitten. I will physically restrain you if I have to.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” I snap. “You don’t get to control me, Knox. Let. Me. Go.”

“I’m not controlling you. I’m preventing you from making a fool of yourself—again.”

If my hands were free, I probably would have slapped him by now. “I’m beginning to see why Finn almost never mentioned you in the ten years I’ve known him. You're such an arrogant, infuriating douchebag who cares about nothing else but himself. You'd rather watch your own brother get his heart ripped out than actually do something about it.”

Knox’s eyes darken, and for a moment, I swear I see something wicked flash through them. “That’s the thing, Sloane. Finn likes getting his heart ripped out by Delilah. He likes her toxicity. He's addicted to it. The only person seeing a problem between those two being together is you. Stop projecting your feelings onto Finn.”

“You can't tell me what to do or feel, you brother hater.”

Knox grins. “Think whatever you like. But I want what makes Finn happy. Unfortunately for you, that’s Delilah. Always has been. Always will be.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“What exactly can you do about it, Sloane? Wanna lock him in a maximum-security prison somewhere offshore? Chain him up in your basement? Finn will always go back to Delilah. You think you’re the first person obsessed with ending their silly little love story? Let. It. Go.”

“I can’t.”

The words slip out before I can stop them. My chest is heaving, my face burning, and I’m standing there like an idiot with my heart bleeding all over the floor for a man who’s out there chasing someone else.

Knox tilts his head, studying me with the eyes of a predator who’s just found the weakest part of his prey. “How about we make a bet?” he says.

I narrow my eyes. “A bet?”

"If this wedding takes place between Delilah and Hunter, I'll let you be so you can chase Finn to the ends of the Earth if you feel like it. Follow him around like a devoted puppy. I won't lift a finger to stop you."

"And if it doesn’t?"

A slow, dangerous grin spreads across his face.

"If the wedding goes to shit—which it will—I will violently pursue you, Sloane Mercer. There's no place in this world you can hide from me that I won't find you. I will crawl inside your head, your body, your soul. I will ruin you for anyone else. You won’t be able to think, breathe, or sleep without feeling me everywhere. I’ll make you forget Finn Hartley ever existed. The things I could do to you. The things I want to do to you…”

For some weird reason, I can't breathe anymore. I turn away from Knox, facing the window again, wondering why my body has gone live with electricity. It's hatred, I tell myself. Pure, undiluted hatred making my body react this way—not desire, never desire. Yet somehow I'm hyperaware of every inch of space between us, as though there's no clothing barrier separating his skin from mine.

I try to pull away, but he holds me close, his lips brushing against my ear. The contact sends a jolt through my system.

“All you need is something else to obsess over,” he says. “Something to channel all that obsessive energy of yours toward. Let me provide that for you. Let me give you a hobby, Kitten, a very pleasurable one.”

I want him to do it.

Good lord.

What is wrong with me?

This is Finn’s brother. I can't be in love with one man and then become a hot mess around his brother. Yet my body is betraying me, responding to him in ways I've never responded to anyone.

"You can't do this,” I say, not recognizing my own voice. “You’re my best friend's brother. There's a code of conduct about these things."

"A code? Screw your codes," he says. "I see what I want, I take it. Unlike you, pining away in silence, letting your life pass by. That is something I’m going to teach you, Sloane Mercer, how to bend the universe's will and take what you want."

My breath hitches. "I don't need your lessons. Thank you very much.”

He touches my hips, pulling me further into him, and I don't think I have a single bone left in my body to resist.

"I always get what I want,” he says, his voice a dark promise. “And since what I want at the moment is you, you better hope that wedding takes place. There's nothing I want more than to tie you up and bury myself so deep inside you that you’d blackout.”

I swear my legs are about to give out. My skin is burning, my pulse hammering in my throat. I've never felt this kind of animal attraction before—this raw, primal need that overpowers reason, morality, loyalty. It's nothing like the sweet ache I feel for Finn. This is something darker, more dangerous, and infinitely more terrifying.

"Get away from me," I whisper.

"Take the deal, Sloane."

I'm trembling. My brain is screaming run, but my body is leaning into him like a traitorous little bitch.

In this moment, I hate myself more than I hate him, because despite everything—despite my feelings for Finn—part of me wants to see what would happen if I surrendered.

I swallow hard, desperate to put distance between us, to regain some semblance of control. "Fine,” I say, turning to meet his eyes. “We have a deal. Wedding happens, I never hear from you again. If it doesn't... give it your best shot."

Knox's grin is pure sin. "Oh, Kitten. You have no idea what you've just done."

I’m pretty sure I’ve just signed my soul over to the devil in exchange for nothing.

“You know what this means, right,” he says. “I have a wedding to sabotage.”

“What? No. No. No. You said you were not going to sabotage the wedding.”

“That was before you took my deal. You think you can win by playing fair?”

“You're not sabotaging this wedding, Knox.”

“Wanna bet?”

“I'm done with you and your stupid bets. If you so much as breathe the wrong way throughout this event, I’m taking you down.”

He laughs. “Oh, it's on, Kitten. Let the strongest man win.”

Before I can reply, the front door bursts open, and Finn walks in, looking like he's been through hell. His hair is disheveled, his eyes red-rimmed, his shoulders slumped in defeat. The sight of him—broken, vulnerable, so clearly hurting—snaps me back to reality, reminding me why I'm here, what matters.

We both turn toward him, and the way Finn's eyes move between Knox and me—noting our proximity—makes my stomach drop.

Oh God.

"What are you two doing?" Finn asks, suspicion dripping from every word.

I step away from Knox like I've been burned. "Nothing."

Finn narrows his eyes. "Were you two... oh my God. Were you two making out?"