Chapter 2

ELARA'S POV 

Knox turned off the truck's engine right next to a small lodge house. 

He stepped out of the truck and walked straight toward the building without even glancing back, without checking if I was following him at all. 

It didn't matter how drop-dead gorgeous he might have gotten. That was absolutely no way to treat a lady.

I pushed the heavy car door open and stepped out and slammed the door shut behind me. 

Trees surrounded us. There was no house in sight.  

We were literally in the middle of nowhere, even though I spent most of my life in the city, I've never stepped foot here, so I have no idea where we are. 

Maybe outside the city? I wasn't sure. Now, I understand why Rylan said I'd be safe with him. We are basically in the forest.

The night air hit me. Finally, just fresh air, not the intoxicating smell of petrol and alcohol from the clubhouse. 

I followed Knox, who had already disappeared inside the lodge house. I entered and something even better hit me. 

Warmth. Beautiful and cozy. If you judged a man by his disguise, you'd think Knox would be living in one of those dark, imposing mafia houses described in books.

He walked out of a hallway holding a cup in his hand.

"Water?" he asked, stretching out the cup toward me.

"No," I said, tucking loose strands of my hair behind my ear. "I need to take a shower and sleep. Where should I go?"

He cleared his throat. "Follow me."

He led me down a short hallway. 

He stopped at a door and opened it to reveal a small but inviting room. Wooden walls, a huge bed that's just a few feet away from the fireplace. 

"You'll sleep here." he said, gesturing to the bed.

"The bathroom is behind that door," he added, referring to the wooden door on my right side.

I dropped my bag on the bed and pulled out one of the nightgowns I had brought from New York. 

I was about to start taking off my clothes when my sixth sense told me to check if Knox was still there. 

I turned around and yeah, he was still there, standing and filling the entire doorway, watching me. Both of his hands were tucked inside his jacket pockets.  

"I'd like some privacy," I said, feeling uncomfortable. 

This was going to be the first time I would stay overnight at a man's place after leaving for New York to start a new life. 

Even though Knox and I literally grew up together, this whole thing felt incredibly weird. 

Even before and after I got engaged to Jason, I never stayed at his house overnight. It wasn't because I didn't love him. 

That wasn't it at all. I believed in sex after marriage. I was glad I had stood by that. If I had given in to Jason's lustful thoughts, I wouldn't have found out what a cheating loser he truly was. So yeah, I was still a virgin.

Knox didn't move an inch. He just stood there, staring, which was not helping the intensely uncomfortable situation. 

Even though I saw him as a brother, he was still a man, and a hot one at that.

I cleared my throat sharply. "Some privacy, Knox."

His eyes widened just a little bit, then immediately snapped back to their normal size, as if he had been completely somewhere else and my voice had just called him back to life.

"If you need anything, I'll be right outside," he said. Then he finally turned and left, closing the door behind him. 

I heaved a deep sigh of relief and turned back to the bed. I took out my body wash and face wash, ready to finally take a shower. 

But as I did that, my eyes landed on my phone, laying on top of my jacket in my bag.

Jason hadn't called. He hadn't sent a single text to try to explain what I saw, even though I knew anything he said would be a lie anyway. 

Cheating was a choice, not a mistake. He hadn't called or texted at all, and right then, I finally realized how little I truly meant to him.

I pushed aside all my thoughts about Jason. I was here for Dad's funeral, and I was going to focus on just that.

After I took a quick shower, my eyes scanned the bathroom for a towel, but I couldn't find one anywhere. Dang it. 

I stepped out of the shower and walked into the room naked. I grabbed the clean clothes I had laid out and started going through my bag again. I was sure I packed a small towel. Where was it? 

I heard the door suddenly open behind me.

"Here's a towel in case you need..." Knox's voice faded into silence.

My eyes widened in horror as I realized. I was standing there naked. Our eyes met. 

My hands instinctively covered my nipples and my lower area. This was one of the times I wished I had a dozen hands.

"Knox!" I yelled. 

He didn't move. He just stood in the doorway, his eyes slowly taking me in from head to toe. 

"Get out!" I demanded.

He still didn't move. I scrambled onto the bed and quickly wrapped myself tightly with the bedspread.

"Have you ever heard of knocking? Get out!" 

His eyes finally left me and focused on the towel in his hand. 

"I just wanted to give you a towel in case you needed one," he said, his voice low. He took a hesitant step inside the room. With a quick motion, he tossed the folded towel on the bed and left. 

Heat rushed to my face. He just saw me freaking naked. Dang it. I should have definitely locked that door.

**

                                           

Good news? I haven't seen Knox all day. I was grateful for that. 

I honestly did not know how I would face him. Why did he just stand there last night? 

What if he was just comparing my body to the better ones he's slept with? Impossible. 

Knox was obnoxious but he was not a pervert. Still, as they say, time changes people.

Bad news? Jason still hasn't called me.

After Knox left to go, who knows where, another Viper I did not recognize guarded the doorway. 

A notification popped on my screen–a message from Blair, my best friend in New York. 

A picture of Jason and the hooker was displayed on my screen and a text from Blair came along with it.

"She is his stepsister and not a hooker."

Stepsister? Isn't that like incest? I scoffed. 

The nerve. I needed to stop thinking about it, but I couldn't help it. I gave my all to him, even went against Dad for him.