Chapter Three

*Tessa*

The last thing I remember is the feel of a soft furry cat underneath my feet, but suddenly, that dream is yanked away from me. My eyes fall open when the shrill of the alarm clock hits, only that it sounds louder than normal.

I groan, my eyes searching around the space for the source of the disturbance. But it is hard to miss him. He is standing directly over my bed, staring at me with a grim expression. The alarm clock is in one hand, pressed over my ears.

“What the hell!” It feels like I am always screaming with Knox around, but it doesn’t seem to bother him as he doesn’t flinch. Instead, he turns off the alarm and slides it back onto my nightstand.

"Your first class starts in thirty minutes. Get ready." He strides over to the door, covered in black, but at least it is not a drab suit like the others. He is in a pair of track pants, with an armless shirt that leaves almost nothing to the imagination.

His ripped muscles are on display, and it makes it harder to remember why he is in my room again.

“Tessa!” he calls from the door. “You have twenty-nine minutes now.” He stops, then a mischievous glint appears in his eyes when he narrows them in my direction. “And it isn’t pretty to drool while sleeping.”

When he steps out, I hurry to the mirror and see a line of saliva trickling down the side of my mouth.

“Urghhh!" I groan, bothered that he saw me that way. I reach for my box of wipes, but stop when I hear him call from the hallway.

“Twenty-eight minutes!”

Ignoring it altogether, I dash into the bathroom for a hurried bath. Usually, I never minded going late to classes. The professors usually ignored me most of the time, and it worked for me. And even my former bodyguards loved the break because it gave them time to do nothing since watching over me, apparently, is a full-time job.

I finish in thirty-two minutes, and by the time I walk out of my closet, I meet Knox standing in one corner of my room. He looks so out of place, his whole masculine self in the midst of every shade of softness and pink.

Yet, in an odd way, he blends in at the same time.

Knox stares at the wall, and at first, I wonder what has gotten him so curious until he shifts a little, and I see it. I panic at once, rushing to the wall to block the list away from view.

“Why are you in here?” I question, glaring at him.

“Your twenty-eight minutes ended four minutes ago,” he shrugs.

“And?”

“And there are records of you scaling your window to avoid going to classes. We can’t let that happen now, can we?”

“Leave!” I blurt, pointing to the door.

Knox shakes his head. “I give the instructions around here. Grab your bag. Let’s go.”

Frustration works its way around me. “You know the only reason you have a job with this family is because I am yet to tell my brother to fire you, right? Do you know how easy it will be to make that happen? All I have to do is tell him I was harassed while you were on watch. Or worse, kidnapped.”

I take a slow step towards him. My eyelids flutter from the proximity, but I try to act like it doesn't bother me.

“You know what will happen to you after that, right? Gone, just like the wind.”

He peers at me like I am the most boring essay he has read in the world. When my lips snap shut, he scoffs and steps back. “Lead the way, Tessa. Or we can do it my style.”

I remember the other night, and at once, I feel red patches across my cheeks. I am in a very short tennis skirt with a white button-down shirt, and I really don't want my ass out in public.

"Fine," I mumble, grabbing my purse and heading out. I look back in time to see him take in the list for the last time, a snicker on his lips.

“You don’t have the liberty to laugh!” I say as I march through the hallway and into the living room.

“I do and I will.”

He doesn't open my side of the car. Instead, he just walks around and gets behind the wheel, turning around to ensure I get in, too. I sit at the back and let him act like my driver for today. I will never sit next to him in the same car.

Knox peers up at the buttons of my shirt. “I hope they are fastened properly.”

Just those words are enough to make me want to hurl something at his perfect face. Instead, I curl my palms into fists by his side.

“They are. Thank you for your false concern.”

He pulls his gaze away and pulls out of the area. "Trust me, it isn't false. I don't want to see your boobs hanging out again. The mere thought of them is enough torture."

I don’t know whether to get upset or respond with a sarcastic comment. I have only known him for less than twenty-four hours, yet Knox Pierce has managed to render me speechless.

We arrive at school, and he still doesn't get my door, so I alight myself, throwing him a frown before I head in the direction of my first class. Knox stays close when I walk in, but the moment he darkens the doorstep of my classroom, everyone notices him.

Their eyes drink him in greedily, and the girls begin adjusting their tops, batting their eyelids flirtatiously.

I have concluded that there has to be something wrong with me because why on earth am I getting upset about something like this? Over someone that I do not even like.

“Oh my God!” Marin walks up to me, sliding in beside me. “Isn’t that the hot guy from last night?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes. The night you let a total stranger take me away. You are supposed to be my best friend.”

"Hello!" she snaps her fingers in my face. "Have you seen him? He is going to squeeze me into dust if I make one move, and I just…”

"Tessa Lane, where the fuck were you yesterday, and why weren't you answering your phone?"