Page 72 of What Comes Around

People were exhausting.

Knox POV

Irritation simmered under my skin as I followed her to her car.

Didn’t she understand she wasn’t supposed to go out with him? She wasn’t supposed to sit beside him, laugh at his stories, let him hover around her like he had a chance.

I’d had to call Marcus and make him drag Tim back to the office with some fake marketing crisis. The excuse still tasted bitter in my mouth. Pathetic. Manipulative.

Necessary.

I knew exactly how this looked.

I was thinking like a damn mental patient.

And I still couldn’t stop.

I stood in the cold, half-hidden in the shadows at the edge of the parking structure, watching her unlock her car like some goddamn creep.

Irrational jealousy, apparently, was my new personality trait.

She’d turned me into a fucking stalker.

Chapter 23: Playing with Fire

The next week passed quickly after the night out. By the time Friday came around again, it was time for the mandatory company dinner.

I stood in my bedroom, slipping into the black silk dress I had chosen. It hugged my body, the silk fabric soft and cool against my skin. From the front, it was almost conservative, high neckline, smooth and clean with no hint of cleavage.

The thigh‑high slit ruined that impression.

And the back definitely did.

The deep V left my entire back exposed, the silk dipping low so that the air felt cold against my spine. It was sexy without being obvious, elegant in a way that made me love it even more.

I stepped into my black stilettos and fastened the delicate straps around my ankles. Then I grabbed my phone, slipped it into my small evening clutch, and glanced at the mirror.

My hair fell loose in soft curls down my back, and my eye makeup was darker than usual, bold enough to match the dress. The woman staring back at me looked calm. Confident. Exactly the way I intended.

Walking into the living room, I pulled the curtain aside and looked out the window. The driveway was still empty.

Knox had insisted on sending a car so I wouldn’t have to deal with getting from Park Ridge to downtown Chicago and back late at night. He hadn’t phrased it as a suggestion.

I let out a slow breath and smoothed the silk of the dress over my hips as I waited. A moment later, a pair of headlights turned onto my street and rolled into the driveway.

I reached for a long coat hanging by the door and slipped it on. Winter was closing in; the first snow could fall any day now. The cold already crept through the windows, and my feet were starting to freeze.

After activating the security system and locking the house, I stepped outside.

The night air bit at my skin immediately.

Nathan stepped out of the driver’s seat, and I immediately recognized him as Knox’s personal driver and bodyguard, not the random company driver I had expected.

He cleared his throat politely. “Good evening, Miss Richards.”

Walking around the vehicle, he opened the back door for me, and that was when I understood why.

Knox was already sitting inside.