Page 11 of Unmasked

With a gasp, Everleigh whirled toward him, her gaze snapping to his. Her big blue eyes widened as they landed on him, and one hand fluttered to her throat. “C-Knox.”

Her gaze dropped to his bare chest, and her eyes widened a fraction. A thrill of gratification ran through him as his long stride quickly ate up the remaining distance, her gaze fixed on his chest. It was good to know he still affected her. He stopped several feet away, letting her get a good long look at what she'd walked away from. He wasn’t this cut fifteen years ago. Back then, he had been a skinny kid, underfed and unhealthy. Though he was still lean, he had developed muscles honed from hard work.

Her eyes flicked to his again, and she bit her lip. “I…I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Her gaze dropped to his chest again, and he saw the lust, the desire there. He loved it and hated it at the same time. He wanted to punish her, but having her this close was just as trying for him. It was almost impossible to keep the walls he had so carefully constructed around his heart in place when she looked at him like that—the way she used to.

It’s all pretend, he reminded himself. It was even more reason to make sure she stayed away. She pretended to care, but she'd always done what was best for her. That beautiful face concealed a hideously selfish heart.

His lungs hurt and his heart skipped a beat, threatening to fail at the sight of her. He stared at her for several seconds before responding. “I live here.”

Surprise flashed across her face. “You’re back?”

“I am.”

“That’s amazing.” She grinned hugely. “I thought the property sold years ago.”

At the sight of that blindingly white smile, something tightened in his chest. Was he having a heart attack? He took quick stock of his body. Nothing in his left arm, no dizziness... Oh, Christ. It was her. He was suddenly praying that he was wrong, that his heart had finally given out. No, that would be even worse because then she'd be obligated to take care of him until the medics came. He didn’t want to feel this way about her—he couldn’t.

Once upon a time, he would have given her anything. Had she told him she was sick and needed a new heart, he would have given her the one beating in his chest. He never had money, but he'd given her everything—everything he thought had mattered anyway. Security. Love. A family. Bitter bile rose up his throat at the memory. He could never forgive her for taking that away from him.

He couldn't tear his eyes from hers as resentment welled up inside him. “I sold it when I left. I wanted to get rid of every godforsaken thing and leave it behind me.”

For a split second, her face crumbled, and he wanted to call the words back as sympathy gripped his heart. On the heels of that came the anger. She had made her choice. She was responsible for this rift between them. He shouldn't care about her or why she’d come back. But that didn't stop him from wondering exactly what had brought her here. He couldn't bring himself to ask the question though, and Everleigh glanced away, taking a moment to gather herself before responding.

“I'm glad for you. It seems like you've really done well for yourself.”

“Never expected that, did you?”

Everleigh wrapped her arms around her waist and studied him from where she stood a dozen steps away. “I always knew you were capable of anything.”

Bitterness tainted his blood. “Right, I just wasn't good enough for you.”

She shook her head. “That's not true⁠—”

He cut her off before she could finish. “I don't care what you think, Everleigh. Years have passed and I'm not the stupid kid you grew up with.”

He gestured with his chin toward the foundation markers. “As you can see, I’m doin’ just fine. Got my business now. Even building a house.”

He could practically see the wheels turning behind those bright blue eyes, and he knew the moment it clicked—the moment she realized that this was their house. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t bring the satisfaction he had been so desperately hoping for. He pulled the pack of smokes from his back pocket and shook one out before lighting it. He kept his gaze locked on hers as he inhaled deeply, then exhaled a plume of smoke from the side of his mouth.

Her brows drew together as she watched his movements, her eyes full of curiosity and… disappointment? “I didn’t know you smoked.”

He took a long drag and slowly blew it out, ignoring the pang of shame that flared to life around his heart. “Lots of things you don’t know about me.”

“Those are bad for you.” She bit her lip, something a lot like worry in her eyes. It pissed him off all the more.

“Since when do you care?” He snorted out a mirthless laugh. “You gonna pretend to care about me now, princess?”

Her brows drew together. “I've always cared about you.”

“Now that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.” He gave a little shake of his head. “You've only ever cared about yourself.”

“I've always cared about you.”

“You have a funny way of showin’ it.” Anger slithered through his veins. “What are you doing here?”

He couldn't quite read the expression on her face, and it set him on edge. She lifted one shoulder half-heartedly. “This is the only place I've ever belonged.”