Infinity & Always (15 page)

“It’s
good to have you back though,” I smile at her. We climb into my
car and pull out into the already building traffic; at this rate it
will take us at least an hour to get home.

“So
I was thinking,” she says, staring out of the window.

“About?”

Sighing,
she shrugs her shoulders and bites on her thumbnail. “I was
thinking of coming home,” she whispers.

“What!
For real?” I ask shocked because as far as I know, she loves
New York.

“Yeah,
it’s time,” she nods, more to herself than me.

“You
know, you have never told me why you left in the first place.”

She
looks at me and pulls a face. “There were many reasons, really.
My family, this town, Max.”

“This
town? It’s hardly a small town Paige.”

“I
know, but growing up here and never leaving was claustrophobic. My
parents were driving me insane and my brother. They kept trying to
tell me what to do and how Max wasn’t good enough for me. I
think after I lost the baby, I finally snapped. I wanted to stay with
him, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want him to look at
me and wonder, what if.”

“How
do you feel now though? I mean it’s been two years since you’ve
seen or spoken to him and he was in a really bad way after you left.”

“Yeah
I know. I dialed his number a few times but forced myself to hang up.
I couldn’t hurt him any more than I already have. Jesus…”
she groans.

“What?”
I ask, glancing at her.

“Its
fucking Christmas and I’m having a pity party. We need booze!”

I
pull up to the apartment just after eight. I told Knox that Paige was
coming home. He was torn between protecting Max and seeing me have
some fun with my friend. We put her cases in the spare room and sit
on the sofa.

“So
is Knox avoiding me?”

“No,
they are playing in the bar tonight.”

I
watch her face and see one emotion after another chase across her
features.

“Can
we go over?” her voice is shaky and she looks at me, begging me
to help her in some way.

“Sure,
it’s usually packed when they play so we can blend in.”

Getting
dressed up is fun, it’s been a long time since I did it and I
miss it. Paige is in and out of my room every two minutes with
something different to wear, asking ‘what about this?’
Finally she decided on some satin shorts and a loose pink blouse, her
hair is a little longer now and she has highlights in it.

“Ready?”
I ask, tying up my boots.

“I
guess,” she says, then bites her lip nervously.

We
walk through campus and she admits to missing it and our lunch on the
quad. She is rambling by the time we arrive, then scoffs at the
doorman. “For real?” she says. Laughing, I nod and pull
open the door. The body heat smacks us in the face, and we have to
press our way through the crowd. Reaching the end of the bar, I find
a very annoyed looking Amber.

“Hey
you, what’s up?” I ask her.

“Some
fucking loser tipped my tray,” she answers, before turning to
hug me hello. She screams when she recognizes Paige and grabs her in
a hug. “Holy shit! You came back.”

“Yeah
for the holidays,” Paige answers.

We
take a seat and harass Chase like we used too, but he still loves it.
We get a drink and a shot each for old times. Paige begins to tap my
arm like she is having some kind of attack.

“What!
Are you okay?” I ask, a little freaked out, maybe she can’t
do this after all.

“Are
you seeing what I’m seeing?” she asks, smirking.

“Huh?”

“Holy
shit, Bailey, there two of them,” her eyes glint and I crack up
laughing.

“Yeah
I see it, so which one are you taking?” I ask.

She
shrugs her shoulders and grabs another shot. “I’ll let
you know in a while, but now I want to dance.”

We
head to the dance floor and now I’m panicking, Max will freak
out when he sees her and I feel bad for not warning him.

“Hey,
you never told me what happened with that phone shit,” she
shouts, over the music.

“Oh,
it was Meagan, an assistant. I never told Knox so don’t say
anything. I’d rather forget her face and her boobs.”

We
both laugh as we arrive on the dance floor. We are a little squashed,
but it’s just like how it used to be. We dance together having
fun not paying any attention to anyone else. When the band stops, so
do we, both of us are sweaty, but I feel great. Walking back to the
bar Paige stays behind me, holding my hand.

“What
if he screams at me, Bailey?” she asks, pulling me to a stop.

“I
don’t know Paige, scream back,” I shrug.

When
we arrive at the bar, Knox spots me, and smiles, he sees Paige hiding
behind me and glances at Max, who is talking to some other girl.

“Hi
darlin’,” he gives me a kiss. “Paige,” he
says and gives her a hug too.

“Hi
Knox, Merry Christmas.”

He
smiles at her and then gets us a drink. I perch myself between Knox’s
legs while, he sits on the stool. Paige is nervous and she keeps
glancing at Max. I take her hand giving it a squeeze. Nodding, she
takes a deep breath trying to relax. Max says goodbye to the girl he
was talking to and heads our way. When he arrives, he says hello to
me and grabs his beer. We are all quiet watching him.

“What
the fuck is up with you two?” he asks, frowning at Knox and I.
Then he turns his head to look around and finally sees Paige. The
beer bottle stops halfway to his mouth, which is now open as he
stares at her.

“Hi,
Max, Merry Christmas.”

She
looks so small and scared, nothing like her usual self at all. Max
just stands there until Knox kicks his foot bringing him back to the
here and now.

“Oh,
yeah, you too,” he looks at me and I swear I see pain in his
eyes and hurt. He excuses himself and walks away.

“Shit,”
Knox mutters.

“I’ll
go, babe,” I tell him following Max into the office.

“Max,”
I ask, as I enter and close the door behind me. “I’m
sorry I didn’t tell you she was coming, but she asked me not
to.”

He
is sitting behind the desk just staring at the wall, “Max?”

“I’m
fine sis, just a little shocked.”

Rounding
the desk I hug him to me, “I’m sorry bro.”

“It’s
okay, Bailey, I’m a big boy I can handle it.”

“I
know, but I still feel bad. We weren’t supposed to come here,
but I guess we miss you guys playing.”

He
smiles at me and hugs me again. “I know you do. I miss playing
too.” Letting me go he sits in the chair, “So what should
I do?” he asks, looking up at me.

“I’m
not sure. I know some of her side, and I know how you were after she
left. I honestly feel bad for both of you.”

“Yeah?
So does she have a boyfriend or is she married now?” he asks,
scratching his head and blowing out a breath. He and Knox are
seriously so much alike it’s scary sometimes.

“As
far as I know she is single, but she hasn’t mentioned anything
in a few weeks.”

“Okay
thanks, sis, I suppose I should go out there and face her, huh?”

“That’s
up to you, Max. You could always hide out here like a pussy.”

I
shrug grinning at him. He laughs, gripping me in a headlock as he
opens the door. He keeps me like this until we reach the bar then
relinquishes me to Knox.

“She,”
he points at me, “has a dirty, dirty mouth,” he says,
looking at Knox.

Knox
laughs passing Max a beer. “Yeah I know,” he answers,
wrapping his arm around my waist.

“So,
Merry Christmas,” Max says, raising his beer. We all do the
same and clink glasses. Max watches Paige for a minute then gives her
a nod. I can see her blush and can’t help but smile at her.
Knox lifts me up off his lap and places a line of kisses down my neck
to my shoulder.

“We’ll
finish that later,” he whispers.

“Don’t
threaten me,” I wink, as he steps out from my side. He laughs
at me pulling me in for another kiss. I watch him walk back to the
stage and gives Max a nod. He just shrugs picking up his guitar and
throws the strap over his shoulder.

“He’s
pissed?” Paige says.

“No,
just shocked,” I reply. “Hey, are you dating anyone? You
haven’t talked about a guy in a while.”

“Ha!
No, I’m single and have been for about ten months. No one
compared,” she answers, turning to look over at Max again.

I
can tell things are going to get a little messy over the next two
weeks. Ordering another drink, I turn on my stool and watch Knox. He
is singing a slow song with just his guitar. A few couples are on the
dance floor and the sight of him brings me back to that song I heard
him sing.

I
watch the muscles in his arms flex as he strums, the veins pop out
with each movement. His eyes are downcast as he gets lost in the
song. His voice is smooth and curls around me like a secret lover.

I
am getting lost in him just watching.

“You
okay?” Paige asks, nudging me.

“Huh,
yeah, fine.”

She
grins at me giving me a knowing look and sometimes I wonder how Knox
even fell for me. Did he want to run a mile when he knew how fucked
up I was? Or did he see me as a challenge or perhaps a girl who
needed saving? I know he loves me with all his heart and I love him
just as much, but I can’t get over the pain and sadness of that
song.

“Hey
we need to dance,” Paige grabs my arm pulling me up.

We
get to the dance floor and the music picks up, we rock out for
another hour or so until Max sings the last song. Paige’s dance
moves falter a little before she recovers fast and continues.

“This
is for two very special ladies.”

Max announces glancing at us. He sings Hero and I can tell by Paige’s
face that the song just pummeled her heart.

“You
good?” I ask.

“Yeah,
awesome.”

She
smiles back me as we dance. Once the band leaves the stage, we make
our way over to the bar. Knox asks if I’m having fun and I nod,
waving my hand in front of my face to cool down.

“I
love watching you dance, darlin’.”

“Yeah?”

He
nods his head while hooking his fingers in the waistband of my jeans
and pulling me closer to him. “I love every move your body
makes,” he whispers, sending a shiver down my spine. His lips
gently brush off mine, like the touch of a butterfly’s wings
before he steps away from me. My body hums from the kiss and the feel
of his thumbs tracing circles on my hips.

“Wow,
you look a little undone,” Paige whispers.

“Yeah,
I guess I do.”

I
watch Knox move around behind the bar. His movements are fluid as he
steps around Chase. Walking back to us he takes a seat beside me
cracking open his beer.

“You
look tired, babe.”

“I
am, I just want to go to bed.”

He
gives me his megawatt smile and his eyes shine like emeralds. I can’t
resist, reaching up to trace my fingers along his jaw, pressing my
hand to his lips he places a soft kiss on my palm. After what seems
like hours, the bar is finally empty and the four of us are walking
home in awkward silence.

Max
keeps looking at Paige, who keeps looking at him while Knox and I
glance at each other trying not to giggle like schoolgirls. When we
get to the apartment Max crashes on the sofa while Paige takes the
guest room. Knox and I fall into bed and he wraps his arms around me.

“Just
put it in. No, I don’t need you to put oil on it. Jesus Christ,
would you listen to me and shove it in.”

Waking
up to this monolog I’m a little confused. Lifting my head, I
brush my hair off my face and turn around finding Knox, with his face
in his palm shaking his head. Scratching my head, I push myself up
further and move over to him, noticing for the first time the phone
pressed against his ear. His back is against the wall and he gives me
a smile.

“Dad,
can you just listen to me, put the turkey in the oven and walk away
from it.”

Feeling
a little devious, I start placing light kisses along his toned
stomach. My lips travel lower meeting with the stirrings of his
arousal. Snickering, I lick the length of him while he talks to his
dad. He clears his throat and resumes his semi-argument with Richard.
Gripping him in my hand, I take him into my mouth slowly. His body
tenses and his hand tangles in my hair.

“Okay,
Dad, look just put it in the oven and I’ll get there early.
Yeah…okay …bye,” Knox hangs up on his father
throwing his phone onto the bed with a thud. His right-hand grips the
side of the bed as I move my mouth up and down.

“Jesus
…fuck!”

He
pants as I move faster and faster. I can see his stomach muscles
tighten and he tells me to move back. Lifting my mouth, I finish him
with my hand feeling the warm liquid spill out of him. Gently I kiss
my way up his stomach to his neck, placing small kisses under his
chin. His head is back against the wall and he has a smile on his
face. Placing my lips over his, I whisper, “Merry Christmas,”
earning a chuckle from him.

“Merry
Christmas, darlin’.”

Finally
opening his eyes he looks at me, my heart thumps in my chest when I
see all the love in them.

“You’re
the best present ever,” he jokes gripping my hair, he brings my
lips to his and kisses me thoroughly. Knox lifts me up so that I can
straddle him, slowly he lowers me on his already hard shaft. Sinking
down, I let out a soft moan into his mouth. Sex with Knox Porter is
one of the most amazing experiences I ever had and in all the time
we’ve been together I have never wanted to experience it with
another man.

My
body shudders with release and Knox wraps me in his arms holding me
close. We just stay like this for a while and when he pulls out I
feel empty, almost disconnected from the place I’m meant to be.