Only With You (Knights #2)

15

JULIANNA

In a dash, I retrieve my towel and secure it firmly around my body. “What the hell! What are you doing here?”

Landon may have seen my dildo not too long ago, but this is a different level of mortification. This is worse than him knowing I masturbate. He just saw me butt ass naked.

My face sears and it doesn’t take long before the heat travels down the rest of my body.

“I—” he starts, but I make a run for it.

I hide in the laundry room and switch my towel out for my robe. The day I decide to wash my clothes is the day he decides to show up.

Fuck my life.

Leaning against the door, I fan my face to cool down and bide my time. Hopefully, he’ll be gone by the time I get out of here, but why is he here to begin with? Gabby’s at work and Polly’s hanging out with someone. They didn’t tell me he was coming, unless they did and I forgot. But why would he be here if they’re not here? He never comes unless he’s with Jagger or the girls are here.

Exhaling a breath, I make sure the robe is fastened securely, grab my wet towel and hamper with clean clothes, and step out.

I’m sorely mistaken thinking he’d be gone because the Devil’s favorite child sits on the couch. His large and imposing presence takes up all of the space in the living room, sucking all the energy from it. I’m certain I saw the plants wilt.

Despite my embarrassment, I hold his stare. “What are you doing here? The girls aren’t here.”

He stares at me for a beat, his silence stretching before he clears his throat.

“I know they’re not here. I didn’t come to see them. I came for you.”

“For me? For what?” I know for what, but he’s probably fucking with me.

“I’m willing to tutor you. That is, if you still want the help.”

My heart accelerates too fast, but then it comes to an immediate stop. I narrow my eyes, waiting for the ball to drop because with Landon anything can happen.

“Why? You were so adamant you didn’t want to yesterday.”

“That’s irrelevant to you. I’m here to help you, but if you don’t need it anymore, I’ll leave.”

In a split decision, I decide not to care why he changed his mind and take his metaphorically outstretched hand.

My grip tightens on the hamper’s handles. “No, stay.”

He stretches his long legs in front of him, resting one ankle on top of his knee, and lays his arms along the top of the couch. His eyes shine with sadism, and I know whatever’s going to leave his mouth is going to piss me off.

“I’d like for you to ask me again.”

I scoff, because there’s no way he’s insinuating what I think he is. “Ask you what?”

“Ask me to tutor you and ask nicely.”

If murder were legal, I’d commit it on the spot.

My lips twist wryly and my nostrils flare. “You already saw me naked. Isn’t that enough?”

Landon’s eyes drop to my covered body. He cocks his head to the side like he’s considering something. “No. Ask me again.”

Fury spikes and quickly rushes through my veins, but I tamp down the need to punch him. Still, it doesn’t stop me from saying, “I want to fight you.”

He lifts his shoulder with nonchalance. “That seems like a personal problem and something you should work on.”

I swear I’m tempted to chuck the TV remote at this face.

“I’m not asking you to tutor me again.” I stand my ground because I’ve already done enough begging.

His eyes glisten with sadistic pleasure again. “Ask me or I’m leaving.”

I draw in a sharp breath. “You’re a fucking asshole. I hope you know I’m praying for your downfall.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Landon replies, his stupid accent snobbier than it usually is. “So?”

Grinding my molars, I shift from one foot to the other and bite back the urge to cuss him out. “Can you tutor me?”

“ ‘Can you tutor me, please, Landon?’ Say it.” Satisfaction fills his voice and his expression alights. It’s so demeaning and he knows it, but he’s not going to back down because he wants nothing more than to humiliate me.

The seconds tick by and the silence extends. It’s so tense, it wouldn’t take much for it to detonate. I know that and he knows that, but I’m not going to waver. I defiantly stand in my spot, letting the silence spark the tripwire.

I expected the rage to slowly consume us, but instead, it feels like something else has been lit up. Something that doesn’t make sense to me, and before it goes off in front of us, I suck in a breath and my pride, and the whatever it was dies.

“Can you tutor me, please, Landon?”

He hums and even though he’s not smiling, I can feel the gratification rolling off him. If I were a bigger person, I’d walk it off and not let it deter me, but I’m not. Holding my hamper with one firm hand, I flip him off with the other, flashing him a sardonic smile.

“I hope you forever burn in Hell.”

“Did that make you feel better?”

I stalk to my room and slam the door behind me. It’s extremely immature, but I don’t care.

Setting my hamper down, I quickly throw some clothes on and pray that I’m able to control my anger and not punch him. All while I remind myself that I need him in order to pass.

What a lovely predicament I’ve found myself in.

I repeat my mantra and step out of my bedroom with the paper I wrote out as our tutoring contract.

“Here.” I slap the paper against his chest and grab the pen Polly left on the coffee table and throw it at him. “Read over that and sign it.”

“Oh, this is serious.” His voice drips with sarcasm as he skims over the paper. “Two-week trial? What is this, a membership?”

Folding my hands over my chest, I impatiently tap my foot. “As you can see, that’s how much I’m going to pay you. I need to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth.”

“It’s not like I need your money,” he dryly states.

I’m not sure how to take his statement. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it doesn’t sound like he was being funny, or at least in his form of funny . He has a very dry sense of humor that tends to be more on the drier side.

Curiosity whirls in my head. I should ignore the nagging thought, but my mind can’t seem to let it go.

Don’t ask him. It doesn’t matter. It probably meant nothing. Don’t do it, Julianna.

“If you don’t need my money, then what do you want?”

Landon doesn’t take his eyes off the paper, but I know he’s not reading it. He muses over my question, absently tapping the pen against his knee. Then he finally flits his attention to me and sweeps his gaze over me, then back at the paper. Without saying a word, he signs it and holds it up for me to take.

I gingerly take it, wondering what that was about.

“Wow, how anticlimactic.”

“Curious, huh?” The arrogance in his voice makes me regret ever being curious.

“Not at all.” I fold the paper, hoping I don’t look as frustrated as I feel. Landon’s the only person in this entire universe to give me this chaotic whirlwind of emotions. “I don’t care.”

He chuckles, licking his lips. “Liar.”

I shrug and saunter off to the kitchen, all the while it really settles on me. Landon and I will be spending more time together and somehow, we’re supposed to make this work.

Maybe I made a mistake. This isn’t going to work. There’s no way we’ll manage to put our differences aside for an entire semester. That is, if he manages to meet my standards these next two weeks.

Though with him, the standards are set in the pits of Hell, but hopefully, they’ll be able to hover just a bit over the rim.

“Look.” His voice interrupts my thoughts.

He’s up and striding to the kitchen and stops when he’s a few feet away from me.

“I don’t like the back and forth, or bullshitting. Give me the paper,” he demands, holding his palm out.

I hesitate, but he snatches it from my grasp. Uncapping the pen, he scribbles something down, folds it back, and hands it to me.

“When you’re over the bullshit, look at this. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I swallow, staring down at the paper that feels heavier than it did just a few seconds ago. My mind endlessly wonders about what he could have written. It wouldn’t take anything for me to look, but anxiety blooms in my chest.

There’s no telling what it could be. This is Landon I’m talking about. For all I know, it could be a bunch of nothing. Something to get in my head.

I’m not going to look at it.