Page 12 of The Traitor

Shaking her head, she indicated the room before her in a desperate gesture. “I can’t leave here.”

“Then you don’t have a job.”

Her mouth opened and closed in insult, and in a flash, Knox remembered her exquisite taste and softness. Immediately his cock pulsed in his jeans but ignored it.

“You can’t do that!”

“This conversation is going around in circles. I’ve already said everything I need to on the subject. Accept my deal, and you’ll have more money, food, a warm bed, and a hot shower. How long has it been since you’ve had a hot shower or bath?”

Turning around, Josie examined her small home that even a decent blaze couldn’t heat and when he saw her shoulders slump a little, Knox knew he’d won.

Chapter 7

Josie awoke completely disorientedwith her heart hammering out of her ribcage. She looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings, and finally remembered what she’d agreed to last night. Spencer Knox had offered her a deal she hadn’t been able to refuse. More precisely, he’d coerced her into accepting his offer.

Light illuminated the small attic room through the two tiny windows. The room was sparse, containing a bed, dresser, and boxes. The bed was soft and smelled clean. It had been difficult to wash her sheets or clothing often in her little cabin, especially in the winter. And when she did, everything smelled musty, or of rancid water for days.

That reminded her that she probably smelled just as bad and she sighed. After packing everything she had last night and arriving at his place, Knox had offered her a shower, but she was too tired, and anxious if she was honest with herself, not that she would have told him that.

When they’d arrived, she’d barely looked at the cabin, which looked more like a mansion to her than a cabin in the early morning light. Her eyes barely open, she debated skipping sleep so not to be late for work. Once again, Knox had laid down the law and told her to take the day off, and he would man the phone and customers for the day, and being Saturday, she was only scheduled to work until lunchtime anyway.

No amount of arguing convinced him to let her work, and he even mumbled something about spanking her if she even thought about making an unwanted appearance at the shop.

The man was an enigma. It was difficult to read him, or understand his moods—gruff and grumpy seemed to be his nature. He made her think of her no-good future ex-husband, the way he ordered her about. But that was where the comparison ended, as her ex didn’t care. He had at the beginning, otherwise she wouldn’t have married him. She knew a woman in love could be blind. In fact, if she hadn’t been so blind, she would have sensed the change in him sooner, how his gentle words had turned vile, how his embrace had turned cold. Hopes high, she’d accepted everything he’d handed her—his neglect, how he’d belittle her until she believed it herself—as his reason for no longer wanting her.

Part of her couldn’t use the word abusive to describe their relationship. It wasn’t. She just wasn’t the woman he thought he’d married. It was her fault for falling behind in what was expected of her.

Her decision to ask for a divorce confirmed a few things. She had a backbone and was a hard worker. Once her debt was repaid, she would be able to focus on the talents she’d discovered such as cooking and baking, and forget about the things she wasn’t skilled in.

Annoyed at hearing her ex’s voice in her head, she buried herself under the blanket and sighed. Clearing her mind of the past, Josie took a deep breath and relaxed once more. Due to an incredible twist of events, she’d been given another boost which would allow her to eventually be free. No strings attached.

At the thought, she remembered how Knox had looked at her just before they kissed.

The thought of that kiss immediately warmed her belly and the taste of him still lingered in the back of her memory. Her fingers started tingling remembering how his body felt against hers. It had been the first time, in a very long time, that she been aroused. Knox had been too. She’d felt it when he’d pressed against her.

It had been a surprise, as her ex always told her she wasn’t that attractive, and with her curvy body, wasn’t able to tempt a man. And Knox was way more handsome than her ex, so it was baffling that he’d desired her, even for just a second.

Josie pushed at the covers at the thought. She couldn’t indulge in the fantasy of Knox, of sex, or even of love.

She pushed herself to her feet, the cold of the room grounding her, her shivering forcing her into action. She went to one of her bags and pulled out a pair of sports pants and a sweatshirt and went in her pajamas to look for the bathroom one floor down.

After a long hot shower, Josie finally emerged, feeling refreshed and better able to take in her current situation. She stood on the open landing of the second floor looking down at the living room and kitchen. The place looked amazing, airy but warm. And very masculine with no decorations. It looked a lot like the man—straight forward with no artifice.

She padded down the stairs and looked around. The many windows offered wonderful light, even on the overcast day. The stone hearth was huge and the big leather couches looked inviting. When she looked through the windows, the view over the valley was beautiful and she could almost see her little cabin in the forest.

Her stomach grumbling, she went into the kitchen and rolled her eyes. It was clearly a kitchen ruled by men, or more accurately destroyed by men from the number of dishes, trash, and general mess covering the counters. Another sign it was a bachelor pad was the lack of decent food in the fridge, although pickles and beer were probably satisfactory to some. Surprising that in such a manly house there wasn’t bacon on the shelves too.

Searching through the cupboards she found some canned tuna and crackers that made her day. It was only when she threw the remnants of her meal into the overflowing trash can, she noticed the time. It was almost four in the afternoon.

Had she slept that long?That was impossible. Maybe not though. The last few months had been hard on her body.

And Knox and Gage would probably be on their way home in about an hour. Feeling awkward—there was no way she could sit and twiddle her thumbs until they arrived—she started to clean up. It helped to keep her anxiety down at the idea of Knox—and Gage—being home soon.

Keeping her eyes off the clock, Josie got to work washing and scrubbing everything she could. Eventually she felt comfortable enough to turn on the TV in the corner and set it on a music station. The upbeat music made her smile and she returned to her task.

She was giving the counter a good scrub, moving her body to the music when a deep voice behind her made her jump. “That’s a wonderful welcome, don’t ever stop shaking that ass, Josie.”

Josie turned and saw Gage, his arms filled with grocery bags, a big grin on his bearded face. Grasping her rag against her chest, she shouted at him. “That’s not funny, Gage!”

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