Page 17 of The Traitor

It was Sunday, and in this little town, unless there was an emergency at the shop, Knox usually slept late, but the sleeping arrangements woke him, or rather the woman he held in his arms. Images of Josie’s flushed skin and spread legs worked better than caffeine to rev his system.

He was glad he’d put on a fresh pair of jeans after his shower which contained his second erection of the morning. He couldn’t remember being this hard since he’d been in his twenties, especially after a serious hand-job in the shower.

Josie Baird was the reason why. And that was dangerous, for both of them. He thought that having a taste of her would settle the attraction he felt, but it hadn’t worked. He had to admit that his taste was superficial as it was Gage who’d had all the action. He should have been frustrated about it but seeing Josie free of doubts and hardship was worth any case of blue balls.

In fact, he shouldn’t be that obsessed with her. When he’d lived in the city, he’d his fair share of pussy, and even cock, but since he’d come to Landston, and had to deal with the constant shadows of his past and his new business, getting laid had taken a backseat. That had to change.

He took another sip from his mug and watched as the sun rose. His gaze went to the horizon, admiring the pristine cover of snow by the lake, and realized that Josie wouldn’t appear as she had so many times before. The woman was in his bedroom, in his bed.

Knox could have lingered on that thought for a while longer, but instead, squashed the image as irrelevant, and what he felt as useless.

Once more a door opened and closed, and the shuffling of feet went into the kitchen. He could hear someone pouring a cup of coffee before making their way into the living room.

Knox watched as Gage let himself fall on the armchair in the corner. Freshly showered, beads of water still in his beard, he only sported loose sweatpants that had seen better days.

“You’re up bright and early this morning, boss man. Showered, dressed, and caffeinated. Are we supposed to be working today and someone forgot to tell me?”

“Slept enough.”

Gage nodded and drank more of his coffee, but he wasn’t done asking questions. “For a man who was involved in a threesome, you’re awfully tense. Dissatisfaction? Regrets?”

Glad Josie was still in the bedroom with the door closed, Knox frowned at him. “Don’t ever say that kind of thing in front of her! You’ve seen how self-conscious and skittish she is.”

His friend lifted his free hand in appeasement. “Hey! I wasn’t talking about me. The woman is a dream, a goddess. Hell, I was tempted to wake her up and give her a repeat of last night. I was talking about you. A man who just got laid shouldn’t have that kind of frown on his face.”

“Can’t you shut up?”

Gage angled his head as if considering it. “Not really my style and you know it. Or maybe the frown is because you’re an old man who’s forgotten how to relax and have fun?”

It took a lot not to react to that. He knew he was getting older, and what he’d had to do the previous year and the amount of self-loathing and pressure it caused didn’t help.

“That part of me is gone. Don’t think you can analyze my emotional state just from looking at me.”

The man chuckled. “Oh, please. I may be younger than you, but I remember the man Spencer Knox was.”

“Was being the operative word here.”

But Gage ignored him. “I remember I admired that man. A fighter who could bring anyone to his knees, or any woman from what I remember. Not only that, but I recall a party with more than one lady draped over you, spent and satisfied. You weren’t just a player, but a sex god as well.”

The world that Gage conjured was far away. So distant in fact that Knox didn’t know if it had ever happened. “You’re exaggerating.”

This time he laughed. “No, I’m not. And I’m guessing there are even a few men that were changed after a night with you.”

Knox rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t that often or that many. You make me sound like I was lying down more than I was on my feet.”

Gage was laughing hard when a silent figure came out of the bedroom. Air moved and Knox inhaled Josie’s sweet scent.

When he turned to look at her, she seemed to hesitate, clearly debating if she should join them. Knox got to his feet and smiled, trying to make her relax again. “Have a seat. I’m about to get a refill. Would you like a cup?”

Once more she nodded and went to sit where he’d been a few seconds ago. She was dressed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of pants that were too large for her, but she couldn’t be more beautiful.

He poured her a cup, refilled his, and headed back to the living room. He handed her the cup and sat again.

“I heard you laughing. What was so funny?”

Knox noticed the rawness in her voice and he liked it. It was probably uncomfortable for her, but it made him remember how she’d screamed in pleasure the night before.

“I was reminding Knox of his wild, youthful days and he disagreed with me.”

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