Chapter 28 CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 28
KNOX
I should’ve kissed her.
God, I wanted to.
The second she looked up at me with those wide brown eyes in that tiny, suffocating closet, I almost lost it. Her lips were right there—soft, pink, trembling. It would’ve been so easy to close the space.
But then my brain finally caught up to my body, and the weight of what I was about to do slammed into me.
She was trouble.
And I had enough of that already.
So I did the only thing I could—walked out. Fast.
So here I am, dragging myself to the damn field, trying to burn her out of my system.
Aaron’s already there. Helmet in hand, barking orders at the guys like he owns the place. His voice cuts through everything—loud, commanding, irritating.
“Knox!” he yells the moment he spots me. “You’re late. Again.”
“Yeah,” I say, rolling my shoulders. “And?”
He gives me that look. The one that says don’t mess with me.
“Coach said ten sharp,” he snaps.
“Coach isn’t here,” I shoot back.
He narrows his eyes. “You think you can do whatever you want because you’re top of the class?”
I smirk. “No. I do whatever I want because I can.”
He laughs bitterly. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
He steps forward, all puffed chest and clenched jaw. “You stay the hell away from my sister.”
The world freezes for a second.
Ah. There it is.
I tilt my head, slowly. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he says, his voice sharp. “Yael’s got nothing to do with your games, Knox. Don’t even think about her that way.”
I arch a brow. “What way is that?”
His glare hardens. “You know exactly what I mean.”
I chuckle, quiet, low. “You think I’m playing games with her?”
“I know you are. You do this to every girl that catches your eye—mess with them until they break.”
I step closer, close enough to see the vein ticking at his temple. “You think I’d break her?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Something in me darkens. “You don’t know me.”
“I don’t need to,” he bites out. “I know your type.”
“My type?” I echo, smiling, but there’s nothing kind in it. “Funny, because I don’t think Yael minds it.”
He stiffens. “What did you just say?”
“She looked at me, Aaron,” I say, voice dropping. “She looked at me like she wanted to know what it felt like to fall.”
His fist clenches. “Shut the hell up.”
“Why? Because I’m right?”
“Because that’s my sister, you sick—”
“I know exactly who she is,” I cut in, my tone razor sharp. “And I’m still going to date her.”
Aaron’s face twists. “Over my dead body.”
I laugh softly. “That can be arranged.”
He shoves me hard. “You think I’m joking?”
I stumble back a step, then grin. “I think you’re terrified she won’t listen to you.”
“You stay away from her, Knox!” he shouts, his voice cracking with fury. “I swear to God—”
“Or what?” I say, stepping into his space now. “You’ll fight me? Go ahead. I’m not scared of you.”
His jaw flexes. “You’re not dating my sister.”
“Oh, I’m not just dating her,” I whisper, leaning close enough that he can feel my breath. “I’m going to make her mine in every way that’ll make you lose sleep.”
That’s all it takes.
His fist slams into my jaw before I can blink.
I stagger, blood flooding my mouth. And then it’s on.
I hit back, hard.
The sound of fists hitting skin fills the field—grunts, curses, rage. Someone’s shouting for Coach, but I barely hear it. All I see is Aaron’s stupid, protective face, the way he thinks he can decide who she belongs to.
He swings again; I block and land one in his gut. He gasps, then slams into me, and we both hit the ground.
“Stay away from her!” he shouts, punching me again.
I catch his wrist mid-air, eyes burning. “You don’t get to tell me who I can want.”
“She's off-limits!”
“Says who?” I snarl. “You? Last I checked, she’s not your property.”
“Shut up!”
He tries to throw another punch, but I twist, pinning him down instead. “You can warn every guy on campus, Aaron, but it won’t change a damn thing. You can’t protect her from everyone.”
“Especially not from you,” he spits, pushing me off. “You’re poison.”
Before I can respond, a whistle pierces the air.
Coach storms over, red-faced, furious. “What the hell is going on here?”
Aaron glares at me. “Ask him.”
“Both of you, shut it!” Coach snaps. “You think this is a street fight? You think I don’t have better things to do than babysit you idiots?”
“Coach—”
“Twenty laps. Now. Both of you. Before I make it fifty!”
Aaron mutters a curse. I bite the inside of my cheek, tasting blood.
We start running.
The field’s silent except for our footsteps pounding the track. Aaron’s breathing is uneven, shallow. I’m fine. I’m too angry to feel tired.
After a few laps, he says, “If you care about her, you’ll stay away.”
I snort. “If I didn’t care, I’d have stayed away.”
He glares. “You think that makes you noble?”
“No,” I say, glancing at him. “It makes me honest.”
“You’re going to hurt her.”
“I won’t,” I say simply.
He scoffs. “Right. Because guys like you suddenly grow morals overnight.”
I stop running and turn to him. “You don’t know what I’m capable of when it comes to her.”
“Exactly,” he snaps. “And that’s the damn problem.”
We stand there, chest heaving, sweat pouring, glar
ing like we could burn each other alive.
Coach yells from across the field, “You stop, you add five more laps!”
I roll my eyes and start running again.