Knoxed Up (Beech Grove Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Knoxed Up

  Copyright

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  More than a Knight

  Acknowledgements

  Books by Mayra Statham

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2018 by Mayra Statham

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Image: Deposit Photos

  Cover Work: Tracie Douglas of Dark Water Covers

  Editing: Julia Goda of Diamond in the Rough Editing

  Fomatting: CP Smith

  Blurb

  I’m not the kind of man who believes in love at first sight. I’m old enough to know that shit only exists between the pages of romance novels and on the big screen. Or at least that’s what I thought until Lena Mason strolled down the aisle and Knoxed me off my feet.

  There is something about her. My funny girl is sexy and witty, pretending I haven’t caught her eye. By the end of the night she will be mine. One taste, and it’s game over for me and my bachelor ways.

  Lena Mason is mine, and I’ll do anything to keep her, even Knox her up.

  Dedication

  Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.

  -Sam Levenson

  Prologue

  Lena Mason

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to witness the commitment and promise of everlasting love between this woman and this man.” My heart filled with happiness for my sister as I watched Kens and Chase hold hands. The way he adoringly gazed at my beautiful older sister made my heart soar, and almost, for a split second, wishing I had someone in my life who would look at me the way he did at her.

  Thankfully, that split second disbursed and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, deeming me safe.

  I didn’t do love.

  Or commitment.

  Heck no. Why would I? One guy for the rest of my life? Yeah, no thanks!

  Not everyone was as lucky as Kenzie.

  Men like Chase Tucker were few and far between. I should know. And because of that and my own miserable luck when it came to the opposite sex, I had long ago decided that love and everything it came with, like marriage, babies, and white picket fences, were not for me.

  Hell mother ‘effing no.

  The minister said something, snapping me out of my cynical thoughts, and I looked back into the crowded pews of the church. The place was filled with friends and family. Kens and Chase deserved this. Happy people cheering and rooting for them as they embarked on their forever.

  My eyes roamed the groom’s side, and I stilled.

  Dark, beautiful eyes caught my attention, and it was like I was stuck. Those intense eyes were not cast upon the happy couple. They were set right on me.

  Pulling me in, tangling me up in his sexy web, into a riptide of desire.

  I might not have been into love and all the rainbows and unicorns that came with it, but desire, that I could totally handle!

  Chapter One

  Knox Madison

  With my hands stuffed in my pant pockets, I looked at the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on.

  She was amazing.

  Average height, though that was where ‘average’ ended with the mystical creature who seemed to have cast some kind of spell on me at first sight.

  Her wild curls bounced like ribbons of chocolate as she laughed with the women who surrounded her. I wanted to touch them, fist them in my hand as I took her and made her mine. Calm the hell down, I reminded myself. Jesus, who was this woman?

  I was dying to get closer. To figure out what color her eyes were. From where I stood, they simply glittered with humor and joy mixed with a little something else whenever she snuck a peek in my direction. Something naughty filled with desire and hunger on a primal level.

  I wanted to make a move, but every time I got near, someone needed her or she was busy helping the bride with something. I wasn’t a patient man; any of my friends or family would tell you that off the bat. Hell, it would have been shocking to them, watching me stand on the sidelines of something I wanted, regardless of the fact it had only been a handful of hours.

  The DJ started to play a soft, melodic tune, and I took that as my chance. I tried to slow my steps, so I wouldn’t scare the hell out of her like a predator stalking its prey. Her eyes caught mine, and even though she was surrounded by women her age, probably friends, she didn’t look away. Damn, it was sexy. It showed confidence and self-awareness.

  Her eyes were locked on mine as I approached. Her face was unreadable. I stood right in front of her, close enough to feel the soft warmth her body radiated and see the true color of her eyes.

  “Hazel,” I whispered, and she quirked a sassy brow at me.

  “I think you got me confused with someone else,” her dulcet voice rang, making everything around her fade away. Only she and I existed in that moment.

  “Your eyes,” I clarified, and her lips twitched.

  “My eyes?”

  “I figured it was a good idea to determine the color,” I enlightened her.

  “Of my eyes?”

  “Yeah.” I couldn’t help the wolfish smile on my face.

  “And why is that?” she sassily wondered, flirting back with me sexily.

  “So I can see what color my daughter’s eyes might be,” I shared, and her eyes widened. I had obviously taken her by surprise with my answer.

  “Daughter, huh?”

  “Or son. I’m okay with either. Or both. After we get married.” I shrugged confidently, and her eyes sparkled.

  “You move fast.”

  “Usually, just not when it counts,” I flirted with a wink, and she laughed.

  Right fucking in front of me, I knew what heaven on earth looked like. Like the eighth wonder of the world. She was fucking spectacular serious, heartbreakingly sweet when she smiled, but when she laughed, damn.

  The woman knew how to slay a man.

  “Hmm, that’s always a good thing to know, I guess.”

  “Dance with me?” I extended my hand toward her. I wasn’t asking, but by the way she was looking at me, she thought I had. She was cute. She would get used to me soon enough.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “We should practice.”

  “Practice?” Her lips quirked upward as she took my hand, and I walked us toward the dance floor.

  Pulling her into my arms, I tried to calm my dick down. He was standing at attention wanting one-on-one time with the woman of my fucking dreams, and there was no hiding it.

  She cleared her throat and looked up at me. “So, what are we practicing for?”

  “Our own wedding. First dances are crucial statements of how the marriage will go.”

  “What?” She shook her head as she laughed. “How many times have
you been married to come up with this theory?”

  “Never.” I could see she didn’t believe me, and even though I was coming on strong, I couldn’t help myself from laying it on thick. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “You’re kinda crazy…” Her voice tapered off, and I immediately helped her out.

  “Knox. And you are?” I was dying to know her name.

  “Intrigued,” she answered looking up at me as we slowly swayed back and forth before I leaned my face down lower, my lips at her temple.

  “I can work with that,” I rasped and felt her body tremble. Fuck, I had to find a way to keep my body in control and not swing her over my shoulder like some kind of caveman and haul our asses over to the nearest wall.

  “Are you here for the groom or the bride?” Her voice was low and breathy. She felt what was going on between us.

  “Groom,” I said and ran my nose along her temple, “We have been friends for a while. I flew in for Chase’s wedding.”

  “Oh,” she whispered against my neck. The warmth of her breath made my dick strain in my pants, and I knew she could feel the bulge between us. “So, you’re not from here?” she asked. Her lips skimmed my cheek, and I wished I had taken the time to shave off the scruff on my face to feel more of her.

  “Na.” I swallowed hard, almost positive she shifted her hips into me, pressing closer. “I’m in Miami and New York. Though I spend most my time traveling around for work.”

  “Oh.” She purposely pressed her body closer to mine. My hands on her hips moved to wrap around and press into her lower back.

  “Have you ever been?”

  “What?” she asked as if shaking off a haze, and I smirked. Yeah, she was interested.

  “Florida?”

  “No.”

  “New York?”

  “Once,” she shared, and I nodded, letting one of my hands roam up from her lower back along the line of her spine and into her hair to cup the back of her head.

  “Did you like it?”

  “It was—“

  “Lee!” someone called out, and we turned, the bubble we had been in bursting.

  “If I were married to her, I’d be pissed.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Shouting another guy’s name other than mine? On our wedding day?” I teased, and she rolled her eyes, surprising me when she pulled away. I instantly missed her from being in my arms.

  “There you are! I have been looking all over for you.” Chase’s new bride huffed.

  “What?” I asked, wondering if she had me confused with someone else.

  “I need you! Bad!” the bride said with wide eyes, and I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, my girl spoke.

  “Don’t fret. I’m here.”

  “Lee?” I repeated and wondered what it was a nickname for.

  “In the flesh.” She smiled. “Maid of honor duty call.”

  “I’m really sorry to interrupt.” The bride sounded sincere enough.

  “That’s what I’m here for. It was nice meeting you, Knox.” Lee walked away, leaving me stunned silent as I watched her and Chase’s new wife, Kenzie, disappear in the crowd.

  “She’s something,” a deep voice rumbled behind me before patting my back. Looking to the side, I smiled.

  “Tucker,” I nodded before looking back at where I had last seen my woman. “Congratulations, man.”

  “Thanks,” he said with a smile in his voice before clearing his throat and his tone turning dark. “Hurt her, and I will have to kill you.”

  “What?” I asked, turning to look at my longtime friend, but he was gone, and I was left wondering who the hell Lee was and how the hell I could get her back in my arms.

  Chapter Two

  Lena

  “Who was that?” Kens asked the moment we reached the bridal suite the reception hall had provided. I tried not to smile. Kens had probably been wondering but had waited until we were alone to ask. I shrugged, not sure of what to say.

  “He said he’s a friend of Chase’s.”

  “Huh. I wonder if that’s—”

  “Knox,” I shared his name and bit the inside of my lower lip. Knox. The name fit him. There was something about him that had an air of danger and mystery.

  A bad boy. My kryptonite.

  I definitely needed to stay away from him.

  “Hmm, I don’t know. Chase and his college friends call one another by their last names. I think it was a football thing.”

  “Whatever.” I shrugged, trying to act like I couldn’t care less instead of everything I was feeling. What the hell was it about the man? Because there was no doubt six foot three, solidly built, dark eyes, and lethally handsome was one-hundred percent male.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked toward my sister and smiled.

  “Nothing.” I shook my head as I locked the door and turned toward her. “Why?”

  “You have a look,” she pointed out. My sister was too observant for her own good.

  “A look?” I pretended to question, though she was probably right.

  “Yeah. A look.” My sister’s head tilted, and I shook mine.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kens. Have you eaten?” I attempted at changing the subject. Her eyes widened.

  “Oh, my God! You like him!”

  “No,” I scoffed. “I don’t even know him.” But what he had shown me, even if he was spewing great pick-up lines and crazy things like practicing our first dance as a married couple, proved he was charming. Charming bad boys were never a good idea, and yet I was thinking about him. About how the rest of the world had disappeared when I had been in his arms and how he had felt like home.

  Home? Jesus, this wedding crap was getting to me.

  “Lee?” My head popped up to see her studying me closely, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Kens,” I retorted like a smartass, “look, I might take him for a spin around the block, but that’s it. Plus, he lives God only knows where.” I shrugged, reaching for the outfit she was going to change into. Chase and Kenzie were catching a flight to head to their honeymoon after the reception.

  “Interesting,” she mumbled.

  “You ready to get away with Chase?” I changed the subject. I knew she was going to let me when her face broke into a bright smile.

  “Yes!” she smiled. “I love the boys, but—“

  “But time on your own, you two together, is good. It’s really good, babe. And the boys will be fine with their dad.”

  “I know, but could you—“

  “I will call and check in daily to make sure they are doing okay,” I reassured her. I could see the relief in her stare.

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, Mrs. Tucker, are you happy?”

  “Mrs. Tucker?” she whispered back. “Holy crap.” She giggled, and I hugged her. “I can’t believe I did this again!” She laughed into my hair.

  “Again?”

  “Took a leap. A chance.”

  “He’s the real deal, Kens.” I pulled away to look at her. “He really is,” I reassured her. My new brother-in-law was pretty awesome.

  “I thought that before, too,” she pointed out, but I shook my head.

  “I could have told you, you were wrong before.”

  “I’m pretty sure you did. Or you tried to at least.” Kenzie grinned, then we both laughed. It sounded like something I would have done.

  “Are you happy?” I asked again, and she nodded with tears in her eyes. I frowned. “Hey! No tears. You cry before the wedding, not at the end.” She shook her head and cupped my face.

  “I’m not sad. I just—“

  “What?” I asked worriedly. Was she changing her mind?

  “I want you to feel this,” she shared, and I stilled.

  “Heartburn?” I joked but knew she wasn’t going to give in, so I held her hands, pulling them off my face. “Some people aren’t meant to do this.”

  “Perhap
s.” She shrugged. “But I’m sorry to tell you, little sister, you are not one of those people.” She hugged me, and I hugged her back. Her boys and she were my family; well, and Chase now.

  That was enough for me.

  Liar, a voice chimed as dark eyes swam in my mind’s eye.

  Knox

  I watched her return, and even though I could tell she was trying to be subtle about finding me, I felt like a king as her eyes roamed the room. She had been gone no more than twenty minutes, but the moment her eyes touched mine, I felt like I could finally breathe.

  The strong pull this particular woman had on me, a woman whose name I didn’t even know, should have freaked me out. Strangely enough, it didn’t. It exhilarated me. I hadn’t felt this alive in, well… ever. Something about her was like a jolt of caffeine and a rush of adrenaline yet as soothing as a throw blanket and a damn good book on a rainy day.

  It was like realizing your soul mate, the one you never believed even existed, now did.

  My body was awake in a way it had never been as I walked toward her. My blood started to boil over with lust and need. I’d never wanted a woman like the one in front of me, and I wasn’t afraid to let her know exactly where I stood. I wasn’t a choirboy, but I was far from being a playboy like some of my buddies. Been there, done that.

  Especially after I had seen my friends drop, one by one, finding beauty with their women that made you crave more than just a night. It made you crave a forever. At forty, I had experienced life and was no longer some stupid kid who let himself be led around by his dick.

  I knew to trust my gut.

  My gut, mind, and heart were all aligned and pointing a neon-lit arrow in her direction. I reached her just as other bridesmaids came to take her to the photo booth. My hands turned to fists. To say I was desperate to be around her was an understatement, and patience was never going to be my middle name. When her eyes flashed with disappointment, I knew she wanted me as well, so I waited.

  In the shadows, next to the balcony, I waited. I felt like a feral animal hiding in the shadows, ready to attack. My hands ached to touch her. The moment I saw the other bridesmaids slipping out, I took my chance and went after her when she was the last one to step out of the booth.