Boyfriend for Christmas

Chapter 36...

"You're family really does go all out on Christmas Eve." Knox said as soon as we got to my room for the night.

"I did give you a warning earlier."

After Lucas and Annie won Pictionary, we moved to a game the girls could play. We ended up playing Uno, Old Maid and Go Fish for the next hour and a half until both parents announced it was time to take the girls home. They of course didn't want to leave but as soon as the word Santa was said they were out the door.

The rest of us helped clean everything up, and by rest of us I mean Olivia and I, before we all decided to go to bed. No doubt my mom would be getting us up early for Christmas. We may all be well into our 20's but my mom still gets us up early to open presents. Plus Lucas and Annie already promised the girls they'd be over here first thing in the morning.

"I didn't think it would be this much." He held up the ugly sweater my mom fortunately let him take off soon after pictures.

"Don't deny it you loved it!" I grinned at him over my shoulder as I headed for the bathroom. I know Knox enjoyed himself tonight. Yeah my family may be loud and a bit crazy at times but that's just who we are. And as much as Knox didn't want to admit it he enjoyed being in the middle of the chaos tonight.

When I came out of the bathroom Knox was in the middle of taking his shirt off. Every time I saw him shirtless I felt like a teenager seeing a hot guy shirtless for the first time. He was slightly turned away from me so I was getting the perfect view of both his back and front. The way he pulled off the rest of his shirt made the muscles in his back contact and the sight of it. The only word that came to mind was drool worthy.

My eyes were drawn to the tattoos that littered his body. The ones that lined his chest and ribs caught my attention and I badly wanted to know what they were. My fingers twitched at my sides wanting to go over there and run them across the tattoos. He threw his shirt off to the side and turned fully towards me. I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"What are your tattoos of?"

"Oh these." He glanced down at the ones on his chest. "This one," He pointed to the symbol on his left peck. "is the Marine's symbol. And this says 'Move mountains or die trying'." He touched the quote that was on his ribs.

My feet moved on their as I stepped closer to get a better look. Both tattoos were extremely well done and looked to be a bit older.

"When did you get these done?"

"About a year after I joined."

"And what about these?" At this point my hands were on their own, running the tip of my index finger down the tattoos of his arm. I felt his arm muscles bunch under my finger as I traced an owl that wrapped around his bicep.

"Most are just random ones I've gotten over the years. A few I got while I was plastered." I grinned at the thought of Knox getting drunk.

We stood there quietly as my finger kept tracing his tattoos. I wasn't even sure what I was doing but I did nothing to stop it and neither did he. It wasn't until my finger moved over to his chest and grazed over the scar I saw the other day. As soon as my finger touched it Knox flinched away. The way he flinched made me snatch my hand back immediately.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't....I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No I..." For the first time Knox seemed unsure. I wanted him to tell me what happened to cause the scar but I didn't want to push to hard either.

"It's okay you don't have to." I shook my head. "It's not my place." I forced myself to take a step back even though I wanted to reach out to him.

When he didn't say anything I knew I had gone to far. Swallowing thickly I moved towards the bed. Stupid Aubrey why do you always have to prod at things that you shouldn't.