“I appreciate your help so much,” I say when we’re back in the office. I’m still holding my bags as I prepare to leave.
“Do you need to go?” he asks.
“Well, no, but I figure I’ve taken enough of your time today.”
“I thought I’d make dinner for you. Also, we should review the shots we took. I’ll transfer them to my laptop and you can choose which ones you like best.”
“Oh, okay. Will your brothers be home for dinner?”
“They’re going out tonight,” he says simply, offering no explanation. I instantly imagine Cade and Ryder on dates with other women and I feel a spark of jealousy. Will they be kissing other women tonight the way that they kissed me on our dates? Maybe they’ll be doing even more, since I know they’re going slow with me, treating me like the virgin that I am, and other women that they date are no doubt much more experienced.
I have no right to be jealous, of course, and I try to push the thoughts aside as I watch Knox do the photo transfers. He refuses my offer to help with dinner, and instead sets me up at a counter in their kitchen, where I can review the product images while he cooks.
He puts music on, and we’re both fairly quiet as he prepares a sheet pan dinner of lemon chicken and asparagus, and I scroll through what turns out to be way more files than I was expecting. He took several shots of each product, sometimes with different angles or different exposures.
After he puts the pan in the oven, he comes to stand behind me, so close that my body heats with the recent memory of our kisses on the beach. He leans in over my shoulder and I scroll up, showing him the images I’ve starred and explaining why I chose the ones I did.
“They look great,” he agrees. “I’ll do some minor color correction on those, and then I’ll upload them to a drive where you can access them.”
When the food is ready, we take our plates to the deck out back, and sit side-by-side on the big outdoor sofa, eating as we listen to the ocean and watch the moonlight dance on the waves. He’d opened a bottle of delicious white wine, and for dessert, he brings out a small box of lemon cookies from Maddy’s bakery.
His invitation to stay for dinner had seemed casual, but the wine and cookies that perfectly complement the meal make me wonder if he planned this in advance.
“It was clever of you to work in a date night after the photography.”
“This doesn’t count as a date night,” he says. “This is just us hanging out. You already know you’re comfortable when you’re here.”
If this isn’t a date night, then why did he kiss me on the beach?
“Speaking of your dates, how have they been going?” Knox asks.
“Good,” I say, before draining the last of my wine. “Cade and Ryder have each taken me out and made me feel like I was on real dates. I think it’s helping me get over my nerves.”
“That’s good.” He offers me more wine with a gesture of the bottle but I shake my head. “And what about physical experience?”
“I’ve been getting a lot of practice kissing.” Memories of time spent with Cade and Ryder rush in, followed by unwelcome thoughts of who they might be kissing while they’re out tonight.
“Is that right?” He slides closer to me, his eyes on my lips, his arm wrapping around me. “Want a little more practice?”
13
I might melt … or combust
“Sure.” My voice is soft, barely above a whisper, just before his mouth covers mine, the level of intensity picking up right where we’d left off when the wave interrupted us.
As he kisses me, he shifts my legs, draping them over his lap, angling our bodies together for a better connection. My arm snakes around his waist, and I caress his back, reveling in the hard, smooth lines of his well-defined muscles.
“Touch me wherever you want,” Knox says between kisses, his voice husky. “Here, let me make it easier.” He sets his glasses on the table and pulls his t-shirt over his head, exposing the glorious work of art that is his chest. Sure, I’ve seen it before, every time we’ve gone in the pool or down to the beach, but it’s never been this close to me, completely available for touching, exploring … maybe tasting, if I can be so bold?
“Oof.” I let out a big breath and Knox chuckles, a grin lighting up his face.
My hands reach out, moving of their own volition, sliding across the broad expanse of his pectoral muscles, up to his strong shoulders and down to his bulging biceps, where I squeeze, finding out they’re as solid as they look.