Personally, Knox would have rather nibbled on the woman beside him, but when the dessert arrived, her eyes lit up, so he’d have to make do with food.
Since he had her undivided attention, he decided to take the opportunity to get to know her better. He leaned in close. “Why don’t we get the obvious awkward subject out of the way for good? I know Holly already mentioned Theo, but you and I never talked—afterwards.”
“If we must.” Jade wrinkled her nose, but her expression turned to delight as she closed her mouth over the spoon, slowly pulling out the utensil and licking it clean.
Jesus. His cock was rock hard, making him extremely uncomfortable. “Let’s call it clearing the air. I’ll go first. My stepbrother is a douchebag.”
She laughed. “That he is and I’m well rid of him. As it turns out, I’m well rid of men in general.”
“Ouch.”
She grinned at his reaction.
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
She scooped another helping of dessert before meeting his gaze. “I doubt you know this, but I have two broken engagements behind me. Two.” She motioned with the spoon for emphasis. “My track record leaves a lot to be desired. And, as I’ve discovered, so does my taste in men.” She glanced at the sundae-styled glass sitting between them. “However, when it comes to dessert, I know what I’m doing.”
She scooped up more of the ice cream and berries, holding out the full spoon for him to taste. Her gaze held his as he opened his mouth and closed it around the dessert, letting the rich, sweet, cool mixture coat his tongue.
She pulled the spoon back, removing it from between his lips. “Good?” she asked.
“Delicious.” His body vibrated with need, and it wasn’t for more dessert. The woman sitting beside him made his mouth water.
“Oops.” She reached out and swept her delicate finger over his bottom lip, removing some vanilla ice cream before he could dart his tongue out for a lick. “Ice cream,” she said in a husky voice.
“Want to tell me about the idiots who let you slip through their fingers?” he asked.
She smiled. “Well, winner number one was a guy I met at Starbucks. I was rushing to a meeting. I bumped into him and spilled my coffee on his suit. The barista didn’t put the top on right.” She shrugged. “I apologized and insisted on taking his number so I could pay for the dry-cleaning. We went on a few dates. In the beginning, he said he wasn’t interested in anything serious, but later claimed he couldn’t help but fall for me. Unfortunately, what he’d fallen for was my family name and money.” She let out a sad sigh that broke his heart.
“Asshole. How’d you find out?” he asked, wondering if he could find the bastard and break a bone or two.
“My brother Zach. He realized what was going on and approached my fiancé behind my back with a prenup in hand. Douglas, that’s his name, refused to sign. In fact, he laughed in Zach’s face and bragged that he had me wrapped up so tight I’d do anything for him. Zach broke his nose and told me the truth. I thought I loved him, when the truth was, I never knew him at all.”
Knox covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to be wanted only for money and not for myself.”
She nodded. “Thanks for admitting that.”
“Did Zach really break his nose?” he asked.
She laughed and nodded. “He said nobody fucks with his family.”
Knox wasn’t surprised. He’d have done the same thing if Holly had ever been in a similar situation.
“No trouble for Zach afterwards?” Knox asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. Douglas was too afraid of Zach to even meet with me so I could return the ring.” She shrugged. “So I sold it and invested the money.”
“Smart.” He picked up his water and took a long sip.
“What about you? Did you get your ring back?” she asked.
He coughed as the drink went down wrong.
“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to pry, but since I answered your personal questions, I figured you owed me some answers in return.” Her lips twitched, lifting in a naughty grin.
Knox liked this girl’s sass. He cleared his throat and waited until he was certain he could talk without choking. “Fair point,” he said at last. “Okay, here goes. Celia kept her rings and I’m sure she sold them, too. But it’s not the same situation. Celia cheated on me.” Bitterness rose, along with the memories.
“With your stepbrother.” Jade’s expression turned sad. “Which brings up another question, since we’re being so honest and everything.”