He couldn’t help his chuckle, “Yes,” he said. “If that’s all right with you.”
Beck nodded her head, “I’d like to spend the night, Knox. Thank you.”
“I guess one of the last things we need to decide tonight is—your place or mine?” he asked.
“Um, I have a very possessive roommate,” she said.
“Roommate?” he questioned. “Male or female?”
“Well, he’s a male,” she said. Knox suddenly felt an irrational wave of jealousy that he had no right to feel.
“I see,” he breathed. “Are you and this male roommate of yours close?” he asked. “I mean, are you seeing each other?”
“Oh, we’re very close,” she said. “He sleeps in my bed most nights.”
Knox pulled his napkin from his lap and tossed it to the table. “Then, I think this was all a waste of time, Beck. If we were to do this, I wouldn’t want you seeing anyone else.”
“Would you be able to promise me the same, Knox? You won’t be going out or seeing anyone else while we’re hooking up?” she asked. He winced at the way she called what he wanted with her, “hooking up”. He wanted so much more than a casual hook-up with Beck but telling her that would only lead to her not only walking out of the restaurant but also out of her role as his assistant.
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I would only be seeing you, Beck.”
“Okay, I can tell Loki that he won’t be able to sleep in my bed anymore, but he’s not going to be very happy about it. He’s a cuddler.”
“What the hell kind of name is Loki?” he asked.
“Well, it’s from Norse mythology, I believe. I think that he’s the god of pranks—you know like a trickster, but it’s been a while since I’ve brushed up on my mythological gods,” she teased. He was beginning to get the feeling that they weren’t talking about a real person here.
“You know a Norse god?” he asked.
“Of course I don’t,” she insisted. “But, I named my cat after one. He’s a tabby mix with a big attitude and the cutest furry belly I’ve ever seen.” Beck sat back in her seat and giggled and even though Knox wanted to be pissed, he just couldn’t be. She was so fucking cute and so pleased with herself that she had pulled one over on him.
“Okay,” he said, pulling his napkin back into his lap. “You got me.”
“I wish you could have seen your face, Knox. It was priceless. You were actually upset,” she accused.
“Of course I was,” he agreed. “Here we’ve gone over all of the details and hammered out the rules. You finally agreed to be mine and then, you go and tell me about some guy sleeping in your bed with you. How else was I supposed to react?” he asked.
Beck shrugged. “I guess just the way you did,” she agreed. “But Knox,” she breathed. “I never agreed to be yours. This is just sex.”
“Sure, Beck,” he said. “Just sex,” he lied.