He placed a gentle kiss on the inside of her palm. “I’m sorry you had to deal with them.”
“It’s fine, now. But after that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the gallant way you came to my rescue. That’s why I started popping by the Lily and bringing you treats. And why I wheedled you into helping me with all the hotel’s events last Christmas.”
“Well, it worked. When you asked, I couldn’t say no. I even wore a red vest with shiny holly berries on it. Just for you. Every time you came in to the Lily to talk to me, it brightened my whole day.”
Hearing the words made her heart soar. “But you never said anything. Why didn’t you ask me out?”
He cupped her cheek. “I thought about it, but I always figured you were too sunny and upbeat to want a grouch like me. Even when you invited me over to watchCanada’s Most Haunted, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I’m glad you made the effort.”
“It wasn’t easy. I was afraid you’d turn me down, but the Damsels talked me into it. And now…”
“Here we are. Right where we’re supposed to be.” His lips captured hers again, hungry and possessive, like he couldn’t get enough.
She didn’t care that they were both sticky and that the chair was too snug to accommodate them. Knox’s passionate kisses transported her to a place where minor discomforts didn’t matter. And when he trailed kisses along the curve of her throat, she groaned and dug her fingers into his hair. She could have gone on like this for hours, until the fire burned down to embers, but she wanted more.
She hit Knox with a come-hither smile. “Do you want to go up to my apartment? This fire is lovely and all, but…we might be more comfortable in my bed.”
“You sure? I don’t want to rush you.”
She loved that he was taking her feelings into consideration. “I’m sure. If you’re not ready, we can wait. But I don’t feel rushed.” She tensed up, hoping he wouldn’t turn her down.
“I’m definitely ready. Let’s put out this fire and start a new one…in your bedroom.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Sorry. That was unbelievably cheesy.”
“The worst. Hard to believe you’re an award-winning writer.” But she didn’t care how many cheesy lines he spouted. All that mattered was that he’d said yes.
She went to the shed, where her parents’ gardener kept his equipment. After filling up a bucket of water, she brought it over to the fire. Once they were sure it was out, Knox gathered up the s’more supplies and put them back in the grocery bag.
They’d just reached her apartment door when she froze up, her anxiety taking hold again. “I’m not sure what your expectations are, but since you were in the entertainment industry, I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
He chuckled. “Did you think I was going to sex parties? I was never that adventurous.”
A warm flush crept up her cheeks. “The thing is—when it comes to sex, my tastes are kind of…vanilla.”
“Don’t undersell yourself.” He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “In my opinion, vanilla is a highly underrated flavor.”
Sixteen
At most,Knox had hoped for a good-night kiss from Charlie. Even if he’d spent weeks fantasizing about her, he had no desire to rush her into anything. Hell, he was just grateful she’d agreed to go out with him in the first place.
But if this was what she wanted, then he wasn’t about to say no.
Once they got inside her apartment, he set the bag of groceries on the counter, and they took turns washing the sticky marshmallow residue off their hands. Then she led him into her bedroom and turned on the lamp resting atop her nightstand. To his surprise, the teetering stacks of books had vanished.
“What happened to all your spicy novels?” he asked. “You didn’t give them away, did you?”
“Nope. I just boxed them up and put them in the garage. It was getting too hard to walk. But I’ll never give up on romance. How could I when you’re standing here beside me?”
Not two weeks ago, he’d told Charlie that romance wasn’t for him. That he was done holding out hope for a happy ending. But her unwavering faith made him think he’d been dead wrong. “You just might make a believer out of me.”
“Good, because that’s what I was hoping for.” With an impish smile, she unbuttoned his flannel shirt, eased it off his shoulders, and let it fall to the floor.
When she ran her hands under his T-shirt, he gave a ragged groan. Her fingers were soft and delicate, tracing patterns across his chest. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, exposing the colorful tattoos adorning his shoulders and upper arms. She gazed at them in awe, running gentle fingers over each one before placing a kiss on his right shoulder, embellished with a detailed design of a pine forest set against a mountain range.
“This tattoo is so elaborate,” she said. “I feel like I could live in this forest.”
He skimmed his fingers through her soft blond hair. “Do you have any?”
“Tattoos? Not a chance. I’m too scared of needles.”
