“I’m not crying,you’recrying,” I say into his neck even as my tears paint his skin.
Knox just laughs and holds me while I cling to him. I’m sure my mascara is a mess at this point, but I can’t bring myself to care.
“Is it too much?” he asks softly, finally causing me to pull back, wiping my fingers under my eyes.
“No, it’s not too much. It’s perfect.”
The relief in his smile is devastating as he cups my cheek with one of his hands. “Good. In that case, I was hoping you’d go out to dinner with me tonight? And then maybe we could hit the karaoke bar where it all started?”
I’m practically vibrating with excitement.
“I got reservations at Saltgrass and Sage for six,” he informs me.
I check my phone.Just enough time to grab a shower and redo my entire look.
Knox isready by the time I come out of the bathroom. I can’twaitfor him to see the lacy, red boy-short underwear I have on under my camel-colored tweed pants. Although the way he’s eyeing the star-shaped cutouts in the cream sweater I have on, who knows if we’ll even make it to dinner.
“I love it when you give me a tease of your skin. Is this new?” he asks, placing kisses over my exposed collarbone.
My balls throb as his beard scratches the skin lightly.
As soon as his hand reaches for the button on my pants, I stop him.
“Don’t make me be the bad guy. You made reservations and promised me a night of karaoke.”
Knox kisses my cheek.
“Why I ever thought leaving this apartment was a good idea, I’ll never know,” he pouts adorably, pulling me toward the door.
I warm up my voice on the way to dinner, serenading Knox with every Eagles song on his playlist.Definitely not my first choice, but hey, relationships are about compromise, right?
Knox upgrades to valet service tonight since we’re celebrating, and I feel like the princess he says I am. My hazel eyes are popping tonight thanks to my fresh eyeliner, and my rhinestones are smaller and only at the corners of my eyes.
As I hop out of Knox’s truck, one of the valet boys eyes me like I just saved his soul from the fiery pits of hell.
Knox takes notice, and I hear him grumble, “Oh,hell no,” right before his massive hand lands on the back of my neck, steering my mouth straight to his as he throws his keys to the guy.
When we break apart, the valet looks Knox up and down before shrugging, totally unbothered by his display of possession. “You look like you could handle us both.”
Instead of weirding Knox out or getting all up in his head, Knox’s eyes never leave me as he snorts. “I can barely handle this one.”
If he keeps this shit up, I’ll be proposing by the end of the fucking night.
I’ve never been to this restaurant before, but I love the vibe. Dim lighting, real candles on the tables, real linen tablecloths, and napkins. As it’s early November, the décor is done in fall colors, and their featured cocktails are heavier and fall-themed.
The hostess leads us to a table by the wall that separates the banquet rooms from the main restaurant, and Knox rushes forward to pull my chair out. He guides me into it with a hand on my back and a kiss to my head. The gesture causes several side-eye glances to be thrown our way from patrons at neighboring tables, but Knox doesn’t change anything about his actions or affection toward me.
Opening the menu, I notice how much attention has been paid to every detail. The paper is thick, and the leather covers are clean and heavy. The specials are typed on a separate sheet of paper held in place by small elastic bands at the bottom of the first page.
“Have you been here before?” I ask Knox. Before he can answer, I follow up with, “What’s good?”
“I’ve never been here,” he says with a soft smile, reaching across the table for my hand. “I wanted to make new memories in new places.”
The waitress returns a few minutes later and takes the hefty menus after we place our order, and I grab Knox’s hand again.
I lean forward to kiss his knuckles just as a large party is exiting the banquet room next to our table. Loud, arrogant men in suits emerge, not caring about the disruption they’re causing to the quiet ambiance around them.
And then a laugh that has haunted my dreams for almost a year rings through the air.
