I can feel Knox's body stiffen. "No. But any table is fine."
She checks the list, then a sigh of relief surges through her. "Oh, good. We just had a cancellation. Please follow me."
She grabs menus, then heads to a corner table right in front of a window, with soft lighting. It seems like everyone in the room stops mid-bite to stare at Knox as we sit.
I think he notices this. He looks around, then switches chairs so that I'm in the corner, with him beside me and his back to the room.
"Why is everyone looking at you?" I whisper after the hostess leaves.
"Sorry. It's a Wolfe thing."
I burst into barely controlled laughter. "That makes it sound like you're a werewolf."
He lets out a rolling belly laugh that makes every inch of his wide shoulders and broad chest shake.
Our server is already grinning when she appears with two glasses of sparkling water with lime slices, and bowls of fresh corn chips, guacamole and salsa.
"Hello, Mr. Wolfe." She smiles at us warmly, then her eyes widen in recognition. “Hey! Shoe store girl!” She leans close, her voice dropping. “It’s only been a week with these new shoes and the insoles you recommended, but my legs have stopped aching after each shift. Thank you again.”
“I’m so glad! And did you look up those stretches?”
“I did! Thanks – you were so sweet to recommend them.” She flashes Knox a grin. “Your girl here is a footwear genius.”
There’s a warm glow in the center of my stomach, both from thinking that I helped, and from being called Knox’s girl.
She straightens up and switches back into server mode. "Anyway, I'm Jamie, and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Our special today is the ‘everything including the kitchen sink’ burrito. Fair warning, if you order that, you'll probably be taking some home for lunch tomorrow, unless you're seriously ravenous." She glances at Knox's shoulders. "Or seriously big. No offense, I mean that in the good way."
Knox nods. "Sure. Thanks. We’ll need a minute."
Once she’s gone, I murmur, "Do you come here a lot?"
“Now and then." He turns to face me. "They always remember the Wolfe family,” he sighs. “I swear, they keep notes of what dishes and even tables we prefer. One of my weird tech bro cousins must like being by the window or something."
His voice is incredibly rich and deep. Sinfully sexy. And I think he truly has no idea that the hostess and the server were both admiring him.
"So, Wolfe… I assume this mountain is named for your family?"
"Yeah. My great-grandfather Adler Wolfe settled here and bought up a ton of land. So my family is…" His hand waves at the window. "All over here. People know some of us. Which means they think they know all of us."
I smile sympathetically. "You don't like that?"
He sighs. "I just want to be left alone with my woodworking and my books." Then he smiles. "At least, thatwasmy goal in life. Then suddenly I see this breathtaking woman in a green dress, and I lose my mind and take her out to dinner in front of half of the town who are now going to be reporting back to my entire family, especially my mom."
His frustration should not be so funny to me, but I can’t stifle a giggle. Then I realize his hand has dropped to my knee, heavy and warm, as he watches my eyes carefully to make sure his touch is welcome. My heart is fluttering as I lean closer.
"I'm a bookworm too."
His deep brown eyes light up. "Really? Good. As soon as we order, we’re making some book lists." He freezes. “I’m so sorry, Hanna. I’ve been bossing you around. Like when I fixed your shoulders in the store. I swear – I’m not usually like this. Tell me to stop.”
Everything about Knox is so earnest. I like that. He wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn’t care who knows what he’s thinking.
“It’s okay.” My voice is soft. “I understand you’re looking out for me, not being a jerk.”
He heaves a sigh of relief. It triggers a deep desire in me to see him shirtless, sending a prickle of lust through me that makes my ankles lock together and my hands flutter.
We order dinner and then get chatting about different kinds of food. It turns out we both appreciate a variety of cuisines, and all kinds of coffee.
"Who were you delivering those coffees to at the dress store?" I ask.
