He smiles. "Mom and Aunt Darlene. They don't go shopping often, so when they do, it becomes a whole mission."
"I think it's sweet that you take care of her."
Knox smiles, then freezes, his hands flattening on the table. "Holy shit," he mutters.
"What's wrong?"
He meets my worried gaze. "Please don't read anything into this. It's kind of weird."
“You’re freaking me out," I laugh. “Just spit it out."
"Okay. Mom has recently been on a mission to get my brothers and I dating. She started ranting about grandkids someday, the whole bit. Said that if we weren’t dating someone within six months, she was going to start fixing us up with her friends' daughters."
"That sounds awful," I sympathize.
"So part of answering her text requesting coffee was to try to put her in a good mood. I figure women probably get talking while they're shopping, and I didn't want her asking around to set me up already."
He taps my elbow lightly with his. "But then I saw the most beautiful girl in the world looking like a goddess, smiling and looking so happy. Every other thought fell out of my head. And as soon as you frowned, it became my mission in life to cheer you up."
I'm not quite sure what to think. "So… You asked me to dinner just so I won't look sad?"
"No." He slips his fingers through mine, leaning close. The air around us begins to crackle. Being this close to him makes my pulse beat off-kilter.
"I asked you to dinner because you're gorgeous, and have this lovely, sweet energy. I needed to get to know you. And even though I know I've barely scratched the surface of finding out who you are…" My breath catches as his stunning, thousand-watt smile hits me. "If there weren't so many people staring at us right now, I would beg you for a kiss.”
My heart is hammering. Half my brain has turned to cotton candy.
Breathe. Swallow. Return his smile.
Finally, I find enough air to whisper, "You wouldn't have to beg."
He lifts my hand, keeping it angled so nobody else in the room can see, and kisses the back of it. The warmth of his lips on my skin sends my mind spiraling. Then he kisses each fingertip before setting my hand back down on my thigh.
“Hanna… This is just the first of many dates, right?”
I’m already nodding. “Yes.”
“And when I drive you home and walk you to your door, you’ll remind me not to lose my mind when I say goodnight, right?”
My head shakes. “Nope. Sorry. Not at all.”
3
KNOX
I’m already falling for this incredible girl.
Every freckle, every eyelash. The way she describes the books she enjoys. I love the way her mind works – like how she decided that splitting a churro drizzled with chocolate sauce counted as an after-dinner snack.
I've never felt this much emotion at once before. There’s a shift deep within me while staring at Hanna's bright eyes. Not just in the center of my chest, where my long-neglected heart presumably resides, but also in my guts. Up and down my spine.
Hanna ismine. My woman. This knowledge is already there, in a primitive, caveman way. Something I just understand. Like recognizing the scent of the air ten minutes before it rains, or how I trust gravity, without understanding the mechanics of it.
"You're staring." Hanna dabs at her luscious lips with a napkin. "Do I have chocolate on my face?"
My hand reaches out, and I gently caress her cheekbone with my thumb. "No chocolate, just beauty."
She blinks sharply in surprise, then her pupils widen. "Do men usually say stuff like that on a first date?"
