Page 137 of Twisted Knight

“We can’t.” I press against his chest. “Someone might see—”

“There’s a reason I drove so far away, Sunshine. Why I scoped out this restaurant. No one knows us here.” His eyes meet mine as he runs a thumb over my bottom lip. “Why I wanted to take you here.”

This time when he presses his lips to mine, I welcome it. The slow seduction of his tongue dancing with mine. The feel of his strong hands framing my face. The taste of wine. The muted sound he emits that tells me this kiss is affecting him just as much as it is me.

It’s a kiss without a forgone conclusion. There isn’t a place where we can rip each other’s clothes off and go at it. There is no urgency along with it.

It’s a kiss simply to kiss. A soft, slow reminder that whatever is between us is there without the promise of sex.

It’s intimate when we’ve seen each other naked.

It’s tender when we’ve always been in a frenzy.

It’s … it’s wow.

And the kiss sticks with me long after he pays the tab. It stays front and center in my mind while we stroll up and down the main street without a purpose. It’s as if we know when we leave, the feeling that kiss gave us—contentment, intimacy—will remain.

We dig our toes into the sand. He looks funny in his slacks and bare feet, shoes in hand, but he obliges me when I ask to go closer to the water. We walk in a comfortable silence, soaking up the atmosphere, the break from work, and each other’s company.

Cloaked in the moonlit darkness, we slowly make our way back to where his SUV is parked. Music starts up somewhere. It’s a pop song with a funky beat that I start dancing to, causing Holden to shake his head and laugh.

“C’mon. Dance with me,” I say.

“I don’t dance.” But he watches me. His eyes on my hips as they sway. His lips pursing as I spin around like a teenager who doesn’t care who’s watching.

He’s a stoic figure that I try to cajole and tempt but fail at convincing.

The song ends and he claps as I bow dramatically, before grabbing my hand and pulling me into him.

I land against his chest, out of breath, and suddenly become fully aware of the emotion brimming in his eyes.

Desire and something else I can’t place.

The song changes. Someone’s laugh floats toward us. The waves crash on the beach behind me.

But he’s the only thing I see. The one who has my undivided attention.

I lean up on my toes and kiss him.

I get lost in the sensations. The warm sand on my feet and the cool ocean breeze. The heat of his body against mine and the softness of his lips. The strength in his hands as they hold me against him and the ache burning in every single place we touch.

“Don’t look now, Mr. Knight,” I murmur against his lips as we sway ever so subtly, “but you’re dancing.”

FORTY-FOUR

Holden

To say I was surprised to see our floor’s lights turned on when we pulled into the parking lot well after 9 P.M. is an understatement.

My first thought? Fuck. There goes my chance to kiss Rowan one more time before sending her home.

My second? What the fuck is going on? No one stays here this late except for me. Except for Rowan. So why do I see lights on from my parking spot in the lot? And why is my fucking light on in particular?

So when I walk into my office and see Audrey sitting behind my desk, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, and a mouth pulled tight, I’m more than a little surprised.

“Why are you still here?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder when I hear other voices down the hall, but then back to her.

She chuckles but it holds no humor. Why do I feel like I’m about to get my ass handed to me?