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His mouth twitched. “I'm different when I'm around you.” He said that as if he were discussing the weather. “And you talk too much.”

“You like it.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Silence. My cheeks warmed immediately. Why did that sound like flirting? I looked away, pretending to be interested in a shelf of pasta. That was when I heard the rumbling of laughter.

I turned. Knox was actually laughing. I blinked. It was hard to compute, but the sound made something warm flutter inside my chest, spreading through me.

“You should do that more.”

His expression shifted. “Do what?”

“Laugh.” I tilted my head toward him so he could see I was serious. “I like it.”

The softness in my voice surprised me.

His eyes stayed on mine. “I don’t laugh.”

“You just did.” I nudged him with my free hand. “You're capable of it. Act like it.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

He looked away. But I saw it. The tiny curve at the corner of his mouth. Victory.

****

I went straight to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water as soon as we walked into the house. By the time I came out after putting the groceries away, more bags were sitting on the table, and Knox was nowhere to be found.

Curious, because we didn't buy that much, I tiptoed over to the bag and peered inside. Clothes stared back at me, waiting for me to reach inside and select them. I froze. When I managed to revive myself, I dove into the bag and poured its contents onto the table. Clothes of different colors—sweaters, pants, tops, shirts.

And then I saw the small bag at the bottom. My face immediately heated. No. Absolutely not. I picked it up carefully and opened it. Underwear. My eyes widened. Oh my God. He bought me underwear. The door opened from the hallway, and before I could think, he was standing behind me. I nearly dropped the bag.

“What?” he asked, like he hadn't dropped them here. When did he even get the time to buy them?

I looked at him. Then in the bag. Then back at him. “You bought these?”

His eyes followed mine. And for the first time since I met him, Knox looked slightly uncomfortable. “Yes.”

“You bought me clothes.”

“Yes.”

“And underwear.”

“Yes.”

My cheeks burned. “You know my size?”

A pause.

His eyes shifted, perusing my frame slowly. It should have been innocuous, but nothing about the goose bumps left in his wake was. “I guessed.”

I stared. “You guessed?”

“Yes.” Then he cleared his throat. “Did I guess correctly? I have the receipts if you need to return them.”

My lashes fluttered. Something told me we wouldn’t be doing that. “You have keen eyes. I don't think there'll be a need for that.”