Page 16 of One Last Thing Before You Go

He lifts a brow. “Nah. He’s forcing me to stay in one place, to see this through, because he knew I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.”

“What opportunity?” I’m so confused.

“The money selling the apartment would bring. The store, too, maybe.”

Wait, what? Sell the store? But…

“I could use it all to buy some new equipment I desperately need. Finally go on a photo trip that I want to take and not one I was assigned to this time. All I have to do is extend my time here by who knows how long.” He shrugs easily, and it hurts.

Does he not understand how special this place is? But then I process his words, and my heart jumps at the thought of Knox staying here for a few more days. I do my best to squash whatever type of hope or excitement I feel in that moment because that’s just not me anymore.

Needless to say, I’m not too successful.

Nothing can happen, I try to remind myself. But I can’t help the way my skin flushes and heat builds deep inside just at the thought of having him around for longer.

It’s like he knows exactly what’s going through my head, because his next words are: “Though spending time with you like this doesn’t sound too terrible” Knox’s lips quirk at the corners, stepping closer to me. The look in his eyes reignites what I lost the second I slipped out of the warmth of his hotel bed and into the cold night.

“We’ll be working here together a lot. Side by side.” He takes a step closer still, his voice low, eyes flickering down to my lips for a second too long before moving back to my eyes.

I swallow hard once, wanting desperately to take a step back—figuratively and literally. To put more of that much-needed space between us. But Knox is a wild predator, prowling toward me. I’m rooted to the spot, unable to move. Hints of citrus absolutely hypnotizing.

And I want nothing more than him. Nothing more than him ever.

“I-I guess so,” I manage to stutter.

“So, since we’ll be spending all this time together, maybe we should go out? Have dinner and get to know each other some more?”

The word dinner almost brings my daydreaming to a screeching, near-deafening halt. But then...

Then my brain fogs over as he pushes a stray strand of her behind my ears again, and I’m gone. Dead. Deceased. Someone call the morgue.

“You look cute in those glasses, by the way. Have I told you that yet? Kinda like a sexy teacher.”

Something warm unfurls in my heart, making the heat build in my core. His pupils are blown, his breathing as ragged and fast as mine (and when the hell did that happen, anyway?). I can see his chest rise and fall, the pulse in his neck. All of a sudden, however, he frowns and pulls his hand away, taking a step back.

I feel his retreat like a punch to the gut.

“I really want to kiss you,” he says, his voice rough. “But I’m not about to do it in my dead father’s apartment five seconds after seeing you again. Even though I’ve spent every goddamn second of the last couple of days wondering where the hell you went.”

I inhale sharply.

“You left in the middle of the night.”

“I know.”

“That’s fucked up. It wasn’t a nice thing to do.”

I nod in agreement. And I know in that moment that I was no better than his father, leaving him alone without explanation, without another word. “I know.”

“Don’t do that again,” Knox says in a commanding tone that runs all the way down my spine to my toes, electrifying me.

I want to ask whether he means for me not to do it with another man in general, or whether he’s making the assumption that we’ll get there again. But I don’t, because I don’t know which answer scares me the most. The idea of me wanting to hook up with another guy right now seems wildly unlikely. To be perfectly honest, I’m pretty sure if real-life Henry Cavill showed up, tossed me over his shoulder fireman-style, and threw me on a king-sized mattress to have his way with me I’d be wholly unimpressed. But if it were Knox… Well, it’s exactly the excitement that starts to build at the thought alone that stops me in my tracks. Neither of those two sound appealing, though for different reasons, of course. I’d climb Knox like a tree right now if I weren’t so freaked out.

For a moment, we simply stare into each other’s eyes, the air around us filling with the same odd electricity as before. Somehow, I manage to break away, keeping my gaze laser-focused on my boots.

“I should probably get out of here,” I mutter, feeling my cheeks blush.

“You mean, before I make a move on you?” His laugh is gentle, rueful, almost.