Page 81 of Last First Date

“Well then, what is it?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Nothing,” he said. “Excuse me, I see someone I want to say hello to.”

He walked away, leaving me staring after him. He was giving me the cold shoulder. I shook it off. If he wanted to be sour, that was on him. I decided to have a good time. I mingled, coming back around to the photographer. We talked about some of the shoots he had done and what his favorite locations were. While we talked, I could feel eyes boring into the back of my head. As expected, it was Knox once again.

I walked over to where he stood glowering at everyone in general.

“You’ve been giving him the death stare,” I teased, attempting to lighten the mood.

Knox’s jaw clenched, and he looked away. “Just didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”

I sighed, frustration and longing intertwining within me. “Knox, we’re not… you know. I can handle myself. You don’t have to act like my bodyguard.”

“I’m not.”

“I’m ready to go,” I told him.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yes, I’m exhausted.”

He looked relieved. We left the penthouse without saying a word to each other. The man was acting very territorial. That gave me mixed emotions. I didn’t belong to anyone. On the other hand, I wanted to belong to him.

As we stepped out into the cool New York night, I felt the tension between us heighten. We hailed a taxi silently and soon we were whisked away. The silence in the cab was deafening.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“You sure? You seem upset.”

He turned to look at me, his lips pressed firmly together. “Why would I be upset?”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “Forget I said anything.”

We made it back to the hotel. “Goodnight,” he said when we approached our rooms.

He went into his room, leaving me in the hallway. I stood there for a moment, the deafening silence echoing in my ears. The tension of the night hung in the air. I thought about knocking on the door and asking if he wanted to talk—or anything else.

Unfortunately, that would probably just make things worse.

I let myself into my room and changed into my pajamas. I crawled into bed and ended up staring at the ceiling for a good long while. I imagined him in his bed doing the same thing. I wondered if part of his shitty mood had anything to do with regrets about what happened the night before.

I found it hard to sleep that night, buzzing with unanswered questions and unaddressed feelings. The one person who could answer it all was on the other side of that wall, and yet he might as well have been miles away.

I hoped tomorrow was better. Earlier, before the photo shoot and the party, he promised to take me out for some sightseeing. I wondered if that was still an option for tomorrow.

I groaned and pulled the pillow over my face. All of this because we gave in to our desires. Now, things were ruined between us.

34

KNOX

Iwoke a little later than I planned to. Fortunately, we didn’t have anything on our schedule for the day. I took care of a couple of emails and debated whether I should knock on her door. I had acted like an ass last night. My jealousy had gotten the best of me.

I owed her an apology, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I wasn’t the type of man that apologized for much of anything.

After a long, internal debate, I finally decided to man up and do what needed to be done. I showered and put on a fresh shirt and jeans. I looked in the mirror, rehearsing my apology in my mind. The words sounded genuine enough.