Page 138 of Knot What I Expected

I fucking know. There’s no denying it anymore.

I drag my mouth away from hers before I do something neither one of us is ready for. Gabby makes this soft, frustrated sound and follows me, chasing my lips.

That nearly destroys what little control I have left.

“Wait.”

“What?” she breathes.

Her amber eyes are hazy. Her lips are swollen from my kisses, her dark hair mussed where I've had my hands in it.

She's so fucking beautiful I actually ache looking at her.

And vulnerable.

That matters more.

I cup her face.

“I need to ask you something while I'm still capable of forming words.”

That gets the tiniest smile.

“You were barely capable before.”

I growl. She grins.

Fuck, I like her.

Not just want her.

Not just whatever supernatural bullshit Monster has been trying to tell me.

I fucking like Gabriella Santos.

Her smart mouth. Her attitude. The way she loves her kid. The way she busts her ass and refuses to let anybody see when she's struggling.

Even the secrets drive me fucking crazy because I want her to trust me enough to tell them to me.

Someday.

Not tonight. Tonight, I want something else.

“Spend the night with me.”

Her smile disappears. My pulse kicks harder. For the first time since I found her inside Dick's, actual nerves crawl through me.

Me.

Nervous.

Over a female.

What the fuck has happened to my life?

“I know Matteo's with his sitter,” I continue. “And I'm not assuming shit because of that. If you want me to take you home and leave, I will.”

Monster snarls.