Page 64 of Fighting For You

The table erupted. Nora covered her mouth with both hands. Travis stared at the cards like they'd betrayed him.

"This is rigged," he said. "This is absolutely rigged."

"It's poker, Travis," Wyatt said.

Travis pointed at Nora. "Rematch."

"A deal's a deal," Andy said. She took a sip of her drink.

My birthday was still mine.

Nora kicked her shoes off at the door. I locked it behind us and pulled my shirt over my head walking toward the bedroom. She was already at the dresser, opening the second drawer where she kept some clothes for when she was staying over, and pulling out a pair of shorts and one of my T-shirts.

"That was fun," she said.

"It's always fun to watch Travis lose."

"He's a funny guy, isn't he?" She pulled her scrub top off and reached for my shirt.

"He is. Big personality, but he makes the firehouse more interesting. You can feel it when he's not there."

She turned around in my shirt. It hung past her thighs. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"So what's my prize?" she said.

"For what?"

"For letting you keep your secret."

"I can think of a few things."

She kissed me. Slow, soft, her fingers sliding into the hair at the back of my neck. I pulled her closer by the waist and she smiled against my mouth.

"I should also thank Wyatt and Andy," I said.

She pulled back. "What?"

"For helping you play."

She laughed. "How did you notice that?"

"Because you weren't very good at hiding it. Good thing Travis didn't notice."

She laughed again, and I caught it with my mouth.

Her hands slid up my chest. I walked her backward until her shoulders hit the wall, and she pulled me closer by the waistband of my jeans. The kiss changed. Slower. Her fingers curled into the fabric and her breathing shifted.

I braced one hand against the wall beside her head. The other found the hem of my shirt she was wearing and slipped underneath, trailing up her ribs. She arched into me.

"Knox."

I kissed her neck. She tilted her head to give me more room, and I took it. My hand moved down her stomach, past the waistband of her shorts, and found her.

She sucked in a breath and grabbed my forearm.

I kept my mouth on her neck and my hand between her thighs, working slow until she softened against the wall. Her grip on my arm loosened. Her hips moved with me.

"More," she whispered.