Page 34 of Had to Be You

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Laura stood, and it was clear that she was saying goodbye. She grabbed her purse, and Knox threw two twenties down on the bar and headed outside.

He’d just made it down the steps when he heard the click of her heels behind him and looked over his shoulder. "Are you following me?"

Her head tilted to the side, and she continued down the steps and walked past him. "Are you going to pretend that you haven’t been spying on me all night and only left when you saw me stand up?"

"Wow, that’s quite an imagination you have," Knox commented as he walked beside her.

She didn’t respond, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she was smiling. He knew that the attraction between them was not one-sided. And he also knew that she seemed dead set on ignoring it. Which was more than a little frustrating.

The two walked in silence around the lake. It was a perfect summer night; the temperature was a cool seventy degrees. The moon was shimmering off the dark waters. The inky night sky was dotted with bright stars. The scenery was beautiful, but it didn’t hold a candle to the woman beside him. She wore a red shirt and jeans that molded to her curves so dangerously that they should be illegal.

There were things to be said, but once again, this felt like they were embattled in some sort of standoff. If she didn’t feel the need to fill the silence, then he wouldn’t either. That lasted until he saw they were a block away from Snack Shack and knew that once they reached her car, his time with her would be up.

"So, how did the date with Carson go?" he asked.

"Cody," she corrected him.

"How did your date with Cody go?"

"It was…fine."

"Fine, huh? Fine enough to get a second date?"

"That’s none of your business."

"So that’s a no," he stated confidently.

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to. He’s not the one for you."

Laura chuckled. "Really?"

"Really."

"How do you know he’s not the one?"

Knox turned and stepped in front of her as they reached the parking lot of the Snack Shack, causing her to stop up short. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him beneath dark, thick lashes. He stared down at her, and a blush rose on her cheeks.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

There was a moment of hesitation in her eyes before she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin with determination. "Yes."

"Cody doesn’t make your cheeks flush."

Knox lifted his hand and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his knuckles grazing along her jaw as he did. She sucked in a shaky breath.

"He doesn’t make your breath catch."

Knox knew that he was playing with fire. He was pushing the boundaries of what was considered appropriate behavior. But he couldn’t help himself. Laura had crawled under his skin, and he wanted, no, needed to know that he did the same to her.

He leaned down slowly. Their eyes were still locked, and he watched as she closed them. That was the universal signal that he had a green light to kiss her. He could continue the rest of the way and press his lips against hers. He wanted to do just that. More than he wanted to breathe.

But something stopped him. He told himself that it was because he was playing the long game. If he gave them both what they wanted now, then the buildup would be over. The mystery and the anticipation would be gone. That’s what he told himself. But deep down, he knew the truth. The real reason he wasn’t kissing her was because he was scared. He’d never felt this way about a woman before, and he didn’t trust what power she would wield over him if he tasted her.

So, instead of giving into his deepest, greatest desire, he bent down further and whispered in her ear, "He doesn’t make you shiver from the slightest touch."

With that, he dropped his arm, and she blinked up at him in confusion.

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