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“Damn.” His lopsided grin made my stomach quiver with anticipation. “You caught me.”
“Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “And while I appreciate you letting me stay on as long as I have, we both knew this day was coming.”
“Which is why I wanted to talk with you. I contacted the Hartwell Agency to officially end the house-sitting placement since I plan to move in next week.”
I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. Was he going to ask me to sleep with him? Was that the “opportunity,” as Emmy had suggested?
I shook away the thought and tried to focus on what Knox was saying.
“I’d like to continue to have you tutor me in Spanish,” he said. “And I want to hire you as my personal assistant to manage some charity projects for the Leatherbacks.”
“You do?” I tried not to frown.
“You sound…surprised.” He tilted his head to the side. “Disappointed, perhaps?”
“No. No.” I waved my hands in front of me, telling myself to slow down on the wine. “I mean, yes, I’m surprised. And I’m flattered—” I took a breath. “But I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Because of Jude?” he asked.
I nodded, figuring that was easier than admitting the truth. Knox might no longer be my boss—at least for the moment. But he was still Jude’s dad.
“Jude actually suggested I hire you for this position.”
I jerked my head back. “He did?”
I’d seen Jude a few times over the past few weeks. He was as friendly as ever. But I was still surprised that he’d suggest such a thing.
“Mm.” Knox sipped his wine. “He did. He knows how much I’ve enjoyed working with you, and he thinks we’re good together.”
He did? Does?
“You’d get free tickets to the games,” Knox continued.
“You already give me free tickets,” I teased, though I didn’t expect that to last much longer now that my placement was over.
A pair of tickets had appeared on my nightstand every week since that first night in his kitchen. Emerson and I had been taking full advantage of them. The Leatherbacks were on a roll this season, and my mom was thrilled that I was living life again.
She was certainly living life again. She was still undergoing treatment and tired easily, but she’d started dating Joe. For the first time in a while, life felt almost…normal.
Knox narrowed his eyes at me. “Well, if you want that to continue, then I suggest you take the job.”
I laughed. “Mm-hmm.”
He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Please? I need someone I can rely on. Someone I can trust. And I can’t think of anyone better for the position.”
He was selling it a little too hard. Not that I didn’t know my worth, but the fact that Knox had prolonged the house-sitting gig so I’d have extra income made me wonder if he was offering me this new position for the same reason.Pity.
“Thanks, but I don’t want a pity job.”
“Pity job?” He scoffed, and I immediately realized my mistake. Knox expected excellence, and the offer wasn’t made out of pity but kindness. “I wouldn’t hire you unless I had faith in you. And, trust me—” he leaned in, his eyes darkening “—I am going to work you hard.”
Holy shit. The images that raced through my mind at his statement. Knox taking me from behind, my hair clasped in his fist. Me riding his…
“Kendall?” he asked.
I bit my lip and dipped my head. Could he tell that my mind had gone down a completely unprofessional path?
“Can I think about it?” I asked, wondering how I could possibly continue working with Knox and resist this insane pull.
