Page 14 of Worth the Want
No such luck. As soon as I ask the universe to swallow me, the sunny day is eclipsed byhim.A god.A god I would happily wor?—
“Are you alright?” His deep voice scatters my thoughts as he reaches out to offer me his large hand. I gulp but take it. Electricity hums beneath my skin at the contact.
Upright again, I dust myself off. Maybe it didn’t look as bad as I think it did—as bad as my ass feels.That’s gonna leave a mark.“I’m fine. Happens all the time.”Okay, wait. What the hell am I saying? No, it doesn’t.
“Have you fallen off that many porches?” he asks, disbelief coloring the rich tone of his voice. My hands rub at my lower back where the hedges dug in.
“Well, actually no. I’ve stood on plenty, but this would be the first I’ve actually taken a tumble off of,” I ramble, wiping my hands on my shorts.Why am I so fucking nervous?
“I wouldn’t judge you if there had been more. I’ve fallen off plenty of them,” Winnie tells me reassuringly. I can’t help the laugh that escapes at her confession.
Looking back at Knox, my stomach does a little flip at his smirk.Oh holy shit, he looks good.Better than I remember. There’s some crinkling happening around his ocean-blue eyes, and the specs of gray hair at his temples have me biting my lip. Don’t get me started on the brawny-man build and the way his shirt fits snug across his chest. He’s the most gorgeous man I have ever laid eyes on, and I’ve seen him before—beenstood upby him before.Fuck.I have to look away to keep myself from staring.Down, girl.
“That’s putting it lightly. How many times have you fallen on flat ground?” he asks her, his voice teasing now.
“Aaand we’re done talking about me,” she says in a singsong voice. “Knox, this is Indiana. Indiana, Knox.” She waves her arm in our direction.
“It’s nice to see you,” I tell him, holding out my hand.Again.I add in my head. He’s gigantic. I remember him being a big guy, but somehow, he seems even bigger. The family resemblance between him and Rhett is easy enough to see. Dark hair, dark brows, built like a lumberjack, but those eyes. Holy fucking shit,those eyes.
Knox’s brows are furrowed, but he doesn’t say anything,only holds out his hand to me. I take it, his engulfing mine, and he moves our hands up and down once before releasing me. It’s brief, a barely there connection, but Ifeelit. In more places than my hand. It’s like it was before, what made me say yes to a date with him in the first place—a date he stood you up for, Indie. Please play this a little cooler.
My face heats when I realize he’s just staring at me, so intently that I think he can see into my head. Is he reading my mind right now?If I told you that you had a great body, would you hold it against me?He arches his brow at me.Gasp! Can you read my mind?
His inspection moves from my face to the top of my head. Reaching out, his hand slips into my hair, and I have to stop myself from nuzzling into it. Thank God I do because when he pulls it back, he’s holding a twig.Oh. Okay, so no to the mind reading.
“Did you hit your head?” he asks me, eyes full of concern.
“No, I-I’m fine. Really. My b-back may be s-sore later, but I’m okay,” I stutter out, nerves suddenly running rampant. I turn my attention to Winnie. She’s grinning at me like a lunatic. I widen my eyes at her. Classic signal forhelp me.She snickers but speaks up.
“Alright. Well, now that you’ve been introduced, we should probably head down to the house so you can get settled,” she says.
“Right,” I agree, then look back at Knox. He’s still looking at me like I’m some kind of puzzle to work out but he hasn’t acknowledged any previous meeting. “Thank you again for letting me stay in your guesthouse. It’s beautiful out here.” I wave my hand in the air in a sweeping motion.
“Not really much of a choice,” he mumbles.Ouch.I open my mouth to say something—anything—because he’s being so fucking rude for someone who blew me off all those years ago. Then it hits me.He doesn’t remember me.That night was obviously a much bigger deal to me than it was for him.
How mortifying.
Out of the corner of my eye I see motion and flinch, letting out a small yelp before realizing it’s a dog. A pretty one. It jumps up on me but it’s gentle, not demanding.
“Well, hello there,” I say.
“Sally!” I hear from the stairs. The dog immediately sits back. Whining beside me, begging me to pet her. I do, reaching over to run my hand through her soft fur.
“I need to get Hazel to Mom and Dad’s before heading into town, so I’ll leave you ladies to it,” Knox announces.
“I thought the dog's name was Sally,” I question.
“It is,” he answers plainly.
I don’t understand.It must show on my face because he clarifies.
“Hazel is my daughter.”He has a daughter?
“Daughter?” I ask, my voice betraying my attempt at casual, sounding shocked and going up an octave.
“Yes,” he confirms, handing me a key. “Here’s your key, electric and water are turned on.” He turns then pauses next to Winnie. “See you at dinner tomorrow, Win,” he says on his way up the stairs.
“Sure, thanks again, Knox,” I call. He nods, his squinting eyes widening slightly before he disappears into the house, muttering something about my size, while the dog—Sally—happily pants beside me.
