Page 26 of Worth the Want
He laughs. Not a snicker. Not a chuckle. A real laugh. My chest warms from the blush, but also with something else. Pride? At getting the man to laugh? Maybe. I don’t analyze it too long.
He locks our eyes, his crinkled at the corners, a deep shadeof blue like a sapphire in the sun before speaking to me. “There’s no one to apologize to, Indie.”
“Oh. Good.”Oh. Good?Oh my god. Oh my god. Lake, please swallow me. What if I rolled off this paddleboard and swam to shore? Would that be more or less awkward? And what does it say about me that, since he said he didn’t have a girlfriend, all I can think about is his mouth? Is that bad?If it is, I don’t wanna be good.Who am I? He makes me so…horny? Yeah, but also scattered. Incoherent.
He holds out his hand to me, and I take it, standing on wobbly legs before stepping onto the dock.
“Thanks. And thank you for the key. I’ve wanted to try this since I saw it the other day.”
“You haven’t done this before?” he asks, a little surprised. I shake my head. His surprise turns to admiration. “Well seeing as you’re still dry, I guess you figured it out fairly quickly, although I still would have preferred you have the life veston.”
I notice then that I left the vest on the dock beside the key. “Oops. I wouldn’t say I’m a professional or anything, but I held my own out there.” Knox just hums in response. “So where’s Hazel tonight?” I ask, hoping to shift the subject off me.
“She’s at Winnie and Rhett’s for the night and tomorrow for a sleepover,” he tells me. I’m not sure why, but him saying the wordsleepoveris really adorable.
“I bet she loves that. Winnie’s great.”
“She is. My brother lucked out when he got her to say yes to marrying him.”
That makes me smile. “I’ll put the paddle back where I found it and let you get to your child-free evening,” I say, awkwardly sliding by him.
He grabs the paddle, stopping me. “I can get it.” We’re face-to-face now—well, face-to-chest. Looking up at him, the top of his head is cut off from my view by my hat, but his mouth is on full display.Has he thought about me?
“I don’t mind. I got it out; I can put it back,” I insist. He lets his hand drop to his side, giving me a nod. “Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome to anything in there,” he tells me. That sounds like a subtle gesture of goodwill.
“I’ll keep that in mind if I start making my own fishing baits,” I tease, and he flashes a smile at me. “Do you do that often?” I ask.
He shakes his shaggy hair. “Not so much anymore.”
“I’ve never been fishing. All my knowledge of it comes from TV. If I’m being honest, most of my outdoor knowledge is from a book or TV.”
“You’ve never been fishing? Not once?”
“I’m a city girl, Knox. Remember where we met?” I ask, wanting him to say I’m memorable to him. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to admit it to me now and put me out of my misery.
“I remember,” he confirms. I’m dizzy with relief, which is so stupid.He stood me up.“You didn’t say much the other day, so I wasn’t sure you remembered me all that well,” he tells me.
“I didn’t want you to think I was a fangirl or something. ‘Hi, remember me? From three years ago when we briefly met? Yeah, now I’m going to live in your guesthouse.’It sounded just a little stalkery to me,” I tease.
“Wait. Are you saying you’renotmy stalker?” he asks, sounding offended. I’m loving this little peek at a different side of him. I like playing with him.
“No, I am. I just didn’t want it tosoundthat way,” I deadpan.
One side of his mouth kicks up into the most devastatinglopsided grin I've ever laid eyes on. Uh-oh. This could be bad.For me.I mentally gulp. On the outside, I give him a flirty grin. At least I hope that’s what it looks like. He walks toward me and takes the trail that leads to the shed. I follow him, paddle in hand.
“So howdidyou end up in Silverthorne, Indie?” His question is not one I can easily or quickly answer, and his use of my nickname has butterflies swarming in my stomach. I need to get a handle on my emotions.
“Is seeing me again so bad?” I ask.
“That’s not what I said.”
I sigh. “Honestly—it's a bit of a long story.”
“I’ve got time.” His response surprises me.Does he really want to know?
I clear my throat. “Okay. Well, I had a pretty big fight?—”
