Page 36 of Savage Knight
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The showpiece of thehotel room was the large bed.It took up the majority of the floor plan, and was piled with pillows.One wall was nothing but a window, and the black-out curtains were open, showing off the Rocky Mountains despite the distance between them and the hotel.She was a little disappointed that the darkness hid a lot of the city, but she reminded herself Denver was simply a stepping stone to their destination.
“Do you want to freshen up before we get dinner?”
Lowen turned from the view to face him.“I think if I shower, I’ll crash.How about we just get everything done and then we can relax for the rest of the night?”
“Okay,” he agreed.“Hungry for anything specific?”
She thought about it.“Pizza.”
He gave a surprised little chuckle.“Really?”
Uncertainty filled her and she hurried to backpedal.“Or not.Anything you want is fine with me.”
Evren joined her at the window, and laid his hands on her shoulders.“Pizza is fine with me.It just surprised me, is all.”
“Oh, okay.I’ve never had pizza and it looked really good.”
His eyes widened.“Never?”
“If I had it as a kid, I don’t remember,” she replied.“Scias never allowed me to have anything like pizza or fast food.He didn’t want me to get fat.”
“You are anything but fat.”
“I agree.They were his words, not mine.”
“Lowen, even if you decided to gain a hundred pounds, I’d still find you sexy as hell,” he told her.“This isyourbody.Remember?Yourtemple.You be whoever you want to be.Eat whatever you want to eat.You should never allow anyone to govern your own self.So, I say let’s get some pizza.”
“Can I try the one with pineapple?That’s my favorite fruit.”
“How about we get a couple so you can do a proper taste test?”
She nodded enthusiastically.Placing their overnight bags on the bed, he led her out of the room, placing the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door handle.They left the hotel and once more, Evren helped her into the passenger side of the SUV.He found them a busy pizza house that boasted the best in the city, and they sat at booth that offered a modicum of privacy.
Evren ordered three pizzas—one with just pepperoni, a supreme, and a Hawaiian, along with a large soda for her and a beer for himself.When the pies came, she ate until she felt like puking.Lowen decided she liked the Hawaiian best.
After Evren paid the bill, they drove to Wal-Mart, where he chose a lot of clothes he thought she’d need for the Canadian wilderness.On top of the jeans, shirts, long-sleeved flannels, socks, panties, bras, and shoes, she grabbed feminine hygiene products and anything else she could think of.Everything went on the credit card Jeremiah had given her.
When they were back in the hotel, she showered first, letting the hot water soothe away the ups and downs of the day.When he went in after her, she sat on the edge of the bed, still wrapped in her towel, and waited.A few minutes later, he came out with steam billowing around him, wearing only black boxer briefs.The damp skin and taut muscles on display, not to mention the bulge between his thighs far more impressive than anything Scias could hope to have, made her a little tongue-tied.
Anxiety caused her heart to thump in her chest, and her mouth went dry.She looked up at him and knew this moment belonged to both of them.
Heat settled in her cheeks.Nerves rattled through her body.“W-would you make love to me?”
He came to stand in front of her and cupped her face.“I don’t think you’re ready to be mine.”
Does he not want me?
“I do want you.”
Did he read her mind?
“You have a very expressive face,” he explained.“I said that because you’re still flinching at things.I don’t want to push you into something you’ll regret tomorrow.”
She stood, forcing him to take a step back, and then dropped her towel.It fell to her feet in a damp puddle.Excitement, embarrassment.Hope.It all blended together, sending butterflies through her body.His gaze swept up and down her body, and desire turned his dark eyes into molten pools.
“I want you to replace the memory of his hands,” she whispered.“Erase his touch with yours.I choose you, Evren, to be my first, this time around.I didn’t get to do that before.”
