Page 29 of Conception
My hands find his shirt and I bunch them into fists, gripping the material while staring up into desirous eyes. “Knox—”
It’s all I get out before he hijacks my mouth in a desperate kiss.
As quickly as it happened, he withdraws, tugging my hand and leading me out of the house to a beautiful red-and-white convertible that I know from experience has to be a classic Ford. I can’t believe I missed this beauty yesterday in the rain.
As I’m admiring the car, I struggle to keep up with him. When we make it to the passenger’s-side door, he opens it, deposits me inside, ensures all my limbs are accounted for, then closes it.
He leans down to the open window. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” I ask, scooting across the bench seat to the open driver’s-side window.
Knox just grunts an inaudible answer and disappears from sight. I nervously toy with my fingertips, curious about his antics. When he returns, I nearly giggle at the sight of my purse slung over his broad shoulder.
He gets in the car, and though I probably should move back to the passenger’s seat, I stay right where I am. He holds up a set of keys. “I couldn’t exactly leave the door wide open for anyone to just wander in, so I locked up for you. And seeing as how this purse was on the ground right next to the spot where I kissed you senseless, I figured it was safe to assume you planned on bringing it.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.” I glance around the car. “Do you, ah, need me to move over so you can shift?”
He places his left hand on the steering wheel and I can’t help but appreciate the way his taut forearm flexes. “Christ, you’re fucking cute. No, babe. You don’t need to move. I can shift between your legs just fine.”
I squirm a bit at the idea, and a bead of sweat rolls down my back. Stick-shift activities indeed. “I have complete faith in you.”
“Dammit, Amelia, you have to stop blushing or we’re going nowhere.”
I grin at him. “That doesn’t exactly sound like a half bad idea to me.”
He gives me a pointed look, his jaw all tight and sexy, his tone bossy. “We’re going out. We eat, we talk. Catch the movie. Then we’ll see what happens after that. ’Cause, babe, if I didn’t get you out of that house, there’s no telling what we’d be doing.” He grins. “Not that I don’t want that. I just promised you a date and I know you don’t know me well, but Ialwayskeep my promises, especially to a beautiful woman. Not to mention, I’m kinda hoping you need someone to hold you tight just in case you get a bit spooked at the drive-in.”
It’s my first glimpse of this side of him, the kind of alpha-y, this-is-my-woman, Tarzan ownership thing, and hell, I like it. I like it a lot.
Instead of letting him in on that fact, I enjoy the radio while he drives a few miles outside Crystal Cove to the nearest drive-in. We stop at a little diner nearby to order burgers, fries, and shakes—strawberry for me, chocolate for him.
It’s totally cliché.
And totally rad.
At dinner with Knox, I learn he’s about to enter his final year of college then plans to work for his father’s business, alongside his brother. He doesn’t ask about my parents, and I wonder if he knows something or if he’s just exceptional at reading people. I tell him about Grams, living with her until last year, and I think he reads between the lines that parents aren’t in the picture. When he finds out I like photography, he mentions a couple of hikes he plans on doing this summer in the Smokies and asks if I want to come along.
I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel some foreign squeeze in my belly at the thought of spending more time with him. I’d also be lying if I say this instant attraction doesn’t scare me a little bit, knowing it’ll eventually come to an end.
Instead of brushing him off, I push my fears aside and beam at him, readily accepting the invitation. What better place to utilize the skills I’ve learned over the last few years than the gorgeous Smoky Mountains? If I happen to snap a couple of pictures of Knox at the same time, well, that’d be bonus.
“You ready for this?” he asks when he parks and gets the audio set up for the movie.
Considering I’m not exactly sure whatthisis, I don’t know how I want to answer. But if it’s more of what came earlier, then yes. I amsoready.
Unlike on the way to the diner, I’m sitting on the passenger’s side of his car. The short drive to the drive-in, I was racking my brain, wondering if I should scoot, but I never did. Now that we’re parked, I’m thinking its time I move over when Knox’s voice interrupts my thoughts.
“Babe.”
I sure am getting used to that one-word moniker. I glance in his direction and see his left arm resting on the lowered window, his right arm stretched out across the back of the seat, and his eyebrows raised at me.
“Um, yes?” I ask.
“I’ve got long arms, but I can’t exactly hold you during the scary parts if you’re clear across the car.”
“Or you could come to me,” I say with a haughty tone I’m not sure I’ve ever used before.
His jaw twitches, and he glances at his legs then over to mine. “Seein’ as my legs are about twice the length of yours, I don’t think I’m goin’ to be moving over. Come on, Amelia. I won’t bite,” Just as my gaze falls to his lips, he finishes with, “Yet.”
