Page 194 of Knot So Lucky
"Adrian?" Her voice is soft, concerned. "You okay?"
"Yeah,tesoro." I press a kiss to her neck, just below her jaw. "Just needed to ground myself for a moment. Feeling overwhelmed by how perfect you are."
It's not entirely a lie.
Sheisperfect, and Iamoverwhelmed—just not for the romantic reasons I'm implying.
Aurora smirks, turning in my lap to face me properly.
"You're such a smooth talker."
"Only with you."
She leans in, and I meet her halfway. The kiss starts soft—gentle exploration, tender affection, the kind of intimacy that speaks to genuine connection rather than just physical attraction.
But it heats quickly.
Aurora's hands thread through my hair, pulling me closer while she shifts in my lap to straddle me properly. My hands slide up her back, one settling between her shoulder blades while the other cups the back of her head.
The kiss deepens, tongues meeting and exploring, her taste mixing with the espresso we've been drinking. She makes a small sound—somewhere between contentment and arousal—that goes straight to my cock.
I'm hard within seconds, my body responding to her proximity and scent and the way she's pressed against me in this semi-public booth.
"Cazzo," I breathe against her lips. "You're going to kill me,bellissima."
"Pretty sure that's not how CPR works," she teases, but her voice is breathy and her pupils are dilated.
I'm about to suggest we find somewhere more private when someone clears their throat.
We break apart to find the barista standing at our booth, holding a fresh carafe of espresso and trying very hard not to smile.
"Refills?" she asks, voice carefully neutral. "Or should I come back later?"
Aurora practically launches herself off my lap, her face turning bright red in a blush that's absolutely adorable.
"No! We're good! Thank you!"
The barista pours the refills with professional efficiency, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement, before leaving us alone again.
Aurora refuses to meet my eyes, the blush spreading down her neck in ways that make me want to trace its path with my tongue.
"We should probably get back to work," she mutters, deliberately focusing on the screens instead of me. "Before Luca tries to make us suffer with more laps or some unnecessary nonsense."
I chuckle, letting her have the deflection even though my body is protesting the interrupted moment.
"Agreed. Though for the record, I'm very much looking forward to continuing that kiss somewhere more private."
"Adrian!"
"What? I'm just being honest about my intentions,tesoro."
She huffs, but she's smiling as we gather our things and prepare to leave.
I make sure to grab my phone, the threatening message still burning in my mind even as I maintain the facade of casual date aftermath.
Back at Thorne Racing HQ, I head straight for the secure tech lab that Elias and I have been using for our investigation.
Elias is already there, hunched over multiple screens displaying code and data visualizations that would be incomprehensible to most people.
