Page 45 of Sacrifice the Knight (Checkmate 6)

“Um…” I clear the nerves from my throat. “I didn’t say that about your dress.”

Clear green eyes blaze with humiliation. “You don’t like my dress? What the hell is your problem?”

“No, yes! I do. I think your dress is beautiful, but I didn’t say it out loud yet. Mac made that up.”

“He made it up… so it’s not true? Do you think I look like shit?” She lifts her hands and peers down her body. “I get one day off a year. Today’s that day, and my son begged me to come with him to this thing, since everyone knew there would be baby news. I put on a stupid dress so my son could be proud to have me on his arm, but then he ditches and you call me ugly.”

“What? No!” I grab her arm before she bolts. “I never said you were ugly. You know that’s not true. Geez. I just said…” I run a hand over my face, step closer, and lower my voice. “I already told you I think you’re beautiful. The most beautiful thing I ever saw. We… ya know?” Roses and sex. Her scent slides into my lungs and helps me relax. “What we did last night finished on good terms, right? I figure we’re cool, and I promised I would never tease you. But then your kid swaggers in and gives me a talk about how I might ask you out, and if I did, he’d be cool with it. He caught me off guard, so now I’m kinda floundering. Yes, I think your dress is pretty. I think your dress is beautiful, and I also noticed your heels, in case you were wondering.”

“You did?” She lifts her foot and twists her ankle, then her eyes come back to mine with a little less hurt and a little more playfulness. “I never wear heels, so this was fun.”

“They look good. Make your ass look great.”

“Huh?”

Ah shit.“Hmm?”

“You said something about my ass?”

“Um…”

Relaxing a little closer so her breasts touch my arm, Katrina moves out of the way of the moving crowd and takes up space where her son was a moment ago. Back against the wall, shoulder touching mine, she even lifts a foot and rests it against the wall. “I seriously don’t know what to do about you, Eric. You kinda look like you should be Rico Suave. Like, from afar, you certainly look like you’ve got your shit under control and have to beat the bitches back with a stick. And it’s okay, because your chest is broad, your arms are thick, so swinging that stick won’t tire you out. But then I come closer, and shit gets kinda weird again.”

“Except in the dark.”

A throaty groan plays at the back of her throat as her cheeks warm. “Right. In the dark, you find your rhythm.”

“It’s because I get nervous,” I admit. “I say you smell nice or that I like your ass in heels because my brain is so focused on your body, it forgets to filter my words. I don’t know how to talk to women the way you think I can. I don’t know how to talk to you in a way that might eventually lead to us getting a meal or exchanging phone numbers. Sex is easy. It’s hot, fast. We don’t even have to talk because we fit so well. I let my actions speak, ya know? Sex is just…” I exhale. “It’s easy. But then your kid starts asking what my intentions are, and I remember this can’t be neat and tidy like he might expect.”

“Mac asked you your intentions?” Her face pales. “Does he know–”

“He doesn’t know about last night. Trust me,” I chuckle and think of his dick shooting threats. “He doesn’t know. But he’s got the idea I might wanna date you, and he told me he’d be cool with that so long as I don’t fuck and run.”

“Oh my God.” Her eyes widen. “He said that?”

“He said the fourteen-year-old version of that. He wants you to be happy, and I guess he didn’t really care to ask my thoughts on dating. Now he figures it’s a done deal, and we’re probably gonna get married or some shit.”

“Whoa!” She shoots off the wall and turns to face me. “Hold the hell up!”

“Relax.” I slide my hand along her wrist and pull her back so we’re side by side and my hand is hidden by her skirt. It’s all I can offer, a discreet version of a supportive hug. “I’m not looking for a wife. I’m not looking for serious. I’m just…”

She turns to me. “Fucking and running?”

“No! Well…” My brows pull tight with concentration. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I just know that you’re beautiful. I know that I wanted a little of your time. And when I got it, I wasn’t disappointed.”

Her voice crackles. “But now you’re done?”

“Not necessarily.” Leaning my head back against the wall, I study the ceiling and try to rearrange my thoughts.What do I want? What am I willing to give, and in exchange, accept?“I’m not done with you, but I don’t know how to proceed, either. You’re just…” I pull in a deep breath. “I’m not looking for forever. I can’t. That’s not something I can do. But you’re not looking for a one-night stand, either.”

“Says who?” she whispers. Stepping just another inch closer, her hip brushes against mine and brings my breath to a fast halt. “I’m not sorry for what we did. You delivered on your promise; you didn’t tease the next day, and my kid is still safe and oblivious. I’m saying it was a success.”

“You want more of that?”

“Well, I sure as hell don’t want a husband.” She laughs softly. “I don’t want a man in my home, Eric. I don’t want a new complication in my world or to give my son a sense of something that’s only smoke and mirrors.”

I turn to her with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“A dad.” She studies me with intense eyes. “My son’s biological father is a deadbeat, so I’ve been working extra hard to compensate for that. But I’ll be damned if I date again and bring a new man into his life every few months. We’re not playing that game where I try to fill our family photos just because of society’s rules. If I wanted to fill those pictures, I could just invite Zeke over for dinner. He’d come, because he loves a free meal; I’d get the pictures, and our lives would go on as normal. Bottom line is, I’m not bringingmorebaggage into our world.”

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