Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
“Makes sense.”
I run the tip of my tongue over my lips, my heart pounding at the thought of speaking my thoughts aloud.
“I’m thinking about going to work at a restaurant in Paris.”
Knox’s eyes widen. “Paris? As in France?”
“Yes. One of my culinary school instructors owns a restaurant there and said he’ll always have a place for me if I want it.”
“Wow.” Knox looks down at his plate, his expression slightly defeated. “I mean, I’m happy for you on one level. It sounds like a great opportunity. But I guess the time we have here really is it for us.”
I feel as disappointed as he sounds. But the timing is just all wrong. I’m fresh off a nine-year-relationship and I just got jilted at the altar. I can’t jump into anything new, no matter how much I like Knox.
“We’d better make the most of it, then,” I say, raising my glass for a toast.
“To new beginnings,” Knox says.
“To new beginnings.”
Our dinner is everything I hoped it would be and more. After our day together, I can once again feel the warmth of the light inside me that I thought Eric had darkened forever.
We eat, drink and laugh late into the night. After he walks me to my hotel room door, I tip my face up to Knox’s, hoping he sees how much I want him to kiss me.
The corners of his lips quirk up as he cups my face in his big hands and leans down, his lips warm on mine. He kisses me slowly at first, the brush of his tongue over mine making me moan softly and press my palms to the door.
As the kiss becomes more intense, I question my decision not to see what could come of us. My heart is putting on a fireworks show inside my chest, and my knees actually feel weak. I never knew that was truly a thing.
When he pulls back, I’m breathless and dizzy to the point I almost feel woozy.
“Can I come see you tomorrow, Reese?”
“Y…um, yes.”
“How long will you be here?”
“Just…um, I’m here until the day after tomorrow, I think.”
“You think?”
“No, I…yeah. Just one more night after this one.”
He leans forward, resting his forehead on mine. “I had a great time tonight, Reese.”
“Me too.”
“Goodnight.”
He brings my hand to his mouth, brushing a kiss over the back of it. I fumble around in my bag for the keycard to my room, scan it, and stumble inside.
I’d blame the two mai tais I drank at dinner, but that was hours ago. No, this punch-drunk feeling is all thanks to a certain hockey player with an intense gaze and a kiss that makes me forget to even breathe.
By the time I clean up and get into bed, I miss him. I only started to get to know him today, and somehow, I miss him.
Clearly my heart can’t be trusted.
Chapter Six
Knox
When I raise my hand to knock on Reese’s hotel room door the next morning, anticipation rushes through my veins.
Damn, I’m dying to see her. But why do I finally feel this way for a woman only to find out she plans to move across the world?
When she opens the door, Reese’s hair is rumpled and she’s wearing a faded gray T-shirt that says “Bakers Gonna Bake.” She’s the cutest, sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and it’s all I can do not to grab her and carry her straight back to bed.
I clear my throat, willing her not to look down and see that I’m getting hard just from looking at her.
“Good morning,” I say. “Thought you might be up for getting some breakfast.”
“Mmm.” She smiles. “That sounds great.”
She wrinkles her brow and I can feel her hesitation. Maybe she doesn’t want to spend her last full day here with me. I guess I never asked her, because I couldn’t stand the thought of her saying no.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She shifts on her feet, saying, “I think I made a huge mistake last night.”
“What, the kiss?”
“No, not that. The mistake was…after.” She takes a deep breath, her cheeks flushed. “This is a once in a lifetime trip for me. I never live on the edge. Never do anything just because it’s fun. And I wish…I would’ve.”
“Reese, what are you saying?”
She gives me a sexy smile. “I’m saying, instead of going exploring today…what if we stay here?”
And now I’m completely hard. “Here?”
“In bed.”
Holy shit. I didn’t expect her to say that and I can’t deny I’m more than excited at the idea of getting Reese into bed, but my feet stay frozen to the floor.
“I don’t…ah, shit.” I sigh heavily. “I don’t think we should. You said yesterday that you didn’t want to.”
Reese leans a hand against the doorframe, giving me an amused grin. “And yesterday, I didn’t. But today, I do.”
“You’re sure?”