Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
They began to eat in companionable silence.
“No bacon or sausage?” he asked.
She shook her head. “The nitrites are bad for my migraines.”
His gaze softened. “You really suffer with those, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Ever since I was eight.”
Jade clearly remembered overhearing her brothers talking about her mother’s mental problems, how she couldn’t take the pain, so she’d chosen death to escape it. So when Jade had started to get those same headaches, too, she’d been terrified.
Jade vividly remembered lying in a dark room and Serenity taking care of her, bringing in cold cloths and putting them on her forehead. But she’d never let them get her down, always fought to get through the day to do what was on her schedule.
“I’m sorry,” Knox said, interrupting thoughts she’d much rather not dwell on right now. “I hate that you have to deal with them.”
She managed a smile. “They’re something I’ve grown used to. I’ve learned how to push through, most days, though now and then, a migraine will prevent me from functioning.” And then there was her anxiety.
Apparently, Theo hadn’t shared much with his stepbrother, and Jade was glad for that. She didn’t need Knox knowing all her flaws. Just one more reason not to get any further involved with this seemingly perfect man. Theo had been considerate of her in the beginning, too… until her migraines got in the way of his social life. He wasn’t happy unless he was hanging out in loud bars, and she just couldn’t take that for long.
Nor did she enjoy that kind of socializing. As much as she’d wanted to make her fiancé happy, she’d wanted them to make each other happy, too. And that meant not giving up who she was to please him. She’d often told him she didn’t mind if he went alone. After all, she hadn’t wanted to ruin his fun. Though she’d wished he’d do more of the things she enjoyed, too. Compromise. Something Theo didn’t understand. And she hadn’t expected his fun to be cheating on her. She was certain Knox’s wife hadn’t been Theo’s only indiscretion.
“Hey. Where did you disappear to?” Knox asked as the server set the check on the table.
She shook her head. “Sorry. I was just lost in thought.” Something she tended to do often. Serenity had always affectionately called her a daydreamer. Jade didn’t mind. It was part of who she was.
Knox grabbed the check before she could, and when she reached for her bag, he shook his head. “I’ve got this.”
He’d picked up the tab for dinner last night, too. “I can treat you to breakfast,” she said.
“Call me old-fashioned but I want to take care of this.” He pulled his credit card from his wallet and handed it to the passing server.
“Thank you.” She smiled, appreciating the gesture.
While they waited, a feeling of disappointment settled over her, and she knew it was because it was soon time to say goodbye. Still, she believed she was doing the right thing.
A few minutes later, he’d signed the credit card statement, and they both rose from their seats.
“I can catch a taxi,” she said as they stepped out the door and onto the sidewalk.
He held her hand and walked over to the curb. At the first sight of an empty cab, he raised his arm, hailing it.
The car crossed lanes and came to an abrupt stop, bringing her time with Knox to an end. He opened the back door, but when she moved to get in, he blocked her entrance. “What’s your address?” he asked.
She told him and he bent down to repeat it to the driver.
Standing tall again, he clasped her waist in his hands and pulled her close. “It’s been fun,” he said in the gruff, rumbling voice she found so sexy.
“Very.” She couldn’t deny him the truth.
“Glad we’re on the same page.” He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, too briefly for her liking.
Then he stepped aside so she could get in the back of the taxi. “Goodbye, Jade,” he said, his gaze holding hers as he shut the door, closing her inside.
“Goodbye, Knox,” she choked, placing her palm on the window as the car pulled away.
* * *
Jade sat at her desk, poring over her calendar and events for the week. Mondays were always her day to make sure there would be no hiccups in her upcoming appointments and that she was prepared to handle any potential difficulty with the parties scheduled at the hotel. She had three event coordinators who worked beneath her, as well as Lauren. Together, they could handle anything.
Luckily for her, she’d worked day and night on Friday and Saturday this past weekend, giving her little time to think. Because when she had a free moment, memories of her night with Knox came rushing back. The man had magic hands, a skilled mouth and tongue, and a voice that could make her come just hearing that deep rumble alone. She shivered in her seat and her nipples puckered inside her bra. Dammit. The man didn’t even have to be here for her to be all worked up.