by Autumn Reed
“Theo?”
“You know it.”
I followed him out to the garage and to the Jeep. As soon as he pulled out of the driveway, I started pestering him about what we were doing. His instruction for me to bring a jacket and camera had me baffled. Somewhere cold and scenic? The cold part was difficult to accomplish mid-day in September.
He didn’t budge, but I ended up not having to wait long since he parked at the marina a few minutes later. We were going on a boat?
“I thought sailing was more of a Jax and Liam thing,” I said as we walked toward the dock.
“It is. We’re not going sailing.”
“Then what?”
He pointed at a large boat with a whale logo on the side.
“We’re going whale watching?” I bounced on my toes, looking and sounding like an excited child, no doubt.
“We are.”
“I’ve always wanted to—” I stopped suddenly and peered at Knox. “You remembered?”
“Ever since you told me it was something you wanted to do, I planned on bringing you. I don’t know why it took me so long.”
“But, that was the first time we went running together. Forever ago.”
“Did you expect me to forget?”
“Something that I mentioned in passing in the middle of a run? Yes.”
He paused on the dock, his emerald eyes flashing. “Whatever is important to you is important to me. I thought you’d have realized that by now.”
Overcome by affection for Knox and his thoughtfulness, I put a hand on his shoulder and raised up to peck him on the cheek. “Thank you. This is really sweet of you.”
“Uh oh. Isn’t being called sweet the kiss of death for a guy?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s nice, not sweet.”
“I’d better not take any chances.” He leaned toward me, but instead of kissing me, his lips grazed my ear as he whispered, “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.” He nipped at my ear with his teeth. “My intentions are not entirely honorable.”
Before I could react, he started walking again. “Come on. Don’t want to be late.”
I hurried to catch up with him but didn’t bother trying to speak. Did that really just happen? The light sting from Knox’s bite was the only thing convincing me it did.
After Knox checked us in at the front desk, we lined up with the other passengers waiting to board the boat. Noticing the indoor and outdoor seating, I handed Knox my jacket, then dug around in my bag for a hair tie. Finally finding one, I pulled my hair over my right shoulder and swiftly braided it.
I added my sunglasses before smiling up at Knox. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“I take it this means we’re sitting outside?”
“Of course. Did you expect anything else?”
“Nope.” He studied my face, then my neck and arms.
“What is it?”
“I should have told you to bring sunscreen. Maybe they sell it at the office.”
I patted my bag. “No worries, I brought some.”
“Always prepared.” He grinned. “You would have made an excellent Girl Scout.”
“I know.” I shook my head with exaggerated sadness. “Think of all the badges I lost out on.”
“The hair-braiding badge, for one.”
“Yes, and the remember-your-sunscreen badge.”
“Chocolate-chip-cookie-baking badge.”
“Stargazing.”
“Playing guitar and singing.”
“Shooting.”
Knox nodded. “I still need to witness that talent. The rode-a-motorcycle badge.”
“Hmmm. I’d probably have to actually drive a motorcycle to earn a badge.”
“In that case,” he hedged, “let’s forget about that one. How about learned-how-to-play-tennis instead?”
“You’re really having to stretch now.” I glared at him playfully. “I have no other skills worth mentioning?”
Knox squinted into the sky, as if deep in thought. “Oh, I know. The barista badge. I’m sure you serve a mean cappuccino.”
“I do, thank you very much.”
“And . . .” He twisted a loose tendril of my hair between his fingers. “Looking beautiful without even trying.”
I drew in a quick breath, entranced as much by his gravelly voice as by his words. “I, uh, don’t think there’s a badge for that.”
“There should be.”
Knox let his arm fall to his side and caught my hand in his. Neither of us said anything else until we’d boarded and claimed the most private spots possible at the back of the boat. Even though the day was warm, once we were on the water at full speed, I started feeling a little cold. Instead of putting on my jacket, I snuggled into Knox’s side, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, holding me close.
I couldn’t believe how natural it felt to be with him like this. When we talked after my breakdown in Portland, he made it clear that he didn’t merely consider me someone to be looked after and protected. But, he’d still seemed to be holding back these last few weeks. Was he now showing me that he was ready for more? If so, I wanted, needed, him to know I was right there with him.
After almost an hour, we stopped to watch a large pod of frolicking dolphins. Their speed and amazingly high flips had me laughing and trying to take video with my phone all at the same time.
Wanting to memorialize the moment, and remembering Knox’s aversion to the word “selfie,” I asked, “Take a photo with me?”
We leaned against the railing, and Knox tucked me into his side while I took a couple of photos. Looking at the results, even I could admit that we looked like the perfect, happy—even if a little windblown—couple.
“Here, let me take one,” Knox offered. “Maybe I can get a dolphin in the picture.”
With his long arm stretched out in front of us, he took shot after shot until he captured one with a dolphin leaping out of the ocean in the background.
“That’s so good!” I said excitedly. For the first time ever, I almost wished for a social media account so I could brag about my amazing date. Of course, the majority of my followers would be the other guys I was going out with, which kind of ruined the appeal.
When the boat started back up, I decided that this would be one of my all-time favorite experiences, even if we didn’t see any whales. I was still holding out hope, though.
“Will you show me how to work Theo’s camera? I want to be ready in case we spot a whale.”
“Sure.” He pulled out the digital SLR, and I tried not to be intimidated by all the settings. Maybe I could convince Theo to teach me how to use it properly one of these days. “He already put it in action mode, so all you have to do is turn it on, focus, and shoot.”
Knox walked me through each step, and I took a couple of test shots. “That’s not so difficult.”
“It only becomes complicated when you shoot in manual. I know some of the basics but not enough to give you a lesson. If you’re interested, you should ask Theo to show you. He would love that.”
“Were you reading my mind? Because I was just thinking about asking him to teach me.”
He tapped a finger to the side of his head. “Great minds . . .”
Knox quietly stared out into the water for a few minutes before turning back to me. “Did you enjoy your trapeze lesson? Theo didn’t tell me about it until afterward, which is probably a good thing.”
“It was completely safe, and, yes, I had fun. Although, I have to admit that my favorite part of the day was playing truth or dare. Don’t tell Theo I said so.”
He chuckled. “Why am I not surprised Theo talked you into truth or dare? Any dares you want to tell me about?”
My mind immediately drifted to the kiss. Better not mention that one.
“He dared me to sing my words for five minutes. It wasn’t pretty.”
“I sincerely doubt that. What about truths?”
“I got Theo to reveal a little bit about his pre-Zenith past.
Although he’s told me before that he was a much darker version of himself back then, I have a hard time picturing him as a delinquent—his word, not mine.”
Knox threaded his fingers through his hair, and I wished for the hundredth time that my fingers were gliding through the blond locks instead.
“He had it rough growing up. I was so busy trying to take care of everything that I didn’t have time to get into trouble. But, Theo . . . he always needed attention. Since he wasn’t getting it from our parents, he looked elsewhere.”
My stomach clenched. “He mentioned there were a lot of girls.”
Knox’s expression remained impassive. “There were girls, yes, but none of them mattered before you.”
“What about you?” I knew I shouldn’t be asking him, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. I’d never even seen Knox talking to another female in a social capacity, so I was clueless about his romantic history.
“Also none that mattered.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” He took off his sunglasses, then mine, and met my gaze. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve dated a few girls. The relationships weren’t particularly serious or recent. Anything else you want to know?”
I searched for a question that wouldn’t be too invasive and came up with nothing. Thankfully, the boat started slowing, and the guide announced over the speaker that he’d spotted a humpback whale in the distance.
With Theo’s camera slung around my neck, I jumped up and frantically scanned the water in the direction the guide indicated. I tapped my hands on the rail when I didn’t immediately see anything, and Knox placed an arm around my waist in attempt to calm me.
After a nerve-racking couple of minutes, a humpback breached, its huge body cresting above the water before falling backward with a dramatic splash.
“Did you see that?” In my excited state, the camera crashed against the railing. Appalled, I reached for it. “I forgot to take a picture!”
I felt rather than heard Knox’s laugh. “Here, why don’t I take that so you can just watch,” he said, removing the strap from around my neck.
“Thank you.”
I returned my attention to where I’d seen the whale and was delighted to observe several more breaches over the next ten minutes. The majestic sight was beyond what I’d imagined, experiencing the magnificent creatures in person so much better than merely watching them on TV.
When it appeared that the whales had moved out of viewing distance, I threw my arms around Knox’s neck and hugged him as tight as he normally held me. “That was unbelievable!”
His arms locked around my waist, and when I drew back to look up at him, I found his eyes trained on my lips. He lifted his gaze to meet mine, and apparently satisfied with what he saw there, he lowered his head.
Even knowing it was coming, the first brush of his mouth against mine sent a wave of heat coursing through my body. Knox took complete control of the kiss, but not in a demanding way. No, it was as though he intended to savor every moment he spent tasting me. Each caress was so slow, so deliberate that it took all of my restraint to keep from moaning in frustration.
My hands drifted up to his nape, and my fingers finally glided through his hair. It was even softer than I’d imagined, in sharp contrast to his coarse facial hair that grazed my skin as he gently sucked on my lower lip.
I lost track of how long we stayed like that, leisurely sampling each other, until a little girl’s giggle broke through my haze. “Daddy, look, they’re kissing.”
Burying my face in Knox’s chest, I let out a quiet laugh between pants. I could have sworn he literally stole my breath with every one of his inhales, because he’d left me utterly breathless despite the slow pace of the kiss.
“I probably should have waited until we were alone to do that.” His voice held a note of chagrin, so I shook my head in defiance. I didn’t care about any of the people around us. And, it wasn’t like we’d put on a show. Well, not much of one.
Raising my head, I planted a quick kiss on his lips. “It was perfect.”
“Good, because I don’t think I could have held out even one second longer.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “You do realize what this means, don’t you?”
“What?”
“I’m going to want to do that every time I see you from now on.”
“That’s a bad thing?” So far, other than that first day back at the loft with Chase, the kissing had remained a date-only thing. Was that about to change? Was it bad that I hoped so?
Knox’s eyebrow lifted. “It might make breakfast with Theo and Chase a little awkward.”
“Only breakfast? What about dinner?”
“Nah, it’s fine at dinner.”
The glint of amusement in his eyes was almost baffling. Where had this playful, teasing Knox been hiding? Was it unleashed with one not-so-simple kiss? If so, how did I keep it from disappearing?
Hidden Talents
Sitting between Liam and Chase on the couch, with Theo on the floor in front of me, I decided that Jackson’s bungalow was probably not the best place for team meetings. Since the kitchen table was only big enough for four people, we were making do in the living room, which meant that Knox had claimed the only available chair and Jackson was standing. Maybe we should have done this at the loft.
“Can we get started?” Theo whined. “My bum is already falling asleep.”
Jackson stared at him blankly. “Why don’t you bring in a chair from the table like an adult?”
“Because I want to sit by Haley, and those chairs are hard, anyway.”
Liam put both arms around me and pulled me so far into his side I was practically in his lap. “You can sit up here. Plenty of room.”
Theo looked back at the now empty space on the couch. “Excellent.”
Chase groaned and moved as far away as he could while Theo settled into the couch. Every bit of my sides from thighs to shoulders were pressed up against Theo on one side and Liam on the other. Were we expected to get work done like this? I might as well go ahead and jump into Liam’s lap. At least then I would only have one hard body to distract me instead of two.
Jackson cleared his throat. “Now that everyone’s comfortable—”
“Yeah, right,” Chase muttered.
“—let’s get started. We normally wouldn’t do our mission prep this far in advance,” Jackson explained to me, “but since Knox and Chase will be in Dallas next week, we’re working ahead.”
He went over the mission basics, most of which he’d already described during our Zenith reveal conversation. I tried to pay attention to what Jackson was saying, but all I could seem to focus on was the way Theo’s hand had drifted onto my leg and his fingers occasionally brushed against the inside of my thigh. Liam must have gotten tired of my fidgeting, because he put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me back so I was leaning partially against his chest.
Once Jackson got into the details, though, I was intrigued by the guys’ process. Although Jackson was coordinating, it was obvious that they worked as a unit, each throwing out different suggestions and pointing out possible flaws with the plan. If anything, I was impressed with how often Jackson deferred to one of the other guys. It made me wonder why Ethan had such a problem with how he ran things. Had Jackson made it a point to leave him out or discredit his ideas? If not, why in the world had he gotten angry enough to quit the team? It didn’t make sense.
When Theo took the floor, Jackson pulled up a chair, and I was able to stretch out a bit. Theo hooked his laptop up to the television screen and displayed a presentation.
“Based on the confirmed guest list, I’ve narrowed down the potential marks to the five most likely. We know that Wilson uses his smarminess to go after vulnerable women with bulging pocketbooks, and these women all fit the bill.”
His presentation was extremely thorough, with photographs of the women and information about their history, family, and the charities they supported.
When he got to the last potential mark, Theo rubbed his hands together with what I could only describe as wicked excitement.
“I’ve saved the best for last, and she is a fun one. This,” he said, flipping to the next slide with a photo of a very put-together, and relatively young-looking, woman, “is Marilyn Spears.”
“Um, Theo,” Chase interrupted, “what makes you think she’s susceptible to Wilson’s influence? She’s a lot younger than the rest of the group.”
“How old do you think she is?” Theo prodded. “Seriously, I want you to guess.”
“I don’t know. Thirty-two?” Chase answered.
“How about you, Liam?”
“Thirty-six.”
“Haley?”
I studied her wrinkle-free face and stylish blonde haircut. “Thirty?”
“Drum roll, please,” Theo said dramatically. “Marilyn Spears is forty-three years old.”
A chorus of stunned responses filtered through the room.
“Her husband is an extremely successful plastic surgeon, twenty years her senior, who ensures his wife stays looking young and fit. They are rumored to have a marriage of convenience, and Marilyn maintains the facade of a loving wife, despite years of neglect. If Wilson’s done his homework, and I guarantee you he has, he’ll know that and take advantage by showering her with attention.
“Liam, I’ve prepared a very detailed profile on her for you to study. If we determine that she’s the mark, you should have no trouble charming information out of her. She will love you.”
My stomach twisted. That was Liam’s main function on the team? Charming females out of information? What about when they happened to be genuinely interested in him?
Theo finished his presentation, and Jackson took over, describing Knox’s and Theo’s roles that day as part of event security. Knox shared his plan for additional video surveillance, since apparently he was an expert at hiding cameras, and Chase outlined his hacking strategy.
Was it just me, or did the one guy on the team who seemed most likely to be a stickler for the rules appear to break the most laws?
“Okay, anything else?” Jackson asked.
