When Knight Falls
Page 27
“Nice to meet you, Rachel.” The way he rolled the R in my name made me breathless.
I didn’t like the solemn turn the night had taken and wanted to lighten the mood, hoping to forget all the what-ifs running through my mind. “So, you make it a habit of rescuing girls in dark alleys?”
“Not just alleys.” His voice was nonchalant. A small lift at the corner of his mouth hinted at a smile.
“Oh, no, of course not. Sometimes they’re locked in towers, right?”
“Sometimes,” he shot back, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
The haze of shock I’d felt in the alley finally began to clear. It was as though I was seeing this man for the first time. His suit accentuated the lean, rippling muscles underneath and a slight five o’clock shadow had me itching to run my fingers over the tiny prickles. I squirmed, darting my tongue out to wet my dry lips, and tried to ignore the stirring of something deep in my core.
“So would that make you my knight in shining armor?” I’d spoken the words before I could stop myself.
He quirked his eyebrow and the corners of his lips curled up. “Yeah, I haven’t heard that one before.”
My cheeks heated as embarrassment crept up my face. The unintentional pun was so corny. Who knew how many times he’d heard that? Good job, Rachel. I had just made myself look like a complete—and unoriginal—idiot.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t even thinking of your last name when I said that. I just meant that…well, you know, all the rescuing and stuff, acting all heroic and whatnot.” I tried to backtrack but my words tumbled out of my mouth in a pathetic clutter.
“And whatnot?” His teasing smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
With a confident nod, I smirked through my humiliation and repeated, “And whatnot.”
His rumbling laugh warmed me. The initial tension melted away and our conversation began to flow with ease. I lost all sense of time until Sarah and a guy she knew named Wilson came over, hand in hand.
“Hey, Rach, we’re going to head on out. It’s almost last call. You coming?” Sarah glanced between me and Ian.
“Oh, yeah.” Well, it had started out as a girls’ night. I couldn’t help the disappointment in my tone. I wasn’t ready for the night to be over. My attention turned to Ian and I said with an apologetic tone, “I really should be going. It’s late.”
Ian leaned toward me. His gaze remained locked on mine but he directed his voice at Sarah. “I’ll be seeing Rachel home tonight.”
I gave her a smile and shrugged. “Guess I have a ride.” I stood, hugged her and whispered in her ear, “I’ll text you when I get home.”
Sarah gave me a squeeze and nodded before letting me go. Ian stood and placed his hand on the small of my back, sending a jolt of electricity through me. He looked down at me with a sexy, knowing smile and I melted.
“Ready?” He motioned toward the door.
“Ready.” I plucked my purse from the chair.
What the hell am I doing? I just met this guy!
I couldn’t tell if it was nerves or excitement that made me tremble. We walked to the parking lot without a word. He took out his keys and a chirping sound echoed through the quiet summer air. The flash of headlights from a sleek black sports car caught my eye in the dark lot.
That’s his car? Oh, I’m in way over my head here.
He must have some serious money, which made me wonder even more what he was doing with a middle-class girl like me. He helped me into the car before moving around to take the driver’s side. The car purred to life and Ian pulled onto the street.
“Here.” Ian pushed the buttons on an impressive touch-screen navigation system until it showed a place to type in the destination. He motioned toward the screen in offering.
“A man of few words.” I glanced at him while typing in my address. “There.”
He raised his eyebrow at me and appeared amused. “I find you learn more being quiet than talking. If you’re quiet, others tend to fill the silence.”
“Or they sit awkwardly,” I countered.
“Touché.” There was amusement in his glances.
“This car is amazing.” I ran my hand along the sleek lines of the door panel. Everything about the car screamed decadence. I wondered if it was a reflection of the man who owned it.
“Thank you.” He really wasn’t very talkative now that we were alone. We settled into a strange silence while I fought the urge to fidget. The quiet only fueled my anxiousness at being in the car with a man who was practically a stranger.
What am I thinking?
Every once in a while, I would catch Ian glancing in my direction. While he focused on the road, I studied his profile. He was so handsome. His sharp features were pure masculinity.
Maybe he’s a model?
He looked back at me and caught me staring.
Geeze, I must look like such a creeper.
I needed to come up with something to say. The silence was killing me.
“So, you live around here?”
“The East side.” He glanced at me before continuing to watch the road.
Well, okay then.
We settled back into an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the ride.
As we approached my building, my heart began to pound with anticipation.
Will he walk me to my door? Will we kiss? Will he want to come in, stay the night? Oh my God, is this what people go through when they have a one-night stand? Is this what he thinks this is?
My mind raced with too many questions.
I had no idea what to expect or what I should say. I fidgeted with my hands in my lap.
Say something. Anything!
I didn’t have time to think of something, though, before he pulled into one of the parking spots along the street. He parked, turned off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. My breathing grew heavy. My head buzzed at the idea of him in my apartment. He turned to me for a moment, scanning my face and pausing on my lips before gazing into my eyes.
He didn’t wait for me to invite him up or to make a move to get out. “I’m walking you up,” he declared.
All I could do was nod before he got out of the car, rounded to my side and opened the door for me. He offered his hand and guided me out of the car. Always the gentleman—except that there had been times he’d stared at me and I’d seen something different, a hint of something feral in his gaze that had sent a thrill through me and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up like prey sensing a predator’s gaze.
We made our way up the stairs to my third-floor apartment without a word. We stopped at my door, he faced me and I averted my eyes. I distracted myself by fumbling through my clutch for my keys. Bracing his hands on either side of me, he pinned me between him and the door without letting his body touch mine. His heat was distracting and his presence commanded my attention. I turned my timid gaze up to meet his. He gently caressed my cheek, brushing down my jaw to the side of my neck.
His intense stare held me. I melted into the dark pools of his eyes as he leaned in closer. I closed my eyes and held my breath. My heart pounded so hard that he would have been able to feel it if he were to press against me.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
Get your copy now
Sign up for our newsletter and find out about all our romance book releases, eBook sales and promotions, sneak peeks and FREE romance eBooks!
Check out our other imprints and bookstores dedicated to romance fiction:
About the Author
For as long as she can remember, Nikki Rose has enjoyed writing stories. For years, writing was just a hobby for this South Carolina native. It was a way to let out all the stories floating around in her head. After one of those stories took on a mind of its own, outgrowing even the parameters of a single book, Rose knew she had to pursue her dream.
Married to her high school sweetheart and best friend, Rose feels she is truly living out a romance story of her very own. As a stay at home mom of two, s
he is blessed with the time needed to work on her writing career full-time while her kids are at school or in the wee hours while normal people sleep. She considers herself a music obsessed chocoholic and hopeless romantic who enjoys weaving romance stories with a healthy dose of mystery and suspense.
Nikki loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.totallybound.com