He grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. I tried to stop walking, but he was too strong as he led me into an empty hallway and dropped my hand, caging me against the wall between his arms. I couldn’t tell if he was upset or amused—for once, the look on his face wasn’t completely obvious. My heart started beating faster.
“You know what?” he asked abruptly. “You are the most infuriating woman I have ever met. I honestly don’t know whether to forget about you or kiss you.”
His eyes were blazing as my own opened wide. Kiss me?
“I’m sick of playing these games with you. I know you’re scared, and I know you’ve been hurt, more than I can imagine, but I’m not the guy who hurt you. I swear I’d beat the shit out of that asshole if I could. What the hell did he do to you?”
He thought Drake was an asshole. He was mad at Drake? “But…” I closed my mouth. But what? What could I say?
His eyes softened, and he brushed some hair behind my ear. He did that a lot, and I liked it. “But what?” he asked gently. The gold flecks in his eyes burned into mine.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
He chuckled and ran his knuckles down my face. “You need to give me a chance. I’m not going to hide that I’m attracted to you, I have been from day one, but I meant what I said about wanting to be your friend. Do you think you can start to trust me?”
I lowered my eyes, feeling like a fool again. I knew I was sending out mixed signals. I was scared out of my mind about another relationship, yet I was beginning to like having Knox around. Not only was he incredibly sexy, he was also the nicest guy I’d ever met.
I looked back up at him. “Yes.” I meant it.
His amazing grin brightened his face. “Really?”
I was still scared out of my mind, but I couldn’t think too much, or I’d run. “Yes, but you have no idea what you’re getting with me, Knox. My emotions will still be all over the place, and you’ll still annoy me.” I poked my tongue out a bit in thought.
He threw his head back and laughed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Lucy,” he said, rubbing the pad of his thumb under my lip. “And just so you know, it turns me on when you do that.”
I pulled my tongue back into my mouth and stared at him in surprise. When he started to laugh, I raised my hands and pushed on his chest, sending him back a few steps.
“You’re annoying me again, Mr. Taylor.”
He growled and took my hand, leading me back out toward the cafe. “You and that Mr. Taylor shit,” he mumbled under his breath, making it my turn to laugh.
Lunch ended up being fun. Knox insisted on paying for my meal, so I indulged and got a chocolate peanut butter square—my favorite. His kiss comment still hovered in the back of my mind. Did he really want to kiss me?
And why do I suddenly want him to?
After we’d finished, he insisted on spending the rest of the day with me, taking me to some of his favorite sites. I didn’t fight him on it; in fact, I was glad to have the company. When we walked out of the Empire State Building, he took my hand.
“Where are we going?” I asked, aware that people were staring at us.
“Ignore them,” he said without even looking at me.
I paused for a second. “How did you know?”
He pulled me forward to keep up with him. “I already know you better than you think. To answer your previous question, I’m taking you to Community 54.”
I had no idea what that was. “Okay…what is that?”
He gave me a quick look. “You’ll see.” He missed my eye roll because he looked ahead again.
“Stop,” he laughed.
“What? What did I do?”
“Rolled your eyes. I can feel it, Lucy. The earth shifts when you do that.”
I started to roll them again, then quickly stopped, making him burst out laughing. I harrumphed and tried to take my hand out of his hold, so I could fold my arms over my chest, but of course, he wouldn’t let me. So I stuck my tongue out at him like any mature young adult would.
“Do that again, and next time I’ll make sure you have somewhere better to put that tongue of yours,” he whispered in my ear, his warm breath brushing over my neck as we continued to walk. Once again, my eyes bolted straight to his, shocked by what he had said, but this time, he wasn’t grinning. As we stopped at a crosswalk, he pulled me to his side.
“Don’t look so shocked, angel,” he said as the taxicabs honked their horns and weaved in and out of traffic around us. “You have no idea how much I actually want to do that.”
A blush crept over my face, stronger than ever before. I had no idea what to say. Things were going so fast. He had edged his way into my life, and it astounded me.
He tapped the end of my nose with his index finger. “Stop freaking out,” he said with a smile. “I’m not going to attack you. Just let loose and have fun, okay?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. The walk sign flashed, so he led me across the street. We eventually stopped in front of what looked like some sort of old arcade. I tilted my head at him, wondering why he’d just stopped.
“Here we are,” he said, opening a door. “Come on, beautiful.”
Beautiful?
He opened the door, and we walked into a dark arcade. It had games lined up everywhere, and the walls were covered in writing. All I could hear was the beeping noises from the games as Knox continued to pull me along with him. My eyes darted around nervously, trying to figure out the point of this.
“It’s okay,” he said when he looked behind his shoulder at me. “Trust me.”
He pulled me toward the back of the arcade, to an old photo booth. He wants to take old-fashioned pics of us? I followed him inside, expecting to sit down on a small bench and pose for silly pictures. Instead, he continued walking through it into the coolest vintage store I’d ever seen. Vintage clothes were everywhere—on rounders and shelves high up to the ceiling. Knox had just brought me to my idea of heaven! I squealed when I saw the clothes and broke out of his grasp.
I took a dress off of a rack and looked at him. He was leaned up against a wall, watching me with a grin. I was too distracted at that moment to think about the look in his eyes. I held up the dress and looked around to see if there was a dressing room—I had to try it on.
“Now do you see why I brought you here?”
I turned to face him, a huge smile on my face. “How did you know I loved all things fashion? This store is amazing!”
He leaned over and put his lips to my ear, making me shudder. “It was a hunch.” He grazed his lips against my cheek, leaving a path of fire as he pulled away.
I was staring at him dumbfounded when I noticed he was pointing to something. I finally found my composure and looked to see what it was—a fitting room off in a corner. I squealed again and told him I’d be right back.
I undressed and pulled the pale-cream dress over my head. It was covered in dark-gray flowers with a fancy stitch, had a scoop neck, and fell just above my knees. It was beautiful, and I wanted it to be mine.
“Mama,” I pulled on my mother’s dress, wanting to show the pretty ruffled dress in my hands. “Mama, look.”
She asked the person she was talking with to please excuse her for a moment, then turned her attention to me. “Lucy Jane, it’s rude to interrupt.”
I was too excited to apologize. “Mama, look! May I have it, please?” My mother took the pink and white checked dress with ruffles on the bottom and looked at the price tag. “No, Lucy, I’m sorry. It’s too much money. Go put it back.”
My heart sank as I put it back where I found it.
I pushed the memory aside and turned around in the mirror, admiring how well the dress fit me. It was perfect, and I adored it. My face fell when I saw the tag hanging from the armpit, mocking me. I had known before I tried it on that it would be more than I could afford, but I hadn’t been able to resist seeing how I looked in it. I finally looked at the price tag and my heart sank�
��three hundred and ninety-eight dollars.
Knox knocked on the door.” Is it safe to come in?” I opened the door of the dressing room and stepped out. His eyes grew wide when he saw me.
“What? What is it?”
He walked around me as he gave a low whistle. “Wow, Lucy, this dress looks stunning on you.”
I blushed again, his words pleasing me. “Thank you.”
“Seriously, it’s beautiful. You look amazing in it.”
I waved a hand, trying to stop his compliments. They made me uncomfortable. Because of Drake. I frowned and pushed the thought away.
“Lucy?” I heard Knox say, breaking me out of my ugly thoughts.
“What?” I asked, looking at him.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Sorry, no. Would you repeat it?”
He laughed as he grabbed a hold of my hand. “I asked you what you think of the dress.”
“I love it. It’s beautiful.” I started to walk back into the dressing room to change. I looked at him while shutting the door. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”
As I took the dress off, I felt my euphoria fade. I knew it was silly to be so bummed about not being able to afford it, but it brought all my insecurities back. I got dressed, then hung the beautiful dress on its hanger. When I exited the dressing room, Knox looked up at me and smiled, then frowned when I hung the dress back up.
“You’re not getting it? It looked perfect on you.”
“Thanks, but no, can’t afford it. It’s okay…maybe someday.” I walked off, wanting to forget about the beautiful dress. Strolling into another area, I started to hold some t-shirts up to me while looking in the full-length mirror.
A few minutes later, I had two t-shirts and a cute wallet in my hands, ready to buy. Knox grinned. “I see you found some things,” he said, his eyes dancing as I showed him.
“Yes, thank you for bringing me here, Knox.”
When I was finished paying for my items, I turned around to see Knox waiting by a door. “Are you going to get anything?”
He shook his head. “Not today. This was all about you.”
I bumped shoulders with him. “You can still buy something.”
His eyes gleamed. “I saw all I needed to.” His gaze went to my face, then my bag, and I understood what he meant. The idea that my happiness could bring a man happiness was strange to me.
He walked me outside to a courtyard covered in graffiti— it was everywhere! “Do you like it?” he asked.
“Yes, this is the coolest place, Knox. Thank you for bringing me here,” I exclaimed as I admired the intricate detail.
He turned my cheek to look at him. “Welcome to New York, Lucy.”
If I’d had any doubts about his sincerity before, they were dashed in that moment. He was the real thing, no matter what happened between us. A huge weight lifted off my chest.
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. His stubble tickled my lips. “Thank you.”
His eyes widened in shock that I’d done something that intimate, but he didn’t complain. He put his arm around my shoulders and led me back inside. As we passed the girl at the counter, he thanked her, then continued to lead me back through the photo booth into the arcade.
By the time we left the vintage store, it was getting close to dinner. Knox hailed a cab and looked at me when the cab driver asked where to. “Lucy, you always have a choice. We can have dinner together, I can drop you off, or you can come back to my place, and I’ll cook you something.”
Cook me something? My stomach did a major flip-flop. I wasn’t ready for that.
I twisted my hands nervously as I thought about it. “How about you come back to my apartment and we’ll order a pizza?”
Looking relieved, he nodded. I told the driver my address, and we rode to my apartment in silence. When Knox took my hand in his, it surprised me how right it felt. I smiled and continued to look out the window. When I heard him sigh, it made me happy.
Something had changed between us. I felt safe with him, something I didn’t take lightly. You felt safe with Drake once.
Knox isn’t Drake.
Knox isn’t Drake.
Knox isn’t Drake.
“Hey, you never told me why you were at The Empire State Building today.”
His eyes lit up. “I was there taking pictures.”
“What kind of pictures?”
“It’s a hobby of mine. I love photography and take pictures of just about everything. The lookout deck of The Empire State Building is a phenomenal place to get great views of Manhattan. It’s the best at night when you want to get a picture of the skyline.”
I loved watching his face as he talked about this passion. His eyes lit up and his voice was animated—it was obvious how much he loved it.
The cab pulled up to my apartment and Knox paid him, then helped me out. He grabbed my hand, and his bag, then led me to the entrance where I punched in the code. As we stepped on the elevator, I realized that Megan was probably home, and I groaned.
He turned to look at me. “What?”
I shook my head. “Megan.” I laughed.
“Your roommate?”
“Yeah.”
“What about her?”
“She’s going to freak.”
That made him frown. “What? Why?”
The elevator got to my floor, and the doors opened. We stepped out, but I stopped him as he continued to walk. “Well, she knows who you are because of your eligible bachelor status in the city.”
He groaned and started to say something, but I held up my hand.
“Wait, there’s a point to me saying that. Anyway, when I first told her about you, she flipped out—“
“You told her about me?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
“What? Yeah, she asked me jokingly one day if I’d met any hot guys at work and—“
“You told her you think I’m hot?”
I sighed in frustration. “Would you stop? No, I didn’t, but that’s not the point. I did tell her about you and well, ever since she doesn’t stop asking about you. So fair warning that if she’s home, she’s going to freak out when she sees you walk in.”
His face went serious, confusing me. “Okay, thanks for the warning. I think I can handle it.” He burst out laughing which made me hit him on the arm again.
“Ouch,” he said, rubbing it. “Now you are definitely going to kiss it better, Lucy.”
We reached my apartment, and I unlocked it. Of course, Megan and Sean were home, sitting at the kitchen table eating. Megan’s eyes went as big as saucers when she saw us walk in.
“Holy shit!” she said, looking at Sean, then back at us.
I rolled my eyes. “Told you. Hello to you too, Megs. You remember Knox, don’t you? Well, maybe not since you were so blitzed but I bet Sean does,” I teased.
Knox extended a hand to Sean. “Good to see you again, man.” Then he walked over to Megan. “Hey, Megan, good to see you too. How are you feeling?”
She actually blushed, which made me totally burst out laughing, Sean too. She glared at us both, then sat up straighter.
“Hello,” she said, trying to be proper. “I’m feeling better, thank you. What are you guys doing?”
I tossed my purse onto the couch and sat down. “I ran into Knox at the Empire State Building, and he took me to the coolest vintage clothes shop. You have to go, Megs. It was amazing.” I stood back up and showed her my T’s and wallet, and she oohed and aahed over them.
Knox was standing there, observing Megan and me with a happy expression on his face. When I smiled at him, he walked over to me and gave me a hug. My body stiffened with embarrassment.
“Relax, Lucy,” he whispered in my ear. “Trust me, remember?”
I relaxed, and he hugged me tighter. When he released me, I looked up at him. “What was that for?”
He rested his forehead on mine, looking in my eyes. “Because I c
an,” he told me. He stayed like that for a few more seconds, then let me go, turning around to face Megan and Sean again.
When I saw Megan’s reaction, I blushed. Her mouth was wide open, and her eyes were as big as saucers again. I decided to ignore her and grabbed Knox’s hand, leading him to the couch.
“Is she okay?” Megan asked. “Did Knox spike her tea or something?”
“Shut up, Megs,” I said, not bothering to turn around.
Knox laughed and put his arm around me, then looked back at her. “Nope, no drugging took place today.”
Sean scraped his chair back. “C’mon, Megan. Let’s go catch that movie.”
“What movie?”
I looked over at him and mouthed, ‘Thank you.’ He shrugged as he carried their plates to the kitchen.
“Remember that movie we talked about seeing earlier, or were you too hung-over to remember?”
Megan walked over and dropped down in my favorite chair, running a hand through her curls. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sean,” she said, staring at Knox and me. “But it would be rude to leave our guests.”
“Uh, Megan,” I said. “I’m not a guest. Go to the movie.”
She put her hand to her chest. “I can’t believe you’re trying to get rid of me, Lucy,” she said with feigned shock. “Knox, can you believe her?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m staying out of this one, sorry.”
She pouted and sat back in the chair. “Megs,” I said, taking pity on her. “Are you trying to say you don’t want to go to the movie?”
Sean pulled her out of the chair. “She wants to. Go get ready.” She stuck her tongue out at him and stomped off to her room. All three of us laughed at her, and even harder when she slammed her door.
Knox looked between Sean and me. “She’s not shy is she?”
We both laughed. “Not at all,” Sean said.
We chatted for the few minutes it Megan took to get ready. Sean didn’t fawn all over Knox as some guys would. They were just two guys chatting—no big deal.
Megan came out of her room, still pouting. “I’m ready, Mr. Bossy,” she said to Sean.
He grinned and got up, walking over to her and taking her in his arms. “You look and smell heavenly. Maybe we should stay in after all.”
Discovering Lucy Page 6