Page 14 of Golden Knight

His words piss me off beyond belief because he’s partly right. Amber doesn’t trust me, at least not yet. Before he can take his finger away, I grab it and twist it, pulling him closer to me. “You know, asshole, it would be smart if you knew who you were threatening before you did it. Don’t ever insert yourself between Amber and me or I will fucking kill you,” I say as I push him back, releasing his finger at the same time.

He stumbles back some but recovers quickly. When Amber finally walks into the room she glances between Paul and me, clears her throat, and questions, “Is everything okay here?”

“Yeah, Paul. Is everything okay here?”

Paul's eyes go wide but Amber doesn’t see it because he’s still looking at me. He thought he had me, but I know Amber wouldn’t appreciate learning that her friend here just threatened me. Then he turns to Amber and shakes his head yes, then coughs while holding the finger I had twisted earlier. “Everything’s fine.”

I grin at him and Amber when I remember the sunflowers in my hands. “These are for you,” I gesture to the flowers.

She gives me her megawatt smile, a smile that could bring anyone to their knees when she grabs them from me and heads toward her kitchen. “Thank you for these, they are so pretty.”

I move around Paul and follow her to the kitchen where she looks through the cabinets, probably for something to put the flowers in. When she finally finds exactly what she’s looking for, her eyes light up. I watch as she places the flowers into the vase. I get a closer look and chuckle. “Amber, is that a cat face?”

She looks down and answers, “I bought it at a thrift store. It brought a smile to my face, so I got it. It was one of my first purchases…” she trails off.

“Well, it’s perfectly you. Should we head to dinner?”

“Yes.” She turns to Paul, “Hey, make sure you lock up when you leave.”

He just nods his head, but my jaw tightens at the realization that if he can lock up that must mean he has a key to her apartment. What type of fucking relationship do they have? I take a deep breath trying to calm myself.

He was there for her even though I hate that fact.

When we pull the car up to the restaurant, Amber looks at the building and turns to me. “You didn’t?” she gasps.

“Oh, I did,” I say with a wink.

“I can’t believe you remembered.”

That's when I grab her hand, pull it to my lips, and kiss her knuckles one by one. “I remember everything, sunshine. My thoughts never strayed far from you.”

“Jake,” she whispers, her eyes misty as she tries to blink away her tears.

I lift my other hand, wiping a tear that escapes her eyes and tracks down her cheek. “Don’t cry, baby.”

“I just can’t believe you remember that Jack’s Place was my favorite restaurant in the city.”

I let go of her hands. “Well, let's go eat sunshine. I can’t wait to try this place.”

“Hopefully it’s as good as I remember.” She turns to open her door.

“Stop right there. Wait for me.”

“Jake, I can get my own door,” she snaps with a bratty tone.

I narrow my eyes at her, “You will wait for me before you get out.”

Opening my door, I get out and move around the hood to her side quickly before she can protest more. When I open her door, she looks at me and grumbles, “When did you become so bossy?”

I grab her hand, pulling her out of the car. “Sunshine. I’ve always been bossy. And you love it.”

Entering the restaurant, I can’t help but watch Amber's face light up as she looks around the room, and a warm feeling fills my chest. “Welcome to Jack’s Place. Just the two of you?”

I wrap my arm around Amber. “Yes, table for two.”

The host looks down at the computer and grabs two menus. “Right this way.”

We follow the host to a booth in the back corner, giving us a bit of privacy. After the host leaves, we both look over the menu, giving our orders to the waitress when she comes to our table. Once we’re left alone, I reach across the table to hold her hand.

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