Page 4 of Stone

“I saw you, too. I thought you looked like a sexy sprite.”

Crap, had that sounded dumb?

A delicate flush filled Nola’s cheeks. She looked delighted. He’d never met someone who showed exactly what she felt on her face.

He was used to being guarded. He’d been a Marine Raider—the special forces of the Marines—for years, then helped train them for the last five.

“I thought you were a hot silver fox,” she murmured.

Knox resisted the urge to tug at his collar. “You like working in real estate?”

“I do. It’s a challenge to showcase all the best features of a property, and market it just right. Then to match it to the right buyer. Actually, I just got a big listing.”

“Congratulations.”

Her gaze moved to his throat. “You have a tattoo.”

He knew she could probably just get a peek of the ink that covered his shoulder. “I’ve got a few.”

The look on her face made his cock twitch. He knew she was wondering what his tattoos looked like.

“I have one too,” she confessed. “A small one.”

He scanned her. “Where?”

She smiled. “It’s a secret.”

And just like that, her flirty smile had him as hard as a rock.

Knox wanted to know exactly where she had ink gracing her curvy body. Damn, he was way too old for flirting, but it felt good. It also made him realize that she was young.

“How old are you?” he asked.

She held up her glass. “Old enough to drink.”

He tensed.

“Relax, Knox. I’m thirty-one, but the big three-two is coming up fast.”

He leaned a shoulder against the wall. “You don’t sound happy about it. Trust me, thirty-two was a long time ago for me.”

She eyed him, then stroked her chin. “Forty-five?”

“Close. Forty-seven.”

She rolled her eyes. “So ancient.”

He reached out and gripped her hip, squeezed. “Careful, Sprite.”

She stepped closer. “You look very good for being so archaic.”

“I think you’re asking for a spanking.”

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted.

Knox swallowed a groan. “You like the idea of that, Nola?”

“I think so. I’ve never been spanked before, so I don’t know.”

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