Page 56 of Off Pitch

That is highly enticing… and very dangerous.

“So, uh…” I stammer, trying to break what feels like awkward tension. “Do you want to watch something?”

“Is it weird if I say I actually just want to talk tonight?”

“From the man who used to not utter more than two words to me, it’s a little odd, but I’m getting used to this new version of you.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “You really are something, Lo.”

“You keep telling me that. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be good or bad, though.”

“It’s good.” He smiles at me softly. “It’s definitely good.”

“Now, that is some high praise from you.”

Knox leans in closer, his lips brushing my ear. “You like praise, Harlow?” A shiver runs down my body, and my breath catches in my throat.

“I, uh… I don’t know,” I admit. “I’ve never actually been… praised before.”

He places a finger under my chin, and his eyes meet mine. “Then you’ve been with some shitty men, haven’t you?”

“Something like that,” I reply softly, hands instinctively rising up to cover my cheeks.

Knox reaches for my hands and lowers them. “You covering those pretty freckles has to do with one of those shitty men, doesn’t it?”

I take a deep breath and cross my legs as I turn to face him, Knox doing the same. “Yeah,” I admit. “My ex-boyfriend Derek wasn’t a fan of my freckles.”

“What does that mean, Lo?”

“It means that he told me they made me…” I sigh, “Less attractive.” I turn my head down and look at the bed. It’s hard to admit something like that. I’m ashamed of letting Derek get into my head like he did, but I’ve been fighting like hell to get myself back.

“Harlow,” he says, taking hold of my hands. “Look at me, please.” I slowly lift my head up to face him. “He couldn’t have been more wrong.” Knox lightly runs his thumb across my cheek. “You’re stunning. You always have been. But the freckles help you stand out even more.”

“You don’t need to talk me up. I’ve been getting better about not letting his words affect me anymore, but you don’t need to just say things to make me feel better.”

“Come on, Lo,” he says with a slight smile. “We both know I wouldn’t do something like that. Too much of an asshole, remember?”

That actually makes me smile. “You’re not an asshole, Knox. I don’t think you ever have been.”

“Ooh, that’s where you’re wrong, Freckles. I bet if you keep getting to know me, you’ll figure that out.”

“So, tell me more about you then. I’ve been learning a lot, but I want to know more.”

Knox sighs. “Okay,” he relents. “But tell me more about what this jackass Derek did first so I can tell you just how wrong he was.”

I snag an onion ring and take a bite. “Oh, he was just your run-of-the-mill misogynistic prick.”

“Ah, the kind of man who’s intimidated by a woman’s success,” he says, taking the onion ring from my hand and popping the rest into his mouth. He smiles as I laugh.

“He was the kind of man that would put me down. My freckles made me less attractive. Running my blog was a ridiculous idea because ‘girls don’t care about sports.’ I needed to keep in shape so he’d still want me. Things like that.”

“Well, I already covered the freckles. As far as the blog, it’s a fucking fantastic idea. Saying that girls don’t like sports is one of the most absurd comments I’ve heard because there are entire leagues of women’s sports, and the stands for our games are always filled with female fans.” He hands me another onion ring to replace the one he stole. “As for that last one, that’s the most incorrect thing you listed. Fuck what shape you’re in. Anybody would want you, Harlow.”

“Anybody, huh?” I say, flirting with him like he did with me earlier.

Knox looks me right in the eyes as he says, “Anybody.”

Oh, there’s that charge between us again. This time, it’s unmistakable, though. The heat pooling between my legs proves that.

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