Page 25 of Knot Really Engaged
“I don’t know . . .” she trails off, her words hanging in the air between us. She looks down,fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie. “Between Ben and me, things were explosive, you know?”
I raise an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “Explosive, as in the sex was amazing, or you two were fighting all the time?”
She sighs, a wistful expression crossing her face. “Everything was difficult, you know, and then the smallest of things ended up in a big fight, though he said it’s normal for adults to have those kinds of relationships.”
“Is it?” I ask, my voice laced with skepticism. “Because I don’t think love has to be a bunch of fights all the time. More when you love the other person, you should find ways to communicate, to compromise, to work through the challenges together.”
“How do you know? You’ve never been in a relationship,” she counters. Her eyes narrow, challenging me to prove her wrong.
“No, but I know what I grew up with—lots of fights. Mom has never had that kind of explosion with Dad, and it wasn’t love. Love is what she has with Malcolm,” I explain, my voice soft but filled with conviction. The memories of my parents’ tumultuous relationship flash through my mind. Those two taught me what love shouldn’t be.
“You know what, now that I think about it, after every fight—which usually he started—he’d ghostme for days,” she confesses, a mirthless laugh escaping her lips. “God, it was right there. How didn’t I see it?” She shakes her head.
“Because you trusted him,” I offer, my tone gentle and understanding. I reach out, placing a hand on top of hers, squeezing it.
“I did trust him,” she confirms. “Love sucks.”
“Sorry he broke your heart.”
She snorts. “Actually, he didn’t really. Every time I try to remember when or how I fell in love with him, I come up empty. He seemed so perfect online.”
“Wait, you met him online?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I’m too busy to waste my time searching for Mr. Right myself—I don’t even know where I would look for him.”
“I can’t say that an app is the obvious way to find cheaters. Those are everywhere, but I guess it’s easier for anyone to make themselves look like what you’re looking for,” I state.
“Yeah, he sounded like the perfect candidate to bring home,” she confesses. “I think I was so obsessed with pleasing my parents I didn’t even stop to figure out how I really felt about him.”
“Probably, and I’m sorry that asshole took advantage of you,” I say, my thumb rubbing soothing circles on her palm. I wish I could show her that love can be so much more than what she’sexperienced, but I’m just like my father—not good at it.
I suck at it.
“How pathetic is that after an almost year relationship all I have is anger inside me—none of that love I thought I had for him.”
“Maybe it’s grief speaking. Isn’t anger one of the steps?” I offer, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“Do you know how to kiss?” she asks abruptly, her eyes locking with mine. The question catches me off guard, and I feel my heart skip a beat.
I blink a couple of times, trying to process her words. “Kiss?”
“If we have to sell it, we might as well go all the way. PDA and all that shit.” Her lips curve into a smirk, and I can’t help but be drawn in by her sudden change in demeanor.
I’m tempted to ask what all the way or all that shit means, but I keep the response simple. “Yes, I think I’m proficient in the art of kissing.”
Before I can think better of it, I lean in closer until our faces are mere inches apart. The floral scent of her perfume surrounds me, intoxicating. “Like this,” I murmur, my voice low and husky.
I lean closer, my heart pounding in my chest as I close the distance between us. Gently cradling her face in my hands, I brush my lipsagainst hers in a featherlight caress. I meant to just demonstrate, to keep things simple.
But the moment our mouths connect, it’s like a dam bursting.
Heat surges through my veins as her soft lips move against mine, igniting a fire deep within me.
A ragged groan escapes me, the sound primal and needy.
What started as an innocent demonstration quickly deepens into something rawer, more intense. I angle my head, my tongue delving to taste the sweetness of her mouth. Audrey whimpers, melting against me as I pull her lithe body flush against mine. The feel of her curves pressing against my hardness sends a shiver down my spine, and I can’t help but crave more.
My hands roam down the curve of her spine, mapping the contours of her body as our kiss turns hungrier, needier. She tastes like sin and temptation and everything I’m not supposed to want. But I’m powerless to resist the smoldering fire between us, the magnetic pull that draws me to her like a moth to a flame.
