Page 91 of A Smile Full of Lies
“Don’t be smug.”
“Too late.”
“Seriously, Knox. I’m not looking for a relationship.”
My smile sharpened.
“That why you cooked for me?”
She stiffened.
I stood up slowly, taking a step toward her. Her breath hitched.
“You made my favorite. Homemade minestrone. From scratch. You think that’s not going to do something to me?”
“I just… it was just a thank you. For everything.”
“And the neighbors with benefits thing?”
Her voice faltered.
“That’s… just chemistry and convenience.”
I tilted my head, stepping into her space, my voice low and lethal.
“Rosalind,” I said, dark and slow. “You think I’m the kind of man who can be convenient?”
Her lips parted. Her breath stuttered.
I didn’t touch her. Not yet, but I was already unraveling her, and she had no idea what she’d started.
Her breath came faster now, shallow and uneven, like she couldn’t decide if she was turned on or about to bolt.
Spoiler alert: it was both.
I closed the space between us, cutting off her escape route.
She didn’t try to move away. She also didn’t lift her chin in defiance like she usually would, didn’t toss out some biting little quip to keep her walls up.
No… this time, she just stood there, pink in the cheeks, breath shaky, waiting to see what I’d do.
My good girl had no idea how close she was to being completely fucked.
“You think I don’t notice?” I asked, voice low. “The way your eyes track every inch of me when I walk into a room?”
Ros didn’t answer. Her knuckles tightened where they gripped the counter.
“You think I didn’t clock the way you looked at me in those sweatpants?” My mouth brushed the shell of her ear as I leaned in. “The way you stared at my suit this morning like you wanted to crawl into my lap and ride my cock until you stopped seeing straight?”
She sucked in a gasp and tried to stifle the moan I’d pulled out of her.
I pulled back just enough to watch her expression.
“Admit it, Ros. You don’t want casual. You don’t want easy… not really.”
“I—” She swallowed hard. “I’m just trying to survive right now.”
“I know.” My voice softened. Just a fraction. “And you think casual gives you control.”
