Page 231 of Second Sets Omnibus
And I can’t fucking wait.
“River Blue,” I whisper, stopping her as everyone drifts to the kitchen for the meal Asher and Rad made together.
“Kieran,” she says playfully, raising a brow.
“I, umm…” My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. Fuck. Nerves eat away at me. Why am I having such a hard time asking her? This should be simple.
River, go out with me. River, forgive me for being a dumbass.
“You’re sweating,” Rad quips as he passes by with a steamy plate of food, grinning as Lyric follows, begging for the meal. “At the table, Little Pretty Girl. I’ll cut up your steak as your Daddy Kieran tries to woo your mommy.”
River’s gaze whips to mine. “Woo me?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.
Rad smirks in victory. “Do it,” he mouths.
“Will you go out on a date with me?” I ask, clearing my throat. Silently, I flip Rad off. The bastard. He’s still smirking as he cuts Lyric’s steak into pieces. Leaning in, he whispers something into Lyric’s ear that makes her spine snap straight.
“Do it, Mommy,” she says, batting her eyelashes. “Daddy wants to eat you.”
“With you!” Rad laughs.
“Daddy wants to eat with you.” Lyric nods, shoving a small piece of steak into her mouth.
“Please?”
River’s eyebrows raise. “Where?”
“I have a plan.”
“He has a plan!” Rad announces over-dramatically, throwing his arms around. “You think it’s a good one?” He leans into Lyric as shenods, chewing on her food.
“Daddy always has good plans,” she says confidently, lifting her chin.
I snort, the tightness in my chest loosening when River smirks.
“Sure.” She shrugs, looking me over. “But you had better show me a good time, Knight.”
Knight.
Her Knight.
Relief flies through me at the sound of that simple nickname. Something I’ve longed to hear for years, even through my hatred.
A grin breaks free as I cup her jaw in my palm. “I got it all covered. Tomorrow night, outside on the patio. Under the stars. Just you and me.” She shudders from my intensity and nods.
“If you say so.”
“Well, well, Mr. Knight. You clean up well,” she quips from behind me.
Fuck! When the hell did she make it out here? I didn’t even hear the sliding glass door open or close. My heart leaps out of my chest at her sudden appearance.
Almost in slow motion, I turn to face her. My eyes bulge out of my head at the sight of her standing before me in the most beautiful outfit I’ve ever seen her in.
“Holy fucking fuck,” I mutter, taking her in with heat filling my cheeks and blood rushing to inappropriate areas, especially for a first do-over date.
“Did Jordy have anything to do with this?” she asks, gesturing to the long evening gown dragging along the concrete. Its deep red color accentuates the blood-red lipstick lining herlips, making her look red-carpet-ready as opposed to having a meal under the sparkling night sky.
Fuck. Her lips. I wish I could claim them with my own and make her mine again. Or with my dick. No. Not that. Shit. I have to stop thinking with my cock. It’s too damn soon to expect any sort of physical relationship with her. I want to prove myself to her every step of the way and make up for all the wrongdoings from our past. Including the temper tantrums I pulled at the sight of her in the conference room.
