Page 21 of On His Knees

“Well, technically we weren’t in bed.” Our eyes both go to the spot where we had sex on the floor, numerous times.

“Yet,” I say, and surprise myself.

Okay, Tate, you’re supposed to be getting to know her better. That doesn’t mean sex again.

“Just so you know, I’d take sex with you over coffee any day.”

Unable to help myself, I step up to her and slide my hand around her neck. I grip her tightly, sweep my fingers over her soft skin and drag her mouth to mine. She tastes like mint and coffee and everything sweet. I break the kiss and we’re both breathless.

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sp; “What was that for?” she asks.

“That was for shaking your ass at me a minute ago.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she says, and turns her attention to the containers. She opens the waffles and her eyes go wide. “These look amazing.”

“They taste better than they look.” She divvies them up as I uncover the sausage, bacon, eggs, toast and pancakes.

“I’m going to be fifteen pounds heavier when I leave here next week.”

We sit at the table and I take a much-needed drink from my coffee. “You’re only here for a week, then?”

“Yep, then it’s back to the real world.”

“What is your real world, Summer?” I ask, since she opened the door. “You only have a first name, and you’re in between jobs. What else can you tell me about yourself? Family, friends?”

“You met my friends.”

“I saw them this morning at the restaurant. What do they do, besides hang out in St. Moritz with you?”

“Well, believe it or not, Amber lives in Palo Alto and works in finance for a startup company, something to do with the trucking industry.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, she’s really smart.”

“What does Cara do?”

“Cara is an emergency room doctor at Southampton Hospital.”

My jaw falls open. “Really?”

“Impressive, right? I have smart friends,” she says. “I could never work at the kind of pace Cara does. Which is why...” She suddenly closes her mouth like she said too much.

How can she be so secretive outside of the bedroom, and so open and honest inside it? “Which is why what?”

“I’m not an emergency room doctor,” she says, and gives a laugh.

“How did you all meet?”

She averts my eyes, and says, “Oh, when I spent time in Boston, I met them. We’ve been tight ever since.”

How would a con living in Boston get in with two smart, successful women like Amber and Cara? Something really isn’t adding up here.

“They like you,” she says.

“Well, I’m pretty sure they knew what we were doing all night. Not sure if you’re okay with that or not. When they saw me I dodged them. I didn’t want to do or say anything that would make you uncomfortable.”

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