Page 57 of Had to Be You

"Wow. That’s…"

"Pathetic," Laura teased, trying to make light of her two failed marriages.

"No." Knox shook his head.

He joked around a lot, but she sensed the atmosphere between them shift to a more serious one.

"I think it's brave. You’re brave. You put your heart into everything that you do. You haven’t let anything stop you once you set your mind to something. You are going to be an amazing mom."

Laura felt herself tearing up a little bit. That was honestly the best compliment Knox could have ever given her. She’d been complimented all her life, but they’d never felt like the ones Knox gave her.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Knox said sincerely. "And it makes sense now."

"What makes sense?"

"Why you didn’t share your fantasy with your ex-husbands. You didn’t feel safe with them, and you were right not to."

Was that why she hadn’t shared her fantasy with them? "Yeah, maybe."

"Will you tell me?" His voice was deep, and it vibrated through her.

"That depends," she breathed. "Will you tell me yours?"

"I told you, mine isn’t sexual."

"I know." That only made the mystery that much greater, which made her want to know more.

He stared at her for a second before he took a breath and said, "I’ve always had a fantasy about sitting on a porch when I’m old with my wife and watching our grandchildren run around."

Laura tilted her head to the side. "If you’re not going to tell me the truth, then just say you don’t want to—"

"That is my fantasy. It’s what I think about when I’m depressed, or stressed, or uncertain about something. It brings me a sense of calm, of peace."

"I think it does that for everyone. It’s a very common thing to daydream about."

"Yeah, maybe for people who want to get married and have kids. But not me. I could never tell any woman I was with that because it would give them false hope that that’s what I really wanted."

Hearing Knox explain it that way forced Laura to realize he really meant it when he said he didn’t want to get married or have kids. Not that she’d thought he was lying, but if he couldn’t even admit to thinking about a future being with someone, his commitment issues were deeper than she’d even originally thought.

"What about you? What’s your fantasy?"

Shit. She’d forgotten this was a quid-pro-quo situation. Since he’d shared with her, she felt obligated to do the same. "Getting tied up."

Knox’s only response was a small flare of his nostrils, an inhale of breath, and a flicker of desire burning in his stare.

"I think it’s because I’m always in charge and responsible for everything. The thought of being at someone’s mercy is...hot. In theory," she quickly clarified. "Not reality. I don’t think I could ever trust someone enough to do that."

Laura’s heart pounded as adrenaline and arousal spread through her. She was sure the next thing out of Knox’s mouth was going to be him trying to convince her that she could trust him. The intensity that she’d seen in his eyes and the subtle physical response he’d had told her that he liked the idea of her being at his mercy. And, if she were being honest, it wouldn’t take that much convincing.

"Does that work?" he asked, pointing behind her.

She looked over her shoulder. "The speaker?" It was the only thing on the counter.

"Yeah."

Her head turned back toward him. "Yeah, it works."

He pulled out his phone. "Do you mind?"

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