You then go and try to sex up the Captain of your Order – who you’ve been best friends with for five-hundred years and have never, not once, felt an ounce of attraction to.”
Dawn opened her mouth to answer but apparently Knox wasn’t finished. He held up a hand for silence and came to a complete stop in front of her. So close, she could feel his body heat.
“Your poor, poor paladin humours you with a kiss, which you then see fit to bestow on Reid as well. You then declare your love for Reid – but in a purely platonic way – for me to stumble across you just at that moment, leading me to the wrong idea and causing me to flee like a teenage girl. Do I have that right?”
Dawn dropped her head in her hands, releasing a thin scream, hoping beyond hope her hands would be enough to smother herself into unconsciousness. But today was not her lucky day because Knox peeled her hands from her face, tilting her chin up to meet his pewter gaze.
“Dawn?” he prompted.
“Yes, that about sums it up,” she admitted.
Knox dropped his hand, waving it about in frustration. “Seriously, Dawn. What were you thinking? How could that possibly seem like a good plan?”
“I was thinking how could I be so terrible at reading men? I mean, I’m a life warden for fuck’s sake! I’ve spent every day with you for weeks and weeks now, and I had no idea you felt that way. I mean, you mentioned flirting that one time but when you didn’t bring it up again, I figured maybe you just wanted to be friends.”
Knox choked, looking incredulous, “Dawn, I flirted with you every single time I saw you.”
“See!” Dawn yelled, pointing at him. “This is what I’m talking about. I had no idea. I knew I wanted you to like me the same way I liked you, but I wasn’t getting any vibes. I figured it was just hope, you know? And then you kissed me last night and my heart went all pitty-pat and I got all tingly and lightheaded. It made me question everything I knew about attraction and men and signals.” She snorted, “Which, it seems, is exactly nothing. I know nothing.”
Knox was silent for a long time, his eyes watching her with focused regard. “Your heart went pitty-pat, huh?”
Dawn peered at him, fearful and hopeful at the same time. “Yes.”
“Why do you suppose it did that?” he then asked.
Dawn chewed her lip, wanting to get the answer correct. It was too important to get wrong. “Because I like you?” she ventured.
“Is that a statement or a question?” Knox demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and causing his biceps to flex appealingly.
Dawn straightened her spine. “A statement. I like you, Knox.”
“Like me as in …?” he asked, repeating Dawn’s question from the day before.
Taking a chance, Dawn took a few steps closer to him. “As in, like you, like you. I like you as a man, Knox. I like you as a chaden. I like the way your grey eyes darken like thunderstorms when you’re angry. I like the love you show for your sons. I like the way you look at me when I talk as if what I have to say is the most important thing in the world. I like the way your butt looks in jeans. I like you, Knox.”
“Now, that, is the right answer,” Knox said, snatching Dawn close and taking siege to her lips.
Dawn moaned, wrapping her arms around Knox’s head and holding onto his ears so he couldn’t escape. The kiss spun out of control, both of them fighting for dominance. Dawn managed to pull back, giving his top lip a small bite before soothing it with her tongue. Her hands roamed across Knox’s broad chest, slipping under the hem of his shirt and discovering hot skin covered in a fine smattering of hair. Knox allowed her to explore and she decided to take advantage of his kind nature. She dropped to her knees.
“What are you doing?” Knox asked breathlessly, eyes round as saucers as his chest rose and fell rapidly.
Dawn smiled up at him from her new position, squeezing his hardness through his jeans. The thick fabric was definitely a hindrance and she reached up to unbutton them and pull down the zipper amid a flurry of curses. She hummed happily when his hard cock was instantly revealed. He wasn’t wearing underwear. Pushing his jeans