Chapter Fifteen
Ryane drove up to the Los Padres property and stopped just short of the gates. The anticipation of seeing Knight was overwhelming. Part of her could hardly wait to get to him, the other part wanted to turn and go accept her life. But she was drawn to him unlike anything she had ever known. She couldn’t back away now.
At last, freedom was hers. Patrick was on his business trip and her father was placated with her relationship with the man. She left on the guise she was going to research the extra piece of land adjacent to hers, and to calm herself down and not to be called a liar, she made a detour to say she actually saw the property.
She followed the road past the gates intending to do a quick drive by and circle back to Knight.
However, once she reached the land in question, something caught her eyes, something sweet and dare she say magical, and rather than speed by, she stopped the car.
“A cottage?” She put the transmission in park and gazed out the car window. Yes, there nestled among the trees with a little flower garden was a real live cottage, the kind one would find right in the middle of a fairy tale.
A comforting warmth spread through her and she couldn’t stop a smile. The small structure was sweet and charming with its thatched roof and welcoming windows. She almost expected it to be made out of gingerbread.
If the rumors were true and the land was coming up for sale, there would be more than one company wanting to develop on it. No matter who bought it, they would view the little building as a waste of space. One could put multiple houses on the same parcel that held one small little cottage in the middle of the forest.
Well, she already had multiple houses and buildings. One thing she didn’t have was a sweet little cottage. A place where she could escape, bake cookies, be with Knight.
Her heart swelled.
Windsome Holdings had to buy the property, actually she could. Anyone else would bulldoze the area, make a modern masterpiece that would have every convenience, but it would be missing something critical.
A cottage.
She wondered what Knight would think of the find? What it would be like if they were a normal couple? With too many questions and not enough answers, she sped off, to her open gate.
Excitement bubbling through her, she parked and rushed out of the car. Instead of a slow tiptoe to the clearing, she practically ran to their special spot, and once again found herself stopping in awe.
This time a cute cottage didn’t greet her, but something almost as grand.
Not only was Knight exactly where he should be, but he set up their clearing to look exactly like a living room complete with a cushy patchwork sofa, a coffee table, even an old-fashioned television set up. It was a perfect representation of what one would find in the cottage.
Then there was Knight.
He stood near the edge of the sofa, tall and gorgeous in his leather jacket and jeans, hair flowing down past his shoulders. Her heart sped and she bit her lip.
“Honey, you’re home.” He held his arms out.
The invitation was almost too much to resist, and she fought the urge to run into his arms. “What’s all this?”
“You said you wanted something normal.” He raised his eyebrows.
“Who said this was my normal?” At the mere sight of him, heat rose throughout her.
“Who ever said anything was normal? I prefer magic.” He leaned on the couch. “Take your sunglasses off and let me see those eyes.”
At his demand, her stomach swirled. It wasn’t his words but how he said them. She paused, made him wait a moment before complying and removing the glasses.
“Gorgeous.” He licked his lips. “How long are you going to make me wait to kiss you, Petals?”
The couple that was her fantasy only yesterday appeared in real life. They were here, and he wanted her. She chose to walk slowly, giving him a bit of a show as she closed the space between them.
With a bit of ownership, she tossed her bag and glasses on the coffee table he set up. The sheer thought of kissing him was too much to bear and she couldn’t wait any longer. She went right into his arms.
They stared at each other, and then, in unison, leaned in and connected their mouths. His kiss burned through her, totally encompassed her. The only thing that mattered was their mouths melding together, their tastes combining, the way he held her.
Needing more, she moved back onto the couch. Knight followed, wrapping his arms around her then moving on top of her. His kiss was deep, their tongues tangled and a moan escaped the back of his throat.
His hand slid down, running along the side of her breast, outlining her waist, her hip and then skimming the back of her thigh where he lifted her leg.
Their bodies pressed together in all the right ways. She dug her nails into his shoulder when he kissed her neck, lightly nipping at the soft flesh before crushing his lips to hers once more.
Oh she wanted him, and she bucked her hips up to his. It would be easy to lose herself, let him make love to her right here, right now, but then what would happen? She would be no better off than the woman pleasuring herself in the office yesterday. With everything she knew, there was so much still left a mystery, and she gasped and broke the kiss. “Knight.”
“Am I going too fast?” He brushed her hair away from her face.
“I’m not sure if it’s you or the world.” All she could do was stare into his face. Who was this man? There was a certain familiarity about him she couldn’t place. Maybe it was simply her heart.
“I’m sorry.” He sat up and guided her into his lap. “All I do is think about you. Sometimes the images in my mind are so vivid I almost forgot it’s been a week since I’ve seen you.”
She wiped her lipstick off his mouth. “That’s how I feel.” Her cheeks heated at remembering what she did only the day before.
“Tell me what’s happening with you, has your life become any saner?” He took her hand and laced their fingers together.
“I’m scared, Knight.” Only with him could she admit her real feelings.
“What’s frightening you?” After asking the question, he took his time to kiss each one of her fingertips.
“Everything is speeding by. I don’t feel in control.” She laid her head on his shoulder and breathed in the scent of his leather jacked mixed with soap. “I’m afraid that if I continue on my path I won’t be able to turn around. I tried to take control, but there are forces much more powerful than I am, and if I don’t do as I’m expected, I could lose everything.”
“Is everything money?” he asked.
“No.” She closed her eyes. “I’ve been trying to prove myself, show everyone I can succeed on my own, but I’m afraid it’s going to be too late, and I’m afraid at the end of the day, I’m going to take the easy way out.”
“And what’s the easy way?” His voice rumbled through her.
She looked up at him. “I’m here, and it was easy.”
“I think that makes you strong.” His lips grazed over hers.
“No, I’m not. I’m stuck.” If he only knew the truth, he would shake his head and walk away. “I’m stuck, but today…” She let her voice trail off.
“Today?” he prodded.
“I saw something. Something I could save. Something I could strive for. Maybe I saw my future, I don’t know.” In no way could she mention the cottage.
“Did you see me there?” he asked.
Before answering, she paused, stared off into the trees, and let the image of the little house come into her mind. “Yes.”
“Then I think your heart and your mind are leading you in a direction, and you need to follow, even if the path is rocky, hopefully it will lead us to each other.”
She absorbed his words. He was right. “I want to know you, I want you to be there for me and me for you, but then I want to keep this world separate. I’m terrified that if we entered each other’s real life that I would lose you, and that whole thing seems like a hell of a lot to put on a man I have only met a handful of times.”
He leaned down until he looked into her face. “If you can see me in your future, one day we are going to have to think about the real world, and on that day when we are ready to face it, the answers will be there for us.” Once more, he kissed her.
“When will we be ready?” She spoke into his open mouth.
“I don’t know,” he said.
They were both in some sort of weird purgatory. “Tell me something about you,” she asked.
“I’m a man who needs to heed his own advice.” His tone fell flat. “If we have any future, I need to be worthy of you in the real world.”
Out here in the fantasy world of the forest, they fit. “What do you do when you’re not with me? Give me a hint.” She let go of his hand and stared down at his palm, tracing the lines with her fingertips.
“What do you think I do? You have all the hints you need right in front of you.” He wiggled his fingers.
His hand spoke of hard work, callused yet still soft and perfect for holding. She turned his hand over and took in his clean trimmed nails and the skull ring she always admired. “Carpenter, sculptor, artist?”
“Something like that.” Again, he took hold of her hand. “I need to be something more. What part of you tells me who you are?”
“I don’t create anything.” Her business card didn’t even have a title. “I am known for my last name only.”
“I would have guessed you are royalty.” He let out a low chuckle then cleared his throat. “Do you live in a castle, Petals?”
“Not like what you think.” The thought of the simple cottage with her and Knight was becoming more and more attractive. “And you? Where do you go?” They continued their dance of questions as they got to know each other without giving anything away.
“I have a feeling I am merely a peasant in your world.” He combed his fingers through her hair. “My not so royal court can be quite trying at times.”
“I understand.” The man truly had no idea how much. “I’ve dealt with it my whole life. I’ve always tried to make everyone proud, but I was always off. Before it’s too late I need to make sure those around me understand.” How could she marry Patrick with Knight right here? “I think that’s what you need to do. Make sure they hear you before it’s too late.” Were they living the same life?
“We both have our commitments we need to deal with before we move forward.” He sighed.
The word commitment made her chest tight and she had to know something else. Rather than look at him she focused on the black cord with four silver grommets he always wore around his neck. “Whom exactly are you committed to?”
At first, he remained silent and her eyes heated with tears. Of course someone like him had someone. What else would he be doing alone out here?
“Are you asking me if there’s someone else?” Finally, he spoke.
“I think you know the answer to that.” She turned away, but shivered when she felt him move his face right behind her.
“How could there be anyone else when all I can think about is you?” His breath brushed over her earlobe.
Once her heart slowed and she could focus, she faced him. “What are we going to do?” Unable to stop herself, she skimmed her fingers over his beard, then his lower lip. “Everything feels unreal.”
“Does this feel real?” He curled his arm around her and brought them together for another kiss.
Instead of a heated rush, they let their passion grow. First, playing with one another’s lips, then opening their mouths, caressing their tongues against one another.
Their kissing continued. Now they let their hands wander. She arched her back when he cupped her breast then ran his thumb over her tight nipple. She slid her fingers under his jacket and up inside his shirt, skimming along the smooth, tight skin of his back.
Again, he ended up on top of her. With his kisses and caresses, her arousal built and they moved against one another.
“Um.” He kissed her neck, unbuttoned her shirt and tasted the tops of her breasts. “You’re perfect.”
“Knight.” She squirmed beneath him. If they kept this up she wouldn’t need for him to make love to her to reach her end.
“Petals, I want you.” He kissed the side of her face, then reclaimed her lips.
Her body flooded with need. She had to have him, but not like this. Not on a couch in the middle of nowhere. They needed something grounded. Something real.
“Knight.” Like earlier, she pushed him back.
“My body aches for you, dare I say my heart aches for you.” With glazed over eyes, he looked down at her, his chest heaved with his panting. “I want to make love to you. We need to be together.”
“Are we together?” All they had was a fantasy.
“I want to be. Like you, I have things to work on.” He sat up and grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned on the television. Much to her surprise, some cheesy reality show lit up the screen.
She buttoned her shirt up and curled up next to him. “How did you get electricity out here?”
“Petals if there’s nothing else about us, we have magic.” He put his arm around her. “There is also electricity on this property. I just ran some cords. I wanted to try to give you a normal setting.”
Well, she didn’t know about the electricity. “I want you to make love to me when you can do it in a bed.”
“I think we need to start facing reality,” he said.
She closed her eyes. “Let’s live the fantasy a while longer.”