I ran my tongue over my teeth. "I floss sometimes." His shoulders hunched like I'd shot him with an arrow. "I'm joking," I assured him. "Have you seen my smile? I have a great smile."
Knox gave me another look, this time longer and filled with a quiet kind of heat that warmed my chest. He glanced back down. "Regardless, you need to make an appointment. We can prescribe you muscle relaxers and show you acupressure points to relieve some of the pain. Therearethings that help. But not if you ignore it."
"Hm." I wrapped my arms around my knees, still watching him. "Surprising to hear you care, Mister Let-Me-Just-Move-Out-Of-The-Way-While-This-Girl-Smashes-Into-A-Glass-Wall."
"Please, Gemma." He popped one eyebrow. "Mister Let-Me-Just-Move-Out-Of-The-Way-While-This-Girl-Smashes-Into-A-Glass-Wall was my grandfather. Call me Knox."
"I guess I can forgive you since you let me nap in your bed."
"It's yours," he said simply. "I should have given it to you initially." He sprinkled shredded cheese, lettuce, diced tomato, and then avocado into the wraps.
I frowned. "I'm not taking your bed, Knox. And despite what you think about me, I swear, I didn't come into this intending to make your life hell."
"I never thought you did," he replied placidly. He finished folding the wraps and cut them in half. "I was mad, but not necessarily at you."
I got off the stool and started to gather up the ingredients he had strewn around the counters. "I'm not sure how I feel about you being less robotic, Fudgecake. It's freaking me out."
"Fudgecake?" he asked with derision.
"It's an inside joke." I zipped the tortilla bag closed and piled the shredded cheese bag on top of it.
"With whom?"
"Myself, obviously." I waved him away dismissively and opened the fridge to neatly deposit the items where they belonged. "Anyway, thank you for helping me. I'm sorry we're stuck together, but I'll figure something out."
Knox came up behind me and reached his arm around my body to close the fridge with a crispsnap.My pulse sprinted, my body too aware of how near he was and how solid his arms felt on either side of me. Slowly, I turned in his arms, but he didn't remove his hands from the fridge. Those husky light eyes drilled straight into my soul. "Marry me, and we can fix this."
I seized up, and with a strangled voice, I choked out, "Ye Gods."
He gave me a dubious chin tilt. "I think you made that phrase up."
"I didn't," I squeezed out. "And stop saying that."
"Why? You don't like it?" Knox didn't let even a wisp of emotion show through his expression. But the heat in his eyes was unmistakable.
Holy shit,I thought with a dawning realization.This is Rook flirting. And he'sgoodat it.Fuck me dead.I cleared my throat uneasily. "You're teasing me."
"Maybe."
"I'm not sure that's very cordial roommate behavior," I said primly.
"Well, I'm not sure I feel very cordial about my roommate." He lifted his eyebrows. "But that does beg the question—do we need ground rules?"
I could barely think, barely breathe with him this close. I could reach up on my tiptoesjust a little bitand press my lips to his if I really wanted to. Which I didn't. Right? I tried to morph my gooey thoughts into something more concrete. "I think rules would be smart."
"Okay then." His eyes dipped down to my mouth and then back up. "Let's make rules."
Chapter nine
Gemma
Rule #32: Do not walk alone after dark.
Rook's hands slid over my stomach, flat and warm against my chilled skin. He wrapped them around my waist, drifting up to my ribcage, and I arched into his touch with a low moan. Then his lips were under my jaw, pressing against my pulse point and caressing the skin with a warm gust of air. "Gemma," he whispered.
I moaned again, writhing. I wanted him to keep moving upwards with his hands, toward my breasts, toward my aching nipples that longed to be plucked and sucked. "Mnh," I moaned.
"Gemma," he spoke against the sensitive skin of my throat. He licked my pulse point, and I shivered gratefully. I could smell him. I could feel him all around me.
