Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
The question is, how the hell is he still single?
A shit-eating grin pulls across his lips, lighting up his whole face, and while he’s the most attractive man I have ever laid eyes on, I can’t give myself even a moment to appreciate his smile. I’m too distracted by the way his tight black shirt fits around his strong body, the fabric straining over his bulging tattooed biceps. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to sink my teeth into those.
I’m drooling in seconds. Perhaps taking shots with Jonah wasn’t a good idea after all. There’s no doubt about it; I’m going to make an ass of myself tonight. It’s one thing to laugh with Jonah about Mom’s flood of scathing stares, but to try and keep my cool around a man like Knight. I’m well and truly fucked.
Knight is a SWAT officer, and judging by the black tactical pants, boots, and lack of tie, I’d dare say he just got off work. I can only imagine the scowl on Mom’s face at his attire, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes off him to check.
“Brother,” he says, striding straight up to Elias and clapping him on the back before looking down the table and noticing how the food is just being served. “Looks like I arrived just in the nick of time.”
“Doesn’t sound like a coincidence at all,” Elias teases before nodding toward me. “There’s a space down beside Harper. Make yourself comfortable.”
My eyes widen in horror before my whole damn head swivels like a bobblehead doll to stare at the space beside me, and what would you know, the only available seat at the table is right here next to me.
Fuck. There’s no avoiding him now.
Knight makes his way along the table, stopping to greet my mother, and judging by the hostility in both of their eyes, there’s still no love there. Knight continues down the table, pausing by my brother. “How ya been, Jonah? Long time.”
“Yeah, good,” Jonah responds, twisting in his seat to shake Knight’s hand. The rest of the guests have turned their attention back to the servers, and every last person is completely oblivious to the way my palms have started to sweat.
Knight doesn’t skip a stride, moving further along before stopping right behind my chair. His hands fall onto the backrest of my seat, and next thing I know, he’s leaning down, his warm lips pressing against my cheek.
“Morticia,” he rumbles, using the nickname he gave me the day he realized I spend most of my nights working in a morgue, and honestly, I love it.
Morticia Addams fits me perfectly. Well, kind of. I have long jet black hair and might enjoy playing with dead people. Not to mention the majority of my wardrobe is pitch-black. But it’s not as though I own a gothic castle and drive a hearse. I get it though, and there’s no denying it, when that name comes out of Knight’s mouth, something always clenches deep inside of me.
Personally, I think I’m more of a Wednesday, but once the name was given, it stuck.
Knight’s lips linger on my skin just a moment longer than necessary, and I’m sure he has absolutely no fucking idea how my skin blazes under his touch. If he does, he doesn’t let it show.
Shivers shoot down my spine, spreading across my skin, and I suck in a breath, trying to act as though his very presence doesn’t send me spiraling. Only in doing that, I inhale the scent of his delicious cologne, rendering me momentarily speechless.
Knight folds his large frame into the seat beside me, and it doesn’t go unnoticed how his hand remains on the back of my seat. I do what I can not to look, because the second my eyes land on that warm, tattooed, olive skin and take in his sharp stubble-covered jaw, I’ll melt right here in my seat.
We don’t see each other often. As far as I’m aware, he works a lot. He takes his job very seriously, while also doing everything in his power to avoid these events just as I do. Apart from the fact that he’s a SWAT officer, I really don’t know that much about him, nor do I want to.
Well, okay. That’s a lie, but if I allow myself to get closer to him, I know without a single doubt that I’m going to dig myself a hole that I’ll never be able to get out of.
He’s my step-uncle for fuck’s sake. Nothing can ever happen here, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fantasize about it. He might be my step-uncle now, but will he be when I’m all alone in my bed tonight, thinking about the way those strong arms could throw me around? Fuck no.
“Knight,” I respond, holding his gaze as he makes himself comfortable.