Chapter 105

Hours later, I have two cats wailing on my bed, attempting to sing along to ‘Love Me Like You Do’ by Ellie Goulding. They’re butchering the song.

My phone buzzes on the dressing table where I’m sitting, doing my hair and makeup for my date tonight. It feels like a dream, and any minute I’m going to wake up and I’ll be in my bed in Cali.

I burst out laughing at his message, but my two best friends are too engrossed in their song to notice. I quickly type back a reply, chuckling to myself.

His response is immediate.

I finish curling the last strand of hair around the wand, then grab the texture spray. I spritz a small amount into my hands and work it through my hair, breaking up the curls.

Slipping into my lilac dress and stepping into my strappy heels, I tousle my hair until it falls in loose waves. I swipe on a layer of pink lip balm and turn to face my friends, who have fallen silent.

“You look amazing, Alex! Can I borrow—”

“Yes,” I interrupt Andy, rolling my eyes at her. We’re all the same size, which is fortunate. We often borrow each other’s clothes.

“Okay, let’s go!” I grab my clutch and unlock the door. My best friends fall into step behind me. As I descend the stairs, I see him waiting by the door, chatting with the guys.

He halts mid-sentence to watch me make my way down. His smile grows wider with each step I take in my heels. Once I reach the bottom step, he extends his hand to assist me.

“You look beautiful, Alex,” he murmurs. I blush and smile at him. I take a few more steps closer to him and he leans down to kiss me softly.

“You look handsome, Knox,” I manage to say, my breath hitching at the sight of him. He’s dressed in a black suit with no tie, a crisp white shirt neatly tucked in. His hair is tamed back, but still casual.

He looks so delicious.

Taking my hand, we wave everyone off and I slide into the car. I wait for him to walk around and get into the driver’s seat. Once he’s in, he takes hold of my hand.

I can’t stop staring at him. He’s so sexy, and he’s all mine.

I’m so engrossed in him that I don’t realize the car has stopped until he turns to me with a wide grin on his face.

Then the flashes surround us in the vehicle.

“Shit! I can’t go anywhere with you,” he jokes, staring out the window.

“Me?! I believe they’re here for you, Knox. Not me,” I retort, unbuckling my seat belt. He does the same, and I hear the swish of the material retracting.

Muffled screams echo behind the glass panes. Bodies rush around, trying to get a good angle.

“They’re here for us. They just want to get the first picture of us together. Our first outing as a couple... it’s stupid, but I want to show you off,” he says, grinning even wider.

“I don’t want to be shown off, Knox. I’m not a thing. I’m a person. I don’t need them in my business, seriously, I don’t want anything to do with the media,” I reply, my tone serious.

“I’m kidding, I know, babe. Just hold onto me until we’re inside,” he says, opening the door. He pauses, turning back to me. “You are absolutely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, baby doll,” he says, making me grin.

I can’t stop. This is a side of him I’ve never seen before. I love it.

I take my clutch in my hands and hear my door open, along with screams from the crowd. I slip my hand into his open one and glide out of the car without a stumble.

Patting myself on the back for not making a fool of myself, he closes the door and starts to walk in front of me. There are so many paparazzi in the way, I still don’t even know where we are.

“Alex! Knox! First date as a couple?”

“Will you be proposing officially to her, Carter?”

“Are you planning for a baby?”

“Will you move in together?”

“Do you love him, Alex?”

I stop and face the voice that asked the last question. I don’t hear any more voices, and Knox looks back at me from the corner of my eye.

“I do,” I say to the paparazzi, surprising myself. I usually ignore them, but he announced on live TV that he loves me.

I look back at him, smiling down at me, and we continue to walk inside the restaurant. I feel the cold air hit me hard, and Knox turns around, pressing his lips to mine.

Cupping my face delicately, I smile into the kiss and he pulls back.

“I love you so much, Alex,” he says. I bite down on my lip and he leads us to the hostess. She beams at us and tells us to follow her.

The clicks of her heels draw attention from the other customers dining tonight, and I feel many of the women’s eyes on Knox. All of them are staring at him lustfully. My boyfriend.

Every single woman I walk by is staring hard at him, devouring him with their eyes.

“Here’s your table, Mr. Carter,” the hostess says, placing two menus down in a secluded part of the restaurant. Knox pulls out my chair, thanking her, and I sit down. He bends down to kiss my cheek and sits adjacent to me.

Even though we’re in a secluded part of the restaurant, I can still see people looking at us. He starts to notice them too, laughing while he takes a sip of his water.

I feel his hand slip onto my thigh with a squeeze. Leaning on his elbow with his chin resting on his hand, he studies me. He shuffles his chair closer to me.

“You just couldn’t sit across from me like a normal guy, no?”

“Hell no!” He bellows out a laugh. “I just can’t stay away from you,” he says, his thumb making circles on my skin. His eyes look up and scan the room, and I follow them.

I see every single woman in this building staring at him like I’m not sitting here. Not again.

I feel his hand slip off my thigh and onto the back of my head, making me turn around to ask what he’s doing. His lips softly meet mine and kiss me gently. I feel his tongue tease my lips and I open, allowing him entrance.

Our tongues dance together gently, and I lean into him, my hand resting lightly on his chest. His low moan sends a shiver down my spine.

His hand covers mine, and we break away from our kiss. He pecks my lips once more before leaning back slightly and pressing a kiss to my hand.

He releases my hand and slides my chair across the floor, the squeak of it making me laugh and hide my face in embarrassment.

His arm drapes over my shoulder, pulling me close to him as he lifts the menu for us to peruse.

“What are you doing?” I laugh into his shoulder, causing his nose to brush against my head as he turns to look at me.

“I want to show everyone that I’m yours and you’re mine. I want you to feel comfortable, baby doll. We’re official, and I want everyone to know that.”

His words fill me with happiness. I had feared that tonight would be like the day we went shopping for his mom, when everyone ignored me and flirted with him. But it’s not like that at all. He’s paying attention to me, and only me.

“Thank you,” I whisper to him, leaning in to kiss him once more. We just can’t seem to stop kissing each other.

“Anything for you. So, what does my beautiful girlfriend feel like having tonight?” I scan the menu, sneaking a glance at the women who are still staring at us, their glares directed at me.

Oh well, this is what I signed up for, I suppose.

“Carbonara?” His teasing tone makes me smirk at the elegant calligraphy on the menu. This place is very upscale. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the outside. Gleaming white tiled floors and tables draped with white tablecloths. Black leather seats with high backs for support and extravagant glasses for water. Spotless cutlery that shines when the light hits it just right.

“I feel like the cod and vegetables. I’ve been lacking in some omega three,” I try to keep a straight face but fail when I hear his breathy chuckle.

We order our meals and start chatting away as if we’re the only ones in the room. He hasn’t looked around since we walked in, which I take as a good sign.

“I literally had to fight Adam before we left to not come with us. The kid is so obsessed with you it’s crazy. He cries every time you leave to go back to college. I have to promise him all sorts of things just to get him to stop.”

We both dig into the food that was placed in front of us. The vegetables are so crunchy, just the way I like them.

“What can I say? I’m irresistible,” I shrug with one shoulder, feeding myself. “Plus, Mila told me he cries when I leave, and he did the other night when he thought I left. At least I know someone will miss me when I’m gone.”

I smirk down at my fishy friend lying on my plate. Poor fishy. The intricate design of the sauces was ruined due to how hungry I was at the start.

“Hey! I miss you all the time. I just didn’t vocalize it for years. But I will now. I always missed you. When you first went off to college, I used to make up excuses to go and see Wes over there just so I could bump into you.” I start to laugh loudly at him.

“Now I see where Adam gets it from!” I take a sip of my cocktail that was made for me earlier and I’m nearly finished.