Page 194 of Beautiful Lies

I nod, leaning into him fully. “A hundred percent.”

“Good.” He presses a kiss to my hair. “Because I love you,love. And I don’t plan to ever stop.”

“I love you, too, so you’re stuck with me.”

I laugh quietly and lace my fingers through his. Then he pulls me in for a deep kiss.

The door on the past is finally closed.

Everything I ever wanted is right in front of me.

Epilogue - Isla

Four months later

Knox loungesback in the leather sofa, looking far too confident.

The late-afternoon sun spills through the living room windows, brightening the smug smile on his face.

He just got home from work. He barely made it through the door before I dragged him in here for our game of riddles.

I’ve been waiting all day for this—because it’s perfect for the little plan I have.

The wager is simple: if he wins, we go to Antigua for our one-year anniversary. If I win, Italy gets a round two.

But what he doesn’t know is…I’m playing with an ace up my sleeve. One that isn’t just for me. It’s for both of us.

I lean against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, pretending I’m not melting at the sight of him.

“Okay.” I hum in a sing-song voice. “Riddle number one.”

A slow smile touches his mouth. “Hit me, love.”

I clear my throat dramatically. “I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?”

His eyes narrow like I just gave him a riddle a two-year-old could guess. “An echo.”

I scowl. “Could you at least pretend to think?”

He laughs. “Love, I don’t have to think. I’m brilliant.” He reaches for me, sliding his hand up my thigh. “My turn.”

I swat his hand away and laugh. “Go ahead.”

He straightens, eyes gleaming. “I’m taken before you even know you need me. I can be broken without being touched, and sometimes, I’m kept long after I should’ve been let go. What am I?”

I blink.Yay me.I know the answer. “That one’s surprisingly poetic for you.”

“Did you guess it?”

“The answer is a promise.”

He nods, satisfied. “Correct.” He tugs me fully onto his lap like he’s been waiting all day for that excuse. “Your turn. Put some thinking into this one. Give me a challenge.”

Oh, I will.

I slide my arms around his neck, deciding to hit him with my ace now. “Ready?”

“Born ready, love.”