Page 23 of Reckless Dynasty (Knight's Ridge Empire 9)

“You don’t need anything.”

“Toby, I need—”

“Nope,” he interrupts, pressing me back against his car. “All you need is this sexy body,” he says, trailing a finger up the centre of me until he hits my chin. “And this smart mouth.” He traces my lips teasingly, but he never leans forward to kiss me like I want him to.

“But what about—”

“Do you trust me?” he implores bravely.

“I shouldn’t.”

“No, Demon. You probably shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean you don’t.”

I bite down on my bottom lip as he stares down at me, waiting for my answer. An answer he already knows. He wouldn’t be standing where he is, having spent the last few days attached to my side if I didn’t trust him.

“I do,” I confess.

“Then you have nothing else left to worry about.”

“I’m about to officially meet your parents, I think I should have plenty to worry about.”

“Mum already loves you,” he says, pulling the passenger door open for me, but he quickly captures my chin in his grasp before I have a chance to slip inside. “Just like I do.”

His eyes darken with his words. He’s said similar things a few times over the past couple of days, but he’s never said the actual words.

I know why. After I begged him not to say them before, he’s afraid of scaring me off again. Of being the final thing that tips me over the edge into the dark pool of grief that’s always waiting to pull me into its clutches.

But not this time.

The time we had apart was exactly what I needed, and to a point, I’ve managed to put things into their place in my mind. I’m finding even after the fire that I’m able to process everything a little easier.

If I hadn’t had that time, that space, I have no idea how I would have coped with all this now.

It’s like he knew, although unless he’s a psychic then I think the probability of that being the case is thin. But he gave me exactly what I needed to be able to focus, to see what’s really important. And right now, life is important. Living every moment to the fullest and grasping every opportunity by the balls is the most important thing.

“Me too,” I confess for the first time.

All the air rushes from his lungs as his eyes blaze with fire.

“Fuck, Jodie. I—”

“We’re going to be late,” I say, ducking under his arm and dropping into the seat.

“Can’t I just take you back to my place instead?” he mutters, sounding mostly serious.

“Absolutely not. Your mum is waiting.”

“Fuck,” he hisses, scrubbing his hand down his face.

His eyes are still smouldering when they meet mine once more.

“Demon,” he breathes before closing my door and stalking around the front of the car.

He joins me and brings the engine to life before looking over at me.

“If I can’t sink this boner before we step inside Mum and Galen’s place and they notice, I just want to point out that it’s entirely your fault,” he states so seriously that I can’t do anything but fall about laughing. “I’m glad one of us finds it funny,” he mutters, tugging at his trousers before putting the car into drive and pulling out of his space.