Page 75 of Twisted Knight

“I know him alright,” I mutter as I stride over to where Holden is sitting. A very petty part of me wants to upend the martini in his lap. Dirty up his perfection. Holden turns as I approach, a slow smile crawling on his lips.

“Sunshine. What a nice surprise. Except for the him part.” There is an iciness to his tone, a bit of bite that contradicts the sweetness in his words. But it’s the guarded look in his eyes that tells me there is no surprise about it. He knew exactly where I was going to be.

“I don’t want your drink.”

He angles his head to the side, the muscle pulsing in his jaw. “Always so gracious.”

“The door’s that way. Isn’t that what you said to me the other day?” I ask.

His chuckle rumbles softly. “Good evening to you too.”

“Quit stalking me, Knight. What? Do you have my phones tapped? Are you breaking into the company server to read my emails somehow?”

“It’s a small town. We’re bound to wind up at the same place at the same time every once in a while.”

But it hasn’t been every once in a while. It’s all the freaking time. “You’re full of shit. Keep your drink. Quit being rude to my date.”

“You mean rude like you’re being to him by constantly looking at me?” He lifts his eyebrows as I struggle with a pithy comeback. “Tell me something, Row. Why are you on a date with what’s-his-face when you’re going to be marrying Chadwick?”

I struggle for a response. Chad has no part of this discussion and the fact that Holden keeps bringing him up frustrates the hell out of me. “I already told you, there is nothing between Chad and me. And even if there were, it’s none of your business.”

“Ah, yes, but it is my business if two of three of my top managers are to be married.”

“You can control a lot of things, Knight, but my life? Who I date? Who I marry? You can’t.”

“Never put anything past me,” he murmurs.

Chills chase over my skin. And I’m not sure if it’s because of the huskiness of his voice or the warning in them. Whatever it is, that’s more than enough time with him for me.

“I’d say nice talking to you, but it wasn’t. I need to get back to my date now.”

A smile paints the corners of his lips. He shrugs. “Fine. Go ahead. No skin off my back.”

“Jealous?”

“I’d have to care to be jealous. I don’t. I’m not.” He takes a deliberate sip of his drink. “If I wanted you, I’d have you.”

I snort. “All talk.” The lie rolls off my tongue. The dreams that wake me up panting, with a racing heart and an aching core, prove otherwise.

“Just know that your date is an asshole of epic proportions.”

“You don’t know shit about him.”

“Apparently neither do you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I stand with my hands on my hips and can all but feel Gregory’s stare boring into my back.

“He was just on the phone with his buddy bragging about how he’s going to get some tonight. Would you like me to recount all of the things he said about you?” Annoyance tinges his voice, and I can’t place if it’s directed at me or at Gregory.

“What’s it to you?” I ask but wonder if he’s telling the truth or just trying to bait me.

“It’s nothing.”

“Then why do you care?”

His eyes light with amusement. “Like I said, I care about my employees.”

“I’m not your employee.”