The Man I Thought I Knew Read online

“Tell Charlie I looked sexy.”

  I chuckled. “Oh, I will.”

  He took a bite of his bread and chewed as he stared at me, his jaw clean because he’d recently shaved. His brown eyes were lit up with playfulness, like he didn’t hold anything against me for all the bumps in the road. He was the kind of man who didn’t hold grudges. He just moved on.

  He grabbed the menu and took a look. “I should get the salad, but I’m starving. I’m getting the steak.”

  “I like that a lot better than the salad thing.” I looked over the menu.

  “Meaning?”

  “I want a man who eats.” I kept looking at the menu. “You know, because I like to eat.”

  He chuckled. “Steak it is. What about you?”

  “I think I’m gonna get the steak too.”

  “Good. I like a woman who eats.”

  I smiled and set down the menu.

  The waitress came over, and Dax took charge right away. “My lady and I are ordering the same thing. Two steaks, medium rare.” He handed over the menus, and the woman walked away.

  “I don’t need a man to order for me.” My elbows moved to the table, and I folded my hands under my chin, keeping my back straight.

  “I know you don’t need a man for anything, sweetheart.” He ripped off another piece of his bread and took a bite.

  I drank my wine as I stared at him, feeling my nerves burn like they were on fire. When I purposely made him mean nothing, it was much easier to be around him. But now that I’d unlocked the door around my heart, I felt vulnerable anytime I was with him. “What did Nathan think of Kat?”

  “Come on—church and state.”

  “Sorry?”

  “You know I can’t tell you what he said. Conflict of interest.”

  “Did he say anything bad…?”

  “Only good things. But if I tell you anything specific, you’ll tell her.”

  “I will not tell her.”

  He narrowed his eyes.

  “Alright…I might tell her.”

  He chuckled. “He had nothing but good things to say. That’s all I’ll give you.”

  “Good. Because she had nothing but good things to say too.”

  “Maybe they’ll really hit it off.”

  “You didn’t tell him about Charlie, right?” I didn’t want Nathan to know about her baggage before he got a chance to know her.

  He shook his head. “You told me that in confidence.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But it would be nice if it goes somewhere, to help Kat move on. That way, Charlie can actually act on his feelings.”

  “Yeah…” Even then, I didn’t think it would go well.

  “The reason why I asked if something ever happened between you guys is because he’s so hung up on your sister. You don’t look identical, but it’s obvious that you’re related. Maybe it’s a subconscious thing.”

  I shrugged. “I think we look nothing alike. I mean, she’s got that beautiful blond hair and long legs…”

  He smiled like I’d said something funny.

  “What?”

  “You’re so sexy, and you have no idea.” He grinned as he shook his head. “Man, that’s so hot.”

  “I’m not totally oblivious to my appearance. I know I’m pretty. I’m not gonna play dumb.” I was a confident person, could walk up to a guy in a bar and ask him out, but I didn’t think I was the most beautiful woman in the world either. “But I think there’s a lot of talent out there, and when you compare me to everyone else, I don’t stand out as much.”

  He chuckled like I’d made another joke. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Well, you’re a perfect ten if you ask me. Why else would I chase you for the last several weeks.”

  “You didn’t chase me.”

  “Trust me, I did. You kicked me out of your bedroom before my breathing even returned to normal. Didn’t care for that. Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before. But I came back…because it was kind of a turn-on.”

  I felt my cheeks blush in embarrassment.

  He studied my face, watching me try to hide my reaction. “You must have broken a lot of hearts this year.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No.”

  “Come on, you did.”

  I covered my unease while drinking my wine. “Not on purpose.”

  “It never is.” He drank from his scotch glass and returned it to the table, his eyes on me the entire time. “So, tell me something about yourself.”

  “I feel like all we ever talk about is me. What about you?”

  A subtle smile moved over his lips.

  “What?”

  “You were worth all the work.” He took another drink before he answered. “I’ve traveled a lot, but I’ve never been to Iraq.”

  “Where’s the most exotic place you’ve visited?”

  “Egypt.”

  “Really?” I blurted. “Oh my god, so you saw the pyramids?”

  He nodded. “They have tours where you can go inside.”

  “Shut up.”

  He chuckled. “I can’t. It really happened.”

  “That’s so cool. Egypt is one of the most dangerous places in the world to visit. Why were you there?”

  “Work.”

  “What do you do again?” He’d said something about finance, but he hadn’t told me what company he worked for or what his job really entailed.

  “I work in finance.” He gave me the same answer as before, not elaborating.

  “But, like, what company? And what does that mean?”

  “Clydesdale Software.”

  I recognized the company. They were a Fortune 500 company that had been around for a few generations. “Cool. So, you work in the finance department?”

  “Pretty much.” He swirled his glass. “Accounting, stocks, financial planning, all that boring stuff.”

  “That’s not boring. Where did you go to school?”

  “NYU.”

  “Cool. You don’t strike me as a financial planner, but I can see it.”

  “And what do I strike you as?”

  “I don’t know… Marketing?”

  “Why?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “Because you’re good at selling stuff.”

  “When have I ever sold you anything?”

  “Uh, you sold me you.” I drank from my wine. “I never thought I would be sitting here right now, on a date with a guy, being vulnerable for the first time since the day I found out my husband was nailing his assistant, a girl who just celebrated her twenty-first birthday.” I slid my glass around on the table.

  His smile slowly faded away at my description. “You sold yourself to me long before I sold me to you.”

  “I don’t see how. I was standoffish, selfish, cold…”

  “Yes, except the selfish part. You’re definitely not a selfish lover.”

  My eyes dropped immediately, thinking about all the hot sex we used to have, how we fit together so naturally, how we had such incredible chemistry it was unbelievable.

  “And I was smitten the second I heard you tell off that asshole. I’d never met a woman like that. The more I got to know you, the more I saw a beautiful fire that kept me warm. I saw a spunky, confident woman who doesn’t need a man for anything…and that’s really refreshing.”

  The compliment cut me deep. “You like independent women?”

  He shrugged. “Not until I met you.”

  “I guess that means your wife wasn’t that way.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Not even slightly.”

  “Damsel in distress type?”

  “Yes. But she was also just not a good person. I can tell you are.”

  “Really? You don’t know me that well.”

  “But I see how passionate you are for uncovering the truth and sharing it with the world. You risk your life for it because it’s so important to you. You have good friends who love you. You’ve been dealt a bad hand in lif
e, but that didn’t stop you from making it on your own. I think you’re an incredible person. That was why I worked so hard just to get a damn date with you.” He smiled, telling me he was teasing me.

  It made me smile.

  “Oh, and you’re sexy.” He grinned.

  “That makes me a good person?” I asked with a laugh.

  “No…but it doesn’t hurt.”

  When dinner was finished, the tab arrived, and Dax immediately slipped his card inside.

  I grabbed my wallet. “Let’s split it.”

  He leaned his head back and sighed loudly. “Let’s not do the check dance.”

  “Come on. It was expensive.” I grabbed the folder.

  He snatched it out of my hand. “No.”

  “I thought you liked an independent woman?” I fanned my card.

  “Yes. But I also like taking you out.”

  “If we have a second date—”

  “If?” he asked. “Come on, you’re totally into me.” He smiled, his beautiful eyes playful.

  I couldn’t control the smirk that spread across my face. “The cost of dates adds up.”

  “Sweetheart, don’t worry about it.” He put the tab at the edge of the table.

  “This is the twenty-first century. Women pay for shit.”

  “I’ll let you get something sometime. But not tonight. So put that damn card away.” He lifted the tab and handed it to the waitress.

  I gave up and returned my card to my wallet. “Well…thank you.”

  He nodded. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  I loved the way he called me that, but I wondered if he called other women that, if it was just a nickname he threw around. But I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to offend him. “So, what do you want to do now?”

  “You want to get some ice cream?”

  I loved ice cream, but I hadn’t expected him to suggest that. “I was thinking sex at your apartment, but we can do that too.”

  He leaned farther over the table, his eyes focused on my face. “I like your idea better.”

  I grinned. “Got any roommates?”

  “I live alone.”

  “Ooh…we could have sex on the couch.”

  He nodded slowly. “Or the kitchen table.”

  “Against the fridge.”

  A subtle smile crested his lips. “You’re such a tease.”

  “No. We can do all of those things.”

  “But I’ve got to get there first…and it’s pretty difficult to walk when you’ve got a hard dick in your slacks.”

  “Then let’s duck into an alleyway. That was pretty fun.”

  He inhaled a deep breath, his eyes darkening at my words, like I was driving him crazy. “Sweetheart…you really are the perfect woman.”

  Seventeen

  Carson

  He unlocked the door then stepped into his apartment.

  It had a decent living room, kitchen, and the hallway made it seem like it had two bedrooms. The place was simple, with couches facing a TV on the wall, but most of it was bare, with no decorations or pictures.

  He was a bachelor guy living alone, so it wasn’t that surprising. His wife probably kept everything in the divorce, so he had to start over. “It’s nice.”

  “You want something to drink?” He set his wallet and phone on the counter and opened the fridge. “I’ve got beer.”

  I looked past his shoulder and saw that his fridge was completely empty. The only thing inside was a six-pack of beer. He didn’t have any groceries? Did he eat out all the time? I didn’t judge him. I was just surprised. He was so fit that I assumed he had a disciplined diet of egg whites and spinach. “Sure.”

  He twisted off the cap then came back to me.

  I grabbed the bottle and took a drink. “You like living alone?”

  “Yeah.” He looked at me as he lifted his beer and took a drink.

  “I’d like to live alone someday, but I’ve been with Charlie so long that I think I’d probably hate it.”

  “I think he’d hate it too.”

  A laugh came from my lips. “He’d love to ditch me. I eat all his food, leave dishes in the sink, come home late—”

  “Buy the groceries, tuck him in at night, keep his secret from your best friend and sister. Come on, he loves you.”

  My eyes softened. “What does he say about me when I’m not around?”

  “Nothing but good things.” He took a drink from his beer before he walked to the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned on the game.

  I sat beside him, holding my beer on my thigh.

  His arm moved around me, and he pulled me close, his eyes on the screen.

  I should take it as a compliment that he didn’t want to jump into bed right away, that he wanted to spend time with me, but I’d been eager since the start of our date, been eager since the last time I’d had him.

  I put my beer on the table then pulled his belt through the loops.

  He turned his gaze on me, his brown eyes dark and seductive, his lips slightly parted.

  I undid the button and zipper then tugged down.

  He lifted his hips so I could get his pants off, revealing the hard dick that was trapped inside his clothes. Instead of grabbing me and taking me, he just watched me, as if seeing me take control was sexy.

  I got on my hands and knees on the couch then went down on him, my ass in the air.

  He sucked in a deep breath through his teeth, his hand immediately moving to my ass and fingering my black thong.

  I pushed him to the back of my throat before I placed a kiss on his crown. “Thank you for dinner…”

  He leaned his head back and released a suppressed moan, like he couldn’t do anything except enjoy it.

  My arms were around his neck, my fingers deep in his hair, and I held his face close to mine as I kissed him, as I panted and moaned into his mouth while he pleased me, gave me everything I’d given him on the couch.

  His bedroom was bare, with the exception of a dresser and a TV. He had a closet, but the door was shut. He had his own master bathroom, but that door was closed too. It seemed like he’d just moved in even though he must have been there for a year.

  He rocked into me, rubbing my clit with his body, making me come around his big dick over and over.

  God, it was so good. “I missed you…”

  He pulled his lips away so he could look at me while he fucked me, his jaw tight, his eyes focused. He thrust his hips and slid deep inside me every time, moving perfectly to where it was easy to forget there was a condom separating us.

  My nails started to claw his back, and my knees squeezed his waist. I breathed so hard it seemed like I was hyperventilating, but when I reached the threshold, I came all over him…again. My nails dug deeper, and I moaned loudly, my lips quivering, my eyes wet. Seeing the desire in his eyes as he watched me only turned me on more, made me whimper louder. “Dax…” The sex was better than it was before. Now that I could lower my walls and really let him in, everything was heightened, painfully potent. I could really feel every single sensation on a deeper level.

  He moaned quietly as he finished, giving me all his length as he filled the condom, his deep-brown eyes on me, possessive, sexy, dark. He twitched inside me and slowed down his thrusts, his eyes closing for a moment as he finished. Then he leaned down and gave me a final kiss, a gentle massage of my lips.

  “That was so good…”

  He kissed my neck before he got off me and cleaned up in the bathroom.

  Now I wished we were at my apartment so I could just go to sleep. But I had to walk back a couple blocks, half asleep and high off the good chemicals he put into my brain. I turned over and pulled the sheets over my shoulder and closed my eyes. His bed was just a mattress right on the floor. He didn’t even have a bed frame. But I didn’t care. It was still comfy.

  He came back a few minutes later and got into bed behind me, his naked body spooning mine. His chest was hard and warm, and his arm slid over my stomach
and his hand rested on my belly button.

  “This is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on.”

  He pressed a kiss to my neck. “That can’t be right.”

  “Well, after making me come so many times, I’d be happy to sleep on concrete.”

  When he chuckled, his breath sprinkled across his neck. “I know my place isn’t very nice…”

  “But it includes you, so it’s perfect.” I angled my head over my shoulder and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

  He stilled at the affection, his eyes on me, his entire body motionless. He stared at my mouth for a second before he kissed me again, this time giving me a deeper kiss, one that lingered.

  I lay down again and got comfortable.

  His face pressed into the back of my neck. “You’re welcome to sleep over.”

  “I really don’t want to walk home right now, but I don’t want to have to get up early either. Hmm…”

  “Tough decision. But just so you know, I’m not gonna kick you out.”

  I smiled. “Okay, I deserved that.”

  He gave my ass a playful squeeze. “I’m never gonna stop teasing you for that.”

  “I had a feeling…”

  “Well, let me know if you want to leave in the next ten minutes. Otherwise, I’m going to sleep…and don’t try to wake me up. It won’t work.”

  “Hard sleeper, huh?”

  “Like a bear.” He inhaled a last deep breath then went still, his arm around my waist, his nose in my hair.

  I lay there, trying to come to a decision. I thought it was more appropriate to leave, but I’d kicked him out of my apartment so many times, and if I was trying to be different, I needed to make an effort. I needed to try new things. “I’m going to stay.”

  He tugged me a little closer, his lips resting against my skin. He didn’t have a problem cuddling, didn’t have a problem sharing his space. He shared himself with me completely.

  I should do the same.

  My alarm went off on my phone the next morning.

  “Ugh.” My hand reached out to the floor, searching over the carpet to find the thing that was ringing loudly. I had to reach farther to get it, moving away from Dax, who was still in the same position as last night. My eyes were closed, and I groaned as I kept searching for it. When I finally got it, it slipped through my fingertips. “You motherfucker.” I grabbed it again, squinted, and finally turned the noise off. “You fucking cunt.” I dropped it back on the carpet and sighed.