"Live up to your expectations?" she murmured.
The water weighted the rose branches and filled the blooms. "I know the home-and-garden gig was a bit of a blow to you," he said softly, ignoring her question, "but it's not so far from who you are. Is it?"
Chloe stared at him, surprised by his conclusion. How had she never seen it? She didn't answer him.
She couldn't.
He brushed back her hair and smiled. "Ready to go home?"
She looked around at the house. The porch. The storm.
The man she loved.
Words escaped her, emotion choking her. She nodded.
He took her hand and led her to the steps. The rain fell heavily, and they'd left the windows down. It would be a wet ride home.
"Ready to make a run for it?"
She nodded again, and despite her bittersweet emotions, she couldn't help but laugh when they jumped and the lukewarm water sluiced over her. They ran to the car, holding hands like kids, and were within a few feet of its shelter when Knox stopped and drew her around. Before she'd managed the first word of protest, his mouth was on hers. Rain sheeted, soaking them both, but in the circle of his arms, Chloe didn't care. He cradled her head with one hand and the small of her back with the other, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. Breathless moments passed. When they broke free, neither one moved. Then he kissed her again, slowly and gently, despite the torrent, and his smile was genuine.
Even with the wet hair and clothes plastered to his skin, he couldn't have looked any better. The reason didn't hit her at first, but then that crooked grin traced his lips and she knew. For the first time since he'd left her months earlier, Knox Hamilton had taken a step far more important than inviting her into his world.
He'd fit into hers.
Chapter Thirteen
Knox was soaked. Chloe was soaked. The damned leather upholstery was soaked. But despite the slight discomfort, Knox's couldn't remember when he'd felt so good. She'd asked him about the kiss-the first one-and he'd avoid answering her because he wasn't finished yet. As for the second one …
"I kind of like kissing in the rain," he said. Slight understatement … or more likely a vast one. Yeah, that was it. Vast understatement.
She kicked up the heater a notch and gave him a pointed look-one he wouldn't buy as angry, no matter what she said. Then her expression softened. "You were right, you know. About the home-and-garden thing."
"I'm glad." Without thinking, he reached over and took her hand. Dammit, why did he keep doing that? Between touching her and thinking about making love to her-
Making love? Where had that come from? He'd never thought those words before in his life. Not even before their breakup, when he'd spent most of his waking moments thinking about when he'd see her next, had those words dared breach his thoughts. Sex, sex, sex. The mantra didn't help.
Chloe felt like more.
"What do you know about the Pactron deal?"
Knox blinked. "Pactron?"
"They're the company buying my grandma's farm."
He shifted in the heated seat, wondering how the hell he'd managed to get hard wearing cold, wet jeans. A glimpse of Chloe's wet T-shirt solved that mystery.
He cleared his throat. "I remember. Pactron Energy. I don't know all the details offhand. I do know they received approval despite vehement objection from pretty much everyone."
"Including Rex."
"Especially Rex. But once they passed the environmental studies, there wasn't much else they could do to fight it."
"Why was the zoning approved?"
"If I recall correctly, the parcel they initially purchased had an old commercial or industrial zoning that grandfathered them in."
She nodded. "There was a small fertilizer-distribution facility there years ago-mostly for the local farmers."
"Makes sense. If that was the case, I'm guessing Pactron didn't technically need a zoning approval, though they did need the permit-and more property. Rex figured they'd hit a wall with the environmental studies, but the site passed. Last I heard, they were making nice by buying up green space to create a buffer."
"Yeah, they're making nice all right. They very nicely bullied my grandmother off her land."
He gave her a sideways glance. He'd known people were losing property, but it had just gotten personal … not just for her, but for him. He hated to think of her grandmother's house being torn down.
"Is Rex on friendly terms with Pactron?"
Her question surprised him. "I can't imagine he would be. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious," she replied.
Chloe was a reporter. Random curiosity wasn't a thing they did. "You can't undo the approval, and Rex sure as hell won't be able to ask nicely for them to go away-nor will I, if that's what you're getting at."
Her eyes snapped with irritation. "Give me a break, Knox. I'm not expecting you to undo the Pactron deal."
"I'm sorry. People don't normally ask questions without expecting answers."
"I'm not people."
He braced himself, expecting her to remind him she was his wife, subject to all of the privileges thereof.
But she didn't.
Several miles passed in silence.
When she finally spoke, she did so softly. "I won't pretend to know what it's like being you, but I can tell you what it's like being me. I … cared about you when I hadn't a clue who you were. You can deny what we had all you want, but I know you know that to be true. I can't say the name doesn't mean anything now-we both know why I agreed to a loveless marriage, and the reason has Hamilton written all over it-but that's the extent of why I'm here. The rest of the world can think what they want, but I've never asked you for your influence, and frankly I don't want it. I'm my own person, and wearing your ring doesn't change that."
He should have been relieved by her words, but for some damnable reason, they stung. He spent a long time in silence trying to figure out why.
They were nearly home when she spoke. "You told me you wouldn't have married anyone else, that you wouldn't fake the relationship."
"That's true," he said.
"Then you can understand it's the same for me. Anyone else could have offered a similar deal, but it wouldn't have mattered. I wouldn't have considered it for a moment. Money, surnames, and influence mean nothing to me."
The house came into view. He hit the button to raise the garage door, then steered easily into the space. Still, he said nothing.
Chloe picked up her purse and cell phone, then shot him a final look as she exited the car. "I only agreed to this because of how I feel about you, and if you weren't so damn blind, you'd know it."
She didn't slam the door.
She just walked away, crossing the garage and disappearing into the house.
Knox stared at the space Chloe had vacated, a knot in his chest. The last thing in the world he wanted was to hurt her, yet it seemed as if it was the only thing he ever managed to do.
Maybe Toby had been right. If Knox had found an anonymous someone willing to look pretty, play the part, and remain closemouthed over the whole marriage agenda, things would be simpler now. He wouldn't have a care in the world.
No emotional entanglements.
No-strings sex.
But he was kidding himself. He'd never been a casual-sex kind of guy-if for no other reason than he couldn't risk becoming the next tabloid scandal-but he hadn't even dated since Chloe. Not really. He'd showed up at an event with a plus one when necessary, but any interaction had begun and ended at the front door. He wasn't blind-he knew an attractive woman when he saw one-but there'd been no brush with passion. No real desire.
Not like he felt for Chloe.
The woman had him on fire. No matter how determined he was to keep his hands and his dick to himself, he couldn't stop wanting her. And he couldn't help believing she wanted him, too. She wouldn't fall apart so easily in his arms if she didn't.
She wouldn't be so damn hot and wet all the time.
Then it hit him. They were both thinking too much. They didn't need less sex. They needed more. She needed to be distracted. When he got past those ironclad defenses of hers and kissed the sweat from her skin and took the breath from her lips, that was when she was happy.
He couldn't give her her version of a happily-ever-after, but he could sure as hell do happy.
The knot in his chest loosened, and he had a feeling he wore a stupid grin as he stared through the doorway through which she'd disappeared. Maybe he could give her a wedding night after all.
Chloe wouldn't know what had hit her.
He had a bet to lose.
…
Chloe decided to wait until Knox left the house to go through his files. Even though giving her access had been his idea, digging into his personal space felt like an invasion of his privacy. It was awkward enough without doing it in front of him. She figured she couldn't very well shoo him away if she was in his office going through his stuff, so despite raging curiosity, she stayed on her own turf and tapped out a story on the season's most celebrated container plants. It was easy enough … she had most of them in the room with her. But finishing the story didn't supply her with the usual feeling of accomplishment-to the contrary, it filled her with a sense of impending doom. As easily as she'd managed that article, it was painfully clear anyone could do that job. She wouldn't keep her position with the paper long if she didn't make herself invaluable, and fast.