“What was it that you were dying to ask, Charlie?” I ask, reminding her of whatever was on her mind before she had a foodgasm and forgot.

“Oh, that,” she says, waving her fork at me. “It’s no big deal, really. It’s just me being nosy and you don’t have to answer.” She looks away. “I’ve noticed you haven’t brought a single girl over since I moved in. I guess I’m just wondering if you’re doing that for my benefit. Because if you do, you know, want to have someone over, I don’t mind. Seriously.”

Oh, man. When she said she had something to ask, that definitely was not what I’d been expecting. Leaning against the back of the booth, I finish my beer before answering her.

“Charlie, I appreciate you giving me the okay, but I’m not seeing anyone or even interested in starting anything.” I’m two seconds away from telling her that I like spending my time with her, not anyone else, but she looks past me and pales.

She sits up straight and ruffles her hair, and I’m wondering what the hell is going on. I’m about to ask her what’s up when a male voice beats me to it.

“Hello, Charlotte,” the voice says. When I look up, I see a man standing at our table, staring intently at her. He’s probably a few years older than me. He’s lean with dark hair and stubble that looks like he hasn’t shaved in days. Completely ignoring the fact that I’m sitting here, he continues to watch her, waiting for her response.

“Drew,” is all she says as she slides out of the booth and stands up beside him. I follow suit, but he has his back to me. Putting two to two together, I realize that this must be the asshole who cheated on her. Before I can stop myself, I go around him and place my arm around Charlie’s waist, drawing her into me. His eyes narrow as he takes in the sight.

“So this is him?” he asks, confusing the shit out of me.

Charlie looks embarrassed for a split second, but then she straightens her shoulders and places her own arm around me. She gives me a silent plea, and I just follow her lead.

“Umm, Drew, this is Knox. We’re…” She trails off as if she doesn’t know what to say. Jumping in, I hold my hand out to shake his. He hesitates to shake it, but finally relents.

“She’s just being shy. We live together. Have for about a month now,” I tell him, and I can’t help but relish the way his eyes darken as he looks back and forth between the two of us.

“So this is the guy you said you were seeing?” he asks, quietly, through clenched teeth. Wait. What? She’s seeing someone? The way she looks up at me with pleading eyes lets me know she wants me to be that guy—at least for now—so I draw her in closer to my body, planting a soft kiss on her temple.

“I don’t know what she’s told you, but this girl’s been driving me crazy from the moment I met her. I just can’t get enough.” I know I’m laying it on thick, but I’m having too much fun watching his jaw clench. As he processes my words, I realize that everything I just said is completely true.

Taking a moment to look down at Charlie, I realize she’s watching me instead of him. Her mouth is slightly open and her eyes are wide with surprise, as if my words were shocking to her. Hell, they kind of are to me, but I guess I need to start getting used to the idea that this girl is slowing working her way into my heart, even if I want to fight it with everything I have. This Drew guy clears his throat, causing her to turn back to him.

“It was nice to see you, Drew, but we’re going to get out of here. Have a fantastic evening,” she tells him, grabbing my hand and hauling me towards the door.

When we get outside, she tries to drag me to the car, but I have different plans. Grasping her waist, I push her back up against the building. She gasps at the force of it. I grab both of her wrists and hold them over her head. Looking down into her eyes, I bring my lips to her ear.

“What did he mean, am I the one you told him about?” I ask, resisting the urge to take a taste of her. Feeling her shiver beneath me, it’s all I can do not to press my erection against her, to let her feel how she’s affecting me, how she’s been affecting me.

Pulling back, I look into her eyes, searching them, and wait for her answer. She clears her throat. “Oh, that was nothing. I saw him at the store the day we got into that argument, and he tried to sweet talk me. I may have pretended that I was dating someone, and I guess he just assumed that was you tonight.”

Shaking my head, I grin down at her. “So what you’re telling me is that I’m your fake boyfriend? At least as far as your ex-fiancé knows?”

Grinning at me sheepishly, she nods. “In my defense, I didn’t think of anyone at the time. I just told him I was seeing someone. There was no elaboration.”

I look down in to her eyes, and I notice that in this light they’re lighter than chocolate—the color of whiskey. “So it was all a ruse?” I whisper, leaning in closer so my lips are almost grazing her throat. Feeling her swallow hard and knowing that I’m pushing it, I decide to pull back and release her hands.

She stares at me for a moment before shaking her head, and I’m wondering what she’s thinking right now. “I’m sorry, Knox. When I told him I was seeing someone, I didn’t actually expect to see him out. Thanks for covering for me.”

Knowing I need to pull away from her, I back up and head towards the car. She follows, not making eye contact with me. When we get in the car, she plays around with the radio before stopping on a local station playing ‘hot, new country.’ She grins at me when Luke Bryan comes on the radio, and she sings along as I drive us to the McGregor Park Amphitheater on the Riverwalk where the city puts on events all throughout the summer. The whole time I’m replaying that scene over and over in my mind, wishing I’d found my balls and actually moved in for the kiss. I’m at war with myself, wanting to take this to the next level but hesitant to put myself out there again. The cage my heart’s been locked up in feels like it’s being infiltrated, and it no longer seems so indestructible.

“We’re celebrating at the river?” she asks, turning in her seat to look at me.

“Well, you said you like classic cars and classic rock, right?”

She nods, and I’m happy as shit that my plan is working out.

“I saw earlier on the news that there was going to be a Journey tribute band playing at the Pavilion and figured we could grab a few brews and enjoy the music.”

A huge smile crosses her face, and I think she’s surprised I actually had a plan. Don’t judge me while I give myself a mental high-five, but I’m getting more and more addicted to that smile. Knowing I put it on her face is a definite win.

“There’s no substitute for Steve Perry, but since he had to go solo, I’m all for it.”

Getting out of the car, we grab a couple of beers from one of the street vendors the city hires for these events. Even though it’s packed, we’re lucky enough to find a couple of open seats far enough away from the stage we can watch the band but not so loud that we have to shout when talking. We listen in silence for a few minutes, and I’m more drawn to watching Charlie singing along to Separate Ways than I am watching the band. When the piano begins to play the notes for Stay Awhile, she squeals, grabbing my arm.

“I love this song. Dad was always playing it when I was a kid because he said it reminded him of my mom.” A soft smile spreads over her face, but for a split second there’s a sadness in her eyes. I’m not sure what she’s thinking, but something about the look on her face has me placing my arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. She leans into me, her head resting on my shoulder as she closes her eyes. We sit in silence as the song continues, before the band switches gears and gets the crowd amped up by playing Don’t Stop Believing.

After a few songs, I can tell they’re pretty good. I’m surprised at how relaxed I am, but I know I shouldn’t be. I’m beginning to always feel this way around her, and I need to get used to it.

Not able to contain my curiosity any longer, I decide to bite the bullet and ask about that guy. “So back at the pub, was that who you were talking about before when you mentioned you hated cheaters?”

Sighing, she pulls away from me as she finishes her beer. “Yeah. I figured you’d picked up on that before when you guessed he was the ex.”

“Well, I assumed, but I wanted to make sure. Pretty ballsy for him to still approach you after being a cheating prick. Then again, he cheated on you, which already proves he’s a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah, well, he’s delusional if he thinks he’s ever going to get a chance again.”

Shaking my head, I can’t help but be happy knowing that she’s not planning on getting back with him. “So what the hell happened? How’d you find out about it?”

Standing up, she reaches her hand out and I place mine in hers. She pulls me up before dropping it, and I immediately miss the skin-on-skin contact. “Mind if we walk for a bit? It’s a little loud, and if I’m going to spill, I’d rather not talk about it around all these other people.”

Nodding, we move away from the amphitheater and start to walk along the Cumberland River, leaving the crowd behind. She immediately draws me into the story when she tells me that she walked in on the fucker banging another chick. Once she’s finished, I’m trying not to let my jaw hit the pavement. We’re a fucking pair, and she doesn’t even know it yet. I don’t know what’s worse—that my ex cheated with my brother or the fact that she walked in on hers screwing a maid. I know this is going to sound incredibly selfish and it probably makes me an asshole, but even though I feel bad that she had to go through it, she wouldn’t be here with me if Drew hadn’t been a royal fuckbag. Don’t get me wrong. Given the chance, I’d love to kick his ass. But then I’d probably stand over him and ask to shake his hand for getting out of the picture.