“Tara…just eat.”
Did she? Of course she didn’t. She got up and began cleaning up the kitchen. I shoved a couple more forkfuls of food into my mouth, just because I was that hungry, and then stood.
“Come here.” I pulled her out the door that went from the kitchen to the terrazza. Once we were outside, I tugged her onto my lap. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation for either of us. I needed her close to me just as much as I guessed she’d need the same thing.
“The night you left, before we could have dinner, I followed you.”
She tried to get up, but I tightened my grip.
“I saw you with a man.” I rested my head against hers. “When I saw the two of you embrace, I hated it.”
Tara turned her head and angled it away from me. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Like what?”
“I was happy to see him—”
“You were ecstatic to see him.”
She tried to get off my lap a second time.
“No, Tara. Keep talking.”
“It wasn’t romantic, Ben.”
“Knox.”
“Whatever.”
“No. Not whatever. Say my name.”
“It wasn’t romantic, Knox.”
“Does he know that?”
“Definitely.”
I kissed the side of her neck. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
“Aren’t you going to ask—”
“No. Not tonight. Tonight is about you and me. No one else.”
“Ben?”
“Knox.”
“Oh my God. Knox. Last night. Was it because you thought…”
“The truth?” I took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“It wasn’t because you didn’t…want me?”
“I heard you when you were in the bath, Tara. I couldn’t understand how it was possible for you to call out my name, pleasure yourself that way, with my name on your lips, if there was someone else.”
Her cheeks turned bright red when she realized what I was talking about. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“No, it wasn’t because I didn’t want you. I can’t keep my hands off of you. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.”