My Stolen Identity (Complete)

Chapter 23 - The Kiss

Over the next week I had face to face meetings with all five business owners at their businesses. It helped seeing them in their environment and getting a feel for what kind of business they were running. I was able to get enough information from interviewing them and from Knox's tips and my own research to build what I thought was a perfect proposal for every single one of them. I was starting to feel really good about my chances.

I had talked to Knox through text every night and every morning like we used to and we even had a couple long phone calls at night as I laid in bed. I found out his birthday was December 9th, he was a Sagittarius, he loved seafood and riding horses. He also loved dogs but didn't have one because he worked too many hours. He loved the beach and travelling and taking long road trips to places he's never been. He played baseball and football when he was younger, just like his little brother had. Their Dad had loved sports so he had encouraged them to play. 

He eventually opened up and told me all about his family and how much he missed them. His Dad had been the strong silent type but he was smart and dependable. His Mom was very caring, nurturing and overprotective. She used to call Knox at least once a week to see how he was doing and she'd give him a hard time about working too much and not coming to visit enough. His brother had been a prankster and he was always the life of the party, making everyone laugh. 

They sounded like great people that I would've liked if we had met. It meant a lot that he opened up and told me about how much he missed them and what a hard time he was having, because I got the feeling he didn't talk about that with anybody else. It felt like Knox and I were growing closer and I started looking forward to his calls and texts and thinking about him throughout the day with a smile on my face. I wondered if he felt the same way.

At the end of the week I got a text from him saying, 'Hey. Can we talk? In person?'

'Yeah sure. Let's meet after I get off work at 5:00.'

'Ok, meet me at the fountain in the center of the city park at 5:30.'

I texted back with a thumbs up and wondered what he wanted to talk to me about. Maybe it had something to do with the case. I arrived before he did so I sat on the edge of the fountain and waited.

When Knox got there, he was wearing some dark, faded blue jeans, tennis shoes and a light grey hoodie with the hood pulled up over a baseball cap. Some of his dark hair was showing under the cap and his blue eyes and square jaw line made my stomach tighten into a knot and I swallowed hard. It was honestly the hottest he had ever looked. 

As he walked towards me, he shoved his hands in his pockets and I stood up, standing there like a statue as he got closer until he was a foot in front of me. Now that my feelings had grown stronger, being around him face to face made me nervous. 

"Hi," he said with a hesitant smile. "Thanks for meeting me."

"Of course. You ummm. You said you wanted to talk?" I asked, breaking our eye contact and looking down at my feet, tucking my hair behind my ear.

I finally raised my head and looked back up into his blue eyes, studying them. He looked stressed and I could tell something was bothering him. I could see pain in his eyes and without even thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest. Somehow I could sense that he needed a hug right now.

He wrapped his arms around my back and rested his chin on the top of my head, exhaling deeply. We stayed like that, holding each other for a minute before I finally lifted my head and looked up into his eyes, quietly saying, "hi" with a shy smile.

He smiled down at me and said, "Hi," and then he did something I never expected. 

He looked into my eyes for a few seconds, hesitating before slowly leaning in. I held my breath, feeling my heart beating faster as I glanced down at his lips before looking back up into his eyes that were locked onto mine. He slid a hand behind my neck, closing the distance between us before leaning down and pressing his lips softly against mine. I closed my eyes, feeling butterflies in my stomach as I melted into his kiss.

His lips smoothed over mine, pressing in and then releasing. His kiss started out gentle but then he turned his head to the side, cupping my face in his hands and covering my mouth with his, parting my lips and massaging his tongue against mine, kissing me deeply. I felt a yearning inside as a rush of heat flooded over my body. I hadn't been kissed like that in so long and I hadn't realized how desperate I was for it until that moment. I kissed him back, clinging onto his shoulders, feeling a rush of adrenaline. Kissing Knox was the most amazing feeling in the world and I was afraid to open my eyes because I might find out that it had all been a dream.

Eventually I did pull back from the kiss and I stood there panting, trying to catch my breath as I looked up at him with my heart racing. He was breathless too and we stood there in awkward silence for a minute in each other's arms. 

"Hi," he finally whispered, with a smile.

"You already said that," I laughed.

"Yeah well, I didn't know what else to say," he shrugged with a flirty smile that made my insides melt. 

"I don't know what to say either," I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. What do you say to someone after they give you the most amazing kiss of your entire life?

"So ...... that kiss," I laughed, feeling my face flush. "It was ummm. Pretty amazing," I said with a shy smile.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed. "I wish I had had the balls to do it sooner." 

I couldn't help but smile. "Really? You've wanted to kiss me for a while?" I asked. 

"Yeah, I've actually liked you since the first day we met," he said, letting out an exhale. "but I didn't think it would be fair to you to have to deal with the shit ton of baggage that I come with. I'm taking care of my pregnant little sister and pretty soon her baby, plus I'm all fucked up in the head from losing my family. That's a lot for anybody to take on and you've got your own shit to deal with. You don't need to be burdened with mine." 

I looked up at him before asking softly, "What if I want yours?" 

His eyes studied mine for a few seconds before he asked, "Do you?"

I gave him a soft smile and then nodded. "Yeah," I said with an exhale. "I don't see your sister and her baby or the things you've gone through as a burden Knox. I just see them as part of you and I'm okay with that. I like you just the way you are," I said, looking up into his eyes. "You have a good heart Knox. You took in your pregnant little sister. You cooked me dinner and helped with my work even after you had a long, hard week of work yourself. Your job is literally to help people and you're the best at it. But you REALLY suck at accepting help from anybody else," I laughed. 

He cracked a smile and said, "Damn. You know me so well already."

"Yes I do," I said softly with a smile. "Probably because we talk so much. I've never met somebody that I could talk to for hours and never get bored like I can with you."

"So what are you trying to say Elodie?" he asked, stepping forward and resting his hands on my waist. "That you want to give a relationship with me a shot?" he asked softly, searching my eyes. 

My heart leaped and my stomach had butterflies again. I had never gotten butterflies as much as I had when I was around Knox. That had to mean something.

"Yeah," I said, smiling up at him. "I do." 

He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss and then looked into my eyes and whispered, "I do too."

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his, closing my eyes. It felt so good to finally be able to kiss him after wanting to for so long. I had started to think it was never going to happen. I pulled back and looked up into his blue eyes and smiled.

"So you want to be my girlfriend then?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me. 

"Yeah. I'd love to. I thought you'd never ask," I said with a smile, laughing. 

"Hey, it's pretty intimidating. You're gorgeous and you had freakin' NBA players wanting you. How can I compete with that?" he laughed. 

"Trust me. You can," I whispered, leaning in and giving him another soft kiss. He had no idea how amazing he was and that was one of the things I loved about him. 

"So you're officially my girlfriend now," he said with an exhale and I nodded my head. "There are going to be a lot of disappointed men when they find out," he said with a flirty smirk.

"Let them be disappointed. I only want you," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a long passionate kiss.