Unexpected Eva (Triple Trouble #3)(9)

Without hesitation, Knox removes his black suit jacket, then gently places it over my shoulders. He’s a true gentleman.

I push my arms into it and pull it tightly around me, enjoying it as the scent of him and his transferred warmth wrap around me.

I almost fall backward as I catch sight of his black McLaren P1, shining under the floodlights that line the hotel roadside. It purrs away, waiting to pounce into action. Like a lioness in heat seeking her king.

“Are we going in this?” I gasp.

Knox nods.

Way to go keeping us on the down-low.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to drive.”

I often see Knox and sometimes Lincoln driving the squat car around town and it sure does turn heads. It’s an attention-seeking peacock. The sound of it alone screams look at me.

Knox opens the passenger butterfly door for me. As elegantly as I can, I squeeze myself into the minuscule two-seater cockpit and drape my inky-blue silk dress across my knees, being careful my pin-sharp heels don’t scratch any part of this beautiful piece of engineering.

Knox softly glides my door down and it clips shut with a low clunk.

I can’t help the wow that comes out of my astounded mouth as I smooth my hand over the carbon fiber dashboard.

He slides into the driver’s side and instructs me to put my harness on. This sports car doesn’t have a standard seat belt. Why would it? Nothing Knox does or has is standard.

“Ready?” His eyes sparkle my way. Well, I think they do. His eyes are so dark in the shadowy space of the car, the only highlight of light I can see in his eyes is a tiny spotlight reflection from the faint interior light beneath a thick layer of his dark lashes.

Once strapped in, Knox gives the accelerator a confident push and the car comes alive. Low, growling, dominant. We take off down the sloping road that skirts the entire hotel perimeter. As soon as we hit the country road leading back down to Castleview Cove, Knox really opens her up and lets her fly around the sweeping bends. I can’t contain my squeal of excitement as the car pops and growls, kissing the curves of the narrow roads leading down into the cove.

I feel Knox checking me out.

Watching my enjoyment.

Once we hit Castleview, he slows down, and the car glides into our small seaside town.

A euphoric smile finds my lips as I turn to look at him. “Wow, this car is awesome. Three point eight twin turbocharged V8 engine. Top speed of two hundred and seventeen miles an hour and naught to sixty miles per hour in two point five seconds. And will set you back almost a million smackaroons. This car is wild, Knox.” Doing two things at once, he watches the road while also gaping at me, snapping his head back and forth.

“You like cars?” he exclaims.

“I freaking love cars. If I had all the money in the world, I would have so many cars. One in particular.”

“Which one?”

“I’m not telling you. It’s silly and completely out of my reach. But a girl can dream.”

He doesn’t push me for an answer as he cruises through our sleepy town with only the roar of the car to keep us company.

Knox breaks our comfortable silence. “Do you want to grab a bag of clothes and your things?” He clears his throat.

Is he nervous too?

I’ve never seen Knox look anything other than confident. Sure. Steady. Strong.

“If your boys are away all weekend, I would like you to stay with me all weekend, Eva. That’s if you don’t have any plans.”

He looks across at me again.

“I only have the ironing to do. My life is that exciting.” I tuck my lips into my mouth before I answer. “I’d like to stay with you all weekend,” I whisper.

He rewards me with a suggestive wink.

Holy shit, this is turning out to be the best weekend ever.

Maybe this single mom thing is going to be okay after all.

Then a thought hits me. What if Ewan is at Ruby’s, his new girlfriend from five doors down? What if he sees me?

It’s too late to ask Knox to pull over as the car prowls onto my quiet street lined with dozens of family-friendly homes. His car stands out like a fully clothed nun at a nudist convention.

I wished I lived elsewhere, but the little three-bedroom townhouse was all Ewan and I could afford when we got married. Then when Archie came along unexpectedly, we spoke about moving, and then Hamish arrived. Then my sisters and I got busy with the dance studio and now the ‘interim’ house I seem to have grown into has become my home.

I don’t have the money to move now, so it will have to wait until my divorce is settled as I may have to buy Ewan out, and that will set my plans back a few years.

As I stare at the disarray of skateboards, bikes, and injection-molded plastic toys littering the front garden, I kick myself internally, wishing I tidied up before I rushed out of the house earlier.

“Sorry,” I whisper.

“For?” Knox looks at me, his brows bow low.

“My untidy garden.”

Knox flicks the interior light on. “You have two active boys. Boys make a mess. A lot of mess,” he says matter-of-factly.

He knows because he raised Lincoln. Pretty much single-handedly.

“I’ll be as quick as I can.” I reach for the car handle. Knox stops me by gently laying his hand on my wrist.

“Don’t bring too many clothes, Sunshine. You won’t be needing them for what I have planned.”