triz

Alisa rolled her eyes before turning back to the mirror. “I have spent far too many hours setting up this gathering to cancel the afternoon-of, Mr. Landry.”

Knox walked across the room to stand behind her, his hands settling on her waist. His lips brushed against the shell of her ear as he murmured, “That’s too bad then, because I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to help host this party when you look like this.”

Leaning back into his muscular chest, Alisa looked at him in the mirror. “Well, this might not be the final outfit. I’m still undecided.”

“Alisa goddamn Ortega, undecided?” Knox said, his thick brows furrowing. “Who the hell are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?”

Alisa had to resist the urge to roll her eyes a second time. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I just don’t know what you could possibly be undecided about, Lees,” Knox told her, running his thumbs gently along her waist. “You look incredible. I don’t care what the other options looked like, this one wins.”

“Is that so?” she asked.

Pressing a kiss to her cheek, Knox grinned. “I won’t pretend to know anything about fashion, but I can recognize when my girlfriend looks like she’s worth every dollar of the Hawthorne fortune.”

I suppose that’s a decision made, Alisa thought, spinning around to face Knox. “You certainly know how to flatter a woman, mi amor.”

“Only you,” Knox said in reply, gazing down at her.

Somewhere in the last several months, this had become her new normal. Knox had officially moved to Texas at the end of the summer after going back and forth for a few months, and eventually into her apartment. Dinner dates when he was in town and phone calls when he wasn’t turned into movie nights, breakfast in bed, and walks through the nearby botanical gardens.

Somewhere in the last several months, she had found a home in another person, after telling herself she’d never lose her heart to anyone else ever again. But being with Knox was different than she’d ever expected. She didn’t have to shy away from her messy history, not when he had one of his own. At some point in the quiet moments, they had become each other's support through it all, and Alisa wouldn’t trade it for the world.

One of Knox’s hands lifted up to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “You look beautiful,” he murmured.

Alisa let one of her hands settle on his bicep, pressing her lips to his. It was a slow, soft kiss. Nothing like the messy and passionate ones they had shared at the start of their relationship. That wasn’t to say they never had a heated kiss anymore, but now they were intermingled with something much more gentle. A soft whisper of “I love you,” was breathed out between presses of lips until they pulled away.

Knox didn’t lose that fond look in his eyes as he kissed her forehead. “Finish getting ready, Lees. I’ve got just about everything else done in the kitchen, all we’re missing is plating some of the appetizers.”

Nodding, Alisa reached up to run a hand through her hair. “Thank you,” she said. Alisa seven months ago would have never delegated the tasks to someone else, preferring to do everything herself so no one else could mess anything up. Knox had forced her into breaking that habit pretty quickly, and now it was normal to let him do stuff like this for her.

“You planned the party,” Knox said, shrugging. “I’m good at the grunt work.”

“It’s not ‘grunt work’,” Alisa replied, but she couldn’t stop the smile that wormed its way onto her face.

"So you say." Glancing at his watch, Knox hummed. “People will be here in just over an hour. Is that enough time for you, or do you need a hand?”

Laughing, Alisa raised her eyebrows at him. “With what? Curling my hair?”

“You’d be surprised the things Gigi Grayson’s forced me to learn while high on caffeine,” Knox said, attempting to sound irritated and failing.

Shaking her head, Alisa told him, “I think I’ll manage, but I’ll let you know.”

Knox smiled and gave her a salute. “You’re the boss, Lawyer Lady.”

✧

It didn’t take too long for Alisa to finish up her hair and makeup, since she stuck to mostly her normal with the exception of some darker eyeshadow and a sparkly eyeliner that Libby Hawthorne had gifted her for her birthday.

At the time, she had been certain that it would sit unused in her makeup drawer, but now seemed as good of a time as any to pull it out. It was still black, but it had flecks of silver glitter in it that matched her dress and made her eyes pop.

Giving herself a once-over in the mirror, Alisa decided she was satisfied with the final result when Knox walked into the bathroom. He was wearing black slacks and a black collared sweater, with the sleeves pulled up to his mid forearm.

He whistled slowly, taking in her appearance. “Yeah, this is definitely my new favorite outfit of yours,” he told her.

Alisa smiled at him. “Matching me on purpose, Mr. Landry?”

“What, worried people might think we’re dating?” Knox paused. “Oh wait, we already are.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Problem solved.”

Rolling her eyes, Alisa gave her hair one last spritz of hairspray before leaving the bathroom. “Time check?”

“Ten-ish until guests will start arriving. I’ve gotten no less than four cat memes from Gigi in the last half hour proclaiming her excitement for the buffalo chicken dip.”

That wasn’t unsurprising. “It’s a good thing we made extra,” Alisa remarked as they entered the kitchen. She’d invited the Hawthornes, Grayson sisters, and some of her friends from college and the firm, as well as spouses and significant others.

Nash had offered to host at Hawthorne House, but Knox had insisted that they’d have the party at Alisa’s apartment. The party had been something she’d mentioned to him at dinner about a month or so ago, and when Knox encouraged her to go through with it, he’d been very thorough about making sure it stayed as her party.

And really, apartment was a generous term for the downtown Dallas penthouse that she owned. She had, after all, been living on a lawyer’s salary since graduating law school nearly seven years ago at a very generous rate, courtesy of the firm’s primary and only client being a billionaire.

The space was decorated tastefully, with black and silver table cloths, dishware, and other decorations that she’d let Avery talk her into buying when she announced she’d be hosting a New Year’s Eve party.

On the island was a large spread of various drinks, appetizers, and desserts. While Alisa hadn’t done all the work herself in that regard—utilizing the chefs on retainer at Hawthorne House was a perk she had no shame in taking advantage of—she and Knox had made a handful of things themselves.

Cooking wasn’t something Alisa would have ever guessed she’d enjoy, but with Knox it slowly became one of her favorite pastimes. When they were free, the two of them would spend evenings cooking some of the more labor-intensive things she knew how to make.

“Dip’s done,” Knox said, taking the dish from the oven. He set it out next to the other appetizers, making sure to keep it on a heat safe rack.

And that was another thing. Knox was a great cook. Alisa was shocked the first time she’d come home late from work to a full dinner spread sitting on the table. It was the last thing she would have expected from a man who liked to take out his frustration on a punching bag, but Knox had quite the knack for fine details in cooking.

Alisa surveyed the room, scanning for anything that might be missing. Music. She patted her blazer pockets, only to realize she didn’t have her phone on her.

“Looking for this?” Knox asked, holding up her phone. “Already set it up.”

The aux cord was plugged in, and with a press of a button, a playlist curated by a few of her old college roommates began playing in the background. Alisa rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. “Don’t get cocky now, mi amor,” she warned, but deep down she was appreciative of the gesture. Knox was incredibly perceptive, and in a matter of months he’d learned to anticipate her needs before she even knew what they were.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Lees,” he told her, but the glint in eyes said otherwise.

Before Alisa got the chance to shut him up, there was a knock at the door. Then several more knocks at the door.

Alisa didn’t have to guess who was on the other side when Knox pulled it open. “Geez, Happy, we heard you the first time.”

“So you understand my urgency! Great!” Gigi came bounding through the doorway, with Savannah, Rohan, and Mattias following closely behind. Like a honing beam, Gigi zeroed in on the buffalo chicken dip, helping herself to a large serving.

Rohan stuck by Savannah’s side, and while Alisa couldn’t say she’d been the most enthusiastic about that pairing, the young man had started to grow on her over the last several months. “You have a nice place, Ms. Ortega,” he said, surveying the room.

“Thank you,” she said, letting her gaze shift to where Mattias was trying to stop Gigi from going in for her second helping of dip. Alisa had a strong feeling she was going to be a handful tonight.

Another knock at the door sounded. Alisa went to answer it herself and was met with Grayson and Lyra, and the rest of the Hawthorne clan behind them. “Come on in,” she said, pulling the door open wider.

“Thanks for hosting, Alisa,” Libby said, smiling at her. Her hair was a mix of every blue Alisa could think of, which was a stark contrast to the solid black dress she was wearing. “And these are for you. Chocolate cupcakes dyed black with pop rocks inside and edible glitter!” She passed the platter to Alisa, before gasping. “Your eyeliner! See, I knew you’d use it!”

Smiling, Alisa handed the platter to Knox who was already by her side reaching for it. “I figured it suited the occasion. Thank you.”

“The place looks great, Lee-Lee,” Nash drawled. He had a black cowboy hat on, likely a courtesy of his wife, and a pair of New Year’s Eve glasses on his face that Faith was trying to grasp at.

“And you look great!” Max chirped from behind her. If it were possible to stack any more pairs of glasses on her face, Max clearly hadn’t figured out how to yet. Xander, who was standing next to her, had about as many glow sticks around his neck.

Exhaling softly and resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, Alisa smiled at them. “And you two look like you raided a Party City.”

Max groaned dramatically. “I wish we had, but the place went out of faxing business!” She then paused and turned to Avery. “Hey wait, can you buy Party City?”

“No,” Avery snorted, drinking from a cocktail that Alisa could only assume Jameson had made her. “But seriously, you do look great, Alisa. And so does the apartment.” She looked around the room. “I don’t know why I had it in my head that you lived at Hawthorne House.”

Alisa rolled her eyes. “I might work for you nearly around the clock, but even I enjoy coming home every now and then,” she said, a slight teasing tone to her words.

There was another knock at the door, and then the voices of her friends from college and the firm filtered through the air. Several hugs and well-wishes were exchanged, and Alisa introduced them to Knox as well as some of the other guests.

Things were going smoothly so far, even though it was only nine o’clock in the evening, but for her first time hosting a party like this in years, Alisa couldn't complain.

Although she might’ve spoken too soon.

“Who wants to play beer pong?” Gigi called out from the other side of the room. When Alisa turned her head to give her the sharpest eyebrow raise she was capable of, Gigi just raised the two cans that were in her hands. “With non-alcoholic seltzer of course!”

It’s going to be a very long night, Alisa thought, but watching the people who had become her family and friends over the years—or months in some cases—she couldn’t help but smile. The apartment had never been this full, but the music, chatter, and laughter made it feel warm.

Knox came up beside her, sliding his hand around her waist and pulling her into his side. He passed her a glass of wine before leaning down to murmur, “One hell of a job, Ortega. But I always knew you had it in you.”

Alisa took a sip from her wine, leaning into him. “It was a team effort,” she admitted, words that the old Alisa would have died before saying.

“Nah, Lees, this,” he said, gesturing to the room, “was all you. I was just your extra set of hands. Everyone knows you're the brains in this arrangement.”

“You don’t sound too upset by that,” she noted.

Knox gave her waist a squeeze. “I’m not.”

✧

Two hours later, Alisa found herself sitting on her sofa in the living room, holding her pseudo niece Seren on her lap as she chatted with a few of her college friends, Knox, Libby, and Nash.

“So,” her friend Abby said, definitely a bit wine-drunk at this point in the night, “how long has this been a thing?” She gestured to Alisa and Knox, who were seated across from her.

Alisa had never been particularly forthcoming about her relationships, even when she and Nash had been a thing back in college. Since then, none of her relationships had been serious enough to warrant the title of "relationship," let alone to get brought up to her friends. Not until Knox.

“We met during the last in-person Grandest Game,” Knox said. “Lawyer Lady here had me keeping an eye on happy-go-lucky over there, and the rest is history.”

Libby snorted. “That’s a very brief way of summing things up,” she said, pulling a piece of neon blue hair from Faith’s mouth.

Alisa shrugged. “We kept running into each other until eventually we couldn’t keep chalking things up to coincidence.”

“Things are never a coincidence with you, Lee-Lee,” Nash said.

Rolling her eyes, Alisa bounced Seren on her knee. “We went on a trip to Arizona together back in March,” she told Abby. “By the time the week was up, we agreed that it was time to stop avoiding the subject and decide what we wanted.”

“We decided that?” Knox said, raising a thick brow at her. “I seem to recall being told that you’d determined we were already dating, so we might as well fully commit to it.”

“And I seem to recall being three glasses of wine deep,” Alisa countered. Regardless of how it had happened, deciding to let Knox in had been one of the best decisions she’d made in a long time.

“Well, no matter what, you two look good together,” Sierra said, smiling. “I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time, Alisa. I’m really glad to see you’ve finally found someone who can keep up with you.”

Knox shook his head, taking a sip of his beer. “I wouldn’t say I keep up with Lees, so much as I follow orders. She’s the boss around here.”

Alisa bumped his shoulder with hers, giving him a look. “I don’t give orders.”

“You do.” Knox, Libby, and Nash all said in unison.

“And the world is better off for it,” Avery said, sitting down on the couch next to her and taking Seren from her lap. “Lord only knows how many fires you put out that first year. And that was before I gained the freedom to leave Hawthorne House.”

Looking over, Alisa saw Avery smiling at her. “Well, someone had to do it. And you certainly haven’t made it easy on me,” Alisa told her.

“Easy isn’t any fun.” Jameson stood behind Avery, resting his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently. “Admit it, you would be bored without us.”

“Jamie, I have been keeping you out of trouble since you were five,” Alisa told him. “And believe me when I say that I preferred the five year-old.”

Jameson laughed and didn’t look remorseful in the slightest. “You’re welcome to try your hand at wrangling Cooper,” he said, referencing Lyra’s younger brother, who had turned five not so long ago and was making it everyone’s problem. “Hang up your job as a lawyer and return to your roots as a babysitter.”

Alisa wrinkled her nose at the thought. “On second thought, I’m good.”

While working as Avery’s primary lawyer and fixer was a lot of work, Alisa wouldn’t have it any other way. She enjoyed the challenge it offered, and staying busy had never been something she was afraid of.

But in the last few months, moments like this, where work was the furthest thing from her mind, had steadily worked their way into her routine and were now some of her favorites.

From the other side of the room, a glass clinked. The sound rang out, quieting the room to a hush. The music was turned down, and Alisa saw Gigi holding up a glass of what she hoped was a virgin margarita. “A toast!” she called out. “To Alisa Ortega, Knox Landry’s one true lawyerly-love, for hosting this party!”

Rolling her eyes at the nickname, Alisa joined the room in raising her glass. “A toast!” Jameson repeated, and the room cheered before everyone downed their drinks.

✧

Three minutes to midnight. Everyone, sans Libby and Nash who had left with the twins forty-five minutes ago, was standing in the living room watching the live coverage from New York City.

“Have a New Year’s resolution, Lees?” Knox murmured, standing beside her.

Alisa had never bothered before. She was the kind of person to set goals for herself and achieved them all year round. There had never been a need to designate one to the new year. But, given all of the ways her life had changed in the last twelve months, she figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a try this year.

“I do,” she told him, offering a small smile.

He raised a brow at her. “Care to share?”

Alisa hummed thoughtfully for a moment, before shaking her head. “Not yet.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Knox said. “I have one, but maybe I’ll wait and tell you later too.” He grinned at her.

The countdown began on the screen, and Alisa was flooded with memories of last year’s New Year’s Eve. She’d been in the same apartment with a glass of wine not unlike the one she was holding now, but she’d been alone. There had been a work party of course, held earlier in the evening, but in the last few moments of the year, Alisa had been by herself.

This year couldn’t be more different. She once thought that she had everything she could ever need in life. A father who loved her, a job she was good at, and people who respected her. But this, the warmth and company of people who wanted to be a part of her life, was the one thing she hadn’t known she was missing.

And now she wasn’t sure if she could live without it.

10.

She turned to face Knox, gazing into the brown eyes that she used to find stony and closed off, but were now warm with affection.

9.

He reached out to cup her cheek, thumbing the skin underneath her eye gently.

8.

Alisa set her glass of wine down on the side table by the couch, her eyes never breaking away from Knox’s face.

7.

Knox tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, breathing out, “Ready for the New Year, Lees?”

6.

She nodded, bringing her own hands to settle on his shoulders. “More ready than I’ve ever been.”

5.

At that, Knox smiled. Somehow, in the last year, the two of them had become people that their past selves might never even recognize anymore.

4.

“To the New Year,” she whispered. Knox echoed her words, closing the little distance that was left between the two of them.

3.

There was noise and music all around her, but in the moment, all of it was drowned out.

2.

With just one second left until the ball dropped and the year switched over, Alisa let herself soak in the feeling of Knox’s hands on her. If she could, she knew she would hold onto this memory forever.

1.

The clock struck midnight and Knox kissed her like he’d never kissed her before. As they rang out the new year, the kiss was like sealing a promise. I love you. You love me.

Alisa didn’t believe in fairy tales. She had always been the practical sort, trusting what she knew and what she saw.

But here, standing in her living room, surrounded by the people who had come to know her best, in the arms of the first man she had let into her heart in a long time, kissing him as fireworks went off in the distance, Alisa was forced to admit that this had to come pretty damn close.

✧

People had gone home an hour ago. Now, the only thing that filled the apartment was the remnants of the party. Glasses and bottles were scattered around the room, glitter and confetti from party poppers Gigi had gotten from who knows where covered the floor, and leftover food was on the counter.

The mess might have normally bothered Alisa. But she and Knox had taken one look at it and just shaken their heads, making a silent agreement to handle cleaning everything up in the morning.

They sat curled up next to each other on the couch, freshly showered and in their pajamas, looking out at the Dallas skyline as the occasional firework was still set off.

“To never forget this,” Alisa said quietly.

Knox rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Hmm?”

“You asked what my New Year’s resolution was,” Alisa told him. “To never forget this. To remember that this is what I want out of life.”

Shifting slightly, she leaned her head to rest against Knox’s chest. He ran a hand through her wavy hair. “To make more memories with you.” Knox’s voice was low, but soft.

Alisa smiled, and even though she knew he couldn’t see it in the dark, she had a feeling Knox could tell anyway.

“Happy New Year, mi amor,” Alisa murmured.

Now, at twenty-nine, Alisa liked to believe that her hard work had paid off. Avery, now twenty-one, was thriving as a billionaire philanthropist who the public mostly approved of. It had been months since the last scandal, the last one being a courtesy of one Jameson Hawthorne and two very expensive sports cars, and for the first time in a while it seemed like things were settling into a new normal.

As normal as anything ever seemed to be with Hawthornes around.

Despite the peace, Alisa still spent plenty of time in her office or with Avery, working around the clock. There was always something that needed to be done, and she was always the person for the job. Were there other people who could help? Sure, but that meant trusting somone else to get things done right. And why do that, when Alisa could do them herself.

So when a text from Avery goes through to her phone, Alisa’s first assumption is that there’s a problem that was in need of fixing.

“So, we’re taking a spring break trip courtesy of Max in a few days. I’ve managed to talk her out of Miami, but we’re headed to the lake house for a week. There isn’t anything that needs to be done, so you’ve got the week off!”

Alisa didn’t take “weeks off.” In her opinion, vacations were overrated anyway. There would always be a mountain of work upon return, which messed with every schedule she'd ever made.

Sighing, Alisa responded. “There’s always something that needs to be done. I can send you all of the information about the house and get you the keys for the house and boat.”

It was barely a minute before Avery sent a message back. “Alisa. It’s one week, and you’ve worked yourself to the bone these past few months. Take a break. Go somewhere, get some R&R in, you’ve more than earned it.”

R&R. Rest and Relaxation. There was never time for that in Alisa’s calendar, not when she was in charge of putting out every Hawthorne related fire and then some.

“I don’t take vacations.” When she spent most of her time traveling the world with Avery the last few years, she’d never felt the need to take one.

A few minutes later, another message pinged her phone, and then an email. “You work for me, which means you have to do what I say. And I’m saying you’re taking a vacation.” Alisa rolled her eyes. “I just sent you the details for an all-inclusive resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Enjoy your week!”

If there was one thing that had never changed about Avery, it was that she could be more stubborn than every single Hawthorne brother combined when she wanted to be. Clicking on the email, she saw flight details and resort information. Everything had already been paid for and made non-refundable.

Go figure. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Alisa knew that continuing to argue about this wouldn’t do anything other than waste her time, and Alisa did not enjoy wasting her time.

“Vacation it is,” she texted Avery. “Please do keep anyone from burning the lake house down while you’re there and keep the injuries to a minimum.”

All Alisa got in response was a smiling emoji that she could feel mocking her decision to cave to Avery’s insistence on a vacation.

Vacations were overrated. But maybe some alone time wouldn’t be so bad.

✧

Her flight was scheduled to leave at eight in the morning two days after her conversation with Avery. Arriving at the private airstrip thirty minutes before the scheduled departure, Alisa was met with a face she hadn’t expected to see.

“Lawyer Lady.”

Her perfectly sculpted brows narrowed at the man in front of her. “Mr. Landry,” she responded curtly.

Alisa’s relationship with Knox was… difficult to define. They’d met during last year’s Grandest Game, and she’d employed him to keep an eye on Gigi Grayson after Avery’s disappearance. In the time since, they’d crossed paths numerous times, some friendly, and some decidedly less friendly.

The first time it happened had been after a particularly stressful day, where Alisa had been on the phone more hours than she’d been off of it, attempting to clean up a situation that was bound to become a PR nightmare. She’d later refused to admit that she had been the one to call Knox, but she couldn't deny the drinks in her kitchen that turned into waking up underneath him the next morning.

That had been months ago.

Since then, the phone calls steadily became a more regular occurrence, and drinks and nights spent together turned into dinners and gym sessions.

They weren’t dating. Neither of them were particularly keen to put a label on it, and as far as Alisa was concerned, she didn’t need to. But, in spite of that, it didn’t change the fact that Knox Landry was standing in front of one of Avery’s private jets. The same jet that was supposed to take her to Arizona for a vacation.

Knox straightened his posture, giving her a look. “So formal this morning, Lees. And here I thought you might be happy to see me.”

Alisa rolled her eyes, walking toward the plane with her suitcase in hand. “I take it Avery had something to do with this arrangement?”

A snort left him. “You could say that,” he told her, taking her shoulder bag and slinging it over his own. “The email showed up in my inbox along with a message to ‘Make sure Alisa actually takes a break.’ So, here I am.”

In hind sight, it should have been obvious that Avery would pull something like this. Try as she might, she wasn’t exactly subtle when it came to her attempts at matchmaking, if the Grandest Game was any indication. And while Alisa was sure that the heiress didn’t know the full extent of her relationship with Knox, she was perceptive enough to pick up on something.

“Is that so? And here I thought you weren't taking jobs from Hawthornes anymore.” Alisa said, walking up the steps to the jet. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have your work cut out for you then. I’m not exactly in the habit of taking vacations.”

Knox followed behind her, setting her luggage down at the front before taking the seat next to her. “Well then, I think it’s high time that habit changed, don’t you think Lees?” His gaze held hers, and despite her attempts to remain indifferent to the situation, she found herself grateful for the company.

“We’ll see,” is all she said as the plane began to take off.

✧

The resort Avery booked them wasn’t Hawthorne owned, but that hardly mattered when the Hawthorne name alone could get someone just about anything, just about anywhere. And here, that meant the best suite the resort had to offer, decked out with a fully stocked kitchen, spa style bathroom, and balcony hot tub.

Extravagance wasn’t new to Alisa. She’d grown up at Hawthorne House afterall, and spent most of her time with the current Hawthorne billionaire herself, Avery. But this was the first time it had been just for her.

Well, her and Knox, that was. The man in question was looking around the suite, shaking his head. “Kid sure does know how to book a vacation,” he remarked.

On the desk was a printed itinerary of suggested activities and amenities that the resort had to offer. It was late morning now, a time where Alisa would usually be on her third cup of coffee for the day and waist deep in emails. Instead, she stood next to Knox, scanning the paper over.

“Spas, restaurants, a gym, pools,” Knox read off, before turning to look at her. “What’s first on the agenda, Lawyer Lady?”

A beat of silence passed. Alisa was already feeling unproductive and they’d only just arrived. She knew the feeling would only get worse, so she picked the only item that might remedy it. “The gym,” she said finally, drumming her nails against the wood of the desk.

She and Knox had started working out together two months ago. Prior to that, she’d always been more inclined to cardio and pilates, but now Knox had her lifting and benching with him. Alisa had told herself initially that it was only practical, since Knox knew what he was doing when it came to lifting weights, but his biceps were hardly a con of the arrangement.

“Gym it is,” Knox agreed. “Let’s see if we can get you benching 110 today, Lees,” he said, sounding amused.

Rolling her eyes, Alisa went to her suitcase to grab her navy blue workout set. “And let’s see if you can last through more than forty-five minutes of hot pilates, Mr. Landry.”

✧

Both of them were proved correct, more or less. After a few hours in the gym, where more than a little amount of time was spent throwing small jabs at the other when doing their choice of workout, they were back in the suite.

“How in the hell do you not sweat?” Knox asked, throwing his shirt off and into one of the laundry hampers. His brown hair was dripping with sweat, his abs shiny.

Alisa just shrugged, pulling her long, dark hair out of its ponytail. “I must just be in better shape than you.” She had been sweating, but in the time it took to get back up to the suite, it had all since dried.

Knox’s thick brows furrowed at her, but he didn’t seem actually irritated. “Is the Great Alisa Ortega too good for that? Or is that just a perk of being so perfect?”

“I’m not perfect,” she retorted with an eye roll.

“I don’t know about that,” Knox said, giving her a once over. “You look pretty damn perfect to me, Lees.”

Alisa raised a brow at him. “Do you think the flirting is going to get you anywhere, Landry?”

Knox smirked at her. “Well, I’m hoping it’ll get me into the shower with you. Or is the Lawyer Lady hoping for some alone time?”

This was bait. Alisa knew that. But on the other hand, it was hardly new territory for her and Knox. And really, with muscles like those, she could hardly be blamed for giving in. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she headed for the bathroom. Turning back to look over her shoulder, she met Knox’s eyes. “Well? Are you coming?”

Knox grinned, not needing any more of an invitation than that.

✧

After their shower, Alisa and Knox changed into nicer clothes, but they were still on the more casual side. Instead of flat ironing her hair like she might usually do, Alisa let it dry naturally, falling into thick waves down her back.

The weather outside was nice, even for March. Alisa was used to warm weather year round, given that she was from Texas, but it wasn’t unpleasantly warm. The two of them were walking around one of the resort’s gardens, drinks in hand.

“So,” Knox said, taking a sip of his beer. “How exactly did Avery convince you to take this trip?”

Alisa let out a breath, shaking her head. “It was less of an ask, and more informing me of a decision she’d already made.”

Knox hummed, seeming amused. “So the kid pulled one of your own moves on you.”

She opened her mouth to argue with that, but realized he was right. “I’m blaming the Hawthornes for rubbing off on her,” she retorted.

“Right,” Knox dragged out. “Even though you are definitely the one she learned to do that from.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A snort left his lips. “Lees, you have a calendar booked out for the next two years. I’ve spent enough time watching you work to know that your job mostly consists of making decisions and informing people of them.”

Instead of dignifying that with a response, Alisa took a long drink of her cocktail. So what if she did? She’d been doing this for nearly a decade now, and she was good at it. There was no need to pawn off the decision making to other people when she was capable of doing it herself.

Knox’s hand settled on her waist. “Lees, I’m teasing you,” he said. “We both know I respect the shit out of you, and not a single person could say you aren’t the best at your job.” Knox paused. “I just also think that sometimes you work too hard.”

“I work as hard as I need to,” Alisa told him.

“You spent sixty hours in the office last week, not counting the number of hours you accompanied Avery to meetings and other events.” Alisa wasn’t entirely sure how Knox knew how many hours she’d spent in the office, but she didn’t say anything. “Taking a break every now and then isn’t the end of the world.”

Logically, Alisa knew that. Of course she did. But the last five years had been so insane that it was far easier to bury herself in her work than to think about anything else that was going on in her life.

But now, the busyness has died down. There was still stuff to do, sure, but her free time had increased exponentially. That just also meant there was more time to think about other stuff.

Other stuff, being Knox Landry.

The last time she had let someone in, it had ended in the worst heartbreak she’d ever known. Now, years later, she was being presented with the opportunity to try again with someone new. And maybe, just maybe, the thought terrified her.

“I take breaks,” Alisa said, her voice quieter than she’d intended.

Knox stopped walking. He turned slightly, so his eyes caught hers. For someone who was always described as “intense,” Knox was able to soften his gaze in a way that made Alisa want to drop all of her walls. “Alisa,” he said. “This isn’t me criticising you. But I’d like to think I’ve gotten to know you, and all I see is an incredible woman who deserves to be a human every now and again.”

Alisa used to pride herself on being superhuman. She could do things faster than anyone else at the firm, while working on less sleep, less free time, less everything than the other members of McNamara, Ortega, and Jones. A subconscious need to prove herself had developed, and by the time she was more than independently established, the habits had been impossible to get rid of.

“Maybe I don’t know how,” she murmured, keeping her gaze trained on the scenery in front of her. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, not while she was already letting herself be weak.

Knox gently grasped her chin, angling her face towards his. To anyone else, his expression might have read as frustrated or upset, but Alisa had come to recognize it as focused. “Lees, has there ever been a challenge that you haven’t taken head on and crushed beneath your heel?”

Alisa swallowed. He made a good point. “No.”

“So then why the hell would this be any different?” Knox’s thick brows were furrowed. “I’ve seen the shit you pull off. I think you’re more than capable of figuring out how to exist outside of your work.”

When phrased like that, Alisa felt a bit stupid. And if there was one thing she hated, it was feeling stupid. So she straightened her already perfect posture, and with her free hand cupped the back of Knox’s neck and pulled his lips against hers. Hard.

Immediately, Knox moved his own hand to cup her jaw, returning the kiss with equal ferocity. It was a hungry sort of thing, heated. Alisa was frustrated, with herself for feeling this way, and with Knox for having the ability to see right through her when no one else ever seemed able to.

When she finally pulled away, her lipstick was staining Knox’s lips. He grinned at her in a way that made her think he wouldn’t mind.

“Damn, Ortega. And here I’d been starting to wonder how long it would take to get you to do that,” Knox said.

Knox was lucky that he was as good-looking as he was, otherwise Alisa might’ve been annoyed at the cockiness.

“If you want it to happen again, I’d watch the attitude, Mr. Landry.”

Undeterred, Knox just shrugged. “Nah. You like me too much for that threat to be believable.”

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

Instead of bothering to respond, Alisa just pulled him into another kiss to shut him up.

It worked.

✧

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking the perimeter of the resort before heading down to one of the five different pool decks. After a few hours of reading in the sun, her laptop and iPad both having been confiscated by Knox, they returned to the suite to get ready for dinner.

There were twelve restaurants in the resort, and Knox had made a reservation at one of them while they’d been at the pool, to her surprise.

However, when she got there, there were two garment bags hanging in the closet that hadn’t been there before. Alisa didn’t have to guess who was responsible for them.

Unzipping the bag with her name embroidered on it in gold thread, she found a wine colored evening dress. It had a strapless bodice with a lace-up back and a pleated skirt. Knox let out a slow whistle before opening his own bag. Inside was a black suit with a tie in the same shade of deep red as her dress.

“The heiress strikes again,” Knox said.

Looking back at the dress, Alisa smiled. It was her favorite color. “So she has.”

✧

The restaurant was by far the most high-end establishment within the resort. She and Knox were seated in a more private corner of the dining room.

“You clean up nice, Ortega,” Knox said, sipping on his wine.

Alisa rolled her eyes. “You’ve seen me dressed up before, Mr. Landry.”

“Not like this.”

Alisa’s appearance was her armor. Her pantsuits, pulled back hair, and impeccable makeup created a version of herself that was untouchable. Powerful. But here, in an evening dress, with her hair down and styled naturally, maybe she didn’t need the armor.

Maybe with Knox, she didn’t need the armor.

“Thank you, then,” she ultimately settles on, reaching for her own glass. “You clean up well too.”

Knox let out a laugh, shaking his head. “That looked like it pained you to say, Lees.”

“Maybe it did,” Alisa said, smiling over her glass of wine. “Or maybe I meant it.”

“Did you?”

Alisa shrugged. “Ask me again after this glass of wine.”

Letting out a snort, Knox extended his glass to her. “Cheers.”

She raised her glass, but didn’t clink it to his just yet. “To what?”

“To Alisa Ortega accepting that she is a mere mortal like the rest of us,” Knox said with a smirk.

“How can you be so sure that I have?” Alisa questioned, raising a perfectly sculpted brow at him.

Leveling her with a flat look, Knox nodded his head toward her. “Becuase the Alisa Ortega before tonight wouldn’t have acknowledged that joke.” He raised his glass higher. “So, cheers. To being human.”

Alisa knocked her glass against his. “To being human.” They both took a long drink of their wine. When Alisa set her glass down and looked back up at Knox, he was looking at her with the same soft gaze from earlier. It made her feel warm, in a way that no one ever had before. Like she was with someone who saw her for who she was and appreciated every bit of it.