All I Need (The Knights, #1)

by E. Salvador

A sassy redhead won’t leave my mind. Her hair was a golden copper color, and her striking eyes an earthy, forest green infused with specks of brown.

“There’s no going back. You’re stuck with me for life and by life I mean until Saturday.” “For life.” “For life, Peaches.”

So what’s up with the camera?” I ask as he holds the door open for me to step inside. He had that same camera hanging from his neck last night and this morning. “Can I really be considered a boyfriend if I don’t have pictures of my girlfriend?” TJ doesn’t wait for me to respond as he continues. “Thought I could take pictures of art next to art.”

“Peaches?” He grins when I roll my eyes at the nickname. Although it’s kind of grown on me. “Yeah?” “You’re worth it.”

I stare at the ocean, unblinking, the steady ripples that flow back and forth rhythmically captivating me. They’re endless, vast, and completely mesmerizing with two different shades of blue, royal and indigo. And then the burnt sienna, deep champagne, and tangerine colors are beautifully painted across the sky. They pour onto the sea and together coalesce, creating a breathtaking view that stretches as far as I can see.

My focus is solely on the shade of his irises, pools of dark amber that set every nerve in my body on fire.

May 26. Peach juice. Our talk on the beach. The bracelets. The museum. The pictures. The painting. The dolphins. The sunset. Her.

I smile at the sincerity in her voice. Juls is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met and also one of the most stunning.

“Just some girl, yet her face is tattooed on your arm,” he dryly retorts, his tone patronizing.

“Don’t fucking talk about Lola. If I hear you talk shit about her, I don’t give a fuck that you’re my teammate. I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

I could tell her that Peaches remind me of sunsets. A vast sky with brush-like strokes of golden copper, fused with amber, and a fiery orange that makes the sky look ablaze. Maybe it’s a reflection of how I felt the last day we were together, ablaze. Burning fiercely but nothing I didn’t want to stop feeling, at least not in that moment.

Multitasking with a kid is a job of its own. I praise all the parents who do it.

“I mean, I’m jealous too because, how oblivious must you be to not notice how obvious he is?”

Lola’s the embodiment of a sunset. Something you always look forward to even though you know it’s going to appear every day, around the same time. Because you know that it’s not always going to be the same colors. Sometimes you get a cotton candy sky that brings peace to your mind and sometimes you get a blazing sky that sets your soul on fire. And sometimes on special days you get a coalescence of both.

“I just want to be yours, like I want you to be mine.” Desperation pours from my mouth. “It doesn’t matter how many miles and people are between us. It’s only you and me.” I unhook my finger, interlocking my fingers between her slender ones. “Give me a chance and let me prove it to you. Please, Lola, please.”

Dropping my stuff on the floor, I close the gap between us and take her in my arms. Having her in my arms, everything stills. I’m submerged in her warmth and vanilla scent.

“This world is filled with infinite possibilities. Some are in our control and some aren’t. Meeting you was out of my control, but loving you was something I had complete and total control of. You’re my most favorite and unexpected possibility, and I don’t want to stop exploring the endless possibilities life has to offer as long as you’re in it.”