Thelonious hated nothing more than cleaning up after other people. That's why he hired people to do the cleaning for him at the hotel. But here he was now, cleaning up after a bunch of teenagers on a weekend. He was just thankful that he was alone.

Having unnecessary eyes on him was not something that he savoured nor desired. They all judged him for being a cleaner, looking down on him for the lowly status that his job provided. But none of them knew the truth and he preferred it that way.

This is quite the social life, he thought to himself. Between spending all his time at the hotel and now this cleaning job taking up time that he didn't have, he was sure that he was every young woman's dream companion.

A snort sounded from him at the thought.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, his eyes trailed up, lingering on a figure that he could just about make out from behind a shelf of old, dusty history books. This was the last part of the library he had left to clean but his mind dwelled on other things.

Leaning his broom against a desk chair, Thelonious ran a hand through his hair in attempt to neaten it as he walked towards the familiar fiery vixen that had plagued his mind, thoughts and very being from the first moment he had laid eyes on her that fateful week before summer.

His breath hitched as he finally saw all of her. She was even more beautiful in person than the vixen that he had spent so many weeks dreaming about.

Darcy sat in an old, orange bean bag that was placed in the corner of the history section, her laptop open and resting on her crossed legs. Headphones sat atop her head as she focused on the screen in front of her, her fingers animatedly typing away at the keyboard as she enjoyed the light breeze that came in through the low, open window to her left despite the chilly autumn air.

He briefly allowed himself to wander what else those fingers of hers could do.

Thelonious wasn't sure how long he was stood there, leaning against one of the shelves as he watched her, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes dazed.

He had never felt such peace before.

Suddenly, a frustrated groan passed her lips before she slammed shut her laptop and cast it away to the ground by her feet. The sound immediately went to his groin.

Even in her anger she was gentle with it. Her eyes trailed up as she sighed and stretched her arms above her head, her eyes finally landing on him.

Instead of surprise clouding her stormy grey orbs as he had expected, she merely pushed back her headphones so here ears were revealed and quirked a questioning brow in his direction.

Darcy watched the stranger for a few minutes, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. His hair was dark as night, curling over his forehead and the tops of his ears, otherwise wavy in texture. Thick, luscious lips rested below a straight nose and a sharp, angular jaw. He was tall, much taller than her. Definitely at least a head taller than her cheating ex-boyfriend too. His body was well defined and muscular from what she could make out through the t-shirt he was wearing, and she couldn't help but appreciate the way the muscles in his arms bulged as they remained crossed against his chest. His skin was a medium tan, giving him an exotic look. She couldn't quite place where he was from, but plain old Caucasian was definitely not in the mix.

Despite all of that, his best feature in her opinion was his eyes. A blue paler than the sky and softer than the clouds. It didn't sound like it matched the rest of his dark, brooding exterior but on him, they were beautiful.

A beautiful contrast for a beautiful man.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked, a teasing smirk playing on her lips.

She was sure that she had seen him around, but she had never truly stopped to look at him. Really look at him. She regretted that deeply now.

He didn't answer straight away, his eyes just watching her as she sat up straighter, smoothing down her top in the process. "What are you doing here?" He finally asked, his voice low and deep. Sexy.

The sound of it sent a shiver down her spine and her core pulsated, but she dared not acknowledge it. The intensity of his gaze raised suspicion that he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

"I could ask you the same thing."

He looked over his shoulder and paused before his eyes returned to her, almost as if he was reminding himself what exactly he was doing there. "I'm cleaning up the place." He shrugged; the explanation simple enough.

"For fun?" She asked, believing him to be joking. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with being a cleaner; he just didn't look like he fitted the role. She had observed him with a broom in his hand earlier and while he had expertly maneuvered it over the floor, it just didn't fit him.

The two had looked like they didn't belong.

Thelonious shook his head and pushed himself up from the shelf before he walked over to her, his eyes not once wavering from her unwavering gaze. When he was finally close enough, he plopped himself down on the window shelf, his knees brushing against her elbow. The heat from his body sent goose bumps up her arm despite her wearing a long-sleeved shirt. "It's my job to clean up the place."

"You're a janitor?" She asked, her voice laced with surprise rather than judgement.

He shook his head. "My friend's a janitor. I'm just taking over for him for a few weeks."

Understanding dawned on her. "Why are you filling in for your friend?" She had been right. He didn't quite fit the role of a cleaner.

She watched as his lips twitched, a barely-there smile. "He's busy chasing the love of his life."

She angled her head to get a better look at him. "That's a nice thing for you to do."

He merely shrugged as his gaze landed on the forlorn laptop by her feet. "What's got you so angry with it?"

A groan escaped her as she closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the bean bag. He had to avert her eyes when her shirt rode up to reveal the sun kissed skin of her stomach, but not before he noted the piercing there. It glistened in the light that came in through the window.

Interesting. Very interesting.

He couldn't help but wonder if that – and her ears from what he could see – were her only piercings. He wondered where the others could possibly be.

"I'm doing my final year project. It isn't going the way I want it to at the moment." A small pout played on her lips as she frowned down at her computer. He had to clench his fists to refrain from grabbing her around the waist and crushing his mouth to hers.

The fiery vixen was really tempting him; calling out to him like a siren and she didn't even know it.

He chose to nod his head instead, awkwardly clearing his throat. "What do you study?"

"Computer Science. This is my last year." When he didn't respond, she offered some further information. "I'm doing an integrated master."

Thelonious merely hummed in response. He had hoped that she would continue the conversation but when he dared to glance back at her again, her eyes were closed and her head rested on the beanbag. She looked so peaceful, so precious.

"Thelonious." He declared, not ready to finish talking to her just yet. He didn't want to walk away and leave her just a figment of his dreams and imagination. He wanted to get to know her.

This was so unlike him.

Her eyes flew open, almost as if she had forgotten that she wasn't alone. "What?" She sounded.

"That's my name. Thelonious."

She paused and blinked once. "That's a powerful name, but I don't remember asking for it." A small smile played on her lips as she teased him. "Hi, Thelonious." Sitting up, she held out her hand, ignoring the tingles that erupted when he took it. His handshake was firm and strong, and she could tell that he was holding back on the pressure.

"I'm Darcy." She introduced herself, frowning slightly as his hand slipped from hers.

"I know."

Both of them paused. He couldn't have been creepier even if he tried.

"I mean, I saw it on your notebook," and then he pointed at said book, also resting on the ground by her laptop.

She chuckled lightly, the situation amusing. "Have you got a last name, Thelonious?"

He nodded. "Knight."

"Darcy Blake." She stared at him for a second. He was a man of very few words.

The longer she stared at him, the more the fluttering in her stomach intensified. She averted her eyes in hopes that the feeling would stop. But it just spread south.

"So, what are you doing here on a weekend?" He gestured towards the empty library.

"I was trying to get some work done. I usually come in on Saturdays since it's nearly empty." Darcy explained before she stood up. "But it's getting late and I think I should probably head home." She needed to put distance between herself and this gorgeous specimen before she jumped his bones.

Not that she would regret it. But it would just be too embarrassing if he rejected her. Plus, she had only met him. Perhaps it was just a tad bit too early to jump his bones.

Thelonious nodded and watched in silence as she packed up her bag and threw her coat over her shoulders. His eyes followed her every move until she was finally ready to leave. "I'll see you around campus sometime, Thelonious." She spoke quietly before beginning her journey home.

"Do you want to grab a cup of coffee with me?" He called after her, his mind running a hundred thoughts a second. He wasn't ready for her to leave just yet. He feared if she left now then he wouldn't have an excuse to speak to her again. When she paused and turned around, he stood up and took a step towards her. "I'm just about finished here."

Darcy pursed her lips, pondering on the thought. "You're a great guy, Thelonious." She began and he braced himself for the rejection that lay on the tip of her tongue. "But I just got out of a relationship and I don't think I'm ready to jump into a new one just yet."

He nodded and stared back at her, impartial. He offered her a smile but was sure that it came out as more of a grimace.

"Have a great weekend!" She threw a sultry smirk over her shoulder and with that, she was gone.

-

All my stories can be found on Inkitt for FREE: https://inkitt.app.link/RA__illuminating_

Chapters of Beating Hearts [Knight's Rest #1] will be uploaded on Inkitt a week earlier than on Wattpad as well as exclusive bonus chapters at the end of the story. So, be sure to check out Beating Hearts on Inkitt here: https://inkitt.app.link/RA__illuminating_

Chapter 05 is available on Inkitt NOW!

The next chapter will be updated on 23/11/2019!

Layla Knight

12.06.19