Clothes come tumbling off, the tugging and pulling of fabric, of stubborn elastic, the quick step dance that ensues in order to get everything off below the ankles. Knox walks us backward down the dark hall, past the remnants of my citrus-scented bath, which felt like twelve long years ago. Sylvia is right back to needing relief of this intense ache he’s infused in me, and nobody, not my palm or his five inquisitive sons can temper the flame that’s burning bright in Sylvia’s eyes. Only Knox Toberman’s touch can pull me from this madness, only his mouth can take me where I really want to be. Everything else is simply a fake second.
Knox places me on the bed and lands over me on his elbows, his naked hard body pressed to mine, that happy-to-see-you part of him spearing against my thigh like a steel ruler. “The first time I saw you, I said that girl is too beautiful to be real.”
“Do you want to get yelled at again?” I’m unsure whether to run my hands over his chest or push him away.
A dull laugh rumbles from him, and the vibrations echo throughout my own body right down to Sylvia who’s been begging to have him.
“I will do it.” It’s sort of an empty threat on my part, considering the fact those words came out with a hoarse whisper. My breathing picks up hard and heavy and I’m mortified at how little control I really have at the moment. “What are you going to do to me?” I’m hopeful.
“Everything.” His lids hang heavy. His words are flat, yet to the point, assuring me of the fact he’s telling the God’s honest truth.
Knox runs his hands over me, slow from the top of my torso to the bottom. His hands make a swivel-like motion and one of them slips between my thighs, making my entire body buck to greet him. And I swear on all that is holy, Sylvia just shouted hell yes!
“There we go,” he pants through a barely-there smile as his fingers glide down to that wet spot waiting for him, and a tiny cry escapes my throat. “That’s my girl. You’re going to say my name.”
“What?” I try to smack him across the chest and end up offering up a spontaneous rubdown instead. My God, he feels insane.
“You’re going to say my name.” Those slight commas on either side of his cheeks depress as if it were a mere fact. As much as Knox has the power to melt me, there is still something inherently obnoxious about him, and truth be told, it makes me want him ten times more.
“I think you’re going to say my name.” I reach down and clasp my hand over that obscenely long, hard as a rock, curved far more than I’m sure it should be—I glance down because I still haven’t reached the end of him. “You’re joking, right?”
For a second I think maybe I’ve accidentally latched onto some abnormally long remote control, but dear God, this is a flesh-covered light saber that looks painfully greedy to impale the nearest princess.
“That’s no joke, honey”—Knox lands his hot mouth over my neck and takes a gentle bite, just enough to keep me in the moment—“and neither is this.” His tongue runs down my body like a line of fire as he sinks between the girls before veering a hard left. Knox lands his mouth over my nipple and I jump, nearly sending both of us airborne.
“Oh my God!”
A dark laugh rumbles from him as he comes back to my ear and whispers, “Say it.”
“Just for that, I won’t.” I might be kind to those in need, but I’m stubborn to a fault where everyone else is concerned.
“You will.” He sinks back down and gives my boob’s twin sister a good lashing with that long, hot, prehensile tongue of his.
Oh, wow. My head writhes over the bed at a manic pace. He’s got me. It’s clear Knox is going to torment me until I scream his name from the top of my lungs, and I just might, but not before he beats me to it.
“Okay, that’s it.” I wrestle him off me and cinch my hands around his wrists until I’ve landed him on his back. “You don’t mess with me,” I seethe into those blue lanterns. “It’s time to put some lip gloss on.”
“What?” He looks simultaneously concerned and afraid.
I slither my way down his body and curl up alongside him, and there he is. Wow. That’s all I can say. Isn’t there a law against something so big and intrusive? Clearly the only laws Knox is breaking with his penis are the laws of nature. I touch my lips over it, per Lucky’s ridiculous euphemism before landing my tongue over it, and Knox groans as if I’ve just stuck a butter knife into his thigh.
“Relax, cowboy. We’re just getting started.” I twist my neck just enough to look at him, lying there with those drugged eyes, the slight look of agony on his face. “And when you scream my name? I’d like a hard emphasis on the second syllable.”
“You are the bossiest woman who has ever been near my balls.”
“Ha!” I bark out a laugh. “You’ll be glad about that in about a minute.” My lips land over him and my stomach seizes with heat. My God, here I am, my mouth over the most tender, technically hardest part of him. I do my best to take in as much as I can only to find out I’m completely unable to take in more than an inch from the tip. Damn girth has my mouth feeling like I’ve wrapped it around a telephone pole. Try as I might, I need to hike over his body and straddle him to even hope to lodge that thing down my throat. No sooner do I crest the ridge of his abdomen than his chest pumps with a laugh, making my bottom jump to the ceiling.
“Nice view, sweetheart.”
A breath gets caught in my throat at the audacity, and just as I’m about to initiate a dismount, he snatches my ankles and pulls me to him with one aggressive yank, landing my sweet home Alabama right into the heat of his mouth. Sylvia just screamed home run!
“Knox!” I shrill it out so loud it hurts my throat, and then I freeze in horror.
His chest bucks with a laugh once again. “Knew it,” he hums into me before launching a full assault, and it’s all I can do to whimper and moan. My fingers squeeze the sheets as I struggle to breathe. There’s no hope of me returning the favor at the moment because I’m too lost in an ecstasy I have never known, disabling me from moving, or breathing, or thinking. Knox is making out with Sylvia, making out with Sylvia! Oh my sweet shit, how is this feeling even humanly possible? There’s no way this is supposed to feel this unreal and delicious. If the world experienced anything half this good, it would eschew all responsibility and retreat to the boudoir twenty-four-fucking-seven.
That coil inside me winds tighter than ever should be safe, and as much as I squirm and writhe, there’s no way I ever want to get away from him.
“Knox!” I extend his name in a hard groan, and as much as my body bends and flexes, he’s right there with me. He pushes in and something in me snaps, and my body disintegrates in a spasm of tremors, harder, far more violent than all of my past mattress moves put together. The world breaks apart then puts itself back together again in a delicious explosion of heart-stopping confetti. My knees cinch and he lets me sink to the side of him as I fall to the mattress.
Knox jumps over me, that shit-eating grin spreading ear-to-ear, and I frown the instant I see it.
“Stop gloating.”
His brows rise. “Is that how they say thank you on your planet?”
“Ha-ha,” I growl in his face. “They don’t say thank you on my planet.”
His features sober to stone. “I didn’t think so. But they will say my name again.” That devilish grin returns as he lunges for the nightstand and holds up a condom for me to see.
“No glove, no love.”
“Is that what you call what you’re giving?”
“I call it generous, and if you chose this moment to disagree with me, you’ll be pressing your dumb luck.”
A quiet laugh presses from him. Knox sits up on his knees and rolls it on, packaging his gift for me in a thin protective sleeve, but I’m too busy marveling at the length of his disturbingly long member to pay attention to the shiny latex details.
“My, what a big weapon of ass destruction you have.”
He growls as he lands back over me. Knox leans in and offers a juic
y kiss to my lips, slow and lingering, something deeper, darker than anything we’ve shared before.
“That’s how you kissed her.” I swoon without realizing I spoke the words out loud.
“Kissed who?” His brows flex as he peppers my face with easy kisses.
“Sylvia.” I tick my head to the side and Knox pulls back an inch.
“I don’t remember kissing anyone named Sylvia.”
“That’s because you didn’t give me a chance to introduce you properly.” I wince. “Sylvia might be the name of my friend down south. She’s warm and wet and really appreciated that mouth-to-mouth you offered up. Good news. I think you’ve revived her from a serious drought.”
His head cocks to the side, amused. “Sylvia.” A sly smile comes as he slips a hand down and gives her a proper hello that sends me straight to moaning.
“My, you are friendly.” My head presses back into the pillow as I take in the rather exploratory handshake he’s gifting Sylvia at the moment. “Wow,” I moan as I writhe into his rhythmic moves. Knox gives my knee a tap with his own, and instinctively my legs rope around his back.
He lifts his head a notch until he’s gazing at me once again with that drugged look in his eyes. “It’s time for Sylvia to meet Will.”
My mouth falls open with amusement. “As in Free Willy?”
“As in Will Desmont, the kid who lived down the street when we were growing up.” He winces. “Trix hated him for teasing her, so anytime she referenced my dick, she called it Will.”
“Wow. I’m not sure what level of concern I should have over the fact your sister named your willy.” I bite down hard on a smile. “Now, please, introduce Sylvia to Will before I lose my effing mind.”
“Yes, ma’am.” My stomach pinches with heat when he says it. “Come here.” His hot breath sears over my lips. “You are everything I want in a woman.” He lands a lingering kiss over my mouth that makes my bones ache for more. “I can’t believe I found you.”
And just like that, Knox pierces into my body, into my soul, deep and penetrative, interweaving himself into the fabric of my being, becoming a part of me in every single way. Here we are, together intimately, and not a single person to share the experience with.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This doesn’t feel like revenge.
It feels like love.
A couple of blissful weeks drift by of making love, having dirty sex, and outright fucking, not to mention all the fabulous food we’ve inhaled and the running—God, how my feet have missed hitting the pavement, the fresh air in my lungs. We spent the Fourth of July knitted in one another’s arms down at the beach and even managed to squeeze in the requisite selfie with the grand finale photo bomb—but it was that kiss we shared that lit the picture on fire.
Knox and I drive out to the internship together, worn out from the lack of sleep we’ve received, but completely happy with the results otherwise. Laney and Ryder put an offer in on the house they fell in love with, and our first mission in the real estate field is a burgeoning success. To celebrate, we decide to have dinner at the Black Bear. It just so happens that both Ava and Lucky are there with their respective dudes, so we join them. The 12 Deadly Sins are blaring away on stage, and the entire bar is filled with happy, slightly buzzed bodies all looking to have a good time, and the whole vibe sets my mood in the right zone—that is, until I spot my Greek big bro.
Instinctually, I scowl at Lawson for ratting out Sylvia’s meager attempt at a good time.
“I give.” He holds out his hands. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Sure”—I chirp as I gift him a quick hug—“but I can’t forget. I’ll be the last person to let either of my besties in on any of my deep, dark secrets.” Both Ava and Lucky open their mouths in protest.
“How’s Kappa G?” I bite down the smile that’s begging to take over.
Ava smirks. “Lonely without you. You do realize Gwen thinks you’re visiting your great-aunt. If she finds out you’ve moved, she’ll blow a Birkenstock gasket.”
Lucky bites down hard on a chip. “Then she’ll give your bed away. Speaking of beds, whose are you warming?” Her eyes cut to Knox, and I have no doubt the word is out. Neither Knox nor I are making any secret about it. In fact, this morning I outright tweeted a picture of the two of us snuggled up in bed, complete with rumpled hair and that most treasured afterglow of the great Sylvia and Will reprisal.
It turns out, Sylvia is damn greedy for Will, and lucky for her he’s just as greedy for her.
“Where have you been sleeping?” Lucky demands with a hint of a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Here and there.” I glance to Knox who’s currently engaged in a conversation of his own with Lawson and Grant. “The couch, the sink, the table, the floor, the truck, the tub, the hall, the closet.” I leave out the toilet, the shower, the cozy backyard lit up with stars and a few stray mosquitos. There was a close call with the oven, and that one time early Thursday morning when we accidentally pulled all the food out of the fridge and had a feeding frenzy with it and each other while the Sub-Zero was left gaping open to watch. It’s safe to say Knox and I are hardly novices around one another’s bodies.
Ava groans as if transposing Knox and me for her and Grant, and she totally should. In one week, Knox and I have gotten more mileage off our bodies than Justin and I did in two whole years. Thankfully. Now that I see what a real man can do, I have no intention in bothering to remind myself of the dead fish action Justin doled out.
“Anyone seen the enemy?” I whisper it low. Since Knox and I have been busy honeymooning, we’ve yet to run into Tweedledee and Tweedledumb—not that getting up close and personal is at all necessary to rubbing our newfound happiness in their faces. I know that Justin and his new gal pal are cyberstalking me because every now and again Jen, with the IQ of an ink pen, will like my posts.
Ava lifts a finger. “In the bookstore. She was reselling her books from last semester. And when the cashier asked how her day was going, she burst into tears.”
“Spectacular.” I offer up a smug smile.
Lucky cringes. “I saw her too—at the gym.” She leans in. “Let’s just say she was sweating to the oldies—as in she had her hands all over her weight trainer. It looks to me like she’s moved on from your old boy toy.”
I’m not sure why this annoys me. As much as I don’t want them to last, I need them to be together long enough for Knox and me to drive them properly insane.
“She’s probably just cheating on him. It’s second nature to her at this point to have more than one man in her life.” I think about it a moment. “Although, when she was with both Knox and Justin, she only had one man in her life.” I point over to the beefcake to my left. “Case in point, Justin is a girl in comparison. Hey, I bet he qualifies as my experimental phase. And sadly, I was the guy in that relationship.”
Lucky snorts so loud then stops abruptly mid-cackle.
“Are you okay?” I glance to Ava. “Did she just inhale a fry or something? Should we be implementing the Heimlich?”
“She’s fine.” Ava’s face turns pink as her gaze falls over my shoulder. “Speaking of public enemy number one—here she comes. Six o’clock.”
I spin around and find Jen strutting her stuff in a tight pink dress that should be outlawed in all fifty states for all the right reasons. She looks hideous, distracting, and not in a good way. The girl she’s with comes up behind her and I gasp.
Trixie Toberman gives a curl of her fingers in lieu of a wave and offers a smile that reiterates her sentiment, you better watch your back.
“Evening.” She gifts Knox a swift smack to the back of the head. “Thanks for returning my calls.”
He scowls up at her a moment. “They were text messages, and life-threatening at that. Besides”—he shoots a quick glance my way—“I was busy.”
Holy hell was he ever busy—busier than I ever thought humanly possible. That boy has redefined the word busy in the
small sum of a couple of weeks. I can’t imagine what spending a lifetime with him would feel like. Would it ever get old? The fun, the laughter, the good food, and greater sex? Something in me says I doubt it, and that something is very much Sylvia.
“Well, I’ve got an old friend I’m having dinner with.” She nods to the back where Jen has buried herself in a dark corner like a spider.
“Crap.” Knox tips his head back as if he’s had enough of his little sister’s drama. God knows I have.
“So, you’re friends, are you?” I can’t help it. I’ve never been one to keep my mouth shut when an injustice pops up my way. “Exchanging recipes, relationship tips, stuff like that?” I glare at her a moment, daring her to say yes. I’m thinking she’s the one that needs to watch her back where I’m concerned. It turns out, I’m the one that cares about Knox more than she does.
“Yes,” she says it loud and caustic as she takes a step in close to me. “You got a problem with that?” Her eyes blow up in size, and the rage exuding from her makes it look as if she’s gunning for a fight, so I do the only thing I can do—I stand up.
“Whoa.” Both Lawson and Knox get up at the same time and wedge themselves between us.
“Down, girl.” Lawson gives me a quick wink. “Trixie’s going through a lot too,” he says it low, but her face flinches anyway.
“The hell I am.” She lunges for me, and Knox catches her before she gets within striking range. “You stay the hell away from my brother! You have a lot of nerve messing with his heart after what he went through. Don’t you dare deny you’re using him to make Janelle insane. I don’t care about your stupid little revenge plot. If Jen and Justin want to screw one another’s brains out for the next fifty years, that’s their business—but whatever happens to Knox is mine!”
“You’re cute,” I say from over his shoulder. “You remind me a lot of my little sister, far too mouthy and obnoxiously annoying. What are you doing here with her, anyway? Let me guess. You’d rather spend time with the girl who shit on your brother’s heart than the one that truly cares about him.”