Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Isla
Memories of last night crash over me in a slow, molten wave as Knox Vale fills my mind.
His hands.
His mouth.
His touch.
God, his touch. The way Knox touched me… it was like he was starving for me.
I was starving for him, too. It made it easier to burn through that line between us and everything standing in our way.
My body feels wrecked. The delicious ache between my thighs reminds me it’s the good kind of wreckage. The kind a girl wants to feel when she’s spent the night with a man who claimed her inside and out.
How many times did he take me? I’ve lost count.
Instinctively, I reach out across the sheet, feeling for him. My fingers slide to the cool dent in the mattress where his body should be. But the space is empty.
Empty like it was the morning after our wedding.
My stomach dips.
I blink fully awake and push myself up on my elbows.
Just like that morning, radiant light spills across the bedsheets in streams of soft gold.
For a moment, I don’t move. I just stay here, breathing in the scent of him.
The room feels different without him. Quiet and still. Like the air is holding its breath with me.
Dare I think that he could be downstairs?
Knox is most likely working. Again.
And that’s fine. I can’t be upset about that, even though I am. And I’m disappointed, too. Above everything, I just wanted to spend time with him.
At least I know about the woman. And that Knox definitely wasn’t cheating with her. Of all the things I thought he was going to tell me about her, I never expected a sad story about his best friend.
As he told me about his friend’s illness, I saw a softer side of Knox. Something more to grip me about him.
As if I wasn’t already hooked.
His absence now is another wakeup call. Like reality’s breath in the eye of the storm. It’s a time to reflect and ask myself again what I’m getting myself into.
Yesterday was so, so bizarre. Everything with Chad. Then with him and Knox fighting.
Then with Knox and me.
But I’d go through every single moment again and again if I ended up in Knox Vale’s bed.
The realization couldn’t be more dangerous for me.
I’m tumbling headfirst into a deep abyss, and if I’m not careful, I’ll drift away.
This man hasn’t even been in my life for a full month, yet he’s done so much to change me. The problem is, I can’t go back to the way life was before. I don’t want to.
Despite all my efforts to play it safe, I keep rebelling and yielding to a man who has become my favorite mistake.
Chad isn’t even on my mind anymore. To be quite honest, it’s perhaps best to distance myself from him. He seems determined to pick Knox and me apart, and I can’t allow him to discover our biggest secret—the contracted marriage.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did, but it wouldn’t be good, either. I’m sure it would also make him more fixated than ever to win me back. He’ll continue glossing over the fact that I don’t want to be with him and think I’ve been misguided.
I shake my head free of Chad. I don’t want to think about him anymore. I’ve already given him way too much brain space.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, deciding to get up.
I’ll go downstairs and grab some coffee. Then maybe head out to the beach and stay there until Knox gets back.
I pull my hair back into a ponytail, drag on one of my oversized sweatshirts and a pair of yoga pants. Then I make my way downstairs.
The moment I reach the bottom of the staircase, Knox’s voice carries through the villa.
I gasp. My gosh. He’s here. And it sounds like he’s talking to someone.
His voice pulls me like a magnet. I follow the sound to the living room, my pulse picking up, desperate just to see him.
I push the door open and freeze.
Before me is a room full of businessmen, who all turn to look at me. They’re five of them, all wearing suits. Laptops are open. Papers are spread out across the coffee table. Sheila’s in the corner taking minutes.
God, this is a business meeting. And Knox stands at the head, staring straight at me like I just walked into his bloodstream.
He doesn’t say a word to me.
We just stare at each other, the room blurring at the edges with everyone and everything inside.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize for barging in, but his stare renders me speechless. The desire in his eyes steals the air right out of my lungs, and the moment stretches between us, thick with electricity.
Last night flickers in his gaze—every touch, every kiss, every moment he was buried inside me.
Heat crawls up my throat.
Then, without looking away from me, he says, “Get out.”
My heart stops. “I—what?” The words scrape out of me.
His jaw flexes. “Not you, love.”
Finally, he tears his gaze away and cuts it toward his team. “I said get out,” he repeats, his voice calm but lethal. “The meeting’s over.”
“But we haven’t talked about the merger yet,” says a bald man in the corner with a wiry moustache.
“It can wait. We’ll deal with it when I’m back in New York,” Knox explains, his gaze drifting back to me. “My wife and I will be busy for the next two weeks.”
I gasp, my breath stumbling. He… can’t be serious.
Knox is choosing me?
“New York? But we had meetings planned every day this week.”
“I said it can wait. You guys head back to New York, and I will see you there in two weeks.”
Oh my God. He is choosing me.
“With all due respect, Knox, you shouldn’t let a multimillion-dollar deal sleep for two weeks,” the man argues. “Other companies may swoop in and claim it.”
Knox shoots the man a hard glare that shuts him down—one that makes it very clear he won’t repeat himself.
Biting his lip, the man nods curtly and packs up his things. The others follow suit.
Chairs scrape. Laptops close. Papers shuffle. No one argues.
They rush to gather their things and leave, each acknowledging me before walking through the door.
Sheila is the last one left.
A proud smile brightens her face as she walks up to Knox and reaches out to touch his cheek with that motherly warmth I’ve seen in her.
“I’m guessing I need to head back to New York, too?” She beams at him.
“Is that okay?” Knox softens his hard exterior for her.
“Of course, dear. Do you need me to do anything before I leave?”
“No, we’ll be fine.”
Sheila gives his arm a gentle squeeze. “Then I will see you in two weeks.”
“See you then.”
Sheila walks toward me and gives me a quick hug. “Have fun, my dear.”
“Thank you.”
The smile she gives me is filled with hope and excitement. It’s obvious she’s seen how close Knox and I have become and is happy for us. When she leaves, I return my focus to Knox. He’s already watching me.
He moves toward me, stripping away the distance between us, and picks me up when he reaches me.
I laugh, and he kisses me.
“Good morning, love,” he whispers between kisses.
“Good morning. You just sent them all away.”
He sets me back on my feet, grins down at me, and cups my face. “I did.”
“But it sounded like a really important meeting. That guy said you had a multimillion-dollar deal.” I can hardly wrap my head around the million-dollar part, let alone multiples of it.
“You’re more important to me,” he murmurs, his voice almost reverent, like he’s pulling the truth straight out of his chest.
The words slam into me, then sink into my heart as if making room for all the feelings I told myself I couldn’t have with him. “Me?”
“You.”
A sting builds behind my eyes, and I blink hard, trying to keep the tears from spilling. “Knox Vale, you mystify me in the best way possible.”
He smiles. “That’s good.”
“I think so.” I laugh. He does, too. “And two weeks? We were supposed to be here for another five days.”
“I thought we could do with a fresh start and some extra time to make up for the mess I made of the last few days.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” He winks at me. “So, how about we spend the day together? We can talk about sightseeing. I’d like to show you Italy. What do you say, love?”
“That sounds perfect, malesh.”
Knox smiles at the endearment and leans forward to kiss me. “Good. I want us to forget everything, Isla.” He gazes deep into my eyes, as if his next breath depends on my answer.
“Everything?” I search his eyes.
“Yes, love. No contract, not business, no clauses, terms, and conditions. Let’s just focus on you and me.”
“I like that even more.”
His eyes darken, heat simmering beneath the surface. “Then I think we should go back upstairs and start the day over.”
He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. Our lips meet for a hungry kiss, and I know my life’s about to change again.
But in all the very best ways, and I can’t wait to have my husband all to myself.