13. Chapter 13
“Hungry?” Knox asked as he tucked me under his arm.
“Yes!” I answered as we began strolling down a city street. “I think they have food trucks down here,” I pointed ahead of us. I had just whooped his ass in a game of laser tag and was famished.
“You sure you don’t want something a little more … formal?” he asked, looking down at me. “’Cuz I don’t want to hear about how this isn’t a real date because we ate off paper plates. I am willing to take you to the finest two-star restaurant we can find.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I want quick,” I said, hoping he would take the hint in my voice. What I wanted was to be alone with him.
Pulling me in and kissing my temple, Knox breathed in my ear, “I prefer to take my time.”
We giggled our way down the sidewalk, then heard a voice ring out. “Knox!”
We both stopped in our tracks and looked over at a small group of tables clustered outside a little Mexican restaurant. Two of the tables were pushed together and two couples were enjoying chips and salsa.
My eyes immediately narrowed in on an older man that looked like Knox at about age fifty-five. He was flanked by a woman who looked the same age, and a younger couple, and they were all waving animatedly at us. I pointed toward the crowd. “Uh, is that—”
“My entire fucking family.”
“Oh! Wow.”
“Lyzbeth?” One of the women called out, her strawberry-blonde-with-a-kiss-of-silver, shoulder-length hair bobbing side to side as she waved her arm. “Is that you?” She put her hand over her eyebrows, as if she were blocking the sun, even though it was nighttime.
“Well, if it’s not, shit’s about to get real awkward,” said the guy standing next to her. He got an elbow in the gut from yet another woman standing on his other side.
“Come join us, little brother!” said the guy, rubbing his side.
“Oh, I don’t know, man, we’re kind of doing our own thing tonight,” Knox said awkwardly.
“Oh, come on! We just put our drink order in. Come at least have one with us,” said the older woman.
“That would be great!” I said before Knox could decline again. He looked at me, uncertain. “It’s your family, Knox. I don’t want to be that chick who won’t spare a minute for your family.”
Pulling me in for a quick kiss—which got an “aww” from the younger chick—before leading me toward the tables, Knox mumbled under his breath, “Just a quick stop.”
As we approached, Knox’s mother came barreling toward us, completely bypassing her son, and gathered me up in her arms. “Oh sweetheart, it’s so nice to meet you!” She nearly squeezed the life out of me as she embraced me and swayed side to side. “I’m Monica.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said and hugged her back. Since my mom moved, I hadn’t received a hug like that very often. It was nice.
“And I’m Clyde,” the man announced as his arm sliced down between Monica and me, effectively inserting himself. When I took his hand, he grasped it between his large palms and shook it with enthusiasm. “We’ve been dying to meet you.”
“Fuck’s sake,” I heard Knox mumble beside me.
The other guy and girl came around the table. “Lyzbeth, I’m Bram. Knox’s older and more handsome brother,” he said, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. Bram’s hair was lighter than Knox’s, and he wasn’t as tall, but I could still see the resemblance.
Knox rolled his eyes.
“And this is my girlfriend, Emily.” Bram reached to his side and put his hand on the back of a beautiful, makeup-free brunette with bright eyes and an electrifying smile who stood beside him. She took my hand in both of hers. “Ohmygod, I just love what you have done to Knox,” she said. “Can we be best friends, please?”
“Okaayyyyy,” Knox put an arm around my shoulder and steered me toward the empty chairs his dad had pulled up to the table.
“Let’s get you guys a drink,” Bram said, raising a hand to flag down the waitress.
“NO!” Knox and I both shouted.
The whole table turned to look at us, and I swear someone stopped the music. We looked at each other, and I held in a chuckle as Knox stammered, “We, uh, we just, don’t really feel like drinking tonight.”
“Okaayyyy,” Bram said, sounding just like his younger brother a moment ago. “Do you have any strong objection to tacos, because we ordered a bunch for the table? But if that offends you, we could—”
“Tacos are fantastic,” I interrupted, my cheeks no doubt flushed.
“Bram was just filling us in on that site you guys secured up on the ridge,” Emily said, throwing us a bone and introducing a new topic of conversation. I gave her a tight smile, and she gave me a wink.
What was meant to be “one quick stop” ended up with a full meal and churros for dessert, but honestly, I didn’t mind. Of course, I was eager to be alone with Knox, but it was also nice to see him interacting with his family and to see what he was like in his environment.
As the night wore on, I could tell he was getting anxious to get me alone, as well. His hand would drift down to rest on my thigh or reach up to brush my hair behind my shoulder, or give my hand a squeeze on my lap. It felt so natural, and the stolen glances we gave each other between “shop talk” made me feel like we had a little secret, even though our attraction was anything but a secret to anyone who bothered to look our way.
“Well,” Knox finally said after a break in conversation, “I think we’re gonna get going.” He nodded in my direction, and I rose with him.
“Thanks so much for inviting us to join you,” I said as I accepted hugs from all his family members.
“I’m staying with Em tonight, little brother,” Bram said as we turned to walk away, and I didn’t miss the little wink and grin he gave Knox who, again, rolled his eyes, and put a hand at my back to steer me toward the sidewalk.
“They’re all really nice,” I said as he practically dragged me along.
“Mmmhmm,” he nodded, almost angrily.
“You OK?” I asked as we crossed a side street and turned a corner. I knew he lived somewhere close by, but I wasn’t exactly sure where.
“No,” Knox clipped.
“What?”
“No. I’m not OK?”
He gripped my elbow and steered me up the front stoop to his apartment building. Yanking a set of keys out of his pocket, he fumbled through them before getting the front door open, and then he gently pushed me up a narrow set of stairs.
“Did I do something?” I asked.
Knox didn’t respond as he grabbed my hips to stop me outside a door, and then he used the same set of keys to unlock that one. He pushed the door open, then put his hand at my back once again and steered me in before him. Flicking on the light, he slid the door shut, locked it, and turned to me with a predatory gaze.
We were standing in a small entryway that opened right up to a living room/kitchen/dining area, like most apartments around the city. I turned to look at the industrial-looking apartment that was all brick walls and dark accents, and heard Knox’s footsteps behind me as he slung his keys onto a nearby coffee table. They slid clear across it and fell to the floor with a noisy clang. His hands dug into the jeans on my hips as he roughly pulled my back to his front, then one hand wound around to my front, over my stomach, dragging my silky shirt halfway up as his hand grazed over my breast and lightly gripped my throat. Behind me, he panted.
“You said you’re not OK.” I forced out in a breathy rush as Knox slowly started to walk me forward, toward a short hallway that had a few doors on each side.
“Nope. Definitely not OK.” He ran his nose down the side of my neck, then nibbled my ear.
“What, uh, what’s wrong?” I stammered as the hand on my hip pulled me closer to him, and he steered me into the first room on the left.
“Wrong? Oh, I don’t know, baby, does this feel wrong?” he asked as he moved his hand from my hip and threaded his fingers through mine, then brought my palm behind me to massage his hard groin.
“Oh,” was all I could respond, turned on by his vulgarity and afraid to admit it.
Knox slowly spun me around, trapping me against a dresser, and brought his hands up to the sides of my face, and I circled my hands around his wrists. He kissed me sweetly.
“My problem,” he kissed my left cheek, “is I’ve been sitting a goddamn foot away from you …” He kissed my right cheek. “Which is too close …” He kissed my lips again. “And too fucking far away …” He trailed kisses down my neck. “And I had to sit there and watch you drink with those lips, and watch this throat of yours bob as you swallowed …” He trailed kisses back and forth along my collarbone. “And watch you lick salsa off your fingers …” He returned to my mouth and sucked my bottom lip between his teeth, releasing it as he returned to nuzzle my neck. “All the while Bram went on about fucking Game of Thrones or The Jersey Shore or God only knows, because I wasn’t fucking listening …”
I chuckled at that. “He was talking about The Bachelor.” I burst out in laughter as Knox harumphed into my neck. “Hand to God, Knox, he was talking about the latest episode of The Bachelor.”
We were both shaking with laughter as Knox ran his hands down to my waist, then around and up my back and cupped my shoulder blades, his face still buried in my neck. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
“My family is crazy,” he said, his words muffled.
“Yeah,” I said, taking my turn to kiss his neck. “But I like them.”
“Yeah?” He pulled his head out of my neck just enough to make eye contact with me.
“Yeah.”
Knox held my gaze, then quickly crushed his lips to mine, searing me, claiming me, thanking me. Pulling away abruptly, he added, “No more talk about my fucking family tonight, OK?”
He didn’t wait for me to answer. He pulled me away from the dresser, spun us around, and walked me backward until the back of my legs hit the bed, and we both descended. He crawled right up over me and continued kissing me. My hands roamed, sliding up his stomach and pulling his shirt up, and he broke away from our kiss just long enough to pull it over his head, then he gripped the hem of my shirt and pulled it up and over my arms and discarded it along with his.
His eyes raked over my black bra before he dipped his head down to trail kisses down my cleavage and pull one cup down to expose my nipple, which he took into his mouth. He sucked it tightly as he wound his hands around my back to unclasp my bra, then slid the straps down my arms and tore it away.
“Damn,” he bit out as he took one full breast in one of his hands and the other nipple in his mouth. “Fucking sexy,” he mumbled around it.
I fisted his hair in my hands and arched my chest up into him, moaning his name.
Knox chuckled, his breath making my nipples tighten further. His hand roamed further down my body, and I tried not to tense as he had to have felt my lumpy stomach. But he must have felt me still.
When I instinctively brought a hand down over my stomach, Knox pulled away from my chest. He skooched down and gently pulled my hand away, then looked me in the eyes as he shook his head ever so slightly. No. He leaned down and trailed open-mouth kisses all along my soft stomach. Up, down. Side to side.
I shook as he brought his hands to the waist of my jeans, undid the top button and pulled my zipper down. His hand slid beneath my pants and rubbed my damp panties, and he hummed against my skin.
“You’re not the only one who was being tortured through dinner,” I said, breathing heavy and raising my hips to grind my groin into his palm.
“Good,” he said against my stomach as he slid a finger along my center and began to stroke.
I panted and awkwardly reached for the waist of his pants and clumsily unbuttoned and unzipped them. I gripped his hard length just as he slid a finger inside me.
We both groaned.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this,” he gritted out as he pulled back and pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs and kicked them off, then grabbed my jeans and panties and yanked them down my legs, flipping me in the process. I braced myself face down on the bed with my right hand, still half on my side.
His hands dug into my ass cheeks as he gave them a rough squeeze and released me, which made my rear jiggle. Then I felt his teeth softly dig into my right cheek, making me yelp, as he again took handfuls of my rump.
“I’ve been dreaming of this ass since you flashed it in the courtyard,” he said against my skin as his tongue licked the area where he teeth had just been.
“What?” I panted, confused.
“Nothing,” he murmured against my skin.
I felt the bed dip behind me as he laid down and, keeping himself positioned behind me, Knox slid his hand around to play with me. I arched my back, so my ass was pressed against his erection, and I snaked my arm over my shoulder, gripped his hair and pulled his face to the side of mine, turning to kiss him deeply.
And he claimed me in return, with his mouth, his tongue, his hand. Then he pulled away and I heard his nightstand drawer open and close, then the tear of foil. Next thing I knew he was back behind me, half on top of me, nudging my right knee up with his, while I braced myself with my hands on the mattress. He pulled my hip up just enough to meet him as he pressed just into my entrance.
“You ready?” He kissed my shoulder.
“Yes.”
And he slowly sank into me, equal parts pulling me onto him and pushing himself into me. He hissed as we each adjusted to get the perfect fit, then he pulled out and pushed back in, harder and faster this time.
“This OK?” he grunted.
I purred, and he chuckled.
I gasped as he found his rhythm, his one forearm braced by the side of my head to keep from lying all his weight on me while his other hand wrapped around to cup my breast. Then he used that hand to push his torso up a bit as he again nudged my knee with his to get a deeper angle as he continued his thrusts.
When I whimpered, Knox slowed his pace and pulled back before swinging my right leg over his shoulder and turning me, so I was on my back and he was positioned between my thighs, then he slid back in.
He brushed some hair out of my sweaty face as he slowly rolled his hips, pushing and pulling, in and out, as he peppered kisses all over my face. “Talk to me, Lizzie.”
“W- What do you need me to say?” I asked breathlessly as he edged me to the breaking point. I ran my fingertips up and down his back and sides, feeling the muscle over his ribs and shoulder blades tense as he moved.
Keeping his pace but kicking up the force of which he ground into me, Knox used one hand to push my left leg open wider, making me cry out.
“Is there anybody else?” he asked through gritted teeth. I could tell he was nearing the brink, too.
“No,” I panted.
He picked up the pace, just a little. “Just me?”
I was starting to tremble as my back arched up off the bed. I was about to lose control. He really started giving it to me as his hand cupped my jaw and he kissed me savagely as he ran that hand up into my hair and fisted it. My breasts bounced between us as he continued thrusting.
I erupted with a “Yea-God-ahhhh” type of sound, and that was Knox’s invitation to piston into me at a rapid pace until he found his own release, which left him shaking and grunting and cursing my name as he curled over me.
Sweaty, gasping, trembling, we were a mess of limbs and hair and breaths as we came down. Finally, Knox turned his head, which was buried in my neck, and left one more trail of kisses along my shoulder, neck and jaw before whispering against my lips, “Don’t you fucking move.” He slid out of me, rolled off the bed and disposed of the condom in the trash can in the corner of the room.
What I didn’t say was I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. Spaghetti legs do that to me.
Knox came right back to bed, and as he saddled up beside me I tried to shimmy the sheet out from under me so we could bring it up over us, but he stopped me. “No, please, for the love of God don’t cover this up,” he said as he ran a hand down my side and over my hip, making me shiver with insecurity. But I didn’t protest.
“Talk to me,” he repeated his earlier request, once again brushing hair from my face as he propped himself up on an elbow, hovering above me. He looked … nervous.
And the bitch in me couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. “Oh, I was just thinking …”
“Yeah …” Knox lowered his head to look into my eyes, as I paused for dramatic effect. “What were you thinking, Lizzie?” He traced my lips with his fingertips.
I sighed, darted my eyes around and then brought them back to his. “I was just thinking this was much better than our first time.” And I wrinkled my nose.
Horror crossed Knox’s face before he dropped it to my shoulder, and he nearly cried. “I knew it! You were coherent for our drunken sex!”
I was in stitches. I was convulsing with laughter.
“Oh, God. Tell me, how bad was it? No! Wait. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
Tears were streaming down my face, and I had to come out with the truth. I shook my head as I wiped my eyes. “No, I don’t remember anything. I was just messing with you.”
Knox stilled, let out one single, scary laugh, then stared down at me. “Are you shitting me? Wait, so you don’t remember? You’re just fucking with me?”
I nodded shyly, hoping I didn’t piss him off too bad. But then he was quiet for a solid ten seconds so I couldn’t tell.
“You freaking mad woman!” he roared as he dove in to tickle me senseless. “You are such a little liar! I was about to have a heart attack!”
“Stop! Stop!” I gasped and giggled under his onslaught. I tried to fight him off but between the fatigued muscles, the tickling, and feeling his growing erection against my stomach, it was useless. “I’m s-sorry!” I rasped out.
“You’re sorry? You’re sorry? I’ll show you sorry,” Knox said through laughter of his own as he continued to dance his fingers down my sides.
“No! No! Please, let me make it up to you!” I managed to eek out as I grabbed Knox’s wrists and pushed him away—him taking the hint and rolling over so he was on his back, and I straddled him. He tried to poke my sides from this position, but I gasped some more and instead guided his hands to my hips. He then slid them around to my ass. I leaned down so I could ghost my lips over his as my breasts smushed between us.
“I’m sorry I teased you. I’m so … so … sorry,” I said as I kissed his chest, his neck, his jaw. I heard his breathing hitch as I reached a hand down and stroked his hard dick between us, before bringing it to my wet entrance. “Let me know when you need to pull out?” I cocked my head slightly, letting him know it was a question and waiting for permission to take him bare.
He nodded eagerly and that was all the indication I needed before I sank onto him.
“Fuck,” he sighed as he gripped my ass harder.
I sat up as I ground myself up and down on his length slowly. He thrust his hips up to meet me, his head falling back, his throat rolling as he swallowed down cusses and gasps of hair.
“Shit. Yeah, baby. Just like that.”
I reached one hand down to rub myself as I rode up and down on him, using my other hand to caress my breast and nipple.
Knox looked up at me through heavy eyelids, and I could see the arousal in his eyes. “Keep doing that,” he ground out. “That is the sexiest sight I’ve ever seen.”
I continued using his body to get off. “Let me know, Knox. When do you need me to pull up?” I was panting and on the brink of not caring. And then my orgasm hit, and I rocked uncontrollably on him as I soaked him and clenched him, causing him to topple over the edge with me.
“Gahh … Liz-now! Get up!” I pulled up just as he reached down and pulled his cock out, making a mess on both of us. When he finished, I quickly rolled off him and grabbed his shirt off the floor and used it to clean us both. I saw a hamper in the corner of the room, so I balled up the soiled shirt and threw it in that direction.
Then I sat on the edge of the bed, not really sure what I was supposed to do.
Knox’s hand curled around my upper arm, and he gently pulled me down until I willingly laid my body next to him and he curled around me. “Don’t,” he said into my ear.
“Don’t what?”
With closed eyes, he tapped a finger to my temple. “Don’t do whatever you’re doing in that brain of yours right now.” He pulled me closer to him and released a heavy breath. “You’re staying here tonight. In my bed. I’m going to snore in your ear all night. You’re going to get too hot and try to push me away, but—fair warning—I’m not going to let you go. Then we’re gonna go to breakfast. We could go to that same place we went to after the party. They had fantastic pancakes.”
I let my body settle into his as his words sank in, and I let down a little more of my guard. “Yes, please,” I whispered, before drifting off to sleep.