Chapter 10 #2
It's different from Travis's careful kisses, different from the dangerous heat I'd felt with William. Knox kisses like he paints—all passion and intensity and barely controlled chaos. I respond immediately, the wine and sunset and my emotional turmoil making me reckless.
I think briefly about how this will complicate everything. But, I just don’t care.
"Inside?" he suggests against my lips.
"Yes."
We barely make it through my bedroom door before he's pressing me against it, his hands everywhere at once. Where Travis was careful, Knox is pure sensation. He touches me like he's trying to memorize every inch, like he might paint me from memory later.
"You're incredible," he murmurs, working my sweater over my head. "Like living art."
"Less talking about art," I gasp as his lips find my neck. "More touching."
He laughs, lifting me easily and carrying me to the bed. "Bossy. I like it."
His hands are everywhere, painting invisible masterpieces on my skin. When his fingers find their way between my thighs, I'm already soaking wet, my body responding to him instantly.
"Fuck, Carina," he groans, feeling how ready I am. "You're drenched. Is this all for me?"
"Yes," I gasp as he slides two fingers inside me, his thumb finding my clit like he's done this a million times. "Knox, please..."
"Please what?" He works me expertly, watching my face as I writhe beneath him. "Tell me what you want."
"You. I want you inside me."
He takes his time anyway, his mouth following the path his fingers traced. When his tongue replaces his thumb, I moan uncontrollably, my hands fisting in his hair. He devours me like a man starved, making obscene sounds that only turn me on more.
"So fucking sweet," he mutters against me. "I could do this all day."
When he finally positions himself between my thighs, I'm desperate, practically begging. He teases me with just the tip, making me whimper.
"Knox, please, I need—"
He thrusts deep, cutting off my words. "Is this what you need?"
"Yes! God, yes!"
The pace he sets is deep and deliberate at first, each thrust making me moan. Knox fucks like he's trying to prove something—to me, to himself, to William most likely listening through the walls. His hands grip my hips hard enough to leave marks as he pounds into me.
"You feel incredible," he groans. "So tight, so wet. Perfect fucking pussy."
His dirty talk makes me clench around him, which makes him thrust harder. When he pulls me on top, I ride him hard, chasing my pleasure while he watches with dark eyes.
"That's it, beautiful. Use me. Take what you need."
When my orgasm hits, I moan his name, my whole body shaking. He follows immediately, filling me with a guttural groan that I know can be heard down the halls.
"God, Carina," he breathes when we're tangled together afterward. "That was..."
"Incredible," I finish, still catching my breath.
"I was going to say life-changing, but incredible works too." He traces patterns on my bare shoulder. "Stay her with me? Just for a while?"
"I should shower..."
"In a bit. Just... let me look at you. The way the last light hits your skin..." He glances around. "I wish I had my sketchpad."
"Just remember it," I murmur sleepily. "Paint it from memory later."
"I should go," he says reluctantly. "Before William finds us here."
"Okay. But I’m thinking he already knows what just happened. We weren’t exactly quiet."
He kisses me once more, sweet and lingering, then heads for the door. I'm reaching for my robe when I hear it—footsteps in the hallway, stopping suddenly.
Knox opens the door to find William standing there, hand raised as if to knock. For a moment, no one moves. Knox's hair is mussed, his shirt untucked. I'm visible behind him, clearly naked beneath my robe. There's no mistaking what's happened here.
William's face goes carefully, terrifyingly blank. His eyes move from Knox to me, and something in them makes my stomach drop.
"I was going to ask about skiing tomorrow," he says, voice devoid of any emotion. "But I see you're busy."
"Will—" Knox starts.
"Enjoy your evening."
He turns and walks away, his steps measured and precise. Knox looks back at me, worry creasing his features.
"That's going to be a problem," he says quietly.
I nod, pulling my robe tighter. William's reaction is somehow worse than anger would have been. That blank look, the careful voice—it's the calm before a storm.
"Hey." Knox comes back, cupping my face. "It'll be okay. He'll sulk for a few days and then get over it. He always does."
But as I watch him leave, I'm not so sure. William's jealousy feels different from normal sibling rivalry. It feels dangerous, explosive, like something that's been building for years and might finally have found its breaking point.
I shower and dress, trying to wash away the feeling of impending disaster. Three men, three very different connections, and me in the middle trying to figure out what I want. What I need. What's safe versus what sets my soul on fire.
A soft knock interrupts my thoughts. I open the door to find Travis holding a cup of tea.
"Thought you might need this," he says gently. "I saw William. He looked..."
"Murderous?"
"I was going to say constipated, but murderous works too." He hands me the tea. "You okay?"
"I don't know," I admit. "Travis, I—"
"You don't have to explain." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "I told you, it's complicated. We all knew that going in."
"How are you so calm about this?"
"Because fighting over you like we're cavemen won't solve anything. You're not a prize to be won, Carina. You're a woman who thinks for herself and has choices." He pauses. "Even if William occasionally forgets that."
"And Knox?"
"Knox loves with his whole heart. Always has. It's both his best and worst quality." Travis smiles sadly. "And William... William doesn't know how to love without controlling. It's going to get messy."
"It's already messy."
"True." He kisses my forehead. "Come downstairs and have some food with me?"
“I’d love to. I think there are some leftovers we can eat, unless you want me to cook dinner.” That is, after all, what I was hired to do.
“Leftovers are perfect,” Travis says, taking my hand in his.
That night sleep doesn't come easily again.
I lie in bed replaying what happened today—the video call, William's admission, Knox's passion, that terrible blank look on William's face. Travis’s sweet words.
I've gone from having nothing to having three incredible men want me, and somehow it feels just as terrifying.
Because Travis is right. This is going to get messier before it gets better.
And I'm not sure any of us will survive unscathed.