CHAPTER 21
KNOX
Has it taken a lot longer to get home than I wanted it to after the plan was made for Wilde to spend the night with Ridge? Fuck, yes. Was I going to rush my woman considering the way she’s opening up her heart and trusting people with not much more than my word? Nope, fucking never.
Watching my woman make friends with people who will always have her back, who will always show up, and who I trust without a second thought, has left a smile on my face. I don’t think I’m going to lose this feeling of warmth and acceptance for a long time.
I glance over at her to find her looking outside of her window as we get closer to home. She has a small smile playing on her lips. What I don’t see is worry on her face.
She’s not worried about Wilde because she knows he’ll be taken care of and we’ll go get him if we need to.
Even though she was given some heavy news today, she seems much lighter. She’s no longer mourning the loss of her past and her ex, at least not at the moment. While it may change at any time, I’ll always be by her side to help her through it.
The tension starts to grow between us the closer we get to home. When she starts glancing my way, I know she’s feeling it too.
She squeezes her thighs together like she’s trying to chase some friction. It’s not going to be enough.
There’s only one thing she needs. And I know what it is.
Trying to wipe the smirk off my face is impossible. The moment I park, I’m out of my truck and around to her side before she’s even unbuckled her seatbelt.
When I reach across her body, my arm brushes against her tits as I unbuckle her. I have her up, out of the car, and tossed over my shoulder within a few seconds. My hand comes down on her ass, but not with enough force to be a spanking, more of a slap.
She yelps and I freeze for a moment, my voice rough with need and barely contained control, “Is this okay, my little storm?”
Haven giggles, and I relax. “Yeah,” she breathes out, “this is more than okay.”
She rubs her thighs together and I almost laugh at how fucking cute she is. My hand caresses her ass, squeezing her rounded flesh which has been teasing me since the moment I met her. The hard ridge of my cock is pressing against the fly of my jeans and begging to be let out.
I almost fumble my keys entirely but manage not to drop them. That would not have been very slick. I’m just glad Haven couldn’t see it, though her light laughter makes it seem like she might have.
Or maybe she can just feel how much pent-up tension I’m carrying around with me.
When her hands slide down my back to grip my ass, I let out a surprised yelp, and she starts laughing harder. Does she let go? Nope, and I can’t help but grin at how my woman has been coming out of her shell and showing me who she is more and more. I’m thankful as fuck for it.
She deserves to be free and I’m going to ensure her life is filled with blue skies and parting clouds.
While she might be the storm I never saw coming, she makes me feel like I’m always standing in the eye, in the calm. It’s the power she has. I’m in complete awe of her.
After stepping inside the house, I gently put her down and make sure her body slides down mine. She can feel exactly what she does to me. The way her cheeks pink with a beautiful blush tells me she’s very aware of how much I want her.
When her blue eyes, so bright and now no longer shadowed by uncertainty, meet mine, I hold her gaze. I want her to feel every word I need to say to her. I want her to allow them into her heart and soul, to become a part of her.
“I love you, my little storm. I love you so much. I’m going to be the best man to stand by your side for the rest of our lives.
That doesn’t mean I won’t screw up, I’m sure I will because I’m human, but I promise I will always try.
I will always come home to you, no matter what stands in my way.
We will grow together, we’ll explore together.
As we do, the life we build will be filled with riches, ones our hearts feel and our souls horde. ”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping she can hear the sincerity and the hope in my next words.
“I want to be the father Wilde always deserved. I will not always get it right. You have four years of parenting under your belt and was able to learn as he grew while I’m coming in a little late. ”
Haven’s eyes become fierce, and her small hands come up to cradle my jaw.
Her touch soothes my worries about being enough—good enough, strong enough, kind enough, patient enough.
“You didn’t come in late,” she insists, “you came into our lives right on time. We had to have the past to get here, and now we’re free.
Completely and without question, we are free. ”
She tips up on her toes as she pulls me down to make us meet in the middle. When her lips meet mine, there is so much reverence in the action. It reminds me of how you soak up the feeling of sunlight on your face after the rain recedes.
The kiss starts out sweet, but my hands come up to grip her hips and hold her in place as I deepen it. Our tongues twist and explore, a timeless dance of lust and love.
The woman practically climbs up my body, her fingers gripping my shoulders to help her along. When she’s able to wrap her legs around my waist, she does and holds on like I’m going to try to buck her off. I’m not; I never would.
My feet take me to our room, the quiet house feeling a little odd around us. I know Haven and Wilde only moved in yesterday, but his presence here felt right and his absence feels like a mistake, like something to be corrected.
Haven pulls away from our kiss before pressing her forehead against mine, her eyes sparkling as she looks at me with a knowing look on her face.
“I miss him too,” she whispers. “It’s strange not to have him with me.
His whole life, I was the only one he had to rely on, and I made sure to always be close.
That only became magnified over the last year as we ran. ”
I stop breathing for a moment because as much as part of me doesn’t want to know about her past, her letting me in, even if only a little bit, feels momentous. I’ll happily take the burden of her pain, of her past, off her shoulders. I’ll carry it; my shoulders are broad for a reason.
When I step into our room, I turn and press her against the wall. “This is your room,” I murmur against her lips. “No more pretending with the guest room.”
Her lips curve into a smile, a sly smile full of sin. She muses, “I’m surprised you even tried with the whole guest room thing.”
“I didn’t want to scare you off,” I admit. “The last thing I was going to do was something to give you a reason to run or put up walls between us.” I shake my head as I pull away enough to look into her eyes. “No fucking way,” I growl.
She shudders in my arms, and her hips start to move against my hard cock, rubbing me just right through our layers of clothing. The need to be buried inside of her makes my movements jerky as I pull her top up and off her head.
When I toss it back into the room over my shoulder, she giggles, the sound light and airy even as the tension between us, the need, becomes heavy. Now, with more of her skin available to me, I can’t help myself and move my mouth down her neck and over her exposed shoulder.
As I encounter her bra strap, I groan despairingly, hating thin strip of material between us. Haven doesn’t miss a beat and arches her back so she can reach behind her to undo her bra. I pull it away, watching as the straps slide down her arms.
Her tits are fucking perfect. “My favorite playground,” I grit out through my teeth before leaning forward and burying my face in the valley of her breasts.
Haven shrieks, the sound filled with amusement, as I motorboat her tits and my beard rasps against her skin. The way her laughter, bright and breathy, fills the room has me grinning against her.
When I stand up to my full height, one of my hands on her hip and the other on her ass to ensure she’s secure, her thighs tighten around my waist. But I’ll never drop her. Never.
“You’re so beautiful, Haven,” I rasp the words, finding it difficult to believe this woman is really mine.
All mine.
“I love you, Knox,” she whispers before wiggling like she wants me to set her down.
When I do, her hands go directly to the red and green plaid flannel I’m wearing. There’s no hesitation in her movements as she unbuttons my shirt and opens it up. Her hands slide over my chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake, as she pushes my shirt back and off my shoulders.
I let the fabric fall to the ground while my eyes lock on the gentle jiggle of my woman’s tits with every movement she makes. My cock pulses as it presses against the zipper of my jeans. Poor thing, it’ll have a zipper imprint on the shaft if I’m not careful.
I’ve been hard for her for hours. I’m sure it’ll be a problem I’ll have for the rest of my life.
Trust me, I’m not complaining.
Not when I have this woman in my life.
Unable to handle the pressure, I reach down and pop the button of my jeans, hoping for some relief. It’s not enough. Before I know what is happening, Haven drops to her knees, her hands working to unzip and pull my jeans and boxers down my legs.
My cock springs free; hard, proud, and leaking pre-cum. Haven’s eyes turn hungry as she looks at me.
The moment she wraps her fingers around my length and pumps, I’m fucking lost. My head falls back on my shoulders, and I growl out my pleasure. I can’t stop my hips from punching forward when she squeezes the base of my cock.
When her tongue slides across the crown, my head snaps forward and I look down at her with wide eyes. I have to fist my hands at my side to stop myself from burying my fingers in her hair and fucking her face. She’s in control; she has the power.