Chapter 6
Knox
One week later.
Eric and I had gotten off to a rough start.
But we’d settled into a routine over the last week, and things were starting to gel better between us.
He was a decent man, and he’d figured out quickly that I needed him to take a step back. The man now understood that I was slow to warm up. But I was starting to thaw on him.
Eric and his wife were going out of town for some kind of doctor’s appointment, and they’d be back tomorrow. Which meant Gwen and I would have the run of the place.
Eric rumbled, “Any word about the job?”
I grunted. “Not yet.”
It had been gnawing at me, and I was afraid he might have been right. There was only one slot at the sawmill. Why would they give it to me? Although I had followed Gwen’s suggestion and slipped the bit of gossip she’d handed me into the interview.
The HR lady’s eyes had lit up, and she’d asked a bunch of follow-up questions about the couple, but I didn’t have any more details to give her, other than the fact that they’d been caught kissing like teenagers at the party.
And now it had been a week with no word either way about the job.
The logging camp was looking like more of a reality now. Which sucked.
Eric clapped me on the shoulder. “Call if anything comes up. We’ll be just over the border in Missouri.”
“Yup.”
Emerald quietly asked Gwen, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me. Just focus on you and…”
The two women hugged, as though this was more than a one-day trip. Eric and I just grunted and nodded. And then they were gone.
Gwen and I weren’t talkers, so I imagined the next twenty-four hours were going to have a lot of silent moments. I was looking forward to that.
And… honestly, I was also looking forward to being alone with Gwen.
In the past week, I’d had a hard time not noticing that woman. For such a quiet thing, she had a large presence. And it was only partially due to the generous size of her ass. I knew exactly why the men on this mountain were panting after her.
Hell. Even I was, even if my approach was a subtle one.
After they left, the house quieted to a comfortable hush.
We both stood there, staring at the front door for a second, then we turned to look at each other.
A silent undercurrent of understanding shot between us.
Then she said, “I’ll be at the bookstore all day. But I’ll be back in time to make dinner.”
“Naw. I got it.”
The house ran on a daily chore chart. And it was her night to cook.
But I’d just be rattling around this place feeling out of sorts without a purpose. So, cooking for her would be a relief.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
I nodded, and we stared at each other for a long moment, secret conversations happening in a language that only we knew, before she headed for the door.
I watched her go, trying to keep my cock from going hard again. I’d been having a hard time controlling myself around that woman.
It was as though my body knew she was the only woman on the mountain who was off-limits. And she was the only one I craved.
When Gwen got off work, I whipped up dinner while she took a shower and changed.
And when she walked into the kitchen, I knew the heat that had been flowing between us all week wasn’t a one-sided infatuation on my part.
The difference was subtle, just like Gwen.
But for that woman, it was practically like a neon sign.
When she wasn’t in her comfy house clothes, Gwen always wore dresses. I’d never seen her go out in anything else. But this dress clung a little tighter to her wide hips.
And it was in a pretty teal blue shade that made her seem to light up and glow from the inside. And it was cut low enough that a tiny hint of cleavage was on display.
If she’d worn this the night of the party, all the men would have been ripping each other apart to get a few more seconds at her side. Instead, she’d worn a loose, light gray number with a neckline hovering high on her collarbone. They’d still panted after her, but they’d been polite about it.
This dress would have turned them into animals.
And it was all for me. Warmth shot through me, heating up the kitchen.
“I made burgers,” I told her as I slipped the plate down in front of her.
She daintily took a bite, raised her eyebrows, then took a bigger bite.
“This is really special,” Gwen said as she tucked another bite into her mouth.
I shrugged. My hamburger recipe was always a hit. My secret ingredient was chili powder mixed with a dash of cumin. Emerald had a fully stocked kitchen, so it had been easy to whip up.
Right when we were done eating, I got a call.
I didn’t recognize the number, so I stepped away to take it.
A woman’s voice chirpily came through the line. “Sorry to call on a Saturday night. I hope it’s not too late. This is Jane. You came in and interviewed with me a week ago.”
I stood at attention, even though the woman couldn’t see me. “Yeah. Yup. What can I do for you, ma’am?”
She laughed, “Please don’t call me ma’am. I’m younger than you. Anyway, I wanted to call and let you know that the interviews are concluded now, and if you’re interested, I’d like to offer you the position.”
Fuck, yeah.
I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
“Sure. That’s awesome. When do you want me to start?”
“Can you swing by on Monday and we’ll take care of the paperwork? Anytime works for me.”
“Sounds good.”
Excitement shot through me as we got off the phone, and I realized I was grinning like a fool.
When I turned around, Gwen looked up at me expectantly. “Did you get the job?”
“Yeah. I fucking got it.”
Gwen bounced right up out of her chair. “This is a reason to celebrate.”
She pulled two brews out of the fridge, popped the tops on both of them and handed one to me. “Congratulations, Knox. My friend Eliza is interviewing there next week for a receptionist position, so with any luck, you two might be coworkers.”
I was buzzing with so much energy I felt like I needed to go on one of my long runs to work it out of me. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight, I was so amped up.
My energy must have been contagious, because Gwen looked like she’d been the one to get good news, instead of me.
She looked absolutely edible right now, and I was too pumped up to show any discretion.
Grabbing my phone, I put on some tunes, took a swig of beer, then growled, “Dance with me.”
Gwen gave me a shy look. “I’m not dancing with you. There’s a kitchen to clean up.”
But I already had my hand clasped around hers, and I tugged her close to me and rumbled, “The kitchen can wait. Dance with me.”
She relented quickly, melting into my arms, and then I was holding that gorgeous goddess of a woman close, shocked at how good she felt.
All of her soft parts pressed against me as we swayed in place. The friction of our bodies ignited flames between us, and I was too elated to care that I was destroying every boundary I’d said I wouldn’t cross.
“Knox, this is crazy,” she whispered.
And I growled back, “Haven’t you ever wanted to be crazy before?”
She tilted her chin up, meeting my eyes, hunger shining up at me. Gwen wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
I let my hands roam, slowly running them down her hips and sliding them around her back, then down to her delicious ass.
My voice was husky and low as I told her, “I need to warn you that I’m not playing for keeps. I’m not your future husband, Gwen. But I sure would like to be your husband for tonight.”
Her eyes clouded over. “You heard what I said about you that day, didn’t you?”
We both knew exactly what she was talking about. “Yeah. And I’d rather be upfront about shit like that. I want you, Gwen. I want you so fucking bad. But I’m not going to lie to a woman just to satisfy an urge. I’m not marriage material. You said it yourself.”
Plumes of red streaked across her cheeks as she stared up at me. I couldn’t tell if she was breathless and excited or on the verge of tears.
We stopped dancing and just stood there. I knew she wanted me. That wasn’t a question.
But was she the type of woman who wanted a one-night stand? That was highly debatable.
The song switched over, and she pulled out of my arms, tiny breaths hitching out of her lungs.
Make love to me. I know you want to. Make love to me, Gwen.
Our eyes were latched together, waves of heat pulsing between us.
Then she dropped her eyes and turned away, walking down the hallway, leaving me standing there without another word.
Fuck.
I’d just blown it with her.
Why’d I have to come on so strong?
This was going to make staying here so fucking awkward.
I watched every step she took, willing her to turn around and run back to me. In that moment, I wanted her worse than I’d ever wanted anyone in my life.
But I was man enough not to pursue her. Her no was coming through loud and clear. And in typical Gwen fashion, she didn’t even need words to make it known.
But when she got to the end of the hall, she hesitated, then turned back to look at me.
Our eyes caught, a smoldering need dancing between us.
The ball was in her court, though. I wouldn’t push myself on a woman, not after telling her what I wanted. She needed to make it known if she was inviting me to join her.
And then she did.
She dropped her eyes as her cheeks flushed even brighter red. Then, she slowly unzipped her dress and dropped it to the floor, revealing thick, creamy thighs and a pair of lace underwear that told me she’d been hoping the night would end like this.
My mouth dropped open as I took in the sight of her in only a pair of tiny lace panties. She wasn’t even wearing a bra.
I’d never seen a woman as beautiful as her before. Her dark hair drifted down, partially covering her breasts. Perky pink nipples greeted me cheerfully, asking me to take a closer look. And a neatly groomed landing strip highlighted the spot where all the treasure was held.
Well, fuck me running. I hadn’t ruined anything.
My cock swelled, straining against my pants.
With one last demure look, she disappeared into the bedroom.