Chapter 13
Gwen
There was only one good response, and it was no.
But that word failed to form on my lips.
I’d fallen under this man’s spell, and I was powerless to stop him. If he wanted me, I would always say yes.
My heart clenched in on itself.
Knowing that this was just sex hurt me to the core of my being. I wanted so much more with him.
But isn’t that what happened to women? They fall for a man who says he doesn’t want to get attached, then hope he changes his mind?
I knew better, but none of that mattered right now.
“Where did they go?” I asked as I shifted my hips, letting him know without words that my answer was yes.
“The grocery store. Some kind of diaper sale.”
I calculated the time it would take to get there and back. Plus loading up the cart with diapers. It would be quicker than a normal grocery trip. And it only took five minutes to get to Herman’s.
“When did they leave?”
He chuckled and gripped my hips tighter, sliding his finger along the waistband of my sweatpants. “Literally one minute ago. I came right in.”
I wish I was dressed better than this.
No one wants to get sexy with their crush in the middle of laundry day. I was wearing a pair of faded loose sweatpants and an old button-down flannel I’d claimed from my dad’s closet.
But that didn’t seem to be deterring him.
For a man like Knox to be attracted to me was already a miracle in itself. I liked donuts too much to have a prize-winning body. But he didn’t seem to mind my extra padding.
In fact, he’d slid my waistband down, hands drifting across my ass while he groaned like I was doing him in.
A fire ignited between my thighs.
And I decided right then and there that I’d ride this affair out until the end.
I widened my stance as he slipped his hands under my flannel, massaging my breasts. He had a way of touching me that felt reverent and wicked all at the same time.
No man I’d been with had ever made me feel the way he did.
He leaned in close, the warmth of his breath caressing my neck before he pressed his lips to it.
I gasped lightly and arched my back, my nipples tightening into hungry points. “There’s no time for teasing. The grocery store is only five minutes away.”
Time wasn’t on our side.
And it might have been adding to the fire between my thighs.
He slipped my panties out of the way then slid the tip of his cock along my wetness. That’s when I realized he planned to fuck me without a condom… again.
We were being so reckless, but I didn’t care.
In this moment, I was driven by primitive instincts. I shifted towards him and begged. “Hurry up. No more teasing.”
His lips landed on my neck again. A soft kiss, followed by a tiny nip. And it was at that moment that he took me. Lacing his arms through mine as he plunged himself all the way into my wetness.
“You feel so fucking good, Gwen. I don’t know what it is about you, but I feel like I’m getting addicted,” he said in between thrusts.
Addicted to me?
The idea made me feel crazy.
What happened next was a fast, feral fuck.
He undid the buttons on my shirt, squeezing my breasts in his hands as he rammed me against the washing machine until it was bucking and shaking against the wall.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!”
I was loud this time, unable to stop, and he was like a ferocious man-beast, taking me hard.
But there was no time to spare. Emerald and Eric would be back soon.
I knew I needed to tell her about Knox. And now that she’d gotten good news at the doctor’s office, the timing was right. But I’d been chickening out. She’d gotten it in her head that he wasn’t a serious man, and I was afraid of what she’d say when she found out what I’d been doing with him.
This was no first date.
I had no claim on him.
This was just another hungry fuck.
One I’d been desperately hoping for.
He snaked his hand around my hips, seeking out my clit. I’d already been close to coming, and now, with the feel of his rough fingers on me, I exploded, my body massaged over the edge by his touch.
“That’s it. Come for me, Gwen. Come for me, come for me, come for me!” he growled with increasing intensity. Then he groaned out, and I could feel his hot seed filling me up.
We separated while my heart was still racing, and my pussy was still pulsing.
Now that it was over… what was left?
Was I just an itch to scratch? And Knox, a horny man finding a willing outlet?
Or did I actually mean anything to him?
The look on his face right now told me we were something special. Something big.
He reached out a hand, caressing me. Rough skin grazing across my smooth cheek.
I didn’t care who’d come before me. I just knew I wanted to be his last.
His voice was husky, his eyes soft as he said, “Gwen, I’d like to—”
We both froze as a loud series of knocks pounded on the front door.
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
“I don’t know,” I responded, shaking my head.
Shit.
“Did they come home, and we didn’t hear them?” he asked.
Were they knocking on their own front door to see if we were done yet?
“This is embarrassing. I was so loud. I think we’re busted,” I told him.
“I don’t mind. You’re the one who wanted to keep us a secret.”
I looked up at him in shock while I hastily buttoned my shirt. We were both scrambling back into our clothes, and there was no time to deep-dive into that conversation further. No matter how much I wanted to.
“Can we talk about that more later on?”
“Yeah. I’d like that,” he said huskily.
He and Eric were going hunting. And then Emerald was hosting a movie night tonight.
“Maybe after the movie?”
He nodded. “Yeah, or before it, if we can sneak away.”
Knox looked like he didn’t want to wait that long, but there were more urgent things to deal with right now.
Like the incessant knocking.
Feeling guilty as hell we both walked out of the laundry room and to the front door.
“But why are they knocking?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I have no idea. I just… hope you’re okay with our secret coming out.”
Then he opened the door.
A stranger stood there. He was wearing a Navy SEAL sweatshirt. Dog tags visible on top of it. A weary look on his face. And there was a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Navy issued.
“Eric?” the man asked.
Knox shook his head. “Naw. Eric’s out right now.”
“Oh, I’m early. Uh, I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to show up like this. I’m not supposed to be here for another week.”
The man’s eyes wandered across us, taking in the pertinent information. “Sorry if I interrupted something.”
Knox cleared his throat. “Nope. Not interrupting a thing. Come in and get settled. Eric should be back in a few minutes.”
The two men sized each other up, then shook hands. The newcomer said, “I’m Cade.”
“Knox.”
Then Knox gave me a quick hand squeeze and added, “We were just finishing up some laundry. Gwen, hon, why don’t you finish getting changed?”
That’s when I looked down and realized I’d missed half the buttons on my shirt. My breasts were playing peek-a-boo. I clutched the top of my flannel tightly and nodded. “Good idea. Nice meeting you, Cade. I’ll see you in a bit.”
We ended up sneaking out in the middle of the movie, taking his truck out to an empty field where we made love until we were both so tired we couldn’t move. Our hearts stammered out a tremulous rhythm as we collapsed in each other’s arms.
After that day, we snuck off together every chance we could. With Cade in the mix, there was even less privacy around the property.
But we managed to meet at Hidden Lake after work one day.
Then, he slipped into my shower one morning when everyone was still asleep.
And I even texted him once, begging him to crawl in my bedroom window late at night.
That was a quiet fuck, the only sounds came from the creaking of the mattress and our labored breathing.
And there was tenderness, too.
He brought me a blanket during a movie night. Then he sat next to me and snuck his hand underneath it. His fingers intertwined with mine like they belonged there, and he held my hand through the whole movie. Emerald didn’t seem to notice.
Knox also started writing me sweet letters that I hid in my nightstand. He was better at communicating through the written word than in person. And I learned even more about him that way. Then I wrote letters back, sharing everything from my saddest moments to my biggest dreams.
The one thing we didn’t do was talk about what it meant. Other than Knox telling me he didn’t want any other man’s hands on me. I accepted his rule as long as that meant he wouldn’t chase his way up any other women’s skirts.
We were firmly in agreement on both of those points. We only wanted each other.
Were we dating?
Maybe. It was too soon to tell.
But we still hadn’t told anyone.
And I felt okay with that. Whatever we were doing, we were exploring it slowly.
It felt nice to keep it private for now, without any outside influences. I still feared that Emerald wouldn’t approve of him. She was my best friend, and I wanted her to adore my man.
But then… a few days later. Well, I missed my period.
That’s when our little game turned serious.
An at-home pregnancy test told me that I was about to be a momma.
I sat there with shaking hands while I looked at the little pink plus sign on the test. And I was suddenly terrified that Knox would vanish without a trace, disappearing from my life and the permanent responsibility growing in my belly.
Now I’d definitely find out how serious Knox was. With his support or without it, I’d be raising this child.
I needed to talk to Emerald about this, but I couldn’t find the words.
Maybe I should call Eliza.
But it felt wrong to confide in my new friend when my best friend didn’t even know yet.
In fact, I wasn’t even sure how to tell Knox. He should really be the first to know.
Dread settled in the pit of my stomach.
Would I lose him over this? We were just starting out. And he’d told me from the start that it was just a fling.
I rubbed my belly while emotions cascaded through me. Fear. Excitement. Joy. Shame.
It all lingered there together, swirling into a muddy mess of confusion.