CHAPTER 26
I wake snuggled into Knox’s side, my head on the soft spot between his shoulder and neck, leg thrown over him, all his naked glory on display.
He’s a hard, rough man, rugged, a little wild, and I fucking love it.
My nails scratch down his chest, bumping over the ridges of his abdominal muscles from his hard work on the ranch, and then I follow the hair that trails from his navel to the base of his heavy cock.
After we ate, we came back to bed where he claimed me all over again.
The insatiable desire unable to be fed quite enough and even now, with the soreness between my legs and finger shaped bruises on my thighs and hips, I’m not nearly full enough of him.
He still sleeps, looking somewhat softer with his eyes closed, the frown lines and stern expression gone with his peace.
I grasp his cock, wrapping my fingers around him, but they don’t quite meet on the other side and pump, my mouth damn near watering at the sight of him. Everything about him is large. He’s double my size and has a cock to match.
He hardens in my hand, so I lean down and lick my tongue across the very tip of him.
A groan rumbles out of him, but a glance up shows he’s still sleeping, so I wrap my mouth around his crown, sucking the very tip of him between my lips.
I’m not even sure I’ll get this whole thing into my mouth, but I’ll give it a try.
“Fuck.” His sleepy voice sends awareness through me, my skin pebbling at the gravel layering his tone.
I suck him as far as I can fit him, swirling my tongue to press it against that sensitive bit just under the crown of him.
His hand threads into my hair as he lifts his hips, one arm thrown over his eyes, pleasure tightening his muscles. “Just like that,” He groans.
I hum on his cock, taking the praise, letting it wash through me to pool between my legs.
I wrap my hand around the base of him and bob my head, feeling him twitch and jerk against my tongue, his hand tightening in my hair.
He pushes my head down, and I immediately gag around him, but he doesn’t stop.
He fucks my mouth shamelessly, thrusting between my lips as he holds me there.
My eyes stream and my mouth waters, soaking his cock even further.
But his moans and his deep, rough whimpers leave me aching and so wet, I feel my arousal on the insides of my thighs.
“Choke on it, darlin’,” He groans, pushing himself so far into my mouth, he hits the back of my throat.
Despite the gagging, I keep going, breathing through my nose as his hand tightens, pulling at my hair tightly enough my scalp burns.
“Fuck, you’re going to swallow it all down, Hellion, you’re going to take every drop I feed you. ”
I nod eagerly, working harder, faster, pushing him to the limit.
He calls out as he comes, hips jerking as he spills himself onto my tongue, and I swallow down every last drop and keep going, wanting more.
He goes lax beneath me, and I release him with a wet pop, using my thumb to clean up my mouth and the drop I didn’t quite swallow down.
His blazing eyes hold mine.
“Good morning,” I rasp.
“It will be,” He growls before his body pins mine to the mattress to make that fact.
Riding a horse after riding Knox for several hours makes for an uncomfortable couple of hours.
The soreness between my legs is prevalent as I follow Honey and Knox around the east side of the ranch, checking the fences for any breaks.
There was quite a bit of wind last night, so as soon as the clouds cleared this morning and the sun got to work drying the ground, Knox wanted us out checking the perimeter.
It's peaceful now, the air light and clear after the storm, though the ground is heavy with moisture, and Apollo's hooves sink slightly with each step, squelching softly.
Knox looks back every few minutes, checking on me, but other than that, there’s a comfortable kind of silence between us.
The bite I left on his neck is darker this morning, obvious against his skin, and it makes me beam knowing anyone looking at him will see he’s not theirs to have.
I don’t share, and I don’t entertain people trying to take my things.
Because that’s what this is.
He is mine.
But as much as he is mine, I am his too. And I want that; I want it with him.
And when I take my fucking city back, he will be there with me.
“It’s all clear,” Knox says about an hour later, the sun sitting high in the sky as birds sweep through the trees surrounding us. He brings Honey to a stop next to Apollo, facing the opposite direction to me, our knees touching. “I need to head into town today.”
“Will you check the post office?” I ask, wondering if my contact has written back to me yet.
“Why don’t you come with me?” He curls a finger beneath my chin and tilts my face up so he can see my eyes beneath the rim of my hat.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“What if someone sees me?” I press. “I’m not ready for war yet.”
“If you’re with me, no one will say a thing to anyone who comes asking or looking. I promised you; you were safe with me. I meant it.”
My eyes bounce between his, unease working through me. I have no idea what’s happening in the outside world. I’ve been here for weeks with no connection. No one has come looking for me again, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t searching. I know my uncle. He’s going to want a body.
“I’m not going to force you,” He says gently, leaning in to brush his mouth against mine, “But you can’t stay here forever either.”
How easy it is to fall into him should be studied.
“I’ll stay in the car,” I whisper.
“Whatever you want,” He turns Honey back around. “Come on.”
The ride back to the house is as uncomfortable as it was coming out here, but once we’re back, Knox helps me down, my knees wobbling a little.
He catches me, frowning as he looks me over.
“I’m fine,” I swat him away.
“Elena,” He growls, “What’s wrong?”
“Really, Knox,” I push at his hands again as he searches for an injury he’s not going to find. “Stop!”
“Don’t fucking lie to me!” He snaps harshly, freezing me in the spot.
For a second I stare at him and his audacity, soreness forgotten. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?”
He takes a deep breath, eyes closing, and I swear he counts to three before he opens his eyes again and pins me beneath his blue stare. Perhaps that look works on his workers, hell, on anyone else, but on me, it’s just going to piss me off.
I may have submitted to him in the bedroom, given him my body behind closed doors, but out here? Nope.
“I’ll give you a chance to apologize,” I tell him, “Because raising your voice to me isn’t going to do it for me, cowboy, and you should really consider yourself lucky because anyone else, I’d have walked away or killed them.”
He licks his teeth and releases a heavy sigh. “Are you hurt?”
“No more than I was yesterday,” I cross my arms over my chest, “And the wobble is because I’m sore.”
His eyes drop to my thighs, namely the space between them.
“Shit.”
“An apology would be grand any second now,” I stare at him expectantly.
His body softens, and he reaches for me, hooking his hand around my waist to pull me in. “I apologize for raising my voice.”
“Don’t do it again,” I lean into his palm when he lifts his free hand to my face, turning to nip his palm with my teeth.
“Vicious little Hellion,” He rasps.
“Get a room!” Chase hollers from atop his horse, his shit-eating grin splitting his face.
“Fuck off!” Knox bites back to the chorus of Chase’s laughter.
It brings a smile to my face, which I quickly drop. It’s entirely too easy to be free here, to forget it all.
“I like that,” Knox’s thumb presses to my bottom lip, “That smile.”
Stepping away, I let both his hands drop and look toward his truck. “Well, are we leaving or not?”
He searches my face for a few seconds, words at the tip of his tongue, but ultimately he says nothing as he reaches for his keys in his pocket and widens an arm for me to lead the way.
At the truck, he opens the door for me, helping me into it before he slams it closed and rounds the hood.
For an older model, the truck is well looked after, the leather seats oiled, the cab clean.
And even though the engine has that rattle older cars tend to have, it moves smoothly and cleanly as Knox puts it in reverse to back away from the spot in front of the house and turns around, heading around the building rather than to the main drive that I assume leaves the property.
I wouldn’t know since I came here on foot through the fields and woods, but it’s an obvious choice.
“Isn’t the exit that way?” I point behind us.
“Taking the scenic route, darlin’,” A half grin touches his mouth, one hand on the steering wheel, the other hanging out the open window as a breeze sweeps in and he picks up speed, kicking up gravel and dirt behind us.
Something painful thuds inside my chest, tightens and squeezes, and I look away, toward the trees that now surround us and the familiar dirt road that winds through them.
Just breathe. His voice is an echo inside my head. Listen.
He’s made me want things I didn’t think possible. All I grew up to believe in is the power owed to me, the power I was trained to take.
It was alliances, bonds and marriages formed to strengthen rather than love. It was expected of me to find a man from another ruling family to add power to my name, but now…
Now, it all changes.
And it starts with him.