10. Scarlet
SCARLET
The morning after, I wake up pleasantly sore. After we’d barely made it to the room last night and had sex, it happened twice more. Each time was rougher and hotter than the previous—if that was even possible. By the third time, my legs gave out, and we called it a night.
Before I even open my eyes, a familiar scent teases my senses.
Pancakes. My favorite breakfast. I blink awake to find a wooden tray set on the nightstand, holding chocolate chip pancakes topped with fresh fruit, a swirl of whipped cream, and a small pitcher of maple syrup.
There is also a cup of black coffee and a glass of orange juice that seems freshly squeezed.
My gaze drifts across the room to where Knox sits near the window.
He’s already awake, with a cup of coffee in one hand.
The morning light outlines his shoulders, and when our eyes meet, a slow smile forms on his lips.
My breath catches. He looks so effortlessly good like this, and I find myself wishing this morning could last forever.
With that thought comes another. Clients are often thoughtful, some even generous, but this feels different.
Ordering breakfast isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but still …
This gesture and the way his eyes linger a little longer than they should don’t feel like part of an arrangement anymore. It feels like dating instead.
Jessie’s words echo faintly in my mind, reminding me that I was playing a dangerous game. And she’s right. I’m already too far in.
“Good morning,” Knox says, breaking the chaos in my head. “Did you sleep well?”
I nod, trying to hide the small smile. “Now, tell me, how did you know this was my favorite breakfast?”
His lips twitch. “I’m guessing you don’t remember talking about it in between two of our … sessions last night.”
I press my lips together, trying not to grin as I pick up my fork. The pancakes are perfect; soft, rich, and exactly how I like them. Still, I can’t help sneaking glances at Knox. It’s a sight I could easily get used to.
By the time I finish eating, he stands and sets his empty mug on the side table. “Get dressed in something casual,” he says. “I want to take you to one of my favorite places in Cascade Point.”
I’m not sure what I expected after those words, but it definitely isn’t this. I stare at the sign in front of me, blinking once, twice, to make sure I’m seeing it right. Cascade Point Animal Shelter.
I turn to him, then back at the building. It’s a modest two-story place with a dark gray facade, paw prints painted along the entrance, and the faint sound of barking and meowing drifting from inside.
“This is one of your favorite places?” I ask, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.
He glances at me, slipping his hands into his pockets with a nod. “This is where I come to volunteer every Saturday,” he says. “And I didn’t want to skip just because I have company. This place matters to me. It’s where I got Tim and Boa from when they were pups.”
“I’ve read plenty about you before we met, but none of those articles mentioned this side of you.”
He gives a small smile as he opens the door and gestures for me to walk in first. “I’m not surprised,” he says. “That’s because this part is for me. Not for the media.”
The moment we step inside, the soft chatter of volunteers and the barking greet us. A few of the volunteers chase a dog who seems to have escaped, but they’re unable to stop laughing. Some wave as they see Knox, greeting him the way they’d greet a friend they’d known for years.
Knox leads me through the main hall, which opens into a series of long corridors. The walls are lined with photos of adopted animals and volunteers smiling. He takes me straight ahead, toward a row of kennels.
“Sometimes, the shelter needs help with transport or heavier work,” he explains as he unlocks a door, “but most days, it’s just this.”
The door swings open to reveal rows of kennels filled with dogs of every size and color.
Some bark softly, tails wagging, while others sit quietly, their eyes following us curiously.
Each space looks clean and cared for with soft beds, scattered toys, and water bowls filled to the brim, but the sight still hits me in the chest. So many of them wait in hope that someone will notice them and take them home.
Knox crouches beside one of the kennels, reaching a hand through the bars. A golden retriever bounds forward to lick his fingers, tail thumping against the floor.
“They just need company and attention. That’s it,” he says, glancing up at me.
My gaze moves slowly across the room, taking in the rows of kennels and the many dogs watching us with hopeful eyes.
I crouch down near the closest one, where a cocker spaniel with a muzzle as white as snow looks up at me.
The small tag above her cage says she’s fourteen years old and has been here for six of them.
The number makes my chest tighten a little.
I reach my hand toward her, and she leans forward, pressing her nose against my fingers before giving a soft nudge, asking for more attention.
Her fur feels warm and silky under my touch, and for a moment, the rest of the world fades away.
I smile to myself, comforted by the simple happiness in her eyes.
This seems to be a no-kill shelter, and I make a promise to donate once I’m done with this booking.
Around us, the dogs seem at ease with Knox. They bark softly or press their paws against the gates when he walks by, as if they already know him. He kneels to greet each one, making sure no dog is left out.
I, too, move along the row of kennels until I notice a small Staffy curled tightly in the corner of one.
Her body trembles slightly, and she doesn’t lift her head even when I approach.
The tag above her cage explains that she was found on the side of the road and that she’s believed to have been abused.
It also says she needs extra care and time to rebuild her trust.
My throat tightens. Those big, frightened eyes meet mine for just a moment, yet it’s enough to make something in me shift. I haven’t even touched her, yet the idea of walking away from her already hurts. She looks so lost, and she deserves to feel safe again.
Knox must notice the look on my face, because he steps closer. “Oh, yeah,” he says quietly. “That’s Milly. She’s new here. Poor thing’s still scared of everyone.”
I glance back at him and then return my eyes to the little dog, still curled up in her corner.
I already know what I’m feeling. I want her, but then the doubts start creeping in.
Can I give her what she needs? With all the traveling and the long days that leave me exhausted, do I have enough time for her?
She’s so small and fragile. The last thing I want is to fail her when she’s already been through enough.
“She deserves a home,” I say softly.
“She does,” Knox agrees as he glances down at me. “And she’ll get one. We can take her.”
The word ‘we’ hangs in the air between us. It’s a word like any other, yet it carries so much meaning. Neither of us expected it, and for a moment, it feels like time pauses around that single word.
Knox clears his throat and shifts slightly, as if realizing what he’s said. “I mean,” he says quickly, “I can take her. You can visit whenever you like. You’ll always be welcome.”
By the time we get back to the suite, something has shifted between us. I can feel it. The gentle touch of his hand on mine as he drove back from the animal shelter, the looks that he’d direct my way, and the gentle smile that lingered on his face. It all hits me differently now.
The way he touches me now is different, too.
As my back meets the bed and he moves on top of me, his fingers move more slowly over my body, as if he’s memorizing every single curve on my body. As if he’s trying to savor the moment.
The thought of it makes my head spin.
Soft kisses scatter across my skin—my jaw, my throat, my collarbones, and then my breasts. Then even lower. Over my stomach, right to the spot where I want him the most. He trails his tongue over my thighs, teasing me up to the point where I feel like I can’t possibly take it anymore.
I lift my hips, pleading silently.
And he responds to my prayer.
Slowly, his tongue rolls across my pussy, sparking up a wave of tingles I can’t fight against. It all rumbles through me, to the point where I feel like my body doesn’t even belong to me anymore. It’s his to take.
His strong arms wrap around my thighs, holding me down, as his tongue tickles right against the tip of my clit, and I can’t stop squirming.
“Knox,” I pant, my eyes rolling back into my skull. “Oh, fuck.”
He responds with a moan, half-humming against my soaked core that makes my thighs shake. His tongue glides against all the right spots, warm and careful, but I want more of him. When I come, I want it to be all over his cock.
I’m greedy like that.
“Please, I need … I need you inside me,” I manage to muster in between heavy breaths.
He doesn’t tease me; instead, slowly, he pulls back, as if he needs that, too.
Knox moves on top of me after he slips the protection over himself, and in a heartbeat, he’s pressed up against me, with his hard cock against my tender pussy.
Before I can help myself, I lean up and kiss him.
The kiss is slow and drawn out, affecting me right down to my core. His hand is gentle as he caresses me, and the other one supports his weight, his muscles tensing. In one slow movement amidst the kiss, he slips inside me. My moan grows louder.
“You feel so fucking good,” he whispers against my lips as he begins to move his hips. Heat simmers inside me, and I respond with nothing but a breathless little gasp. “Like you were made for me.”
“Yes … yes,” I pant, my eyes locked on his. He kisses me again, a little more demanding this time, and that accompanies the slightly deeper thrusts of his hips. Still slow, though, so he can tease me with his cock and fill me up entirely. And it feels so good, so different from the sex I’m used to.
It feels less like fucking and more like making love, for once in my life.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, his eyes all over me. That only arouses me more. My expression scrunches, nails digging deep into his back. “So beautiful when I’m deep inside you like this.”
“Knox …” His name blends with more moans. I can’t stop any of them as more pleasure rushes through me.
“I know, baby, I know it feels good. I can feel you drench my cock, like you never want me to pull out.” He leans down, kissing me again, as he pushes himself all the way inside me, and lingers there for a long moment.
“My God, you’ve never looked more beautiful than right now, when you’re about to come all over me again. ”
The pleasure disperses from the base of my spine, then, roaming through me wildly until it reaches all of my limbs. I arch my back, almost as if I’m trying to escape the sensation, but Knox pins me down, giving me a few more gentle thrusts until he comes, too.
And it’s the most arousing sound I have ever heard, to the point where I almost curse the protection between us … because I want him that much closer.
Neither of us says a word afterward as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. I stay in the warmth of his embrace, listening to his heartbeat, until his breathing slows down entirely. He’s fallen asleep. I don’t even need to look up to know that much.
“I’m falling for you,” I whisper, tracing my fingers across my skin. “And I can’t even tell you that.”