36. Knox
Knox
I wake up before Cheyenne. For a second, I don’t move or even breathe as last night crashes through my head.
Every damn moment. From the fight on the ice to the ride home to finally getting my hands on this woman.
Damn… that ride home.
Stroking her, distracting her, making her come apart in the front seat of my car.
It’s doubtful I’ll be able to slide behind the wheel again without thinking about Chey coming all over my hand. Fuck, I’ll probably still catch traces of her in the air.
And I fucking love that.
If I thought I couldn’t get any more obsessed with Cheyenne Benson, I was mistaken.
She’s lying on her side, facing me, her hair spread across the pillow, one hand tucked beneath her cheek.
The sheet is twisted around her waist, her shoulders are bare, and there are faint marks from my hands still visible on her skin.
Something primal rises within me at the sight.
Even though she hasn’t been here long, it’s hard to imagine waking up and not seeing her gorgeous face.
For years, I told myself she was the one woman I couldn’t touch.
She’s family. Or close enough to count being Colby’s sister-in-law.
We have the kind of connection you don’t mess with unless you’re fully prepared to deal with the fallout.
And now, I crossed a line I swore I wouldn’t. Hell, I didn’t cross it so much as bulldoze right over it.
My gaze drifts over her face again, slower this time, taking her in.
All I know is that I’d do it again without hesitation.
Dealing with family isn’t what concerns me, though. Chey heading back to LA is. That’s the part I can’t get out of my head because I don’t know where that leaves me.
Or us.
If there even is an us.
It blows my mind that we got to this place so fast, but lying here with her in my bed doesn’t feel reckless.
It feels exactly right. Like maybe I’ve been waiting a hell of a lot longer for this than I allowed myself to acknowledge.
Her eyes flutter open, unfocused at first, before she blinks and looks straight at me. For a second, we just stare at each other.
Her lips part slightly. “Did last night really happen?”
“Yeah,” I say, voice still sleep roughened. “It really did.”
She studies my face, as if checking for regret. But she won’t find any.
“So… is there a possibility we’ll do it again?”
I can’t hold back the grin. “Pretty sure we will. Especially since I need to redeem myself after that fiasco. Just so you know, I can go all night long.”
Her mouth curves as a laugh slips free. “Yeah, that was, um, really fast.”
I groan. “Can we not talk about it? If something like that were ever to get out, it would totally ruin my reputation.”
That only makes her laugh harder. “Just tell me this… Was I even in the room when it happened?”
“Barely.”
Now she’s really laughing, and, fuck, it’s nice to hear. Even if it’s at my expense. I’d make a total idiot out of myself every day if it meant seeing that expression on her face.
Damn. River was right. I really am in deep. And I still don’t give a shit.
“Sounds like I might need to go on a redemption tour.”
Tears leak from the corners of her eyes. “Is it like a world tour or more of a county fair circuit?”
“You’re hilarious, Hollywood.”
“What can I say? I try.”
She gasps when I pounce, rolling on top of her until she ends up flat on her back, staring up at me with wide eyes and a smile that makes my chest feel too damn full.
“Any chance your redemption tour starts right now?”
I brush a kiss against her mouth. “Yeah, it does.” I roll my hips against hers. “You good with that?”
“Depending on the outcome, I’d be more than willing to write a full retraction on your behalf.”
This woman.
So damn sassy.
And I love it.
Honestly, I love everything about her, and thinking that doesn’t freak me out the way it might have six months ago.
Since neither of us are wearing clothes, there’s nothing to stand in our way. She spreads her legs as the head of my cock nestles against her entrance. Already, she’s wet and waiting for me.
Fuck.
“Remember when I said I’d train your pussy to cry on command?” I drag the tip through her slick heat before pushing in just enough to make her squirm. “We’re already halfway there.”
Color rises in her cheeks. “Pretty smug for a man who went off like a shot less than twelve hours ago.”
I ease a little farther inside her body, taking my time, teasing out her pleasure. “That only happened because I’ve wanted you for years.”
She stills beneath me, her eyes searching mine. “Years?”
I slide all the way inside her before going perfectly still, letting her feel every thick inch that now belongs to her. “Years, Chey. Fucking years.”
“I would’ve never guessed.”
Yeah. That was kind of the point.
“It didn’t seem like a good idea at the time,” I rasp. “So I kept my distance. I buried my need, pretending it didn’t exist.”
“And now?” she whispers, her voice catching when I pull back and thrust in deep again.
“And now I don’t give a shit.” I bottom out, and nearly lose my damn mind. “I can’t give this up.” Another slow stroke. “And I won’t give you up.”
The words are out before I can second-guess them.
And the fucked-up part is I mean every single one.
With a groan, I force myself to pull out. “I need to grab a condom.”
Her nails dig into my arms, stopping me. “Please don’t. You said you haven’t slept with anyone in six months, right?”
I jerk my head in a nod. “I haven’t. Haven’t even wanted to.”
“I trust you, Knox. I want to feel all of you. And I don’t want anything coming between us when we’re together.”
Jesus Christ. I close my eyes for half a second, trying to hang on to what little self-restraint I have left. The way her inner muscles clench around my dick is already pushing me to the edge.
Her hand slides into my hair, fingers brushing over my scalp.
“Are you sure?” I ask, because even with my brain halfway gone, I need to hear her say it.
“Yeah,” she says, angling her hips toward me. “I am.” Her gaze holds mine. “No one else has ever made me feel this good.”
Pride expands in my chest until it’s close to bursting. “Same, baby.”
I drive back inside her slick heat, and, fuck, it feels just like coming home.
Now that I’ve experienced what it’s like to be inside her, I don’t ever want to leave.
I’ve heard guys talk about unicorn pussy, and always thought it was a bunch of bullshit.
Turns out when it’s the right woman, it’s not BS at all.
Because Chey is mine.
It doesn’t take long for us to find our rhythm, and I do everything in my power to keep hold of my control, because if I come early for a second time, I’ll have to retire from the Railers and move out of the country.
It’ll be that fucking embarrassing.
With my teeth gritted, I focus on blue skies. When that doesn’t work, I count backward.
In Spanish.
And when I’m teetering right on the edge, I change the angle of my thrusts, making sure to hit that spot deep inside her that has her breath catching and nails digging into my skin.
Her moans grow louder, sweeter, and at this point I’m sweating bullets from the effort it takes to hold back.
Pretty soon, I’m going to start shaking.
“Knox… I’m going to come.”
Thank fuck.
The second her inner muscles clamp around me, I’m done. I come like a freight train barreling down the tracks, and it’s hard enough to knock the breath right out of my lungs.
We come together, and it’s so damn good it’s borderline violent. By the time I collapse on top of her, my heart is pounding so fast I’m half-convinced an ambulance will need to be called.
Still, I manage to lift my head and stare down at her before cocking a brow. “Well? Thoughts? Perhaps you’d like to give me a standing ovation?”
She cracks open one green eye and smiles, looking entirely too satisfied. “I’d give it an eight. Although, you pretty much stuck the landing.”
I snort. “Eight, my ass. That was solid ten material.”
“Excuse me? Who’s the judge here?”
Even though I’m already softening, I push back into her just enough to make her gasp. “Guess we’ll just have to go for round two.”
She grins. “Well, you won’t hear me complaining about that.”
I roll onto my side, taking her with me so she stays tucked against me, exactly where she belongs.
I’ve never joked around with a woman in bed.
Never just relaxed like this.
It’s nice.
Nicer than I imagined it could be.
I press a kiss to the top of her head as the moment settles around us. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this content in my life.
That should probably be a warning sign, but it isn’t. Because it has everything to do with Chey and how right she feels in my arms. How perfectly she fits into my life.
It brings me right back to the realization that I don’t want her to leave. The thought settles at the bottom of my gut like a boulder before I clear my throat, trying to keep my tone casual.
“Your audition’s tomorrow, right?”
Her body tenses. “Yeah, it is.”
Even though I suspect the answer, I ask anyway. “Are you nervous?”
What I want is for her to open up and talk to me about what she’s feeling.
She nods, continuing to stare at my chest instead of meeting my gaze. “Yeah.”
I brush my fingers along her cheek, my thumb sweeping across the delicate skin beneath her eye. “Don’t be. You’re going to nail it.”
“You can’t possibly know that.”
“Sure, I do. You’re so damn talented, Chey. More than you realize.”
Her gaze drops again, doubt flickering across her face. “I’m not sure if I’m talented enough for Broadway.” Her voice grows even quieter. “I’m a reality star, Knox.”
The way she says it has anger bubbling up inside me. At the fact that, at some point, she was made to believe that’s all she is.
“A lot of people see me as a joke,” she adds.
My jaw tightens. “No one sees you that way.”
She presses her lips together before whispering, “Yeah, they do.”
“No,” I say, firmer this time. “They don’t. Not the ones who matter.”
Her gaze lifts to mine, and there’s a rawness there now, emotion she rarely allows me to see.
“If I don’t get this part…” She swallows. “I won’t have any other choice but to return home and do the show.”
My stomach plummets.
Home.
LA.
Too fucking far away.
She looks past me toward the window. “I don’t want to go back to that. I don’t want people thinking I should be accessible twenty-four seven. Like my life belongs to the cameras and the public. To everyone but me.”
That admittance hits harder than anything else she’s said. To a degree, I understand what she’s talking about. I’ve experienced it with my own family and career.
I pull her closer until she’s pressed against me, my hand drifting along her back, only wanting to offer comfort. I need her to realize she’s not in this alone anymore.
“The last thing you are is a joke. And if you’re ready for a new challenge, then that’s exactly what you focus on.”
Her breath catches.
“You’re so much more than what people think. And you’re talented enough to do anything you want, Chey. Broadway included.”
When she squeezes her eyes tight, my fingers slip beneath her chin, tipping her face upward until I can brush my mouth against hers. I want her to feel everything I’m not saying. Everything I probably shouldn’t be feeling so quickly.
She shifts, straddling my body until my cock can slide deep inside her with one smooth stroke.
This time there’s no rush or teasing. No desperate need to prove anything. It’s softer and slower. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realize this is probably what making love is supposed to feel like.
My mouth drifts over her shoulder, neck, and collarbone. I take my time, wanting to learn everything about her. The way she breathes. What makes her shiver. The way her hands hold on to me like she doesn’t want to let go.
I don’t want her to let go either.
Not ever.
But that’s not my choice to make.
So I show her instead. I touch her in a way I hope conveys just how much she means to me. We move together as if we’ve done this a hundred times before, the rhythm steady. It’s nothing like the breathless urgency of last night.
This is something else entirely. And it matters more than anything else ever has.
Even more than hockey.
By the time we find our release, I know this is it for me. There will never be another woman like Chey. She collapses against my chest, breathing hard, and I hold her there, my hand sliding over her back as her body relaxes against mine, as if she’s always belonged there.
All I can do is hope like hell that’s true.