Chapter 9
Knox
“Would you wait up!” I said, finally catching up to her and grabbing hold of her arm, stopping her.
She spun around and glared at me. “What?”
“I asked you a question, and I think it’s only fair you provide me with an answer. Why did you pull your hand from mine?”
I watched her. She shifted foot to foot, then avoided my eyes while she chewed on her bottom lip.
“I pulled away from you because I know this is all for show.”
I frowned, feeling very confused. “Okay, I’m not sure I understand.”
“You are acting as if we are dating for real. We aren’t, it’s not. This is all just for show. All the tender kisses, the soft touches, the hand resting on my lower back every time we enter a room, the comments you keep whispering in my ear as we dance, those are all things that actual couples do, and we aren’t a couple…this isn’t real. This is all some form of deception to get back at my ex. Don’t even get me started on that apology you gave the first night we were here.”
My eyes locked with hers. Was this how she seriously felt? She couldn’t see that all those things were my way of showing her I liked her, that I wanted this to be more?
Silence fell between us as we both stood there looking at one another.
“Is that why you said all those things to me this afternoon?” I questioned.
She glanced away and then turned her back to me. I hated not being able to see her eyes, to read what it was she was thinking or feeling. It was then I caught sight of her shoulders beginning to shake and she brought her hand up to her mouth.
She was crying, and I was gutted. This wasn’t what I wanted. I thought I was being completely transparent with how I felt, and she thought I was only playing into the game she’d created to make her ex jealous.
I stepped up behind her and gently placed my hands on her shoulders, hoping I was soothing her instead of making her angry. When she didn’t pull away, I stepped closer, until I felt her body against mine. Then I brought my lips to the shell of her ear and whispered, “What if it wasn’t for show?”
“Don’t be crazy,” she answered back, still not pulling away from me.
“I’m not. What if it wasn’t for show? What if I were doing these things because deep down inside, I truly like you?”
She was silent. For once Lorelai Anderson did not make some snotty comment back to me. “Knox, you are crazy. Don’t think you are fooling me.”
I thought for a moment while she stood up against me. Then I once again brought my lips to the shell of her ear. “I am not trying to fool you. What I am trying to say is would it be so bad if I wanted this to be real?”
As the words passed my lips, I felt my stomach flip. No matter how many times this conversation had run through my head in the past twelve hours, I still felt nervous. I wanted this, I wanted her so bad.
“I don’t know. I’ve never told you before, but you hurt me so bad all those—”
I brought my finger to her lips, silencing her.
“I know I did; I could see it. That was why I apologized. Now, I’m telling you, I want to try this with you. I’m serious, Lorelai. No jokes. I know a lot of things have happened between us in the few short days we have been here. I also know I didn’t deal with them the right way. I didn’t deal with them at all. I should have stepped up and been the man I’ve become, because the man I’ve become would never leave a woman the morning after.”
“Why did you leave?” she questioned, spinning around in my arms and looking up, meeting my eyes.
“I was afraid of your reaction, that perhaps you’d have told me it was a huge mistake.”
She nodded. “Can I be honest with you?” she questioned, her voice shaking.
“Yes,” I said, wrapping my arms around her.
She looked up at me. I could see her calculating how safe she felt telling me what it was she had to say.
“The whole idea of us trying something together terrifies me.”
“Why?”
“What if, like before, you hurt me.”
“Despite what my actions showed the other morning, I am not the same man I used to be back then. Hell, I wasn’t anywhere near to being a man, hence my apology now. I was a fucking coward then, and had I known then what I know now, I’d never treat you the way I did.”
“Really?” she questioned.
I nodded. “Lorelai, I’ve been kicking myself over the other morning. I swear to you, a pump and dump isn’t my style. Despite waking up late and needing to leave to meet the guys, I should have immediately come to you when I returned, and I somewhat did, you just didn’t know it.” I shrugged.
“What do you mean?”
“Instead of coming to you, I followed you around the resort. I sat out at a bar the entire evening while you guys had dinner. Then I followed and watched you from a distance up at the patio bar while you guys danced, and when you returned to the room, I followed you all the way back, parking my ass on a lounge chair at the pool. I watched from below, until I knew you were asleep because the thought of speaking with you and confronting how I felt terrified the hell out of me.”
I could see the disbelief in her eyes as she looked up at me. That was when I decided it was now or never. I slowly brought my lips to hers, devouring her mouth as I wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing her hard, dropping her shoes in the sand. I cupped the back of her head, laced my fingers through her hair as my tongue parted her lips.
“I’ve wanted you for so fucking long,” I whispered between kisses. “Now, you are so close to being mine I can fucking taste you. Don’t make me beg.”
She let out a loud moan as I kissed her, gripping her ass, letting her know I already felt that she was fucking mine. When our lips parted, Lorelai looked up at me with a dirty grin.
I chuckled. “Lorelai Anderson, are you not wearing any panties?” I questioned, studying her eyes.
She bit her bottom lip and slightly nodded, which was when I glanced around to make sure there wasn’t anyone coming as I pulled her over to a bank of empty lounge chairs.
“What are you doing?” She frowned, watching as I sat down then shifted myself up onto the chair, leaning against the backrest, getting comfortable. I held my hand out to her.
“What do you think?”
She gave me a confused look, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as she slid her hand into mine.
“Come here.”
She went to sit down beside me, but I stopped her, shaking my head.
“Straddle my lap,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“What?” she gasped, as she looked up and down the beach.
I wanted her out of her shell. I wanted her to be free with me—freer with me than she’d been with anyone else. I knew she had it in her. Hell, she’d shocked me so much the other night when she told me to rip her panties off, I almost came on the spot.
While she continued scanning the beach for signs of people, I undid my belt, then the button on my pants, followed by unzipping my zipper, adjusting myself.
“Straddle my lap,” I repeated, shaking her hand. “I want to take what’s mine.”
“Here? On the beach?” she questioned, still looking around.
My cock ached as I watched the worry of being caught fill her face. “Yes, here. I want to meet that inner bad girl again,” I said, gently tugging on her arm. “The one who belongs to me, and only me.”
Just when I figured she wouldn’t do it, she proved me wrong and lifted her dress a little higher as she swung her leg over to the other side of the chair.
My heart raced as she looked down at me.
“Fuck yes…there’s my dirty girl,” I whispered as she knelt on the edge of the chair.
“What if we get caught?” she quietly asked, hesitating.
“Well, if you don’t sit the hell down and someone sees me, I’m going to be caught for indecent exposure. How do you think that will look in the sports section?”
She let out a laugh as she lowered down a little more, finally letting go of her dress, concealing what was going on.
“One second,” I mumbled as I shifted beneath her a little, digging into my pocket for the condom I’d put there earlier. When I didn’t feel it, disappointment rushed through me.
“What is it?” she questioned.
“I shoved a condom in my pocket earlier. Fucking thing is gone,” I muttered, feeling around on the seat beside me, praying it had fallen out. When I felt nothing, I threw my head back on the seat.
My cock was throbbing with the anticipation of being inside her again, and that was when I caught the disappointment on her face. Suddenly, I wished I’d shoved it into my wallet instead, or my shirt pocket.
She bit her bottom lip, then leaned forward and kissed me as she reached down between us.
“What are you doing?” I murmured as I closed my eyes as her hand slid over my hard cock.
“What if I told you I don’t care about that?” she whispered, shifting to her knees.
As the words fell from her lips, my cock jumped, and I cupped her cheek, kissing her hard. Gripping her ass with both my hands, she lined my cock up with her entrance, and I helped guide her to sink down on me, my body shuddering with every inch her hot, tight pussy devoured.
She closed her eyes and gripped my biceps as I thrust up into her, filling her even more. I gripped her ass tight, gently guiding her motion as she rode my cock.
“That’s it…” I whispered. “Just like that.”
She let out a tiny whimper as she continued to ride me, her pussy clenching my cock tight. I knew she was getting close, so I shifted a little in the seat to give her even more of me, burying myself even deeper inside of her.
“Oh god,” she cried, dropping her head back as I continued to guide her hip movements.
“That’s it. Just like that. Keep going.” I moaned, breathing hard. “I want you to come first.”
She met my lips to silence her cries as her orgasm rushed through her body. The instant those cries got louder, I gripped her tight and let go too, spilling myself inside of her.
* * *
Two Weeks Later
I glanced at my watch as I made my way down the hall toward Lorelai’s office. We’d been back almost two weeks, and the boys and I had been on the road practically every single day since we landed. Tonight was my only free night, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.
“Does she know you’re back yet?” Dylan asked, walking beside me on his way to see Aurora.
“She knows we were coming back today. I didn’t tell her we got an earlier flight. I wanted to surprise her.”
“Big plans tonight?”
“I’m taking her to the Conservatory, then out for dinner. She’d mentioned in Hawaii how much she’d have loved to go to the conservatory there because she loved butterflies and birds, but since we didn’t have time there, I figured this would be the next best thing.”
“She’ll love it, man. Do you think you’ll be coming back to the condo later?”
I smirked. We’d been gone for two weeks. No doubt Dylan and Aurora were dying to fuck, and they probably wanted their privacy.
“Why?” I questioned, trying to keep a straight face.
“Fuck off, man, you know why.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I continued down the hall, leaving Dylan outside of Aurora’s treatment room. “We shall see where the night leads,” I said, picking up my pace, not giving him a definite answer. I knew I didn’t want to walk in and find them in the kitchen with a can of whipped cream doing some kinky shit where I’d more than likely eat breakfast in the morning.
I stopped outside her treatment room and listened hard to see if she was with someone. Then I knocked.
“Come in,” I heard her sweet voice say.
I opened the door just enough to poke my head inside. She sat at her desk, face down, studying the paperwork in front of her. She looked a little more frazzled than she had when I’d left her a couple of weeks ago inside her condo, wrapped in blankets.
“So, I hear you are dating the biggest asshole on the team,” I said, disguising my voice to sound a little like Coach Thompkins.
“What? What…where…” She tore her eyes from the paper and sat upright, then turned and looked at me.
“Knox, you’re here?” she said, getting up and coming around the desk while I slipped inside her room and shut the door behind me.
We’d kept things hush-hush since we’d gotten back. Dylan and Aurora, Phil and Candace, Lucas and Clay were the only ones who knew about us. We’d agreed to wait a while before telling anyone else on the team.
My eyes skimmed her body as she walked over to me. She looked amazing in her favorite set of pink scrubs, and I wrapped my arms around her just as she walked up to me and threw her arms around me, nuzzling her face into my neck.
“God, you smell so good,” she whispered, kissing me.
“You taste better,” I whispered.
“I’m so glad to see you.”
“Same here,” I said, claiming her mouth one more time, loving the feeling of her soft lips on mine.
“What time are you finished here?” I questioned, looking over at the files that were scattered across her desk.
“That stuff can wait until Monday.” She shrugged, glancing over at the mess on her desk.
“No, if you need more time—”
“I’m already here an hour past my time. Let’s get out of here.”
* * *
“Where are we going?” Lorelai asked excitedly as she sat in the front seat of my car while I drove through the city.
“Well, I remembered how you’d wanted to go to the conservatory in Hawaii, and how you were so disappointed because we didn’t have enough time. So, last night, I got us tickets to go to both the butterflies and the birds, then we are going for dinner.”
Lorelai gave me a funny look and swallowed hard. In fact, on a second glance, she looked like she might be sick. “Birds?” she questioned.
“Yes, you mentioned one night in Hawaii how much you wanted to visit the conservatory there.”
Taking my eyes off the road for a second, I looked over at her again to see her looking out the window, fidgeting with her phone.
“What is it?” I questioned.
“Just for the butterflies. I only wanted to see the butterflies,” she muttered.
“What?”
“I love butterflies.” Then she muttered something I couldn’t make out.
“What?” I asked again.
“God, Knox, I feel terrible, but I’m terrified of birds,” she said, turning to me, panic in her eyes.
I didn’t mean to laugh but couldn’t help it. “Seriously?”
“Yes, I’m not lying,” she said, sitting there fidgeting in her seat. “I was attacked by my grandmother’s chickens when I was four. It scared me for life.”
“Then tonight should be interesting.” I reached over, placing my hand on her thigh.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, placing her hand on mine, her eyes filling with tears.
Not wanting her to be upset or worried about telling me the truth, I made a quick left-hand turn and pulled into the Sip and Stir, parking the car.
“Okay, first, no need to be upset. Second, we are going to go grab a snack,” I said, wanting her to calm down before we got to the conservatory. I climbed out of the car and made my way around to the passenger’s side and pulled the door open.
Together, we made our way in and got into line.
“Order whatever calms your nerves,” I whispered, rubbing her lower back.
“Why?” she questioned, looking at me as if I were crazy.
“Well, I can tell you are upset about where we are going, and I don’t want you to back out. Instead, I want to help you overcome your fears. Plus, I also want to know what it is you like to eat when you are upset, so I can surprise you a little more often.” I winked.
She looked up at me and softly smiled. “You are too good to me.”
I pulled her in and placed a kiss on her forehead just as we stepped up to the counter. “Go ahead,” I urged.
“Could I get a coffee with cream and sugar and two peanut butter cookies?”
The lady smiled and then looked over at me.
“I’ll take a black coffee and two peanut butter cookies as well.” I smiled.
She nodded and went about gathering our order.
“I didn’t know you liked peanut butter cookies, too.” She smiled.
“Of course, but can I tell you a secret?”
She nodded.
“Only one of those is for me. The other is for damage control after we leave the conservatory.” I winked. “You know, in case you need it.”
Lorelai wrapped her arms around me and giggled. “You are the only damage control I need.”
* * *
“Alright, you’re sure you are ready?” I questioned as we stood inside the butterfly area.
Lorelai looked up at all the butterflies flying around. “No, I’d rather just stay in here and watch these, but if you insist.”
“I do. Let’s go face this fear you have.”
I wrapped my arms around her and together we walked through the door into the aviary. Most birds in this section were in cages, so we took our time walking through, looking at the parrots and Kookaburra.
Lorelai clung to my hand as we continued through the aviary, now coming into a room where all the small birds could fly free. We were just about to enter when she looked up at me, fear in her eyes.
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You go outside, right?” I questioned.
“Well, yes, of course.”
“Then you are going to be fine. Nothing is going to dive bomb you,” I said, pulling her against me. “It’s just going to be like walking through the park. Let’s go.”
Together we walked into the small bird area and once inside, we sat down on a bench and took a moment to look around. While Lorelai was afraid, I took the lead, pointing out all the small birds I saw, finally pointing at one of the most colourful little guys.
“Oh my god, he’s so cute,” she said, looking up at him.
“See, nothing to be afraid of, are they?”
She shook her head. We sat there watching them for a little longer and then got up and moved forward a little more. I glanced over to the wall to see a posting of the many birds we might see in this area and pointed it out to her.
“How about we look for the zebra finch?” I said, wanting to make it a bit of a game.
“Okay,” she said, her voice still shaking, but she looked up anyway. Soon she’d wandered away from me and finally signalled for me to go to her. I wrapped my arms around her waist as she pointed out the zebra finch.
“That’s my girl,” I said, kissing the side of her neck. “I may just have to reward you tonight,” I whispered, just as a couple of kids walked by.
“With?” she asked innocently.
I chuckled. “It’s totally inappropriate to talk about in front of children,” I whispered back, tapping her ass, which caused her to laugh.
Once we made it into the large bird area, I was worried Lorelai wouldn’t want to continue, but she put on her brave face and followed me into the large, plant filled room. Almost immediately, she grabbed my shirt and stood behind me to hide from the parrots on our left side.
“I swear they won’t hurt you,” I said, just as one let out a loud squawk, which even caused me to jump a little, which made Lorelai laugh.
We continued walking, looking at the birds when we finally got to the end. I slipped my hand into hers. “That wasn’t so bad,” I said.
“No, it wasn’t,” she admitted. “Thank you for taking me. I’m sorry tonight started off so rocky.”
“I can guarantee you one thing.”
“What’s that?”
I leaned in and brought my lips close to her ear. “It won’t end that way,” I whispered.
She looked up at me, her cheeks heating as she pressed a kiss to my lips.
* * *
I reached across the table and held her hands in mine after the server cleared our dinner dishes away.
“You really enjoyed yourself tonight?” I questioned, knowing she did as she hadn’t stopped talking about the large blue bird with the funky hair she’d seen in the last part of the aviary.
“So much.”
“What do you say I get the cheque and we head out of here? Go back to my place?”
I wanted to be alone with her. I wanted it to be just her and me.
She looked at me, her eyes telling me she wanted to be alone with me as well. I signalled for the cheque, and once we had paid, we made our way out of the restaurant. I’d just reached the door when I heard a woman call my name.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a woman I’d never laid eyes on before wave at me and immediately knew this was a fan. I put a smile on my face and whispered to Lorelai to wait a moment.
“Yes, can I help you?” I questioned, making my way over to where she stood.
“Sorry to both of you, Knox, but would you mind taking a moment and signing this?” the woman asked, holding out one of my cards. “My son is a huge fan, and he will just die knowing that I ran into you here at this restaurant.” She smiled.
“Sure thing,” I said, taking the card and a marker from her. Once I’d signed the card, I handed it back to her. That was when I noticed she was busy watching Lorelai. I’d normally think nothing of it, but most genuine fans would take a picture to prove it was me signing the card, instead she was studying her.
“There you are,” I said, holding the card for her to take.
When she didn’t look at me, I loudly cleared my throat, causing her to finally pull her eyes from Lorelai.
“Your card,” I said.
She gave me a funny look as she took the card from me and shoved it in her bag.
I frowned, turning back toward Lorelai, and placed my arm around her as if I were protecting her, while I ushered her out the door. I took a quick look back and noticed the woman was still watching after us once we’d left the restaurant and waited for the valet to bring my car around.