Chapter 3
3
KELSIE
T he clubhouse, freshly cleaned and humming with the evening’s energy, felt like a haven.
I felt Carter’s glare before I looked up from my work to see him shooting daggers at me.
“What?” I snapped, annoyed because I didn’t have time for the overprotective-brother bullshit he was about to spew my way.
He didn’t waste time, voice warning and rough as he said, “You need to stay away from Knox. I see the way he watches you, and I know you got history, but he ain’t the same man he was back then. He’s hardened, Kelsie. Different.”
I cocked an eyebrow and snorted, shaking my head. “Believe me, I’m not doing anything with Knox.” I continued working, not looking at Carter, but I felt him still glowering.
“I saw him talking to you. Could see the way he watched you.”
I forced a small, dismissive smile, pretending his words didn’t cut deep. “There’s nothing going on between us,” I said smoothly, but I knew it was a lie.
Because in my heart, I knew the truth. Knox still owned me, and no matter how much time had passed, no matter how cold he had become, I could still feel that fire between us burning white hot, leaving smoldering embers in my core.
And staying away from Knox wasn’t an option the longer I holed up at the clubhouse.
Every time I caught Knox’s dark gaze on me, it felt like a challenge—a promise that the bond between us was getting stronger.
Carter huffed out an irritated breath and left me in peace. I tried to keep my focus on my work, serving drinks and moving amongst the rowdy members who filled the room with laughter and clinking glasses.
I kept reminding myself why I came back to the clubhouse, despite it—and Knox—being the reason I left. I needed to keep my mind occupied, needed to focus on the here and now. Because I knew, eventually, I’d have to tell Carter and Knox why I was back.
When the night grew later, I engaged in a polite conversation with a new member who had wandered up to the bar, words slurring, eyes red-rimmed, and a little too friendly.As we chatted and I laughed at something funny but stupid he said, I felt a prickle of tension skitter along my skin. I glanced up, and that’s when I saw exactly why.
Knox’s gaze, dark and intense, cut through the haze of conversation, his severe blue eyes narrowing when he saw me talking to the member. The guy reached out and gripped my arm a little tighter than I assumed he meant to, and I hissed and yanked my arm back.
And at that moment, something in Knox snapped.
Before I knew it, he was standing so close to me I felt the heat of his breath. “Get the fuck out of here, Hemming,” he snapped at the drunken man. “And if you look at Kelsie again, I’ll cut your balls off.”
Without another word, Knox pulled me toward the back hallway of the club and away from the prying eyes and chaos of the main room. My heart pounded in my ears as we slipped into the dimly lit corridor, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the walls.
His grip was firm, possessive, but not painful, and I could sense a raw, unfiltered hunger in the way he held me. When we reached a secluded corner, he spun me around and pressed me hard against the wall, where Knox leaned in close enough he was all I could see. He asked in a rough and dangerous voice, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” His gaze was fierce as he stared into my eyes.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped back, my voice little more than a whisper. I knew what he meant.
He didn’t respond, but I saw the red-hot anger in his expression. “Say the word, Kelsie,” he commanded, his tone laced with a promise of raw ownership, “and I’ll make you mine again.”
I was shocked, and I knew that played across my face as my lips parted and a slow exhale spilled from me.
I met his gaze head-on, defiance and desire warring within me. His eyes flickered for a moment with something that I couldn’t quite read—one that looked… hurt. Without speaking, he gripped my wrist tightly and leaned in closer. His lips brushed against the sensitive skin of my neck, right below my ear, as he let go of my hand and slid his fingers down to my waist.
In that moment, all the pent-up frustration, longing, and passion that had been between us exploded with a fierce, raw intensity that I knew I could never deny.
Even though I tried my hardest, resisting was foolish. I went to push him away, but his body created a cage that was unescapable. I was getting lost in my desire for this hardened, intimidating biker.
And before I could snap out of the intoxicating hold Knox had on me, he groaned and slanted his mouth over mine. His kisses were unrelenting and unrestrained. Each stroke of his mouth and lick of his tongue was a claim and reminder of the connection we’d forever have.
I felt the world blur as the heat of his embrace and the intensity of his desire consumed me. We did nothing but make out, our tongues sliding together, his body pressed to mine so that I felt every hard muscle under his clothes.
And when he ground his erection into my belly, I moaned and gasped. The memory of how big Knox was, how long and thick his cock was, and how he stretched me to the point of pain filled my head and made my pussy soaked.
For a brief, wild moment, I forgot about the dangerous game we played, about how I didn’t want to get caught up in this life—not this deep.
I could only focus on the intense pulse of Knox’s touch and the overwhelming need that was drowning me.
“I’m so fucking hard for you, Kelsie. You drive me fucking crazy, girl.” His words whispered against my ear as his lips moved hungrily over my skin.
I was his—whether I admitted it out loud or not—and every part of me trembled at the power of that truth.
And God… I was going to let him fuck me right here, if I didn’t stop it right now. But I couldn’t. I didn’t have the strength to pull away, because I’d never felt anything better than Knox lavishing me with pleasure.
And as the intensity between us reached its peak, when I knew I was moments away from telling him to take that monster out of his pants, the sudden, sharp sound of footsteps and raised voices broke through the haze of our hardcore need.
I recognized my brother’s voice just right around the corner as he flirted with one of the club girls. My brother clearly didn’t approve of Knox and me being together, and although I’d do what I want, the last thing I needed was bad blood between the two of them.
I forced myself to push Knox away. I felt childish running away, but at that moment, I was filled with so much confusion, lust, and irritation with myself that leaving was the best option.
I fled into one of the back hallways, my pulse pounding against my chest. I gave myself a second to gather my breath, ducking into a shadowed alcove. Leaving like that certainly felt like a betrayal of what we shared, yet I knew I had no choice.I could only hope he’d realize why when my brother came around the corner.
I hadn’t been back at the clubhouse for even a week yet, hadn’t even talked to Carter yet about why I was here, and already I was on the verge of begging Knox to fuck me.
Even as I stayed in the darkened corner, I couldn’t shake the taste of Knox’s lips on mine or the way he held me with a possessive touch. An undeniable part of me had always craved his ownership.
I forced myself to go back to the bar and work for the rest of the night. But once the evening came to a close and I was in my room, lying in bed, the shadows of the room closing in on me, I couldn’t shake the memory of Knox’s words or the passionate way he had claimed me, even if it was just for that fleeting moment.
I knew the breaking point was near—that one day soon, this dangerous back-and-forth game would consume us, and we’d give in.
And I knew I wouldn’t stop it when that time came. Because I could never truly escape the pull of this man and all the unimaginable things he promised with just one look.