Chapter 34
Knox
Farrah drops her head back in laughter at whatever Gia just told her. It makes me grin and simultaneously curious to know what made her laugh like that.
Gia is a character, so I’m sure it was something outlandish.
Grayson rides up next to me. After lunch, London requested to ride with Emmett’s ten-year-old daughter, Emma.
While London is fully capable of riding on her own, she fell off last summer when something spooked her horse.
Luckily, Grayson was there to catch her, so she didn’t get hurt, but she’s still a little skittish about getting back on by herself.
Since we had plenty of people she could ride with, she was all for sharing this weekend.
Gray doesn’t say anything while we ride, which usually means he wants to talk about something.
I break the silence. “You wanna tell me what that was about with the whole bad dad thing?”
He exhales a long breath. “I went on a date.”
I’m not seeing the connection, but sometimes Gray’s brain works in odd ways, so I don’t ask him to clarify. It’ll make sense eventually.
“I thought maybe if I went out with someone, it would help me start to move on from Ky.”
“How’d it go?”
“Horribly. She was the exact opposite of Kylie, and I hated every minute of being with her.”
“At least you tried.”
“She said something that’s been bothering me.”
I wait him out, knowing I’m probably going to be pissed at whoever this woman is for hurting Grayson’s feelings.
“She told me I was doing a disservice to London by having full custody of her instead of splitting it with Dani fifty-fifty.”
I grit my teeth to keep from cursing. There are too many little ears around to hear the shit I’d like to say about this fucking idiot woman, giving her opinion on things she knows nothing about.
“Gray, whose idea was it for you to be the primary caregiver?”
“Dani’s.” Grayson and Dani had a one-night stand that ended in an oops baby. She’s a great woman, but being a mother was never what she truly wanted for her life, so she asked Grayson to take full custody of London.
“And have you two ever fought about custody of London?”
“No, we get along great.”
“This woman you’ve spent all of an hour with does not get a say in how you raise your daughter. What you and Dani have is abnormal and wonderful. You’re lucky you get to co-parent with someone you get along with. My guess is that she felt threatened by both your relationship with Dani and London.”
“Why would she be threatened?”
“Because you share your attention with two other women you love. She’d have to compete with them for your time. Some people just can’t handle a situation like that.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense. But it’s not a competition. There’s room in my heart for lots of people.”
I soften toward my best friend. He’s got the kindest soul of anyone I’ve ever met. “There is, and one day, you’ll have a partner who understands that.”
Up ahead, Holt and Emmett lead us to our campsite.
There’s already a fire pit with a big grill that lies across the top.
We started these rides right after Holt’s wife died.
It was the only thing we could think of to get Holt and the girls out of the house without putting pressure on them to really interact with us.
It seemed to help get them out of their fog of grief for a little bit, and it’s been our tradition ever since.
Getting our camp set up is a mirror of the chaos it takes for us to get ready to leave.
The kids try to help as best they can, but most of them get bored soon after we arrive.
The adults set up their respective camping spots far enough away to give everyone a sense of privacy.
Grayson is done first, since all he has to work on is the one tent he shares with London.
He starts helping Emmett with his two tents.
Farrah and I are like a well-oiled machine. She anticipates my next move with ease, and we get everything set up in a snap.
Finn got his tent built before the kids went to play. I double-check that he got all the straps and poles in place before I stake it down for him.
The adults gather in the camping chairs around the fire Holt built, and I’m taken back to the night I had a bonfire at my house.
I’m still staring longingly at Farrah, but now I get a smile when she catches me.
She walks over, her hips swaying in the tight denim jeans that I’m pretty sure are molded to her body.
I’d love to know how hard those will be to peel off her later.
I grab her around her waist and pull her down onto my lap.
She tries to protest but quickly realizes it’s a losing battle. She settles against me instead, her head resting in the crook of my neck. It’s become one of my favorite ways to hold her. The weight of her on my lap is like a comforting blanket I can’t do without.
“You doing all right, Princess?”
She hums against me. “Mm-hmm.”
I slowly run my palm up and down her outer thigh, savoring every moment she lets me touch her.
The whine of the side-by-side engine cuts through our campsite. It’s good timing too. The kids are hovering on the edge of going feral from hunger. We’re going to roast hot dogs and shit, so they’ll be perfectly distracted by cooking their own food.
“Who’s ready for dinner?” Stan asks when he’s parked. The guys gather around the side-by-side to help unload the coolers. We set the drinks off to one side while the other cooler with the food is put closer to the fire pit.
The next couple of hours go by in a flash as we eat and laugh together.
S’mores are made, too many juice boxes are drunk, and the beer tastes better as the night goes on.
It’s one of those nights where it feels like nothing could compare to the happiness we’re sharing.
I know when fall comes, we’re all going to be a whole lot busier, but right now, we’re all able to soak in the warm summer night together as a family.
The kids start to fade once the sun goes down, falling like dominoes one after the other. I get Finn settled in his tent after he falls asleep on my chest. He was one of the last kids to go down.
I’m not even close to tired, but I’m ready to be alone with Farrah. It seems I’m not the only one with similar thoughts as Holt takes Gia back to their tent. Grayson turns the speaker up a little louder, even though our tents are plenty far from the fire pit to keep the sounds from traveling.
I silently take Farrah by the hand, waving goodnight to Gray and Emmett. They’ll take care of the fire before they go to bed.
Kicking off my boots outside the tent, I carefully climb inside. I brought a foam mat to keep the ground from digging into our backs, but it’s still not the most comfortable sleeping arrangement I’ve ever had.
I have a feeling cuddling with Farrah will make it all worth it.
She comes in behind me, leaving her boots outside as well. I’m shucking off my shirt when the music grows even louder. I can’t blame the guys. If I were out there, I wouldn’t want to hear my friends taking advantage of their time with their partners either.
“Do they really think we’ll be getting dirty in here?” Farrah whispers.
I chuckle at her outrage. “Without a doubt. And I feel like it would be a waste not to take advantage of the opportunity.”
“Knox.” She gasps. “We’re not doing that where everyone can hear us.”
“But doesn’t that make it a little sexier?”
She opens her mouth to argue before snapping it closed again. I’m not sure if she’s just surprised or if the idea of someone potentially hearing us has turned her on. I decide that can be a conversation for later. “We could always play the quiet game.”
“I feel like my version of that is different than yours,” she says.
“Probably. In mine, we see how quiet you can be while I do everything in my power to make you scream.” I slide my palm up her ribcage to thumb her already pointed nipple. I’m not sure if she shivers at my words or my touch. It doesn’t particularly matter.
Her next words stop my heart. “What if I want to see how quiet you can be?”
Taking advantage of my shock, she pushes me backward, throwing her leg over my hips. I grip the outside of her thighs in an effort to keep a handle on my control. She looks gorgeous on top of me like this.
Leaning forward, she presses kisses to the side of my neck before moving toward my collarbone and across my chest. She traces my happy trail with her tongue, and I grunt, tightening my abs at the sensation.
She works on the button of my jeans before carefully sliding the zipper down. Her mouth follows the same path, running over the head of my cock through my underwear. It’s clear where this is going, so I grip her hair and lightly tug on it to bring her back up to my face.
I search her expression, trying to find any type of hesitance or resistance to putting her mouth on me. She just looks at me with the sweet naivety that I love. “I fully intended to worship you tonight, Princess. I didn’t expect you to do anything but enjoy it.”
“Good. I’m enjoying myself right now.”
I smirk. “Are you, now?”
Her grin is smug. “Mm-hmm. I’d like to continue what I was doing, please.”
“Such a good girl, being polite.”
Her eyes narrow, but she can’t hold it for long when I throw her a teasing grin. I pop a kiss against her lips before settling back down. “Please continue.”
“Thank you.” She humphs. It makes me laugh until her little fingers dig into the waistband of my boxers and wrap around my raging cock.
“Fuck, Princess.”
“Shhhh. I thought we were being quiet.”
I grit my teeth, worried about cracking a tooth with how hard I’m going to have to clench to keep from shouting.
My eyes fly open when her tongue laps at my piercing. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them or that she’d pulled my cock out of my boxers either.
She looks up at me with mischief in her gaze as her mouth closes over me. I have no idea what kind of tricks she’s using, but I swear to fuck I’m going to pass out with how good this feels.
“Farrah,” I gasp.
“You’re not very good at this game.” She laughs.
“Then give me something to shut me up.”
She frowns at me, and I take advantage of her confusion. Sitting up, I shuck off my jeans and underwear before I yank at her clothes until she’s as naked as I am.
“Come straddle my face.” I wrap my hands around her hips, directing her where I want her until her knees are on either side of my face and her pussy is hovering right over me. “Now we’ll both have something to muffle our noises.”
She gasps when I pull her down onto my waiting tongue. It’s only a momentary distraction because she’s suddenly swallowing my cock down her throat in one go. My eyes practically cross at how deep she’s taking me. Her mouth is fucking heaven.
The race is on after that, both of us doing whatever it takes to get the other off first. I’m a hairsbreadth away from coming down her throat, so I double down, sucking her clit into my mouth until she tenses with her orgasm.
It sends me over the edge, and I’m pumping my hips, coming in her hot, wet mouth.
She rolls off me as we try to catch our breath. I reach out to her, needing that little bit of connection still. Her soft thigh under my palm feels incredible. Sitting up, I find Farrah with her eyes closed and a little smile tilting the side of her mouth.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
She opens her eyes, staring up at me as if I hung the moon. God, I don’t deserve that look, but I sure as hell am going to do whatever is necessary to come close.
“I’m perfect, Knox. Absolutely perfect.”