Chapter 20
Melody
“You sure you don’t want to come with me?” Lindsey stands in the living room in a black lace witch’s dress. A long, black wig is on her head, and she’s wearing one of those pointy hats. “The Anne Rice ball is only a few blocks from here, and it’s truly the best party of the year.”
“They’re still doing that?” I’m surprised, considering the Queen of the Vampires passed on several years back.
“Pretty sure her son or some relative took it over. It’s too perfect to let it go, and I believe she might just be hanging around in that old house.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all.” I trace my finger along the line of the oversized pumpkin pillow on the couch.
We really get into decorating for the seasons, and I love Halloween. I’m just having a hard time getting in the party spirit.
My friend walks over to where I’m sitting on the couch, hiding from the onslaught of negative vibrations targeted at me online.
“A distraction would do you good.” She gives me an encouraging nod. “How often do you get to hang in the former residence of a woman who wrote erotic literature and Bible fiction?”
I look down at a new message on my phone. It’s from Knox, and my muscles tense.
“Two sides of the same coin,” I answer absently.
She steps closer, kissing the top of my head. “Stop reading those comments. It’s not good for your mental health.”
Lifting my chin, I shrug. “It actually helps me to see what they like and don’t like. I’m making mental adjustments.”
“Every comment says more about them than it does about you. They don’t even know you.”
“It’s true.” I do my best to give her a reassuring smile.
Her phone buzzes, and she jumps, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. “Gotta run. Only ten more minutes on that thing, then it’s time to put it away. Okay?”
My nose wrinkles, and I pretend to consider her admonition. “Hmmm… “
“Mellow…” A warning is in her tone.
It makes me smile. I stand, pulling her into a hug. “It’s a deal. Have fun tonight. You look like a true Fireside Lady in that getup.”
“The palm is sacred!” She holds up her broom and skips out into the cool night.
A light breeze blows through the sweet olive bush in our yard, filling the air with the heavy, sweet perfume. I glance up at the gibbous moon, thinking about his last text… Stroke your kitty til she purrs.
My toes curl, and I rub my legs together. I wonder how ill-advised it would be to go against everything I know to be right and sneak over to his place tonight. I do miss the baby.
Who am I kidding? I miss him.
A dark figure beneath the live oak tree on the corner makes my heart jump to my throat. My lips part, but my breath freezes in my lungs. Someone is watching me from the shadows, not moving.
This time of year makes people do crazy things, things they wouldn’t normally do if it weren’t for Halloween. I’m pretty sure no one knows where I live, no crazed fans are stalking me.
The breeze blows, a cloud moves away from the moon, and the silvery light touches his cheeks, illuminating him like a perfect marble statue.
“Knox…” I whisper, my voice lost in the wind.
Somehow I can see his blue eyes glittering in the shadows. It’s some kind of witchy Halloween magic, as if my body is so attuned to his, I can read every vibration of his skin, every twitch of his facial features.
I want to go to him, but instead, he comes to me. The hood over his head hides his face, and he walks quickly, straight to where I’m standing in my long-sleeved tee and thin, cotton shorts.
“What are you doing here?” My voice is a hoarse whisper, and I’m sure all of my lust is plain in my tone.
“I told you.” His voice is thick, drenched with confident desire, laced with desperation. “I need you tonight.”
I take a step backward, into my home, and he closes the space, entering the house as our mouths collide and seal. Desire rises in my chest so fast, I can barely breathe. Large hands grip my ass, and he lifts me off my feet, carrying me to my bedroom and kicking the door closed.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I gasp, tracing my mouth over his cheek, to his eye.
He pushes me to the wall. “This is all we should be doing.”
His mouth covers mine again, pushing my lips apart, tongue curling and claiming mine. Our breaths are low groans, rumbles of need. He turns us, dropping me back on the bed and jerking my shorts and underwear off in one swift movement.
My knees bend, leaning to the side as I look up at him. His broad shoulders rise and fall, and his sapphire eyes are navy with want. They scan my body, and thrilling surges of desire follow their path.
His eyebrow quirks, and he takes a knee, spreading his palms over my stomach. “What’s this?”
I rise onto my elbows, looking down. “Oh… that.” My nose wrinkles, and I shrug. “I was feeling rebellious when I was eighteen.”
His thumb slides the small golden ring in my navel side to side. “It’s fucking hot. Why don’t you ever wear it?”
“I do sometimes,” I whisper, reaching forward to thread my fingers in the top of his soft, dark hair. “When I need to remember I’m a badass.”
His brow dips, and he smiles leaning up to kiss me on the mouth again. His lips pull mine, and he threads his fingers in the side of my hair, tilting my head and kissing me deeper.
When he pulls back, he holds my eyes, resting his forehead to mine. “You are a badass, and your opinion is the only one I care about.”
“Knox,” I sigh, leaning back again as he kisses his way from that navel ring down to my pussy. “What are you doing to me?”
“Making you come.”
My back arches at the first stroke of his tongue up my clit. My inner thighs tremble, and my lips part as my hips follow in time with his mouth.
He groans, plunging two fingers inside me and curling them upwards, sliding along the inside of my body in a way that triggers a deep, primal urgency. My hands are in his hair. The scruff on his cheeks scrubs against my legs, and a gasp hangs in my chest.
Tendrils of pleasure snake up my legs to my core with every pass twisting my lower stomach tighter and tighter… until it breaks. A loud moan erupts from my throat and my body spasms in ecstasy.
“Oh, God…” I gasp as he rises up, kissing the base of my trembling stomach.
He straightens, unfastening his jeans and pushing them down his legs, allowing his long, thick cock to spring free. Grasping it in his fist, he steps closer again, sliding his thumb up and down my still-vibrating clit.
My ass jumps, and I moan his name. “Knox!” I practically beg as he watches me intently, fisting his cock and sliding his hand up and down his shaft as he fingers me.
“That’s right,” he says deeply, wickedly as he watches my body tremble in response to him. “This pussy purrs for me. Say it.”
“I only come for you,” I gasp, my inner thighs trembling.
A groan ripples through his chest. His fist moves faster, jerking and circling his mushroom tip, where I see the gleam of precum.
Licking my lips, I manage to drag my body to the side of the bed, where I lower onto my knees in front of him.
“Ahh, I don’t know if…” The words are lost in a low, thrilling moan as I pull his cock to the back of my throat.
Bracing his hands on the bed beside my head, he bends forward, groaning as I suck him off.
“Fuck, Melody,” he groans again, hips thrusting as his fingers grip the side of my hair. “Fuck, that feels good.”
My hands are on his hips, and his muscles tense and lift beneath my touch. I feel him fighting the urge to send his cock down my throat. It’s insanely hot. My hands slide higher, and I grip his rock-hard ass in both palms, squeezing as I drag my tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip.
“Jesus,” he hisses, and his salty essence is in my mouth. He’s close. “I’m not coming down your throat.”
He reaches down, catching me under the arms and lifting me off my knees. Our mouths collide, and we’re wild and hungry. I could climb his body, but he drags me onto the bed beneath him.
“Spread your legs,” he orders, and I obey so fast.
My body is open, and he drags his tip up and down my drenched core. “I’m on birth control,” I whisper, desperately.
I want him so much, my body translates it into physical pain, an ache so deep I won’t survive if it’s not filled. He doesn’t make me wait. We both moan loudly as he drives all the way to the hilt.
His head drops onto my shoulder, and my hands are on his muscled sides, massive and trembling. “Fuck, Melody, I’m not going to last.”
“Like I did?” I bite the shell of his ear, grinning.
It’s the last restraint cut loose, and he moves ferociously, hard and fast, scooting me higher on the bed with his jackhammers. My body arches, and my orgasm flames to life. I’m about to come from the rush of adrenaline. From his ravenous, insatiable fucking.
“Knox,” I cry out.
His mouth is at my ear, and I can hear his grunts, his moans. He drags his mouth across my cheek to my mouth, sealing our lips together. Our tongues curl, and in that moment, we break.
My fingers curl against his shuddering torso. His pelvis lifts mine off the bed as he drives impossibly deep into my core. I feel him pulsing and filling me, and my toes curl with orgasm.
A shattered Ohh… rips from my mouth, and we hold, vibrating together, holding onto each other as we leave this bed and rocket through the stars.
We’re breathing fast, arms around each other. It takes a few seconds for me to blink away the rainbow lights from my eyes. I’m pretty sure Knox Bradford just fucked my brains out.
He’s still holding me tightly, but his arms slowly relax.
His chin dips, and he exhales something between a cough and a chuckle. “Damn.”
Rolling onto his back, he looks up at the ceiling in my bedroom. My eyes glide down his profile, straight nose, strong chin, so many muscles… I lift up onto my elbow and snuggle closer.
Heaven help me, I’m snuggling him.
“That was unexpected.” My voice is quiet, and I’m doing my best to keep a smile off my lips.
Unexpectedly hot as molten lava.
He lifts an arm, wrapping it around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him. “You know it makes me crazy when you tell me how bad I played.”
“Oh my god.” Placing my forehead against his skin, I snort a laugh. “I sang your praises all night.”
“That part was hot, too.” His fingers slide along my back, relaxing me.
I exhale a sigh, shifting so my cheek rests against his bare skin. “What are we doing, Knox?” It’s a quiet whisper, a lament.
His fingers thread in my hair, combing out the snarls. He doesn’t answer, and I lift my head to meet his eyes. What I see there squeezes my heart.
His lips press, and he arches an eyebrow. “I can tell you, but you’re going to hate it.”
Blinking quickly, I look down then up again. That warmth is still in his eyes, only now it’s more than simple warmth. It’s smoldering fire.
It’s desire and strength and running to care for me when I need him. It’s letting me stand when I don’t, while still guarding my back. It’s meeting each others’ eyes over the sleeping form of his baby girl.
It’s faith and hope and patience and trust and all those things we see and hear in all the movies and books and streaming shows.
I swallow the thickness in my throat, fighting the squirm in my stomach as the words form, clear as a bell in my head.