Knoxed Up (Beech Grove Book 3) Read online

  “Knox,” she whispered, but none of the others noticed. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the darkened corner and onto the balcony.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, slightly breathless.

  “You know what I’m doing.”

  “You’re kind of intense, Knox,” she breathed. I knew by the way she was looking at me that she liked it.

  “You’ll get used to it.” I winked, touching her face with one hand. The silkiness of her skin made my balls clench. Fuck, is she this soft everywhere?

  “When we get married?” she sassily asked, and I chuckled.

  “I love that mouth of yours.”

  “I’m sure yours isn’t too shabby either,” she retorted. Fuck, I loved it. I loved how quick she was. She would definitely keep me on my toes for the rest of my life.

  “Come home with me.”

  “To your hotel?”

  “Hotel. New York. Florida.” I wanted her with me, by my side, from here on out.

  “You’re crazy.” She laughed, and I couldn’t help myself. She was beautiful laughing and close in my arms. What sane man could keep his cool with all that in his reach?

  Tangling my hands into her hair, I tilted her head back. Looking into her eyes, I slowly descended toward her beautiful mouth, giving her the chance to step away. But she didn’t. Instead, I finally had a taste of true beauty. She was sweet yet tart and seriously addicting. I was so fucked it was insane, but I didn’t care. For the first time in my life I knew I was right where I was supposed to be without a doubt in my mind.

  I needed her more than air, and to the hell with whoever tried to get in my way.

  Chapter Three

  Lena

  His lips were demanding and as intense and consuming as his stare. I did the only thing I could. I held on.

  I wasn’t a blushing school girl. I’d had my share of kisses and then some, but his kiss was on a whole other level. It was soul shattering and toe curling. It was what romance books inspired but better.

  Better because he was real.

  Real and here, and for at least the night, he was mine.

  “Tell me your name,” he muttered against my bottom lip before taking a nip of it. I moaned softly.

  “Lee.”

  “Full name,” he rumbled after taking a soft swipe with his tongue, sexily soothing the spot he’d just bitten.

  “Lisa?”

  “Liar.” He called me on my bluff.

  “Leanne,” I jested, and instead of believing me, he shook his head.

  I didn’t know how he could tell I was lying, but he did, and my cheeks flared.

  It felt like he could see me.

  The real me.

  Like he’d known me for years instead of minutes.

  “Truth,” he rasped.

  “Lena.” My voice softened and so did his eyes. His forehead rested against mine, and a glutaral groan vibrated off him.

  “Lena,” he whispered roughly. I had never thought of my name as particularly beautiful or spectacular, but the way he’d said it made me melt into him feeling like a goddamn princess. “I gotta be honest, baby.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I wanna take you back to my hotel and do all sorts of unholy things to you.”

  “Mmm… a man who says what he wants. I like that,” I flirted, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

  “I’m serious, honey. I’m older than you—“

  “Not by a lot,” I cut him off.

  “Probably ten years,” he guessed. Knowing he had gone to school with Chase, he was probably right, but I didn’t care. I liked what he wanted. My body wanted everything and anything he was going to offer.

  “And?” I challenged, pressing my front to his.

  The silk and cut of the Maid of Honor dress my sister had chosen hadn’t allowed me to wear a bra, and I knew he could tell by the way my nipples puckered up and pressed against his chest that I wanted him. Just like the hard bulge poking by belly told me all I needed to know about how I affected him.

  “I have to leave tomorrow,” he shared, probably trying to warn me about getting attached. If he only knew I didn’t believe in happily ever afters. At least not for myself.

  “Early?” I asked breathlessly as his hands roamed lightly up and down the line of my spine. I didn’t miss the deep grunt that escaped from him or the lust-filled haze we were surrounded by. How could I? It was thick, making the air we breathed heavy, and I wasn’t backing down. It had been a while since I’d been with anything other than my battery-operated boyfriend, and I was willing to let myself fall deeper into his dark eyes.

  “Yeah,” he shared, breathing in deeply right by my ear. I could so work with an early flight. Slip out of his room once it was done and over with. I had never had one, but I could do a one-night stand.

  “Then we have tonight,” I found myself whispering, pulling my face from his neck, and let my lips hover over his like a feather-soft kiss.

  “Tonight,” he repeated.

  “Yes,” I hissed, letting my hands roam his strong, solid chest with open palms. He was hard and firm, and the heat he radiated made me feel exquisite. The bulge bumping into my belly didn’t hurt either.

  “You okay getting out of here?” he suggested, and my nipples felt like they were going to rip through the fabric of my dress.

  “More than okay.” I smiled, taking his hand as we rushed out of the reception hall.

  Knox

  We have tonight.

  Damn, she was sexy.

  Sexy and a bit naïve if she thought all we were going to be was tonight. I would clear that up soon enough. I wasn’t going to let her go. I was going to keep her.

  After I handed the valet my parking ticket, we could hardly keep our hands off one another.

  “You didn’t have to say good-bye to the bride?” I asked, feeling slightly guilty about rushing her out of the wedding reception.

  “Kenzie and Chase left already.”

  “Kenzie is your best friend?” I guessed. She shook her head, her eyes smiling as the heat of her hand on my chest drove me crazy.

  “Sister.” I couldn’t stop the smirk that fell over my face.

  She was Chase’s sister-in-law. His little threat made sense now.

  It would also make it easier to find her in case she pulled a disappearing act on me; or tried to. Something about her and the way I could tell she was trying to be a step ahead of me hinted at the possibility.

  Not that I would let her.

  My rental was pulled up by the valet, and I led her, opening the door for her. Before slipping into the car, she looked up at me with her golden eyes, and I knew there was no turning back. She had no idea who she was dealing with.

  Ten years down the road, she wouldn’t be able to say I didn’t try to warn her.

  ____________

  “Knox,” she whispered, and I took a long, slow swipe of her neck as we stood in the empty elevator.

  I was holding her by the waist, her pretty ass pressed close to my front so there was no mistaking how hard she made me. How crazy she drove me just by fucking breathing. I was a grown man, for goodness sakes, yet she had me hard enough to hammer nails at an instant’s notice.

  “Fuck,” I growled. “You taste good, baby,” I told her, taking a smaller swipe. The taste of her skin was sweet and slightly salty on my tongue, too fucking addictive for my own good. Imagine the rest of her, I thought and held her tighter by the waist.

  “Knox.” She tilted her head, giving me better access. I smiled against her skin.

  “If I keep kissing you, I’ll mark you,” I warned her. The idea of her wearing my mark hit me hard. I wanted to mark her inside out in a way I had never felt before.

  “That’s okay,” she answered, her voice so fucking sweet as she pressed even closer, her ass hitting my dick. I clenched my hand on her hip.

  “Behave.”

  “Knox,” she mewled, and I laughed.

  She’s so fucking cute.

>   I broke, giving her what we both wanted.

  Dragging my teeth against her skin, I kissed it and bit down, her hand squeezing mine hard, her body tensing in my arms. Fuck, the feel of it I knew it was only a freaking preview of what would happen in my hotel room. Swiping down at the pinkened skin made my throat dry. I wanted my name fucking stamped all over her body.

  The elevator pinged, its door opening way too fucking slow for my taste. I grabbed her hand and rushed us to my room.

  “Slow down, crazy man. I’m going to fall, Knox.” She giggled, so I stopped and picked her up. The gasp from her pretty little mouth rang heavily in my ears, and I wanted to do whatever I could to have her make that sound all fucking night long.

  “Better, baby girl?” I asked and watched as her eyes turned from surprise to something else. Something warm and melty. Something I knew I wouldn’t tire of seeing until my last breath.

  “Lots.” Her delicate hands wrapped around my neck as I walked us toward my room, carrying her like a groom would his bride.

  Practice, a voice chimed in my head, and I knew that was precisely what this was.

  Practice for the day I took her as my own.

  Practice for the day she would become officially mine in front of friends, family, and the law.

  I managed to take my key card out of my back pocket without having to set her down and opened the door.

  “You still on board, funny girl?” I asked before stepping inside. Her hands clenched around my neck, and her eyes studied me.

  “Why did you have to call me that?” she asked in the most tender voice, and I stilled. Before I could try to figure out what she meant, her mouth was on mine, kissing me passionately. So much emotion flowed from her kiss as her hands held my head tightly.

  I held on to her, taking the kiss as her answer.

  Chapter Four

  Lena

  Never had I ever been called a funny girl by a man who wanted me.

  Nope.

  The only person who had ever called me that was my mom, and that had been as she fought an illness that had her by the throat until she succumbed to it.

  It shouldn’t have been something sexy or arousing, but that small term of endearment, from the lips of the man who held me like I was precious, priceless fine crystal made me feel like I was falling down a rabbit hole.

  Yeah, just call me Alice. I almost wanted to giggle at my random thoughts.

  Instead, I held on to the man who carried me like I weighed nothing and kissed him. Pouring everything I had into every touch of our lips. Our tongues dueled, and teeth scraped. The passion and need only grew. Knowing with every kiss and nip there was no turning back.

  There was something about Knox that made him stand out in a sea of men.

  “I need you,” he growled.

  “Take me.” I pulled away only enough to moan the words as my hands got lost in his hair. Damn, he has great hair. I was lost in a flurry of desire when he set me down in front of the bed of the hotel suite, his hands on the sides of my face still tender and sweet. I had no idea how we got there or how long he’d held me in his arms, but I needed so much more. His mouth pulled away, and he tilted his forehead against mine as we both caught our breath.

  “Why are we stopping?” I whined. He shook his head against mine before opening his dark eyes and casting them on me.

  “We need to breathe.”

  “Breathing is overrated,” I mewled like a cat in heat. His lips quirked up, showing me a glimpse of a hidden dimple. Damn, that was sexy. “You’re sexy,” I said out loud. I hadn’t meant to, but I did, and I couldn’t care less.

  Why play coy now?

  “You absolutely sure about this?” he asked again, and I thought he was sweet for asking, but I wanted to get down to business.

  “Are you worried about having, umm, technical difficulties?” I asked like the smart mouth I was.

  “Technical difficulties?” he repeated in a rough voice that made chills run down my spine.

  “Performance anxiety?” I found myself elaborating. Maybe, despite the delicious thick ridge poking at me, he had male issues, given his age. Damn, I was too much of a smartass, even for my own good.

  “Fuck this pretty little mouth.”

  “Yes, please,” I whimpered. The idea of his cock in my mouth sounded great. That would finally get us going.

  “Shit,” he cursed and again, I didn’t think before I spoke. When did I?

  “That’s where I draw the line. I’m usually really open-minded, but—“ He started to laugh against my lips. I couldn’t look away from him and how beautiful he looked laughing as his embrace tightened around me.

  “You are—“

  “Beautiful? Smart? Funny?” I quickly cut him off and was gifted with a bark of laughter. Damn, the shaking of his body felt good. It sounded slightly rusty, like he didn’t do it often, and because of that, it felt like a bigger honor. A gift.

  “Trouble.” I’d heard that before.

  “But mostly beautiful, smart, and funny?” I joked, still riding the high of having made him laugh.

  “All of the above,” he answered smartly, and my heart sighed.

  “So, the hesitation isn’t, you know…”

  “What?”

  “You trying to wait for a magical blue pill to take its allotted time?” I asked. A growl mixed with a suppressed laugh snuck out of him. Pulling away slightly, he grabbed a hold of my hand and, never taking his eyes off mine, brought it up to my lips and then between us to the length of his very hard and ready-to-go cock.

  “Not waiting for any magical pills. That’s all you.” His voice was like gravel, and my hand freely squeezed his rigidness.

  “Even when I make jokes?” I surprised myself by asking, suddenly feeling slightly vulnerable. My mouth had always got me into trouble, and I knew it had been a turn-off to partners in the past.

  “I think that’s what makes me even harder for you.” That was weirdly sweet and a lot like a compliment, so I would take it.

  “Then why the stall?”

  “I’m older than you.”

  “I think we clarified that already. You’re older but not ancient, and according to you, that’s all organic and non-blue-pill run.”

  “You’ve been drinking.”

  “I had two glasses of champagne and not a drop more all day,” I felt the need to clarify. I wanted to make sure he got I was here on my own accord, so there was no misunderstanding later on.

  “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

  “Such a gentleman.”

  “That’s getting close to running out.”

  “Freaking finally.” My voice dipped low, and my hand dragged down from his neck to his chest.

  “Lena,” he warned, but I was done listening.

  I broke eye contact and looked straight ahead at the white of his crisp dress shirt. How the hell he looked like he had just taken the damn thing off the hanger instead of having worn that shirt since the early ceremony was beyond me. I really hoped we could get to work on wrinkling it up.

  He growled as I undid the second button of his shirt, but I didn’t look up at his eyes. If I did, I knew the tall, dark, and handsome specimen of a man would see everything I was feeling, and I had no idea what it would translate to; I just knew it was too much too soon. He was a man who made my stomach dip low and flutter with butterflies. He was a man whom I had made laugh and who made me laugh as well. A man who seemed to see me clearer than anyone in my life. And it terrified me and exhilarated me all at once.

  So, being me, I kept going.

  My hands steadily kept working on unclothing him as I bit my lower lip and tried not to say anything completely ridiculous. Button by button, they were undone, baring patches of tanned skin with the perfect smattering of dark hair. When I finally reached the last one, I tugged his shirt from his pants and let my hands touch his naked chest.

  His skin was hot to the touch and firm. Damn, he was built. I swallo
wed hard. My mouth was watering. He smelled as good as he felt. Leaning forward, I kissed his left pec, and I could have sworn the wild thumping of his heart almost matched my own.

  “Lena,” he growled, and I finally looked up at him. I was breathless at what I saw. He was looking at me with such intense masculine need, I involuntarily clenched my thighs together. I wasn’t a blushing school girl, but he was on a whole other male barometer, one I had never been around or knew, but I wasn’t about to shy away. I opened my mouth, but his fingers touched my lips. Unable to help myself, I took a small swipe of his flesh and didn’t miss the way his nose flared.

  “Turn,” he commanded in a way that made my need to say a word disintegrate. I turned around and felt him move closer, his breath fanning over my shoulders. “Do you have any idea how many ways I imagined taking this dress off you throughout the day?”

  “How many?” I croaked just about a whisper.

  “Too many to count.” Damn, that is sweet. “Fuck, saw you walking down the aisle, and I didn’t know if I wanted to run in front of you and carry you away or get in front of you and shove Chase out of the way to have the minister make you mine.”

  “We are getting married after all.” I shrugged, the words slipping out of my mouth, reminding him of his line earlier.

  Damn, the guy is good.

  If anyone else had said something as crazy as what Knox had, I would have hit him upside the head and run the other way. But Knox… Knox was different. He made me want to believe the cheesy line like some naïve kid reading fairy tales and watching Disney movies.

  “Sooner than you wanna know.”

  “You’re crazy.” I smiled with my eyes closed as his fingers moved to my hair. Usually, I was super tender headed, but his touch made me feel relaxed and excited all at the same time.

  “And you’re beautiful.” His fingers talentedly undid my updo, and when the last bobby pin was removed, he ran his fingers through my thick hair. “So fucking soft.”

  “It’s probably all messed up and looks like a rat’s nest, but—“ I rambled nervously.