The stubborn jut of her chin almost made him laugh. She was just plain cute when she was mad. “When you first asked me to tell you immediately if Crow made any moves, I assured you that I would. But I didn’t. I waited until later that day to tell you. I saw that as protecting you – I didn’t want to fuck up your day by delivering shitty news smack bam in the middle of it. Even though you understood my intentions were good, you were pissed that I didn’t tell you straight away, weren’t you?”
Harper could see what he was getting at: although he knew her intentions were good when she didn’t call out to him, he couldn’t help being hurt that she’d gone back on her word. “Okay, so I didn’t keep my promise. I regret that I was in a situation where I chose to do that, but I don’t regret that I chose to do it.” She wasn’t going to lure him into a trap.
“Just as I couldn’t regret that I’d delayed giving you bad news. In that sense, neither of us were in the wrong. We both had good intentions when we made those decisions, but we still hurt each other when we did.”
Yeah, okay, that was true. “You didn’t answer my question earlier.”
Knowing she was referring to what she’d asked him just before she left, Knox said, “Of course I accept you as you are. I want you exactly as you are. You seem to think I want to control you. I like that I don’t. I like that I can’t. I like that you have your own mind and you demand that I respect that. And I do respect it. But, baby, that doesn’t mean I’ll always like your choices. I’m certain that works both ways.”
Harper sighed. He was right again, which was unfortunate because he was taking major chunks out of her “you’re an asshole” argument.
“We both have very strong personalities,” Knox continued. “Neither of us are the type to bend to please others. That means we’ll sometimes butt heads. It means I’ll hurt you when I don’t mean to, and vice versa. We have to learn to move past things, Harper.”
“I don’t know how we move past this. I will never change.”
“I know that, but you’re missing that I don’t want you to.” He lightly traced her collarbone with his fingers. “I’ll have to accept that you’re willing to put yourself in danger to protect me. And you’ll have to accept that I’ll be pissed and react badly if you do.”
“Reacting so badly that you say mean shit —”
“Was wrong,” he finished. “I apologized for that.”
“Actually, you didn’t.”
Realizing she was right, Knox curled his hand under her chin as he spoke. “I said things I didn’t mean, I hurt you, and for that I’m sorry. But I can’t be sorry for being angry that you took Crow on without me.” He wasn’t going to insult them both by saying otherwise just to placate her.
“And I can’t be sorry for not luring you into a trap.”
His mouth quirked a little. “So very stubborn.”
“And so very proud of it.”
Knox swept his thumb over her bottom lip. “I was angrier at myself than I was at you.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“I’m your mate and your anchor. I’m supposed to protect you.” He rested his forehead on hers. “I hate that I was sat in a meeting with my sentinels, having no idea that you were somewhere in pain, being attacked.” He placed his hand over her heart and let the beat of it soothe him. “You underestimate what you mean to me. You always have. I need you safe. Well. With me.”
That was sort of sweet. She wasn’t good with “sweet.” “If I’m ever attacked again, I’d rather have a comforting hug and a ‘how are you feeling’ than be yelled at.”
Knox slipped his arms under her back and hugged her to him. “How are you feeling?”
“Less pissed at you.”
Knox didn’t relax, knowing he wasn’t out of the woods yet. “How about your demon?”
“It wants to bitch slap you. And I mean, like, really hard.”
He’d thought as much. “My demon wants to snuggle you and make you feel better.”
Okay, that softened her demon a little.
He kissed the hollow of her throat. “We’ve never had a major argument before. It was bound to happen at some point. And now we deal with it. We start as we mean to go on. When I fuck up, I’ll admit it. I’ll apologize. If you need space while you work through some of your anger, fine. It won’t be easy to give it to you, but I will. In return, you don’t leave in a huff. And you don’t sleep anywhere but right beside me, where you belong.”
“I’m not sure you’re in a position to use that demanding tone with me.”
His mouth curved at her haughty look. “How would you have felt if I walked out on you, baby? How would you feel if you came to find me, hoping to work things out, and you saw that I was gone?”
Like utter shit. She blew out a long breath and then agreed, “I won’t walk out next time. I’m not saying I won’t walk away to cool down, but I won’t leave.”
He nodded, satisfied. “That’s my girl.”
“Can you free my hands now?” The wicked curve to his mouth made Harper tense. “What?”
He fingered the bobbly white T-shirt she was wearing. It smelled of her. “This an old shirt of yours?”
Harper nodded. “Jolene kept it for me.” He hummed against her neck as he gathered the ends of it. “Now wait a minute, Thorne —”
“It needs to come off. I want to be able to touch and taste every part of you.”
“I’m still mad at you.” Well, only a little.
“I know that.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “But you’re holding onto that anger just for the sake of holding onto it.”
Damn him for being right.
“Let it go,” he whispered into the hollow beneath her ear. “I know I hurt you. I know I messed up. But now I’m going to make it up to you.”
“Oh yeah?” she said as he peeled up the shirt. He released her hands to whip it off, and then her wrists were once more pinned above her head. “Hey, no —” She cut herself off when he rose from the bed and shed his own shirt, exposing broad shoulders and a solid very lick-able chest. She loved the ripples of his abs. Loved tracing them with her fingers and tongue. But, yeah, that wouldn’t be happening until he freed her hands.
He removed the rest of his clothes, and she clenched her thighs at the sight of his cock, hard and ready. His body hummed with raw power, and it was a total aphrodisiac for her demon, who had let go of its anger; placated by his apology. So Harper did the same. He’d made a mistake, but he’d apologized. And she could tell that he meant it. And, hello, he was really hot.
Naked, Knox loomed over her with his hands braced either side of her head. He swiped his tongue over her bottom lip. “When I first met you, I wondered if your mouth was really this shade or if you were wearing cherry lipstick.” The shade was as natural as her coal-black lashes. She raised her mouth to his, lips parted. He wanted to delve and taste and take. He would. But not yet.
He traced the outline of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. He loved the shape of it, loved how plush and soft it was. Loved the feel of it wrapped tight around his cock. “All mine.” He kissed the curve of her mouth. Suckled on her upper lip. Tugged on the fleshy part of her lower lip with his teeth just hard enough to leave a mark. She licked over it, soothing the sting. He let the tip of his tongue slide out and briefly glide against hers.
She growled. “Getting cranky here, Thorne.”
He smiled. “Ah, my kitten’s back.”
She was about to ask what the hell that meant when his mouth closed over hers. His tongue sank inside and tangled with hers. He didn’t just kiss her, he consumed her. Licking, biting, sucking… pretty much taking possession of her entire mouth. His hand slid into her hair and his fingers kneaded her scalp. Oh God, that shouldn’t have felt so good, but it did. She pretty much melted into the mattress.
“Silk has nothing on your hair.”
Harper shivered at that deep, almost rumbly whisper. She struggled to free her arms, but those psychic hands just hel
d her tighter. Her pussy clenched. A part of her liked being held down, but she wanted to touch him. “Free my hands.” He slowly shook his head, and an icy thumb circled her pulse on her wrist.
“I think I’ll leave them where they are for now.” Knox sucked on the hollow beneath her ear, right where he’d left the small mark that said she was anchored; that there was a demon out there who would kill to protect her. She’d left a similar mark on him. Knowing she loved it, he spoke into her ear. “Don’t ever think I don’t accept all of you.”
His warm breath blew over her ear, making the hairs on her nape stand on end. “Knox —”
“I’ll always want you exactly as you are.” He massaged her inner thighs, making her slick folds open and close. The scent of her need rose up and filled his lungs, and he growled. His cock throbbed painfully. He needed to be in her, but he also needed to drum something into her pretty little head. So he repeated, “Exactly as you are.”
Harper inhaled sharply as he spread her legs wide and the cool air hit her pussy. He gave her his weight, settling his cock over her slick folds, just as his tongue curled around her nipple. She arched into his mouth and ground her clit against his cock, needing some measure of relief. She was wet and restless, and he seemed happy to ignore that.
“So many times I’ve been in a business meeting or on a conference call, and all I’ve been able to think about is getting home and pinning you against the wall while I take you.” He bit into the side of her breast, renewing a mark that had faded.
“We can totally do that now,” she said hopefully.
“I want to explore first.”
Harper didn’t have the patience for that, but she knew better than to argue with him. He was sadistic enough to deny her an orgasm if she didn’t let him have his way. His hands were firm but his fingers were feather-light as they moved over her skin, playing with all kinds of nerve endings and sending feel-good chemicals racing through her. When he touched her, it always felt like he was tracing her, committing every line and curve to memory.
All she could do was gasp and moan as he stroked. Licked. Kissed. Left suckling little bites that he soothed with a swirl of his tongue. Then his mouth clamped around her pussy, making her breath catch in her throat. He didn’t tease her, he drove her hard and fast into an orgasm that left her shaking from head to toe and burning inside.
Releasing her hands, Knox flipped her onto her stomach. He licked along the lines of her wings, knowing how sensitive the marks were. She writhed and arched beneath him, moaning for more. “I want to shield you. Protect you. Fucking possess you.” He pulled her to her knees. “But never change you.” He slammed home. Her pussy was swollen, but he forced his cock deep; groaning at how inferno-hot and slick she was. “My favorite place to be.”
Harper pushed herself up, bracing her weight on her hands. “Fuck me,” she rasped. She thought he might make her beg. He didn’t. Wrapping her hair around his fist, he snatched her head back and powered into her at a frantic pace, hitting her g-spot with every perfect, territorial slam of his cock. She fisted the sheets, pushing back to meet each thrust.
Knox fucked her harder, knowing she was close; he could feel her getting hotter and tighter around him. “Come when you’re ready, baby.” He wouldn’t make her wait. This, here and now, this was about her. As her pussy began to quake, he said, “You’re fucking everything to me. Don’t ever think differently.”
It was the words that threw her over. Harper arched like a bow as white-hot pleasure tore through her body, fragmenting every cell and muscle and bone. Her pussy clamped down on Knox, who stiffened above her with a growl of her name. She felt his cock pulse inside her, felt every hot splash of his come. And then the energy left her body in a rush, and she slumped onto the mattress.
“Am I forgiven yet?” he asked, kissing her back.
She snorted. “That wasn’t you making it up to me. That was you using orgasms to soften me up so I’d more easily forgive you. Sometimes I wonder how you live with yourself.”
He smiled against her skin. “But you love me anyway.”
She exhaled heavily. “Yeah, I do.”
The guard pressed the button, and a large buzzer sounded just as the iron, mechanical door slid open. The scents of sweat, mildew, and bleach hit Knox hard. At first glance, the cell looked empty. The thin mattress didn’t appear to have been slept on, and the chair was neatly tucked under the steel table. There wasn’t a single sound except for the guards’ footsteps echoing down the corridor. But Knox didn’t fail to notice the toes of lace-less shoes near the dented metal locker. Levi also noticed them and rolled his eyes.
Knox strolled further into the room. Crow was crouched against the cement wall, hands shackled, eyes fearful. He might not have been afraid when talking to the sentinels the previous night, but he was sure afraid now. And the scent of his fear made his demon bare its teeth in a feral smile. The entity’s rage had calmed after time with its mate, but the emotion still bubbled beneath the surface.
Knox didn’t say anything. He let the silence stretch until Crow began to fidget nervously. If Knox was a better person, he might have felt a twinge of sadness at the situation. Crow had always seemed good and righteous. He’d never given Knox any trouble. He’d been loyal to Delia and his lair. The man he’d once been would be horrified by the things he’d done. But Knox didn’t feel bad for him. After what the bastard had done to Harper, Knox would gladly peel off his skin like an onion and then cover him with pepper and wrap him in barbed wire.
“I knew you’d come,” Crow boasted.
“It doesn’t take a vision to know that.”
Crow swallowed. “Have you come to kill me?”
“What do you think?”
“You could try to kill me. It wouldn’t work.”
“Why is that?”
“My fate is to kill you in order to save our world.” His shoes squeaked on the cement floor as he struggled to his feet. “As long as you’re alive, I’m protected so I can fulfill my duty.”
“I see.” Knox scraped his jaw with his hand. “Sounds like an honorable mission.”
Crow lifted his chin, proud. “It is.”
“Tell me, was hurting Harper part of this mission? Was shooting Tanner part of it? How about hurting Delia, butchering Carla, or shooting a cab driver? None of those things seem ‘honorable’ to me.”
A tiny hint of regret flickered in Crow’s eyes. “Collateral damage.”
“Harper is not collateral damage.” His voice was like a whip. “She’s my mate and your Prime. Tanner is a sentinel; one who has protected you and the rest of our lair many times. I don’t think a single person would agree that repaying that devotion to your safety with a bullet is ‘honorable.’”
“You don’t understand because you didn’t see what I saw.”
“I don’t think you saw it either. It’s all in your head.”
“I saw that future,” he stated, adamant. “I’m not alone in that.”
Knox slowly arched a brow, unconvinced. “And who else shares this belief?”
“That is not something I intend to reveal.”
“Why not? Why be loyal to whoever who sent you on a dangerous mission without any help or protection?”
Crow’s confidence faltered for a few moments, but then he jutted out his chin once again. “They trust in my ability to see this through.”
“Of course,” said Knox dryly, exchanging a look with Levi.
“You can’t hide the truth from me,” Crow claimed. “I know what you are now.”
Knox couldn’t help smiling. He’d heard that statement over the years more times than he could count; none had ever guessed correctly. “And what is that?” No answer, which was no surprise. “You know nothing, Crow. You saw nothing. You hurt people who didn’t deserve it while on a non-existent quest. If you were sound of mind, I would kill you right now.”
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