TAMING KNOX (Gray Wolf Security, Texas Book 3)

by Glenna Sinclair

  Was that normal? I didn’t think so.

  Had someone messed with the hot tub’s controls? Had someone set Colby Spencer up to die? Was Julep right, after all? Was it murder?

  If so, who?

  I glanced up at the house, the lights in the master bedroom glowing down over me. Could Dunlap have had something to do with this? Could Julep be right about him? Did he break the thermometer on the hot tub before he left town, knowing his wife would drink while using the tub? Or was it all just an accident?

  I wasn’t here to find out who killed Colby Spencer. I was here to make sure Colby’s children were safe from their own father. I was here to protect my own ass so that Dunlap wouldn’t go to David and tell him we spent the night together. I was here because…I wasn’t really sure why I was here. But it wasn’t to find Colby’s killer.

  Chapter 5

  Dunlap

  I stared at the ceiling, the scotch still roiling around in my stomach and my bloodstream. I knew that I shouldn’t have told Knox all I had about Colby. What would she think, knowing so much about my marriage and me? I wasn’t even sure why it was so important to me to allow her to take this position. I could have hired anyone else—even had my sights set on the third interview, some woman who’d grown up with five brothers and sisters and who had taken child development courses in college—but the second I saw Knox, my head went to places it shouldn’t have gone.

  She was in security, not childcare. Yet, she was so beautiful…

  What was wrong with me? Julep was trying to ruin my life, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman she’d sent over here to spy on me.

  I got up and began to pace the room, thinking about Colby and her mother and this whole mess I’d somehow gotten myself mixed up in. I grew up on a farm in the middle of corn country. The only drama I’d ever seen was on Friday nights when the high school played their cross county rivals. And then I went to Northwestern to study architecture and I met this incredibly beautiful woman with intense blue eyes and the palest blond hair I’d ever seen. And a body that was clearly not corn fed. She was slender, yet she still had curves. And she laughed at all my jokes and she knew things about a man’s body that I’d never even allowed myself to imagine.

  Colby blew my mind. And Knox…she made my blood pump in a way it hadn’t done in a very long time.

  Colby. I never really regretted marrying her. I regretted how things changed between us after Stevie was born. I regretted that giving birth to a child of her own brought back memories that Colby couldn’t handle, that it caused her to act out rather than turn to me and tell me the truth. I regretted that she had such a dark childhood and she’d never told me about it. I’d sensed that Colby was broken, but I never really understood how or why until I went with her to the therapist and listened to her tell me things no one should ever have to say out loud.

  I thought we were going to make it. I thought Colby was coming out the other end of the dark tunnel. But then…the Oxy in her blood was what got me. Why would she do that? Booze was her thing. Why Oxy? That was more her mother’s brand of oblivion.

  I had to stop thinking about it. I had to move on with my life. I only wished Julep would let me.

  I crossed to the door and slipped out, going down the hall to the nursery. Both girls were out like a light, Stevie curled up on her narrow mattress with a teeny teddy bed clutched in her arms. Mattie was lying on her back, her arms spread wide like an eagle soaring high over the world. I kissed my fingertips and pressed them to her forehead, brushing a couple of dark curls from her eyes.

  I knew the man who was her biological father. He worked on one of my crews some years ago, a drifter who didn’t want any baggage. He’d been happy to sign the parental right termination papers, relieved that we didn’t want anything more from him. But sometimes, I wondered—if he realized what joy he was missing out on, if he would change his mind.

  Nothing had offered me half as much joy as fatherhood had.

  Knox was coming up the stairs as I stepped back out the door. I moved silently, making sure to leave the door open a crack so that Stevie wouldn’t panic if she woke in the night. Knox had gone past me, headed to the nanny’s room. She paused in the doorway, leaning against the frame, to watch me.

  “I wanted to ask you about the hot tub,” she said.

  “What about it?”

  I went to her, standing closer than I probably should have. She looked up at me, her bottom lip a little swollen, as though he’d been chewing on it. A memory of the way she chewed on that bottom lip whenever she came close to orgasm burned through my head. I touched her, cupping her jaw in my hand, my thumb brushing over chin.

  “You’re beautiful,” I said, tugging at her lip. “I can’t stop thinking about that night.”

  She blushed, her eyes moving away from mine.

  “I know I’m not supposed to do this. I know it was supposed to be one night. But I’m drunk and fucked up and I—”

  She reached up on her toes and kissed me, her lips pushing against me almost roughly. I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her against me, my hands slipping down over her ass. She wrapped her arms around me, her fingers sliding up into my hair. I pushed her back, aiming for the bed but missing. We ended up against the low dresser, but that was perfect. Just the right height.

  I pressed my hands under the back of her jeans, tangling my fingers in her panties. She tugged at my shirt, tearing it over my head. I grabbed her shirt and pulled it up, too, baring her chest at the same time she bared mine. Just that damn bra in the way…fucking sports bras! I couldn’t find a clasp or a zipper. I pushed my hands underneath, her nipples already hard as my fingers brushed against them. She nibbled at my neck, her hands sliding down over my chest, tugging at my belt buckle.

  She was pushing me over an edge. The feel of her hands on my skin, the taste of her lips. I wanted her with a desperation that was unfamiliar to me. I unfastened her jeans, sliding my hand inside until she cried out, my fingertip sliding easily over her clit. She moved her hips and my finger slipped further down, sliding inside of her. She moaned, grinding her hips against my hand as she found my lips again, sliding her tongue over places I’ve never been touched.

  Knox was a firecracker. The feel of her body against mine, the taste of her lips, the silkiness of her skin…it was all so intense that I felt as though I was going to explode if I wasn’t inside of her soon. I yanked her jeans, tugging them down out of the way, my hand sliding against her again. She moved her hips, wiggling them to help get her panties out of the way, too. And then her hands were on my belt again, pulling me closer to her, her hand sliding over the length of my cock.

  I grabbed the back of her thighs and tugged her closer to the edge of the dresser. She guided me to her, sliding the head of my cock against her clit. She knew what she wanted and she was taking it. I stood still, my hands clasped behind my back. I let her do what she wanted, gritting my teeth to keep from crying out. It took all the will power I had to keep from touching her, to keep from thrusting roughly inside of her.

  Knox slid her hand along my shaft, rubbing me against her clit again. She slipped forward on the dresser, closing the space between us. And then she guided me to her opening and I couldn’t stop myself. I had to be inside of her. I thrust, grabbing her hips and pulling her even closer. She was nearly falling off the dresser, but she held onto the edge, crying out as I quickly fell into a rhythm. It was rough, and it was much quicker than I wanted it to be, but it felt so good I couldn’t help myself.

  I don’t know how we kept from waking the kids. The dresser hit against the wall over and over again, banging so loudly that it shook the whole house. And then I cried out as my cock swelled and I came hard and fast inside of her. My knees went weak. I picked her up and stumbled to the bed, tripping over my jeans just as we reached the edge of the mattress. She laughed as we tumbled onto the bed together, our bodies tangled. She found my mouth and we began to kiss again, our hands sliding over each other
’s bodies.

  It wasn’t long before we began moving together again. She arched up against me, grinding her clit until convulsions began to roll through her, taking her on a wave of ecstasy. I stayed with her, slowing my movements until her moment passed. And then I picked up again, driving her to that edge a second time. And then we exploded together, her mouth pressed hard against my shoulder. She bit down and the pain was just an added pleasure.

  She rolled away from me after a few minutes, curling up on the edge of the mattress. I moved up behind her, my hand sliding over her hip as I kissed her shoulder lightly.

  “You should probably go back to your room,” she said without looking at me. “You don’t want the girls to come looking for you and find you here.”

  It was like a bucket of ice water thrown over me.

  “Okay,” I said, pressing one last kiss to her shoulder.

  I gathered my clothes, pulling them back on, feeling like a fool for doing a walk of shame in my own home. I paused in the doorway.

  “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She didn’t respond. I wanted to go over there and touch her again, to stretch out with her and feel her body against mine, but there were waves of ice moving across the room. That wasn’t happening.

  “Good night,” I said softly as I left the room.

  Chapter 6

  At the Compound

  David sat his desk, reviewing paperwork that some of his operatives had recently remitted. They were all behind. Except Knox. Knox was the only one who managed to turn in reports on time and to get her final reports in within a week of finishing a case. David had high hopes that all his operatives would be as efficient as Knox was one day.

  He was afraid, however, that his hopes were based on dreams that were as flimsy as clouds.

  Kipling continuously emphasized how important these reports were.

  Management needs to know what’s going on as it happens. Not weeks later.

  He was right. David knew it. But it was difficult having some guy—especially one who was as reluctant as Kipling had originally been—come in and take control. Difficult. Frustrating. Emasculating.

  He’d been here just weeks and already things were all turned upside down.

  But, on the bright side, things were already improving. All the operatives were currently in the field. And reports were finally trickling in. David couldn’t shake his head at that.

  ***

  Kipling stood in his guest room at the compound David and Ricki had created for GWS 2. It was an odd name for a security firm, but he kind of liked it. In fact, he liked everything about this place. The premise was a sound one, the people exceptional, with just one or two that left Kipling weary. He liked David and loved his wife, Ricki. He was happy that Ash had such amazing family around him. He should be content. But he wasn’t.

  All this family…it reminded him too much of all he’d lost.

  He was at the windows, watching Ricki walk with that woman—Bailey—the two of them with their little boys running around their legs. He’d had that once. He once had a nice little house from which he could stare out the bedroom window and watch his wife work in the garden with their daughter, just three the last time he saw her, running around near her. He remembered the look of joy on Jesse’s face as she watched Gracie. He remembered thinking that if he could stay there—just like that—for the rest of his life, he’d be a very happy man.

  But it wasn’t to be.

  That happy memory was spoiled by the memory of that phone call…of having to identify their bodies in the morgue. Of coming home and dealing with the funerals, the insurance company, the detectives and the district attorney, and the asshole who confessed without giving Kipling the chance to face him down in a court of law. He would have given anything to get a few minutes alone with him in a dark alley. Or just two minutes in a corridor somewhere.

  Coward. Who kills two defenseless women for a television and a couple of computers? Was it really worth it?

  I should have been there.

  It was the thought that played on a never-ending loop in Kipling’s head. He should have been there instead of off fighting an enemy that was still causing havoc all over the world. He should have been protecting his family instead of serving his country. He should have been the man he promised Jesse he would be instead of doing what he thought was the right thing to do.

  He was done doing the right thing. Now, all he wanted, was to have that moment alone with the bastard who did this to his family.

  Mickey Connors. He would see him in hell.

  Chapter 7

  Knox

  I stood by the counter, watching Dunlap put the finishing touches on a bowl of oatmeal for Stevie.

  “Mattie will need another bottle in an hour or so. And Stevie needs a nap at noon, but she’ll argue with you.”

  I looked up from the silent conversation I’d been having with Mattie. “Okay.”

  He studied my face, unasked questions in his eyes. I knew it was a mistake the moment his lips first touched mine, but I couldn’t resist. He was so good looking and that night we spent together on the Fourth of July was still haunting me. No one had ever been that gentle with me before, never that kind. A part of me wanted that again and again—even though I’d never imagined I could want something like that again.

  After the total destruction of the only relationship I’d ever had, I didn’t think I’d ever want anything like it again. And I didn’t. I just…it was good. And when it was good, how was I supposed to resist it again and again? That didn’t mean that I wanted more than just that. Good sex.

  “I’ll be home by five,” he said, setting the oatmeal on the table before going to the bottom of the stairs to call up for Stevie.

  I moved Mattie from one hip to the other, following him to the front door.

  “I have your numbers. If we have a problem, I’ll call.”

  He didn’t look at me. He simply grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door.

  “Julep is not allowed at the house. At any time.”

  “Okay.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s one rule that can’t be broken.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  “If she even shows up, you lock the door and call me.”

  “I will.”

  He seemed doubtful, but he left without saying anything else. I watched him go, hesitating at the door as he climbed into his car and drove away. I almost felt like a beaten dog left on the side of the road. I didn’t understand the feeling, but it was a heavy one that rested on my shoulders and refused to leave.

  “Breakfast,” I called up to Stevie. She came around the landing, dressed in bright green pants and a purple blouse, her shoes untied and her hair a rat’s nest despite the braid I’d put it in the night before. She brushed past me and ran to the kitchen, nearly tripping over those shoelaces as she went.

  “Careful.”

  “Daddy lets me watch tv during breakfast.”

  She’d picked up her bowl and was headed for the couch, but I grabbed her shoulder and turned her back around.

  “Daddy’s not here right now.”

  “I want to watch SpongeBob.”

  “And I want a million dollars, but that’s not happening today, either.”

  She glared at me, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she sat at the breakfast nook and crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to even look at the oatmeal her dad had prepared for her. I sat across from her with my own bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk. I set Mattie in her high chair, gave her a couple of whole grain biscuits and settled to my meal. Mattie laughed and babbled, but Stevie just sat there, glaring at me.

  “The sooner you eat, the sooner you can go watch your show.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Your choice. But that oatmeal’s going to taste pretty bad when it’s cold.”

  I dug into my own, moaning with pleasure as the sweet, hot, sticky meal slid over my tongue. Stevie glared at me, h
er arms pulled even tighter over her chest. She was stubborn. But she wasn’t nearly as stubborn as Sherilynn had been. She gave up before I was half done with my own oatmeal.

  I bit back a smile as she finally dug into her food.

  We moved into the living room after the dishes were done, but instead of watching television, I talked Stevie into coloring with me.

  “We should make Daddy a nice picture,” I said.

  “Daddy likes pictures.”

  “I bet he does.”

  She led the way upstairs and showed me where the crayons and paper were kept. I watched as she drew several renditions of the final picture, finally settling on a nice picture of herself with her daddy and Mattie in front of the house.

  “We used to play in the backyard all the time. But now it makes Daddy sad, so we go to the park.”

  “The backyard makes Daddy sad?”

  Stevie nodded. “Mommy died back there.”

  “Yeah? Did Daddy tell you that?”

  Stevie was quiet for a second. Then she got up and led the way out of the nursery. She walked into the master bedroom and opened the balcony doors.

  “Hey, Stevie, you probably shouldn’t do that.”

  She ignored me, stepping out onto the balcony. When I joined her, I realized that it looked right over the long deck where the hot tub was.

  “I saw it that night. The red lights came and the men in black clothes took Mommy out of the tub and we never saw her again.”

  “I’m sorry, Stevie.”

  “Daddy cried.” She was so deeply sad when she said it. She pointed at the hot tub, her hand shaking just a little. “He was there and he cried.”

  For some reason, the image her words conjured hit me somewhere deep in my soul. I thought my soul had darkened, that I wasn’t capable of feeling that sort of hurt anymore, but I guess I was wrong.

  “He was very sad,” I said, touching Stevie’s shoulder lightly.