Love Me Knots

by Dee Tenorio

  Chapter Ten

  “Here, slap this on it.”

  David glanced up at the stranger in blue with a distinct lack of trust. But at least this guy was offering something with a plate’s worth of distance. Even if the something was a three-inch-thick steak, it was better than the complete lack of distance from the guy who’d “rescued” him from the water.

  “Trust me, man. If anyone has gotten a black eye around here, it’s me.”

  Doubting the meat could do anything but rot on his face, David picked it up and pressed it gingerly to his puffy eye. He leaned his head back against the wall, allowing his body to relax into the couch with a sigh. “Thank you…”

  “Jake,” the stranger informed him gruffly.

  David nodded. At least the meat was cold.

  “You shouldn’t hold anything against Cobb,” Jake continued, causing David to open his unfettered eye. “He’s easily excited.”

  “Yes,” David agreed flatly. “I noticed.”

  Jake’s mouth twitched, though David wasn’t sure if he were trying not to laugh or thinking the better of explaining why the man, Cobb, had gone from flirting with Krista the night before to screaming and diving into the water to rescue a man who wasn’t drowning. He’d had to hit the guy in the mouth with his elbow or face actual grave danger. Dragging the strange man to the shore hadn’t been easy either, not with the guy clinging and rubbing his cheek on David’s shoulder.

  He didn’t want to think about what else had rubbed against him. It was possibly the most bizarre rescue ever.

  “It was just like an episode of Baywatch!” a blond man was exclaiming to Cobb across the room while his identical twin held a cloth napkin full of ice to Cobb’s swollen lip. The one with the ice kept throwing angry glares David’s way.

  “Knock it off, Ricky,” Jake suddenly barked. “A busted lip never killed anyone.”

  “It completely destroys his symmetry,” Ricky grumbled, but it couldn’t have been so bad since he let go of the ice soon after.

  “How’s my nose?” Cobb asked, sounding mortally concerned.

  “I didn’t hit your nose.” David wondered exactly why these four men were in Krista’s bungalow when they had one literally twenty feet away.

  “Perfect.” The standing blond patted Cobb on the shoulder sympathetically.

  “Will someone please tell me exactly what the hell is going on?” Elmore James fairly exploded from the dining room where Krista had been wrapping his hand in ice. “Who invited the gay paramedics?”

  “Oooh, that sounds—” Stevie stumbled forward onto his hands when his brother kicked him none too lightly.

  “These are my friends, Dad.” Krista sounded tired as she stood, pushing her chair back to the table edge and walking out into the living room where the rest of them were attending each other. “They just wanted to help.” She looked around at the men—notably skipping himself, David realized—and gave a weary smile. “Thanks for…” She colored, probably trying to come up with some kind of word to describe whatever had happened since David hit the water.

  “No problem.” Jake clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Time to clear out, guys.” Within seconds, the big man had maneuvered the other three out the double French doors, only allowing Cobb a bizarre finger wave in David’s direction before closing them and leaving the trio in silence.

  Krista blew a breath out, tilting her head to the side with what seemed a resigned slump to her shoulders. Before David could ask what was wrong, Elmore stepped into the living room, not as blustery but definitely still out of sorts.

  “I’m pregnant,” Krista blurted out, clapping her hands in front of her then bouncing them twice on her hips and nodding as if this were news. “Nine weeks. So you’ll be meeting your grandchild in early September or so.”

  Elmore’s dark gaze went from Krista to David, then back again.

  “Killing him not only won’t help, there’s no reason for it. And I should probably remind you that I wouldn’t even have met him if it hadn’t been for you.” When her father made to say something, she added, “And yes, it was partially my own fault. I was out of control, being an ungrateful spoiled brat, going the wrong way about getting your attention. But I grew up. And now I’m getting married. So you have nothing to worry about. David and I are going to be just fine.”

  She said it so confidently that when her father glanced his way, David didn’t even have to nod. Not that he could have. He wasn’t nearly so confident that this wasn’t all a smokescreen to make her father accept her decisions.

  “Where do I factor in?” Elmore finally asked quietly. “Or don’t I?”

  Krista’s smile quivered at the edges. “You could give me away at the wedding.”

  Elmore brightened.

  “As soon as you relinquish access to my trust account,” she added, walking over to hug him again when the scowl returned.

  David watched, quiet as always, wondering how it must feel to be so free and affectionate with a parent. Hugs were practically anathema to his own father, but love wasn’t. Their bond was different, he knew, but it was just as strong. Just as meaningful. It was something he could pass on to his own child and maybe, just maybe, he’d get the chance.

  “You should go for a little while and we can meet you for dinner. David and I have a few things we need to work out.”

  Not good things, David figured. But, he thought as Elmore nodded and quietly left the bungalow, there wasn’t much that could happen that was more demeaning than being punched out by a man twice his age and then rubbed up on by a stranger. With that in mind, odds were in his favor for a positive outcome.

  But one thing he knew about odds…you just never knew when someone would come along and blow them away.

  {

  Krista watched her father leave with a sense of relief and dread. Alone with David. With all the things they needed to say to each other. Just the thought of it was exhausting.

  She turned, her heart flipping like a trained monkey at the sight of him sitting in yesterday’s wet clothes, draped in towels, a flaccid slab of meat over one eye, the other trained on her as if he were awaiting execution. She owed him some kind of serious apology. The only question was where to begin.

  “How’s the eye?”

  “Intact.” His gaze was so wary. As if he expected her to hurt him somehow. Or maybe, she accepted with a sigh, to hurt him more.

  She crossed in front of him, pulling the thick steak off with a thumb and forefinger. He proffered the plate and she plunked it down. He set the plate on the next cushion, still watching her. She touched the side of his face, where the imprint of her father’s knuckles was already staining an angry deep rose shade. The whole of his eye and cheekbone was dotted with the juice from the steak. The towels hadn’t done much to dry him. He was rumpled, bruised, embarrassed and cautious. She couldn’t do much about the cautiousness, but she knew how to soothe the other things. She reached out her hand. “Come with me.”

  He frowned slightly, his brows knitting together, but he took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. Walking backward, she led him toward her bedroom and the grand bathroom tucked into its side. He didn’t stop her when she started unbuttoning his shirt. He simply watched her, silent and still.

  Risking the lack of contact, she opened the glass doors of the octagonal shower stall. She pressed the pre-programmed button and all twelve showerheads burst to life, streaming warm water from nearly every angle.

  David took off the shirt, clearly waiting for her next cue. If she had another few days to just stare at him, at the smooth pectoral muscles, the lean definition of him, she’d be a happy woman. She’d kissed every angular line, caressed each and every muscle along his belly. She’d seen him in shadow and in sunlight, shown him every part of her body and reveled in the touch only he could give. But she hadn’t truly trusted him with her heart. Hadn’t once tried to give him even the smallest sliver of it, afraid of his power over her. So she’d lied and the lie had corro
ded her until she couldn’t bear it anymore.

  She’s never needed me, he’d said, fully believing it. And then she’d blamed him for not putting himself out there first. Jake was right—she had given herself a way out of their relationship. But not anymore. She didn’t want out. She wanted him and if that meant pulling slowly at his reserve to find the treasure underneath that she knew was there, she could do it. One step at a time.

  With steady fingers, she reached for the knot securing the patterned pareo above her breasts, loosening the fabric and letting it slip like silk to the ground. David kept his eyes locked on hers, but she could tell from the rigid set of his jaw that it wasn’t easy. She moved close to him, letting the tips of her breasts just touch the hard planes of his chest, and cupped his face in her hands. He hadn’t shaved yet, the dark stubble adding to the tactile pleasure of letting herself touch him again. When he didn’t stop her, she slid her hands down to his shoulders, molding over the strong tendons and down the lengths of his arms. Maintaining the intense eye contact, she reached for his belt.

  A grip like steel wrapped around her wrist. “What are you doing, Krista?”

  She smiled up at him. “Touching you.”

  His frown spoke only of confusion. “I don’t understand. Last night, you didn’t want anything to do with me. Now, suddenly, you’ve changed your mind?”

  “Yes.” She shook his hand off when his eyes widened. The belt opened in a flash. “And no.” Before he could ask more questions, she undid the zipper and reached in to find his hardness, hot and smooth beneath his briefs. He groaned, eyes closing, his head lowering until his forehead touched the top of hers. She stroked the shaft, applying the pressure she knew he preferred, gently leading him closer to the doors.

  “You’ll have to explain.”

  “I intend to.” She used her free hand to touch his cheek, lifting on her toes to brush his lips with hers. “Come into the shower, David.”

  “We should talk…first,” he whispered, swallowing when she let her fingers drift lower, grazing his testicles gently.

  “We will.” She pulled her hand out and backed up another step. “In the shower.” She waited until his eyes opened, dazed, before shimmying out of her panties and stepping into the stall. The water, warm and streaming, slicked her hair down her back.

  Finally, just as she was starting to worry, David stepped in. He closed the door behind himself, then followed her into the center of the streams. He didn’t seem to notice the luxury of the shower at all, simply reaching for her and pulling her flush against him. His arms, she noticed, clamped hers to her sides, rendering her unable to use her hands to distract him.

  “Explain.”

  If she didn’t feel she owed it to him to say this to his face, she’d lay her cheek on the tempting stretch of his chest. But it was thinking like that which had gotten her into this mess. No more hiding from the things that needed to be said, in any way.

  “I’ve been lying to you.” His only response was a tightening of his mouth. “I told you that our relationship was all right with me the way it was, when it wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to be angry at you because you didn’t feel the same way. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I just couldn’t keep going the way we were. I wanted more.”

  “Do you still? Want more, I mean.” He released his hold to smooth her wet hair off her brow. It wasn’t a move designed to calm her or lull her into seeing things his way. It was just one of those quietly caring gestures he always made, like the way he made sure to keep a hand on the small of her back when they walked together, that she’d stopped noticing. She had done so on purpose, unable to believe they might be signs of something more. She needed to stop second-guessing and start taking him at face value. The way he expected her to.

  “Yes.” She couldn’t be lax about what she needed anymore. “I was serious when I said I need a man who loves me. Who can show me that he loves me.”

  “When you said that, you didn’t think that man could be me.”

  “You said it could.” Even with the water misting around them, creating droplets on her lashes, she didn’t want to tear her gaze from his. She needed to see every response, honestly and without the filter of her own insecurities. “From the moment this started, you’ve been trying to get me to hear you. You came all the way out here, pushed and prodded, you even antagonized my father. If there’s one thing I know about you, you don’t do anything without a reason. I finally realized that you’ve been showing me all along how you felt, I was just too wrapped up in myself to see it.”

  His entire face brightened, a smile erupting across his features that had her breath and her heartbeat stuttering to a stop. She suddenly realized she wasn’t as crazy as she’d thought to find every other man in the world seriously lacking.

  “But,” she added, regretting that when his smile lost some of its sparkle, “I still need more than you’ve been giving.” She could see the frown returning. “You already talk to me, but you’ve got to start talking about what matters to you. What matters to me.”

  “Feelings,” he concluded, losing his firm hold.

  Krista pulled him closer, determined not to let him retreat. “Feelings.”

  He remained quiet for a while, the sound of the water all she could hear. She took heart when his hands began to massage the skin at her waist. “I’m not good at them. But I want to get better. I want to give you what you need.”

  Relief filled her. She hadn’t expected him to balk, but part of her, the part that was always afraid of losing him, had balled tight. “We’ll learn together.” She reached her hands up to loop around his neck, pressing her lips to his.

  “I’m not sure we’re finished talking,” David said against her mouth.

  “We’ve got time.” Krista rubbed her belly against the erection that hadn’t lost its heat. She licked at his lips. “Right now, I just want to start with what we already do well.” She let go of his nape, lowering her hand to wrap her fingers around his shaft. She felt his deep groan in her own throat, a surprising sensation made even earthier by the water streaming from all directions.

  David backed her up against the tiled wall, his hands on her hips to hold her still. He slid them up her flanks, cupping her breasts, his thumbs finding her nipples, caressing them with teasing flicks. She arched into his hold, shuddering and closing her eyes when he brought the aching tips to his mouth. He toyed with her, drawing deep, laving the pebbled flesh that seemed to burst into flame at his touch. She felt every firm suck deep in her core. Need bloomed, fiery and devouring. She needed him inside her. Now.

  “Please, David.” Her hands clenched his shoulders, pulling him up.

  He bit the underside of her breast and she gasped, her hips bucking into his.

  “I need you.” She tried again to rub against him, but he kept himself just out of her reach, out of her body, while he licked and sucked a path up her neck.

  He pulled back, looking at her with eyes that blazed. “Good.”

  Her knees threatened to collapse. He must have realized that because she found herself lifted, his hands under her bottom, her thighs clamping around his lean hips. His fingertips slid inward, parting her already swollen folds, caressing her entrance as if he just couldn’t help himself.

  Her moan echoed off the tiles. She tried to shift, but his hold wouldn’t allow it. She was completely open to him, completely his. She simply had to trust him to give her what she needed. Ceasing her straining, she relaxed and let him sink a finger inside her. It wasn’t nearly enough, but she flexed her inner muscles on it, gripping him in a wet vise.

  Strain showed on his face, the corners of his mouth pulling down as he fought for control. She licked one side, laughing as he growled. “I don’t want you in control,” she whispered against his cheek. “I want you to need me as much as I need you.”

  “Do you?” he murmured, rubbing that finger against her inner walls. “Because what I want to do is dive into you until you’ll never be able to think of ever
leaving me again.”

  “Okay,” she replied, breathless.

  His eyes glowed, the blue of his irises burning with an intensity she could feel in her soul. He pressed his thick length through her folds. Slow and unyielding, he let her slide onto him until she’d taken every inch. His lids lowered almost completely, not quite hiding a possessive light that made her heart sing. Come what may, she belonged to this man, but she could finally see—he belonged to her too.

  “Oh, David,” she whispered, shaking in his embrace, their lips grazing in the stillness in time to their heartbeats. She felt bare, stripped to the rawest core of herself, open in a way she’d never been before. But so was he. A world of emotions swirled in his eyes, exposed and offered up to her like the greatest of sacrifices.

  He loves me, she realized, unable to find her voice again in the shockwave of that revelation. If she were the wrong kind of woman, a cruel kind of person, she could crush him with an unthinking flick of her lashes. That knowledge gave her courage to lean into him, to lick his lips and say the words she wasn’t sure he’d ever heard before.

  “I love you.”

  But he’d hear them from now on. Every day. For the rest of her life. And if she had anything to say about it, he’d believe them for the rest of his.

  She didn’t get a chance to tell him so because, as if she’d lit some kind of fuse, he suddenly began moving, holding her close and pistoning into her. Her back slid along the tiles and the water sprayed over their straining bodies. Each thrust was more demanding than the last, but she maintained that eye contact, unable, unwilling to let him go.

  Deeper and deeper he moved into her, until her cries echoed through the water. She held on, squeezing and gripping his shoulders, opening her thighs wider for him. The orgasm crashed through her like a massive wave, pounding through every limb and stealing her breath. It seemed to ripple through him, too, because she felt him quake violently against her. Inside her.