by Smoke, Lucy
"I like carrying you," he said.
"But..."
He chuckled, the sound a low rumble in his chest that echoed upwards. It made my bones shiver and goosebumps rise on my arms. "Maybe I just wanted to spend some alone time with you, Little Bit. Ever think of that?"
No, I hadn't. At least, not right now I hadn't. It was hard to think with his thickly muscled arms wrapped around me. I blushed as that thought crossed through my head.
He noticed. "Harlow?" I burrowed into his chest, hiding my face.
"It's okay. It's nothing," I said quickly. "I guess, just take me to my room."
Knix nudged the door to my bedroom open with the toe of his foot and carried me inside, striding to the bed and gently settling me down. I sighed and curled up against the softness of my comforter and pillows.
“It’s been a long day,” he said. “Bellamy’s making dinner tonight. Why don’t you rest and I’ll go check up on the others. Texas will probably be working on hacking that woman’s accounts for a while.”
“Wait,” I said, sitting up as he moved back towards the closed door.
Knix paused and glanced over his shoulder as I bit my lip, debating.
“Um…will you…I mean, do you want to…” I bumbled my way through what I was trying to say as heat rose to my cheeks once more.
Knix turned back around. “What’s wrong, Little Bit?”
“Will you lay down with me?” I blurted.
He froze for a moment as if surprised by the request.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," I assured him quickly. "I just meant—"
"Of course," he interrupted, moving back towards the bed. Knix stood over me, his eyes the color of darkened sapphires as he stared down at me.
I moved over instinctively as he sat on the mattress and swung his legs up. As soon as he was rested back against the pillows, I moved closer and snuggled up to his side. I breathed in his scent as I laid my head down on his chest. My hand clenched in the fabric of his shirt as I closed my eyes.
He was right. It really had been a long day. It had been a long few weeks too. But today had been...well, it hadn't exactly been a good day. I was glad that things seemed to be figured out—or in the process of being figured out—with Teddi, but I still couldn't stop thinking about the conversation I'd had with Dr. Galston.
"You seem sad, Little Bit," Knix said. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I inhaled sharply. If I were to tell anyone about what happened at the Care Center today, it would be Knix. I knew he would understand. Not only was he perceptive, but he had been through something similar with his dad. I held my breath for a moment more as the emotions I had pushed aside earlier to deal with Grayson came rushing back to the forefront. My eyes watered and burned as I tried to keep the tears from escaping. I counted down the seconds in my head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Breathe.
One.
Two.
Three.
Breathe.
All the while, Knix remained quiet, patiently waiting for when I was ready. I'd never be ready to lose my mom.
“I took Michael to see my mom,” I started. Knix’s hand came up and stroked the top of my head. I closed my eyes as his fingers moved through the strands of my hair soothingly. “And while I was there, my mom’s doctor asked to speak to me.”
Knix’s hand never stopped stroking as I told him why. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t offer any condolences. He merely held me and slid his fingers through my hair as I told him what Dr. Galston had said. Told him that my mom wasn’t going to make it and there was nothing they or I or anyone could do about it.
Knix didn’t say anything as my tears finally escaped and ran down my cheeks, soaking into his shirt. Every once in a while, he would squeeze me tighter—offering me the strength of his comfort. But in the end, we both knew the truth, there was nothing else he could do or offer. The universe was the ultimate decision maker and we were just here until it was ready to let us go.
“I have to make a decision,” I finally said after I had gotten everything else out and my tears had calmed down. “I didn’t get a chance to talk with her a lot about it because Michael was waiting, but I guess I’ll have to figure out what she wants. If she wants to stay there or…” I paused, uncertain. I didn’t want to assume the guys would let her come home with me, but where else would I take her?
Sensing my thoughts, Knix sat up a little, pushing his back against the headboard as he turned me to face him. “If you want her to come live here, she can,” he said, his eyes boring into mine. They were serious and sincere, much like the man himself. “This is your home, Harlow. No matter what happens.”
I sniffed hard. “I don’t want to lose her,” I admitted.
His eyes softened and he leaned forward pressing firm lips to my forehead. “I know you don’t,” he whispered against my skin.
“How did you handle it?” I asked. “With your dad?”
Knix sighed and leaned back. “I was really mad at my mom for a long time. Though I knew it wasn’t her fault, I still blamed her. It wasn’t until recently that I really started to overcome his loss.”
“What helped you?” I watched his face, waiting for something, a sign, maybe.
Knix smiled as he looked at me. “Well, taking over his company helped me to connect with him in a healthy way. I was getting out and working. In a way, I felt like by continuing his business, I was honoring him.”
I had a feeling there was something else. “But…?” I prompted when he didn’t immediately continue.
His smile widened. “You helped too,” he said.
“I did?” I blinked at him.
Knix’s hand enveloped mine and he brought the back of my hand up to his lips. He kissed me there, gently rubbing his lips across my knuckles. “You did,” he said with a nod. “I had the others—Marv, Bellamy, Texas—and they distracted me from my grief most days. Every once in a while, though, I found myself missing him and hating my mother or myself for reasons I can no longer control—his death, his sickness, his absence. But I found that the more time I spent with you, the less I thought about it. Or, when I did think about him, it wasn’t with the tinge of heartache I was used to experiencing. When I thought about him, I thought about how happy he would have been to see me now. How much he would’ve liked you and your fiery attitude.”
I couldn’t help the nervous bubble of laughter that erupted at that. “Fiery attitude?”
Knix chuckled, the sound reverberating through my hand and sending shivers up my arm and along my spine. “Yes, fiery.” He dropped our intertwined hands and leaned forward. My breath caught in my chest as he moved closer and closer, his lips hovering just above mine. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
With that, Knix took my mouth and burned away the emotions threatening to overtake me. He kissed me softly, reverently. A part of me thought that he kissed me so gently because he thought me fragile. But, in truth, I think he kissed me like that because of how precious I was to him.
Knix’s fingers slid into my hair. My breath came faster as my heart thudded against my ribcage. Panting between kisses, my whole body tingled as I edged closer and closer until my legs were on either side of his and I was chest to chest with him. I reached for him, my hands on his neck, fingertips grazing his nape.
He shivered under my touch, his kiss becoming harder, more demanding—as if he couldn’t get enough of me. Our breaths mingled as we kissed. Goosebumps rose along my arms as I clutched at him, not wanting to let go, but at the same time wanting to feel the firm smoothness of his skin pressed against me. I couldn’t take it anymore, I backed up, my hands going to the bottom of his shirt.
“Please?” I whispered.
Knix didn’t respond the way I thought he would. I thought he would back up and let me do it. I thought he’d shake his head and maybe get himself under control. Of the two of us, he had a lot more of that than I did. Inste
ad, he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and ripped it up and over his head in the blink of an eye. Next, his hands fell to the bottom of my shirt.
“Yes,” he whispered back as he pressed a kiss just underneath my jaw. He edged my shirt up, his large palm spanning across my belly. I let him take my shirt away too, though he did it much more gently than he had his own.
“Knix,” I breathed his name like a prayer, a plea. Turning, Knix settled me under him as he hovered, the width of his chest and shoulders blocking out all light as he leaned in and took my lips once more. My legs fell open. My muscles tensed. I wrapped one hand around his neck, leveraging myself up to keep my mouth locked on his. Knix’s chest came down on me, the soft, lightly furred skin of his pecs rubbing insistently against my bra-covered breasts.
I hissed as he pulled away from my mouth and nuzzled downwards, sucking on the column of my throat and making my back bow against him, my breasts pushing against him as a needy noise escaped my lips. My desire coiled tight in my belly, driving me slowly insane. I rubbed against Knix, wanting more, needing him to push this to the next level. I was ready. I wanted it. I needed it.
And as perceptive as the man was, Knix’s hand skimmed down my sides, heading straight for the button of my pants. He deftly flicked it open and lowered the zipper, backing down my body as he pulled the fabric away. I gasped when he pressed a soft kiss between my legs over the wet spot on my panties. My hands went to the back of his head, eyes wide.
“K-Knix?” I stuttered.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he admitted in a rough tone. “Will you let me?” Those dark blue eyes of his connected with my gaze and I found that I couldn’t deny him anything. I nodded nervously and in response, Knix smiled and pressed a kiss against my hip as he edged my panties down my legs as well.
The feel of his rough, padded fingertips on my skin made electricity echo under my flesh. I squirmed helplessly as Knix spread my thighs wide, his head descending. A second before his mouth touched my core, his breath brushed over the softness of my folds, making me tighten up. As soon as his lips met my center, however, I felt myself falling into pleasurable bliss.
I closed my eyes and threw my head back as Knix's ministrations began. Tears leaked out of my eyes as my spine arched. I clenched my hands on the back of his head, feeling dizzy from the sensations. The room spun around me as I reopened my eyes and looked down. I tensed, feeling myself reaching a precipice.
"I can't..." I whispered. "Knix, I'm..."
He took his mouth away for only a scant moment to talk before he descended back to my core. "It's okay," he whispered harshly. "Let it happen, Little Bit. I'll bring you back. I'll catch you."
I cried out at those words, my fingers tightening—on the sheets, on his head. He didn't seem to mind.
I gasped out, all of the air in my chest seeming to escape me at once. A moan slipped from between my lips, echoing into the room as my breathy voice resounded back to me. I reached it, a white-hot cliff and fell right over into the oblivion on the other side. And just like he promised, Knix caught me, soothing my flesh gently as he brought me back to Earth.
Sweat beaded on my brow as he slowly crawled back up my body, pressing a kiss to my temple. I chuckled even as I panted, trying to catch my breath. Knix pulled back and met my gaze, a dark glitter of need reflected there. He smiled back then lowered to kiss me. I kissed him back, closing my eyes as I leaned up and his hands circled around my back, his fingers deftly unclasping my bra. He gently pulled the material away, down my arms, and tossed it over his shoulder without ever breaking off our kiss.
"Harlow..."
I moaned again as he settled between my thighs, this time with his groin pressed to mine. He reached into his jeans pocket. A moment later, he tossed his wallet on the nightstand and ripped open the condom. I shivered, waiting. I trembled as he unbuttoned his own pants, backing off the bed so that he could shuck the fabric down completely before returning to me. Knix sheathed himself and looked down at me, his dark gaze meeting mine—sinking into me—as the tip of him brushed against my core and slowly, excruciatingly slowly, pushed inward.
Butterflies spread throughout my belly as he pushed in. I gasped once he was all the way in, my hands reaching up for his shoulders, my nails sinking deep.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
I nodded. More than okay. I was overheated. "Please," I gasped out, "please move."
"Okay, Little Bit. Don't worry." Knix's hands slid behind my back, arching me upward a little as he slid out and then back in. I moaned as he hit a spot deep within me. My whole body shuddered as he moved. My hips pushed against him, wanting more. I couldn't control myself.
"Knix," I begged. "Harder. Faster."
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, but he sounded like he was struggling. He was going slow, trying to be gentle. It was sweet—so incredibly sweet—but I really didn't want to die because he was going too slowly.
Knix chuckled, the sound vibrating up through his chest as the hair on his chest brushed against my breasts and made me shudder all the harder. “You’re not going to die,” he said.
My face flamed red. “I-I said that out loud?”
He nodded and pulled me forward, leaning back as I was suddenly astride his lap. He was pushed in as deep as he could go. I looked down between the two of us. I had no clue how he’d fit. Knix was a big man and compared to me…well, he was gentle, but he was a giant. But we did fit—like two puzzle pieces coming together perfectly.
Embarrassment stole over my face and I covered my cheeks and eyes with my hands. Knix laughed quietly as he pulled my hands away by my wrists. “Don’t be shy, Harlow. It’s just you and me. You and me, Little Bit.” Knix kissed me again, his arms encircling me as he urged me to set the pace.
I clutched onto his shoulders as we kissed, our lower bodies moving in tandem. We were in sync, both of our hearts connecting. I felt the well of something great rise again, my whole body tensing and under my questing fingers, I felt his do the same. I stroked his back, touched his chest, and moved against him.
"Harlow..." He groaned against my lips. I pulled away, tossing my head back as his mouth descended to my throat once more. He licked and sucked on the column of my neck, one large palm settling at the base of my spine urging me on. When we stilled, both of our bodies locking up tight as a wave of pleasure washed over both of us, my lips parted, and I gasped as he held me close.
It took several more moments for both of us to come down from the high of what we'd just done. Knix settled his head in the crook of my shoulder as he blew out a breath before, finally, he subtly moved me off of his lap. He got off the bed and reached for his jeans pulling them back on quickly as he cleaned himself up.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised, leaning over to kiss my forehead.
Knix returned and helped me clean up before sliding beneath the sheets with me. He snuggled close, wrapping me in his arms as he pressed a kiss to my head.
"It's not even dinner time yet," I said, "but I think you've thoroughly worn me out."
He chuckled. "I can say the same for you Little Bit," he said, squeezing me close.
I pressed my cheek against his bare chest and sighed. "If I could have anything in the world right now, I think I'd be at a loss for what to ask for," I said. "I've got everything I've ever wanted in this house. Aside from Grayson that is."
Knix pulled back and looked down at me curiously.
"What?" I asked.
He tilted his head to the side as he examined me, his eyes moving over my face and down to my naked chest. I held the sheet up a bit to cover myself—I knew it was too late, he had already seen everything. Still, though, I couldn't help the impulsive modesty that echoed through me. You don't spend over eighteen years of your life hiding your body only to be comfortable with being seen naked after you've had sex. Well, I didn't anyway.
"What is it?" I pressed when Knix still didn't answer me.
"I'm going to mak
e you a promise, Little Bit," he suddenly announced.
I blinked. "Okay..."
"And I can assure you that this promise will hold true for the others—Marv, Bellamy, Texas, and I dare say, even Grayson,” he swore. “We love you, Harlow. We love you like we've never loved anything before. And we will continue to love you. No matter what."
My heart skipped a beat. That was a beautiful sentiment, but the devil's advocate at the back of my insidious mind warned me away from a promise like this. "What if I get sick?" I asked. "What if I cheat or I hurt you?"
His eyes darkened. "You'd never do that, Harlow."
True, I’d never hurt them like that. But...there were unlimited what ifs. “How can you be sure?”
“Because we trust you, Little Bit. I trust you. If you did anything to hurt us then you aren’t the woman we fell in love with.” He pushed me back against the bed, leveraging himself up and over me once more. I closed my eyes and he pressed a feather-light kiss to each of my eyelids before moving up to press one to my forehead and then down to deliver one last lingering kiss to my lips.
“We fell in love with a beautiful, feisty, girl who was a little lost but found her way eventually.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I replied tartly.
He chuckled, the sound a rumble against my body as his shoulders shook. “I think that response proves my point,” he said.
“Oh, does it?”
He nodded. “I love you, Harlow Hampton. You’ve captured my heart and the heart of my team. There’s a reason for that.”
“I’m just a normal girl,” I said.
He shook his head. “Normal is relative, not universal, Little Bit. There’s nothing normal about you to us. You’re one of a kind.”
I damn near melted under him as he leaned forward and delivered another mind-dizzying kiss. If that was what he thought, who was I to dissuade him, but the last thing he said was the thing that really rocked my world. “One day, Harlow…we’re going to marry the hell out of you. If that day doesn’t come soon enough, I think we might as well whisk you off to Vegas. Either way, you’re ours. I promise you that.”
