by Harms, C. A.
Turning my head toward the movement I freeze, my hand extended outward with the television control in it. I feel like my mouth has gone completely dry, like sandpaper.
Blue, like the color of the ocean, like her eyes.
“Do I look okay?” Tinley asks as she shifts from side to side, giving me an even better view of the back of the dress. There isn’t one, as in the entire back of the fucking thing is nonexistent and dips so low I’m not sure how in the hell her ass isn’t showing. The bottom is tight and the top sags, almost like it is two pieces. The front hangs off her shoulders and I know without checking there is no bra underneath.
“No.” I sit up, dropping the controller to the mattress and pushing off the bed.
“Excuse me?” She looks at me, confused, before looking down at herself once more. “It looks bad?”
That is not the problem. “You can’t wear that.”
“Why?” When she raises her gaze back to mine, I see the moment it all clicks. “It’s just a dress.”
“That,” I say, waving my hand in her direction, “is not a dress. It’s a damn scrap of material.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” It was her turn to wave me off.
“No, I am being serious.” I place my hand on her shoulder and turn her body around in a complete circle. My pants grow a little tighter and that pisses me off. Every damn guy will be having the same reaction to my woman and that doesn’t sit well with me. “Half the fucking thing is missing, Tinley. Jesus, you cannot expect me to be okay with you wearing that.”
She turns back to me and places both her palms to my chest. “You don’t have to be okay with it.” I feel a sense of relief until she continues. “But you do have to accept it. Because with or without your agreement, I will be wearing this dress.”
When I open my mouth to argue, she quickly presses her lips to mine and instinctively I grip her hips and pull her closer. She moans when she feels how hard I am. “You feel that?” She nods. “That will be the reaction tonight when you walk into that club, and not just from me.”
“But you’ll be the only one taking me home.” Again she kisses me, and I allow my left hand to slide lower to cup her ass. Damn straight I would be. “Now let’s get going. We’re already late and it’s your party.”
I watch her leave the room, taking her in fully once more. My heart races and I fist my hands at my sides. I hope she doesn’t expect me to keep my hands to myself tonight because there is no way in hell I’ll be able to. After all, I have to ensure that everyone knows she is mine. If she insists on leaving dressed like that, then I’ll have to be a human shield to block her from all the horny fuckers I know will be staring.
Tonight is gonna be a long ass night.
* * *
Tonight definitely did not go as I expected. For one, Greg actually appears to be enjoying the company of Lexington. Who knew? Then there is Tinley, who has done a damn good job keeping her distance from me. She got wind of my plan to shield her, thanks to Beckett and his big fucking mouth, so now she is proving a point.
Stubborn ass woman.
“Is she even old enough to drink?” Beckett asks as he sits in the barstool next to mine.
“Yes, you dick.” I wonder what kind of scene I’ll create if I kick his stool out from beneath him, causing him to hit the floor.
“She’s toying with you, brother.” I know the taunting words of my brothers are just getting started. It seems it is Ashton’s turn. “That woman is feisty.”
“You have no fucking idea.” I didn’t mean to say that aloud, but it is out before I can stop it. Ashton chuckles, Beckett slaps my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. The three of us sit at the bar and watch our women talk and laugh. Tinley is shy at first, but in true Kinsley fashion, she takes her under her wing and within minutes Tinley is one of the girls.
Tinley looks my way and I shift my head, motioning for her to come to me. I am only given a smile before she turns back to the girls. Of course, my dismissal only gains further satisfaction from my brothers. They are fucking loving my agony.
“I barely know her and I can say I already like her.” Ashton lifts his glass and takes a swig of his whiskey. “She’s messing with your head, and I never thought I’d see the day you’d be at the mercy of a woman.”
“Kinsley still carrying your balls in her purse?” When Beckett laughs, I shoot him a stern look. “What the fuck are you laughing about? Shanelle’s got your balls and cock in hers.” He flips me off but doesn’t even attempt to deny it is true.
Truth is Tin does have me by the balls. This woman has me tied up in knots.
Everyone mingles, groups gather here and there throughout the room, and I haven’t missed the way two of my IT guys are continuously glancing toward the girls. I can wait for one of them to make a move on any of the three and be a complete ass, but I know that will backfire.
Ashton is territorial over Kinsley, always has been. He keeps her in a bubble, sheltered, and I can’t say I blame him. She loves it too, though his form of hovering is nothing like she lived with before. Ashton is demanding and controlling, but in the best kind of way. He does it to keep her safe because if anything happens to her he’ll never make it. Beckett is a little more over the top, flashing his power to anyone who even looks at Shanelle a second too long. He is a hot head. I’m not sure what I’ll do if one of them hits on Tinley, but I sure as hell don’t want to stand around and find out.
Defuse the situation before it escalates to that level. Sounds like a good plan.
“I think I’ve given her long enough.” I stand from the stool and down the last half of my bourbon. “I think it’s time to weaken her defenses.” I can hear the laughter from my brothers as I walk toward the ladies. Kinsley is the first to see me, though she plays it off as though she hasn’t. Love that girl, she is Team Montgomery all the way.
“This is entirely too much beauty in one place.” I step up behind Tinley and when she attempts to turn around, I wrap my arm around her waist. Spreading my palm out over her stomach, I pull her back and secure her body to mine. “It hardly seems fair that the three of you take the attention away from all the other ladies when you three are nowhere near available.”
Shanelle grins and glances at Tinley. I can’t see my girl’s face, but I can almost picture her pursing her lips, fighting the urge to be a smartass.
“Ladies, your guys are over there looking for the first chance to pounce. You might want to go tame their inner beasts. I’m gonna steal this gorgeous woman for a few minutes. I think she’s ignored me long enough.” I spin Tinley around, and when she opens her mouth to argue I do the only thing I can think of. I kiss her, and not just a simple one. I go for broke. Cupping the back of her neck, I hold her in place and when she gives in to me, I give a little more. With one hand on the small of her back and the other intertwined in the hair at her neck, I kiss her breathless.
Pulling back, I rest my forehead to hers and sway slightly to the soft music playing. “Now all the assholes in this room that thought they actually had even the slightest of chances with you know better.”
“You are such a pig.” I’d be worried she’s upset if she wasn’t smiling wide.
“I may be a pig, sweetheart, but you like me.” Skimming over the side of her nose with my own I steal another kiss. “Before you try to deny it, you should know that I won’t believe it.”
“I wasn’t gonna deny it.” To say I’m surprised with how easily she admits it would be an understatement. “I like you more than I should, Knoxville.” She places her hand on my jaw and tilts her head back to get a better look at me. I can see she is a little tipsy, but not enough that she isn’t thinking clearly. “I give up fighting you, it’s pointless and I don’t want to anymore.”
Tinley kisses me softly as our bodies still sway. I’m not even sure if our movements match the music playing, but it truly doesn’t matter. We are creating our own music.
“You make me happy, Tin,” I confess, feeling like
I need to give her a little more. She’s already gone way beyond her barriers. “Being with you is the best part of my days. I’ve never met another person more beautiful, and I’m not just talking about how breathtaking you are on the outside.” I place one hand over her heart, and she closes her eyes tightly. “I’m talking about this beauty.”
She swallows hard then looks at me once more.
Our movements have stopped and we stare at each other, for how long I can’t say. Then she threads her fingers through mine and with one tug she’s leading me away from the party.
A narrow hallway leads back toward the storage room and a second bathroom; very few know its location. The hall is darkened, with only one light shining out from beneath the doorway.
When she pauses and turns around to face me, I tilted my head in confusion. Then she takes a step closer, lifting her hands and combing her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. When she kisses me, it is needy and almost desperate. “You make me feel so many things all at once. It used to scare me, it used to make me want to run away and never look back.” My heart feels like it stopped, slamming against my chest. “But what I feel for you doesn’t scare me anymore,” she kisses me again, “it excites me.”
What starts out as only kissing quickly shifts to more. The alcohol mixed with the music and the vibe of the Club hits us. I think the words she spoke fuels our actions too, as a turning point for what is happening between us. It seems we’ve turned a corner.
Gliding my hand along the back of her thigh I’m surprised to find that beneath her dress she isn’t wearing any panties. I growl when my fingers skim over bare flesh along the crease of her leg and she whimpers. “It was for you,” she confesses, “and the dress doesn’t really go with panties.”
“Mine,” I insist as I push further and feel her wetness spread over the tip of my finger. “All mine.” Jesus, she is wet. I am too turned on to be pissed that she’d been bare all night. I’ll have to address that later.
Tinley gasps when I push just the tip of my finger inside her. “For me?”
“Yes,” she breathes, “just you."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tinley
I should feel ashamed of the way I am acting—standing in a dark hallway, allowing Knoxville to finger me. Someone catching us is a strong possibility, but he makes me lose my mind. He makes me feel free. He created a monster in me and I don’t want to stop. I want to feel it all, not just now but every day after.
“I love when you get all dirty for me, baby,” Knoxville whispers near my ear as he continues to skillfully slide one finger in and out of me before adding a second one. “If we weren’t here in the open, I’d get down on my knees and finish you off with my tongue.”
I look around for an escape. He shouldn’t tease because that man has a superb mouth and he knows how to use it. Reaching out I feel a handle and twist it, making a door come open. His gaze shifts and I see it’s a bathroom.
Grabbing Knoxville’s tie, I practically drag him inside and he smiles when I shut the door and twist the lock. “You were saying…” With an arched brow I hop up on the sink and part my legs. “You shouldn’t throw out scenarios if—” I don’t get to finish my sentence before he’s gripping my thighs and pushing my legs apart. Then his mouth is covering me, and his tongue is tasting me and replacing where his fingers were only seconds ago.
I fist the back of his head, letting my own tilt backward as I bite my lip to keep from screaming. A man shouldn’t be so good at this, but I swear Knoxville is the God of oral. I show not even an ounce of shame as I ride his face until I am coming harder than I ever remember coming before.
He looks up at me, looking very pleased with himself and he should be. I can’t feel my legs but there is one thing I do know—I need him.
He stands and I reach around him, pulling his wallet from the back of his pants. Knox watches as I pull a condom from the hidden pocket just inside then place his wallet on the countertop at my side.
I waste no time undoing his pants and parting them as I push them and his boxers down just enough to release his cock. Lifting the condom to my mouth, I tear at the edge and hurry to sheath him with shaking hands. Adrenaline and desperation course through me, I want him so badly.
Once he is covered, I hook my leg around his waist and pull his body closer.
I look up at him, my chest rising and falling with deep breaths as I try to calm my racing heart. “What are you waiting for, big guy?”
Knoxville reaches between us, grips his cock and positions it at my entrance. In one quick move he pushes inside me, and even if I want to stop it I can’t. I moan out loud. “You are fucking made for me, Tinley.” Nothing should feel this good. It’s dangerous, really, how perfect we are. “I fucking lo—” He stops, burying his face in the crease of my neck. My throat grows tight and I try to fight off my emotions as he holds me close to him. It is almost like he needs a moment to compose himself. Then without warning Knoxville breaks free and he starts to move. My body ignites and I dig my fingers into his jacket, fisting it tight.
I can feel my release growing, coiling low in my stomach with each deep thrust. He continues to mumble words that are unclear. They are muffled and I don’t think he means for me to hear them.
This is so raw, so dirty, yet so meaningful. There is a higher level of intimacy amongst the animalistic thrust of our hips, like we are chasing something, trying to prove something to each other and to ourselves. I’ve never felt anything with more depth and meaning in my life. It shakes me, and it changes everything.
I know in that moment that Knoxville had penetrated the girl I’d buried deep.
I am falling in love with him, and suddenly I am more frightened than I have ever been. How do you hide a past you want to forget from a man you want to keep forever?
* * *
“What time does their flight arrive?”
I do my best to keep to keep my emotions reined in but it is hard. I am a ball of tension since the announcement that my brother and Naomi were coming to visit. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect it so soon. It has only been a week since Tripp finally confessed he’s been dating my childhood best friend.
“Two-ten.” I know if I don’t give him some kind of answer, he’ll only grow more suspicious. I attempt to roll to my side, only Knoxville holds me a little tighter. Being this close to him gives me no other option than to force a smile and do my best to hide the tension I am feeling.
“Do you wanna tell me why you’re so nervous about seeing your brother?”
Apparently I failed at my attempt. Closing my eyes, I turn my head toward his bathroom and ignore his prying eyes. This should be easy, these are my secrets, my worries. I shouldn’t feel guilty for hiding them.
“Or is it who’s coming with him?”
Taking in a deep breath, I gather my strength and crawl out of bed. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen them and they’re together, which is going to be weird to see.”
“How is it that Naomi was your best friend growing up, yet you two haven’t talked in well over a year?”
Keeping my back to him I grab my bra off the chair in the corner and hurry to put it on before doing the same with my panties. Looking back over my shoulder, I feel my defenses weaken just a small fraction when I see the way he’s watching me. Those kind eyes, a desperation hidden inside.
“I feel like I barely know you.” That stings.
“You know the me from now.” I walk toward him, holding my shirt and pants in hand. Leaning in I press my lips to his. He doesn’t reciprocate so I rest my head to his a few seconds before standing once again. “The girl I left behind in North Carolina isn’t the one I am now. Things in the past don’t always need to be known. I didn’t kill anyone.” I pause in hopes of a small reaction from him, only he still stares at me, waiting for answers.
“I’ve never hidden anything from you.”
“And I’m not hiding anything from you.” He actually scoffs as
he relaxes back onto his mattress. The sheet barely covers his lower half as one hip peeks out. Knoxville is glorious, a man of beauty. He is perfection, all fit and strong, but he also has a vulnerability that I rarely see. “I was a dumb kid, one that believed in happy endings and dreams coming true. It backfired in my face and like I said, I just want it to stay in my past.”
Knox nods before closing his eyes and laying his arms over his face.
I stand at the side of his bed, watching as my hands itch to touch him. I want to crawl in bed and curl up at his side. I want to feel his arms around me, holding me securely. Only I know my actions will lead to more questions and right now the last thing I want is to fight off the demons of my past.
“Are you still going to meet us for dinner?”
“You still want me to?” He doesn’t remove his arm, still using it to shield him from me. All I can see is his mouth. I think of leaning in to kiss him but fight off the urge.
“Yes,” I confess. Though he doesn’t know why I am nervous, I still know having him there at my side will help. Having him close always helps, with everything.
“I’ll be there,” he adds and the distance that remains between us is heartbreaking. “Just text me the time and place.”
“Knox.” I reach out for him and allow my fingertips to graze over his bicep. “I just—”
“It’s okay,” he interrupts me, but I know nothing about this is okay. He wants to know me, all of me, but I still can’t let him in. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to tell him the things he wants to know. I also understood that those facts could make an us impossible.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Knoxville
I sit across the table from Tripp, Tinley’s brother and Naomi, a woman who knew Tinley since she was a little girl. I am lost in their conversations, getting to hear small glimpses of what she was like as a girl. Always tough, that’s how Naomi explains her.
