by Eva Haining
“Come for me, Belle. I need to hear and feel you.”
“Oh God, Knox. Harder.” With every thrust, I sink to the hilt, each and every one harder than the last until I feel that familiar pull, sending me headlong into such an intense release. I throw my head back and roar her name in thunderous worship.
“Belle… fuck… Belle!”
When she crashes over the edge with me, I revel in the slick sheen of sweat between us and the way her pussy hugs my cock, taking every last ounce of pleasure and claiming it as her own. As we ride out the aftershocks together, I kiss her lips in a gentle caress of love and reverence. I’m never going to get enough of this woman.
I hold her tight in my arms. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you come.”
“I’ve never fucked a guy who’s engaged before,” she says with a devious grin.
“You better enjoy it while you can. There’s an expiry date on that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. After that, you’ll have to make do with a married guy. That okay?”
“I think I’m going to love having down-and-dirty sex with a husband.”
“You can bet that sweet little ass of yours you’re going to love it.”
“I love you, Thomas Knox.”
“I love you, too, my rock-star fiancée.”
“It sounds hot when you call me that. Say it again in that sexy southern drawl of yours.”
“You’re officially a rock star after today.”
“Not that. The other thing. Say it again.” Her face lights up with mischievous delight.
“Fiancée.”
She circles her hips, grinding on my cock, making me hard again. “Oh yeah. Say it again.”
“You’re my fiancée.” She bites her bottom lip, and I’m ready to take her again, except this time it’s going to be slow, sultry, and oh so satisfying.
Twenty-Two
BELLE
“Can I open my eyes yet? I’ve almost fallen on my ass twice.” Knox is walking me through the tall grass of the farm, but he’s not guiding me properly. I’m about to break my ankle in one of these dips in the field, but I love being back here. The sights and smells are so familiar, and it feels like home.
“Not yet.” There’s excitement in his voice, and I can tell he’s got that hot-as-hell wry smile on his face right now.
“Then, can you hold onto me a little tighter? I feel like I’m about to break my neck stumbling in the grass.” Without warning, I’m swept off my feet and into Knox’s arms.
“I’ve got you. One more minute and all will be revealed.”
I rest my head against his chest. “You can take as long as you like now. I’m in my happy place, and you smell amazing today, FYI.” I love the sound of his deep chuckle as he strides through the grass with me in his arms as if I weigh nothing more than a feather.
“I’m glad you approve of my odor.”
“That sounded really weird. I like your cologne. It smells like home.”
“Good. You’re going to be smelling it day in and day out when we’re hitched.”
“I wish. You know as well as I do that we’re going to have to get comfortable with spending a lot of time apart. I hate it, but I’m about to go on tour, and you have this place to run.”
“Just hush a minute, will you? I don’t need you being all Debbie Downer on me right now.”
“I’m not. All I’m saying is we’re not going to be the standard married couple.”
“Nothing about us falls under ‘standard,’ but that’s what makes us perfect together.” I desperately want to rip the blindfold off, but Knox has gone to so much trouble to do whatever he’s about to do.
“What are we doing? Romantic picnic? Outdoor sexy time?”
“You need to not call it sexy time. I want to show you something. This was the real surprise I was planning to show you the day the new center opened. It was also the day I was originally going to propose.”
My heart sinks, weighed down with guilt that I missed all of this over a now moot argument with the label. If anything, being engaged to Knox turned out to be a huge positive for the band. People all over the country were talking about the fact that I brought him onstage only minutes after he’d asked me to marry him. I don’t care about any of that stuff. If my being engaged to Knox meant the album went up in flames, I’d still have said yes a thousand times over.
“I’m sorry I missed it. I hope you know how much I wanted to be here? It killed me that I wasn’t, and then I thought I might have lost you for good.” He stops dead, and it’s disconcerting when I can’t see anything.
“I was a dick for hanging up on you. You could never lose me, Belle. You know that now, right?”
I trace my hand up his arm to his face, cupping it gently. “I do. You’re the love of my life, Knox.” His lips crash down on mine, the scruff on his chin hard against my skin. There’s something so enticing about being unable to see him right now but experience the taste of him and feel his lips on mine as the scent of his cologne tantalizes my senses. Without breaking our kiss, he lowers me into the tall grass, laying me on my back before straddling me.
“Fuck. We need to stop.”
“Why?” I’m breathless with desire, ready to strip right here in the field and let him make love to me.
“Because I have a whole thing planned, and it didn’t involve getting arrested for indecent exposure. I fucked it up last time with an impromptu blurted-out proposal.”
“That’s different than an impromptu fuck. Besides, this is your land, and you can do what you like on it. And just for the record, I loved the way you proposed. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I fist my hands in his hair, with my blindfold still firmly in place, and pull him in for a kiss.
“Fuck, you look hot in that blindfold.”
“Then strip me and leave it on. Fuck me right here in the fields of your land. Stake your claim on me.”
“Jesus, Belle. You have a way with words that makes me lose my damn mind.”
“Fuck. Me. Knox.” I don’t have to ask him again. He undresses me while I lie in complete darkness, and I hear the moment he unbuttons his fly, my pulse racing as he positions himself at my entrance.
“These fields are yours now too, Belle.” His lips caress my cheek as he whispers in my ear. “You want me to stake my claim, then stake yours. Let me hear you, girl. Tell me I’m yours.”
“I’ve been yours since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
“I was too stupid to see it. But the night I lay in bed with you for the first time, I knew. I was yours to love, to hate, or yours to discard. Every fiber of my being belongs to you, Belle. I want to hear you say it.”
“You’re mine, Knox. You’ll always be mine. To love, to cherish, until our time on this earth is over. You’re mine. My home, my love, my family.”
Without another word, he slowly eases inside me—not the frenzied sex I’m used to with him. He caresses my skin, tantalizing my senses as he coaxes my body into an intense release, removing my blindfold so I can see him crash over the edge with me. The love in his eyes is all I’ll ever need in this life and the next.
We lay in the afternoon sun, catching our breath, lazy in each other’s arms.
“As much as I’d love to lay here all day, I actually do have something I want you to see, and it’s pretty important.” His voice sounds serious, and it gives me a moment’s pause.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I’ve just done a lot of thinking over the past few months.”
“What about?”
“You. Me. Lottie and Kirby. The farm. You and Johnny. My future. Your future.”
“That’s a big list.” He traces circles on my stomach, and I find my worries melting away at his touch.
“Yeah. When we met, Mad and Jax had already approached me about the joint venture. I didn’t think much about the farm or my legacy before then. I just wanted out. Then I met you, and everything changed.”
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“In a good way?”
“Of course. But you and I had a bit of a baptism of fire. Intense heat and chemistry and tragedy. I get that Johnny’s your family, and I want to ensure it stays that way.”
“O-kay.” I have no idea where he’s going with this.
“Then Lottie died, and the things I thought were holding me back suddenly became inconsequential. I know I’ve fought you on the long-distance stuff, but it’s only because I knew a taste of you would never be enough for me.”
I forage for my clothes, slipping them back on before I speak. “But you asked me to marry you at Radio City. So are you okay with the long-distance thing now?”
“No.” My heart sinks as he buttons his fly and takes my hand. “Come with me.” He starts walking so fast I have to jog to keep up with him.
“What the heck? Slow down. My legs are still shaky from the hot field sex.”
“Look to your left.” I turn my eyes to see a large new building that wasn’t here before.
“Is that another part of the Mustang project?”
“Sort of. Now turn to your right.” I look up and there in big letters it says:
KNOX-MUSTANG FARM
“I don’t get it. You’re doing something else with Mad and Jax?”
“Yeah. That building over there has a recording studio in it. Top-of-the-line equipment.”
“Seriously?” My heart skips a beat. “That’s amazing!”
“That’s not everything. It also houses my new workshop.”
“Workshop?”
“I’ve been thinking about the handcrafted furniture for a while, especially after our conversation, so I decided to do something about it.”
“That’s awesome. Your stuff is so beautiful. I know people are going to be falling over themselves to buy it.”
“I know you have a place in LA, and you’ll need to spend quite a bit of time there.”
“And you’ll be busy here with the farm and your new business. I know it’s not ideal.”
“Well… I won’t be that busy with the farm side of things. I talked it over with my folks, and I want to keep the farm and land in the family for future generations, but it’s not my passion, so we came up with a solution and have partnered with the ranch. It makes sense. The land is adjacent, the new center already connects us, and Ben has agreed to run the place, leaving me free to work on building a name for myself doing custom furniture.”
“Wow. This is a lot to take in.”
“Then you’re really going to be floored by the next part.” My mind is going a million miles an hour. What can he possibly say to top this?” He takes my hand in his.
“This is when I planned to get down on one knee and tell you I’m a proud man, but for you, I’d move heaven and earth. I can do what I want here in Kingsbury Falls, but I can also do it in LA. I spoke to Jasper, and he put me in touch with a commercial realtor in LA. He also showed some of the pieces I’ve made over the years to his rich friends, and I already have bespoke orders coming in. It’s insane to me that people are willing to pay so much money for something I enjoy and have been able to do since I was in my teens. I get to be with you and work on projects I enjoy.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“Yeah, if you’ll have me. I want to marry you, Belle, and build a life together, not apart. I have a space lined up in LA where I can base myself. I can work around your tour schedule, so I’ll be able to travel with you at least some of the time, and we’ll always have a home in Kingsbury Falls. You’re on an amazing adventure, and I want to be the kind of man who can support your dreams while charting my own path. What do you say?”
“You’d leave all this to be with me in LA?” Tears are streaming down my face.
“Every dang time from here to eternity. You’re the one, Belle, and you always will be. Marry me, and let’s ride this rollercoaster together.”
“Yes!” I tackle him to the ground. I’m so excited.
“It might take a little while to get organized and settled, but we’re going to make it happen.”
“I can’t wait to tell Johnny about all of this.”
“He’s flying in next week for a small gathering at the farmhouse.”
“Well, haven’t you been busy?”
“Happily forever after takes some planning.”
“As long as you’re part of my forever, I’ll be the happiest woman alive.”
“I’ve got you, girl. Always.”
The small gathering Knox had planned as an engagement party for us sort of grew arms and legs. Half the town is here to celebrate with us, and the whole band flew in. I knew Johnny was coming, but the others were a pleasant surprise. Even Stuart, I suppose.
He and Knox have buried the hatchet, so to speak, or rather Knox told him he’d bury a hatchet in his skull if he ever sets a foot out of line with me again. He was very clear on the lay of the land after that little conversation and has been a perfect gentleman ever since.
Tonight is the first major event Kirby has been involved in since Lottie died, and I know it’s got to be difficult for him to be here, so I appreciate him coming. I didn’t get the chance to know her properly, but I love their sweet family, and I know Knox considers them family.
“Hey, bro. Thank you for coming.” Knox pulls him in for a bro-hug.
“Wouldn’t miss it. You guys are great together, and I’m really happy for you.”
“How are you doing?” Worry is etched in the furrow of Knox’s brow.
“You need to stop worrying about me and go live your life. I insist. You’ve been such an amazing support for me and the kids. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain how much it means to me. You got me through the worst night of my life and kept me going for the kids. There’s no thank you that could ever come close to doing you justice.”
“I love you, brother.” Just watching them brings tears to my eyes. I feel like I’m imposing on a tender moment between brothers, but Mad and Jax appear at Knox’s side, beer in hand. “All right, ladies? When you’re done loving on each other, Johnny is about to pop a blood vessel if you don’t tell Belle about the added bonus of this place.”
“As always, Jax, you know how to ruin a poignant moment.”
“Don’t blame me. Blame the musical outlaw over there. He’s giddy. It’s disturbing.” He chuckles to himself. Mad just shakes his head and laughs along with him.
“Okay. Since when is happy a disturbing trait?” I interject.
“It’s not,” Knox says, staring Jax down.
“How about I go and invite him over?” Mad is such a nice guy, always making us feel welcome in Kingsbury Falls.
“I can go talk to him.” I’m about to walk away when Mad tells me to stay put.
“It’s your party. Stay with your boy, I’ll get Johnny.”
“Thanks.” I don’t see why they all seem focused on Johnny all of a sudden.
As I turn my attention back to Knox and Kirby, I can see Kirby is struggling. Lottie should be here laughing and joking with all of her friends.
“Don’t say it, Knox. I can’t hold it together if you say it.” An unspoken conversation passes between them, and Knox pulls him back in, but this time Jax wraps his arms around both of them.
“Okay, ladies, you’ve gone and awakened my menstrual cycle. I fucking love you guys.”
“Have you been drinking?” Knox questions him while laughing at his overly enthusiastic show of affection.
“Shut up and let me hug it out for a few seconds.” I’ve grown so fond of the Mustang boys and Kirby. They work hard, play hard, love fiercely, and look out for their friends. They’ve already made me feel like part of the family.
Jax is the kind of guy who can read a moment and willingly offer himself up as a sacrifice to provide some levity in the hardest of times. Knox credits Jax with getting Kirby through these difficult moments, but I’ve seen how big my future husband’s heart truly is. He’s strong and steadfast but unpre
dictable and sexy as hell. I find my chest swelling with pride for the man he is and the woman I can be with him by my side. He makes me want to be better. A lump forms in my throat as he drapes his arm around my shoulder.
When Johnny comes over with a champagne flute in his hand, I can’t hide my concern, but he’s two steps ahead as always.
“Don’t have a cow, Blue Bell, it’s sparkling apple juice. I’m strictly drinking from the kiddy table. No drugs, no booze.”
“Sorry. I just worry about you, that’s all.”
A sly grin spreads across Johnny’s face as he nods in Knox’s direction. “Are you going to tell her, or am I?”
“Tell me what?”
“Your boy isn’t messing around when he says he’s always got you. If I had my pick of guys for you to hitch your wagon to, Knox here would be top of the list.” That’s high praise from Johnny. He’s never liked a guy I’ve dated, much less given strong approval.
“Before I raise a glass to toast my beautiful fiancée, I have a little engagement present for you.”
“What? You already got me a ring. I haven’t got anything for you. I didn’t know this was a gift-type thing.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, drinking me in.
“I didn’t have time to wrap it or anything, but here goes nothing. Remember I showed you the new recording studio and workshop building?”
“Of course.” I catch Johnny smiling as wide as I’ve ever seen.
“Well, I didn’t show you the whole thing. There’s a full upstairs that has been completely tricked out as an apartment.”
“You already have a beautiful house.”
“We have a beautiful house. The apartment is for Johnny boy.” As soon as he says it, I burst into tears and bury my head in his chest.
“Are you serious?” I say before turning to Johnny for confirmation. “Is he kidding?”
“Nope. Serious as a heart attack, Blue Bell. I’m going to wish upon a star and hope I turn into a real boy. A cowboy!”
I smother Knox in kisses. “You built my brother an apartment?”
