by Blake Hudson
“Ay Lass, in more ways than one.” Knox grinned back at her.
“Come on, let’s get this jacket off you.” Dani stood up and helped Knox with the blood-stained, scuffed up jacket. As she pulled the arms up Knox winced but forgot the pain as Dani’s top lifted to show her perfect soft white skin and the cutest little navel. Knox wanted to lay his face on her stomach and take in her skin’s scent, holding her to him with a handful of her perfect arse.
“Jesus Lucas, that’s a nasty cut, what did that?” Dani said inspecting his arm, not sure how to get his grandad top off without getting blood over her hands. Knox saw what she must have been thinking.
“Rip it. I think a ricochet got me when my bike took on gunfire.” Knox said as he pulled at his top.
“Gunfire!?” Dani shrieked. Knox gave her a look and nodded down to himself as if to get Dani's mind back on track. Dani gave Knox a worried look but took the hint. She then took hold of the neck material. She looked at him again as if to ask if he was sure. Knox nodded and smiled at how timid she could be, something that contradicted with that sassy personality of hers. This pleased him more than he wanted to admit. Dani ripped his top, the ribs of the material made for a straight tear. Dani’s pupils grew as she took in the sight of Knox’s large chest. Knox wanted to laugh but instead teased her by simply clearing his throat. Well, at least the sight of battle scars didn’t put her off he thought, fighting a grin.
She soon realised she had been staring for far too long and promptly carried on taking his shirt off. She threw the now crimson rags into the tub and ran warm water in the sink. Using the expensive white hotel bath towels she began to clean Knox up. At one point her face leant right up close to Knox’s. She turned her head slightly and Knox looked at the shape of her pretty ear, almost studying it. Then he closed his eyes in an attempt to control himself. But this was futile as he took in a deep breath of her aroma and was nearly lost all over again. He wasn’t sure what was perfume and what was Dani, but all he knew was it was sweet and he wanted to wake up to it. He wanted to smell it on him.
Dani stopped for a moment, picked up the tumbler and gave Knox a second sip, and then carried on.
“Thank you for doing this, Dani,” Knox said almost whispering in her ear. Dani felt his breath and couldn’t help her shudder before closing her eyes. She swallowed hard before carrying on. Dani looked to Knox with a look of ‘this is going to hurt’, then wiped over his wound. Knox breathed in deeply and focused intensely on Dani, admiring the shape of her back and curve of her behind as she crouched in front of him. Yep, could have been worse, Knox thought with a grin.
“I think it’s going to need stitches, Lucas," Dani said as she pulled back with a worried expression on her kind face. Knox’s attention pulled back from his dirty thoughts and he looked over the wound.
“Yep, you are right, Lass. Swanky places like this will have a needle and thread.” Knox looked at Dani as he said it.
“Oh, yes of course… be right back,” Dani said after she had looked into Knox’s eyes for longer than was needed. Something Knox didn’t notice as he had done the same to her. Dani rushed back in with a needle already threaded with black cotton, Knox looked up at Dani.
“I think you are going to have to do it,” Knox explained, lifting his arm which showed he couldn’t reach.
“No way, I can’t…” Dani said shaking her head.
“You are going to have to. Don’t worry Lass, you can do it and I will talk you through it every step of the way,” Knox said as he placed a hand on Dani’s thigh. The moment he did, he knew he shouldn’t have. Dani’s skin rose up in goosebumps, and the warm silky-smooth skin Knox was enjoying the feel of, felt electric.
“I really don’t think I can,” Dani said with a soft breathy tone.
“Well if not, it’s a trip down the Spanish E.R and that could take hours. And well, let’s just say I would like to keep my run in with the police down to a minimum.” Knox looked up at Dani and gave her a look that she just couldn’t say no to.
“Okay, I will try my best, but you promise not to blame me if it’s bad.” Dani looked at Knox worried, making him laugh.
“Look at it this way, when I look at the scar I will always think of you,” Knox said, which made Dani smile and appear instantly pleased as if it was something sweet. She sterilised the needle in the whisky, then she took a big drink herself.
“Easy now Lass, I don’t fancy a wavy line.” Knox laughed as Dani pulled a face. It was all she needed to grab his arm and poke the needle through his skin without remorse.
“Brutal… sure you haven’t done this before?” Knox jibed and Dani smiled with a touch of a naughty glint in her eyes.
“Maybe, or maybe I find hurting you fun,” Dani teased trying to be serious, but the moment she said it, became shy and her cheeks filled with redness. Knox found her blush too cute to handle and he would have paid good money to know what naughty thoughts had obviously just run through her mind.
Knox leant in and Dani stopped breathing. She looked at him then closed her eyes. Knox’s lips hovered over hers, a paper’s width apart. They could feel each other and with only a whisper away from touching, Knox couldn’t stand it any longer. Knox kissed her, tasted her and savoured every second of it. And Dani kissed him back with a fever that matched his own. She felt his hand wrap around her as he pulled her into him, their tongues tasting each other as if they couldn’t get enough. The hint of whisky and Dani made for a heady combination and Knox had to wrestle with himself from simply picking her up over his shoulder and taking her to bed. Blood or no blood.
They paused for a second as they each rested their foreheads on one another, as they caught their breath. Dani’s eyes opened and a large smile crossed her face before she kissed Knox again. This time he allowed it to be tender yet passionate, taking their time to enjoy the slow kiss.
“Wow… okay, Mr, I need to finish this,” Dani said after she broke away from the long kiss. Knox stared at Dani, and watched her, after first swallowing down the growl that he felt in having her lips taken from him.
“Sorry Dani, I shouldn’t have done that,” Knox said looking up to the ceiling.
“Why sorry? Don’t be, I am not…not in the slightest,” Dani said as she pulled down on Knox’s chin so their eyes met once more. She gave him a smile and then carried on as she finished off the stitches. She stood up when finished, and held out her hand.
“Come on, let’s finish off our drinks in a bit more comfort,” Dani said with a brave face and a smile Knox knew she used to hide how she really felt. Knox took her hand and stood, looked over her handy work in the mirror and gave Dani an impressed look. She beamed back at him.
“Lady of many talents Mr Knox, you would be a fool not to…” Dani said and stopped herself short. Instead, she walked out of the bathroom in that perfect way women do when they walk on tiptoes and their arses look incredible… and Dani’s was just that.
They sat outside on the balcony and Dani handed Knox a smoke, she even lit it for him taking a drag herself. Knox poured them both a drink from the decanter he’d brought out with him. He looked at Dani, the wind blowing her perfectly messy blonde hair she had just let down. She was pulling out all the stops, and she didn’t even know it. Knox was about to speak when his phone rang, making him wince as he tried to get it out of his left pocket. Dani rushed over and leant down, just so Knox’s eyes couldn’t help but look down her top, and her raised eyebrow told him that she knew it. She slowly ran her fingers up Knox’s thigh and walked them to his pocket. Then she slipped his phone out before handing it to him, taking the time to whisper in his ear.
“You only have to ask and I would slip it out for you. You know a good woman can make life a lot easier,” she said seductively before she turned, showing Knox her swaying backside as she walked back. She then took her seat and a sip of her drink.
“Knox," said Knox as he answered the call, eyes still fixated on Dani.
> “Captain, we have a location on Howard.” Carter’s voice informed him.
“Really Sir, I had my own little run in with him," Knox said bemusedly.
“Yes, well we have watched your little ride around town after we saw the police reports,” Carter said with a tone indicating he was less than impressed.
“They have Isabella, Sir.” As Knox said this, Dani looked around as if it only now had registered that she wasn’t around…no doubt thinking her still asleep in the bedroom. Knox looked at Dani seeing that she had no clue.
“None of our concern now, Knox. Listen, we have information that there is to be a big Gala dinner and dance on the Pérez Yacht tomorrow evening,” Carter informed Knox.
“Really Sir, I don’t think…” Knox said but Carter cut him off.
“Don’t think Knox, just listen. He is going to be there so you need to get on board, find him and bring him in. Am I making myself clear, Captain?” Carter demanded.
“Perfectly, Sir. Would you still be interested in the information that’s on that boat?” Knox asked as an idea came to him.
“What are you thinking, Captain?” Carter asked, intrigued.
“Killing two birds with one stone,” Knox replied.
“I don’t have the personnel with the tech ability to spare, Captain," Carter stressed.
“Don’t worry Sir, I have my own,” Knox said as he hung up, he then looked directly at Dani.
“So how about I take you for that dinner?” Knox said cockily. Dani looked at Knox puzzled at first and then a smile appeared on her face.
“Dinner, Mr Knox?” Dani said with a little excitement in her voice.
“Yes, and Lass,” Knox purposely paused to give her an appreciative look up and down her body before continuing,
“You are going to need a new dress…”
Chapter Sixteen
Fishtail & Tux
Knox stirred from one of the deepest sleeps he’d had in a long time. In fact, longer than he could remember. As his eyes focused he looked around for the clock, sure it had been on the bedside table, but it was gone. Knox sat up and his body reminded him of the events of last night, aches and pains in what felt like every muscle and joint. The sun was not high in the sky as Knox looked at the shadows it cast in the room, mentally calculating it wasn’t yet near midday. As he fully woke, it dawned on him, that the sun was low but not because it was morning but because it was late afternoon. Shit, how long had he been asleep, where was Dani and when did he get undressed and fall asleep in bed? Knox thought to himself as he looked for his clothes and his things.
Neatly placed on the coffee table in the sitting area of the suite lay his phone, wallet and watch on top of a note.
‘Lucas, I think you must have needed your sleep. I couldn’t bear to wake you, needed to pick up some things.
I shouldn’t be too long. Be a doll and have the housework done and dinner on the table for when I get back.
Oh and… nice underwear.
Dani x ;)
PS. I hid your guns. They are with the clocks in the bedside drawer. Didn’t think it fair to scare the housekeeping staff, just in case.’
Knox smiled down at her written humour. He even liked how she signed it with a wink face. Knox looked down at himself. It hadn’t even dawned on him until he read the note that he was only in his black boxer briefs. As he looked again around the room he couldn’t find his jeans, just his boots. What had Dani done with them? Well, there wasn’t much he could do other than wait. Knox made his way into the bathroom to clean up his bloody mess only to find the bathroom spotless. Confused, Knox walked over to the suite’s entrance and opened the door, he checked the card that hung on the door handle outside the room and it clearly indicated ‘Do Not Disturb’.
Knox walked back to the bathroom, he checked Dani’s handy work in the mirror and the stitched wound was still intact. He smiled to himself and thought that wasn’t Dani’s only handy work, as if ever she needed a side line job, maybe cleaning crime scenes would be a viable option. Knox ran the shower and stripped off what little he had on. He stood in the almost impossibly hot water, and as soon as Knox’s skin began to tolerate the heat, he turned the hot water up a notch.
Dani arrived back at the suite and Knox found that he could breathe a little easier once he could see that she was safe. And as most women do after a shopping trip, she walked in with handfuls of bags. Knox walked out of the steam filled bathroom, towel around his waist and a smaller one he was using to dry his head and body. He looked up as Dani stood there watching him like a small woodland animal caught in headlights on the road. She swallowed hard and Knox couldn’t help the cocky smirk he could feel rising his lips on one side. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing if she liked what she saw when he was half naked, not considering that what he wanted to do to her, often required the lack of clothes. However, the moment broke when she dropped one of the bags.
“Here let me help you,” Knox said as he picked up the Massimo Dutti men’s clothing bag.
“Sorry it was the only shop close by that didn’t scream runway slim fit and was more your, ‘Me man, with gun’, type of style,” she said changing her voice to sound deeper with the ‘Me man, with gun’ mockery.
“What, do you not think pastel colours and tight shorts are me?” Knox teased back, as Dani eyed up every inch of him. He couldn’t help but notice the way she licked her lips as if her mouth had suddenly gone dry. He was half tempted to wet them for her…oh who was he kidding, more than half!
“Erm… in a word, no. I hope you don’t mind, I picked you up a few things, and got rid of the blood-stained stuff, no hotel laundry was going to get that clean,” Dani said as she walked through to the bedroom and threw the mass of bags onto the bed. And just as Knox was about to speak, a knock was heard at the door. Knox rushed to the bedside table and opened the drawer, Dani put a hand on his back.
“It’s okay, I ordered room service,” Dani said with that kind smile of hers that calmed Knox instantly.
“Just a minute!” she called, looking over her shoulder and then back to him.
“Thanks, Dani I will go get dressed,” Knox said as he picked up the one men’s shopping bag he recognised. Dani stopped him and then handed him another, and another then stopped and thought, then picked up two more.
“That’s your lot,” Dani said in a way that suggested she was really pleased with herself.
“You really shouldn’t have, thanks again,” Knox said a little overwhelmed as no one had ever done this for him before. So, with this in mind, he quickly made his way off to the bathroom, as he knew that if he stood around any longer he would make some inappropriate joke to deflect how touched he was by her kind actions.
“Don’t thank me, it was a pleasure. Anyway, I paid on your credit card,” Dani said as she winked at Knox when he looked back to her. Dani slipped his card out of her pocket and put it down. Knox smiled and shook his head before walking into the bathroom, as Dani opened the door and instructed the hotel staff to take the food trolley out onto the balcony area.
Knox dressed, now wearing dark blue jeans and black t-shirt that fit perfectly. He held a new leather jacket in his hand, one he couldn’t have picked better himself. He walked out onto the balcony to find her sat waiting for him.
“Dani… I” Knox started to say, nodding down to the jacket and Dani saw him struggling to find the words.
“You are very welcome Lucas, come and sit down, the food will get cold,” Dani said with a smile as she motioned to the seat next to her. Knox hung the jacket on the back of the chair and sat down. He looked at Dani and then looked at the amount of food.
“Do we have guests coming?” Knox said as he picked up an olive.
“What? I wasn’t sure what you would want. And when was the last time you ate something that wasn’t junk and had real nutritional value?” Dani said as she put food in front of Knox. He didn’t argue with her and tucked
in.
“What happened last night?” Knox asked Dani, referring to him waking up in bed in just his boxers. She gave him a coy smile as if remembering the sight of him almost naked then hid it quickly, answering him with her usual sassy way.
“You fell madly in love with me, asked me to run away with you and get married,” Dani said casually before taking a big bite of her steak. Knox pretended to choke a little on his food.
“I said no, of course, I mean, I know when someone is just infatuated,” Dani said unsure at first how to take Knox choking, as an insult or playful. She opted for playful and winked.
“How did I end up in bed, did you drug me?” Knox teased.
“That would be telling,” Dani whispered back.
“I remember talking and having a few drinks out here,” Knox said as he looked for the decanter.
“If you class all of the decanter’s contents as a few drinks, sure," Dani smirked, and Knox played at looking a little sheepish.