“You did. I’m sorry I’m so late back.” Hannah opened the front door and switched on the light. “Come in.”
She kicked off her shoes and then undid her jacket as she padded to the kitchen. He followed, he would always follow.
“Are you all right?” He sensed a sadness about her. There was no smile on her face, no dimples. “Did someone hurt you?” Knox thought of the man at the park, the man who had spoken to her with anger, but the scent on her skin was not his.
“Yes, it’s just been a really long day.” Hannah lifted the kettle. “Tea?”
“I’ll make it, why don’t you go take a shower and get changed?” Knox moved toward her and closed his hand over hers. Hannah sighed and leaned back against him. Knox instinctively slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She didn’t fight, instead, her body softened, and he lowered his head to kiss the soft, sensitive skin of her neck.
Hannah groaned and tilted her head to one side, exposing her neck to him. Knox reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, letting it tumble down around her shoulders, before brushing the silky strands to one side. He placed his lips on her skin, and kissed her, his tongue slipping out to taste her. She was mouthwateringly delicious.
Hannah pressed back against him, her bottom wriggling against his hardened cock, and it was his turn to groan. She reached for his hand, and took hold of it, guiding him under her jacket, to cup her breast. This had escalated so fast. Too fast. Knox didn’t want to take advantage of her, but he wanted her with a raw, naked need that threatened to consume him.
He squeezed her breast, his thumb rubbing over the hardened nub of her nipple as he nipped her neck. Breath hissed through her teeth, and she opened her mouth in a silent gasp. Knox slipped the hand that encircled her waist, down over her stomach and then lower. Inching slowly toward his goal, wanting to give her time to stop him if he went too far.
Hannah didn’t stop him. Instead, she took hold of the fabric of her skirt and gathered it up in her hand, revealing her shapely thighs. Knox bent his knees, reached for the edge of her skirt and yanked it up to her waist, his hand slipping between her thighs, and drawing up to caress her mound. Hannah shuffled her right foot to the side, enough for him to slip a finger along the length of her sex. She sobbed, a sound that wounded him. He never wanted her to cry, never wanted her to experience unhappiness, but this was not a sob of distress, this was a sob of need.
“I want you, Knox. No words, no explanations.” Her words were soft, full of longing and need.
“Are you sure?” He had to ask. Had to know for sure.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
Knox pushed her panties to the side and slipped his finger inside her wet swollen sex. In and out he worked it deeper, grazing her inner walls. He fondled her breasts, pinching her nipples cruelly until her knees went weak, and he had to hold her upright while his fingers delved deeper, driving her to the first of many orgasms.
She cried out, a sweet sound as she came around his fingers. His thumb chaffed her clit, while he fingered her until her orgasm subsided. Was that all she wanted, a sexual release?
Hannah placed her hands on the counter and leaned forward, gasping for breath, Knox covered her body with his. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and take her to bed. There he would lay her down gently, and strip her clothes off, before kissing every inch of her skin.
He pulled away from her, standing up straight, giving her room to breathe, to make her escape from him if she wanted. This had to be her choice, because he could not trust himself to make it.
“Hannah.”
She stood up, her breathing ragged as she turned to face him, her eyes dark with desire as she placed two fingers on his lips. “No words, no explanations. There’s time for that later.” Entwining her fingers with his, she pulled him toward the door, leading him upstairs to her bedroom.
There were a couple of packing boxes stacked in the corner, a sign of her recent move, but the room was clear of clutter, the only furniture a double bed and a nightstand. Hannah led him to the bed and turned to face him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. Did she sense his uncertainty as she pulled back and studied his face?
“I’m a grown woman, Knox. I want you, I want this. If you do.”
Knox swallowed. She was giving him a choice, asking him if it was what he wanted. “Hannah, there’s so much you should know about me…”
“I’m your mate, right?”
He nodded.
“Then the only question is—do you want me? Right here, right now.”
He swallowed, wanting to see her smile, wanting to see the dimples appear on her cheeks so he could kiss the exact spot. “Yes.”
“That’s all that matters.” The sadness in her eyes lifted as she reached to undo his belt, and his buttons, letting his jeans slip to the floor. Hannah slipped down onto her knees, and coiled her hand around his hard length, stroking his cock before lowering her head to take him in her mouth.
Knox gasped, his fingers threading through her hair as her head bobbed up and down. She licked him, her hands cupping his balls and fondling them until all thought left his head and nothing but sensation remained. She made him forget everything. There was no past, no future, only the present moment. A moment he could live for.
His thighs tensed, and he came. Hannah swallowed his seed, sucking him dry as he cried out. Words with no meaning mingled with her name and words of affection he had never used before.
When he was completely spent, Knox helped her stand on unsteady feet. He needed her naked. Needed to kiss and caress every part of her body, until his only his scent lingered on her skin. Taking her hand, he led her to sit on the edge of the bed; spreading her thighs, he looked at her. Then he kissed her inner thighs, slowly making his way to the center of her need.
His teeth grazed her clit, his fingers plundered her wet, glistening sex. Hannah whimpered as he sucked and licked her, a hungry animal, ravaging his mate. She came, her hands in his hair, her sex thrust forward as she offered herself to him. As her orgasm subsided, his cock hardened and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her further onto the bed before guiding himself into her swollen sex.
She groaned as Knox impaled her in one swift thrust. Her sex tight around him, the sudden invasion too much, too fast, for her muscles to yield to him. Hannah wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him on. His excitement at finally penetrating his mate was an aphrodisiac. Knox drew his hips back, and then thrust forward, his hand under Hannah keeping her in place, allowing him to fill her completely.
In and out, he took her. She threaded her fingers through his hair and dragged his head down until their mouths clashed. He kissed her with an intense passion, his tongue sliding in and out in the same rhythm as his cock. Hannah sucked him in the same way she’d sucked his cock. The memory still fresh, still vivid. Her breathing quickened, and she slipped her hands down over his butt, her fingers digging into his flesh, urging him on. She was going to come.
Knox slowed his movements, circling his hips, rubbing his body against her clit as he broke their kiss. He wanted to watch her come, wanted to see the mixture of pain and pleasure skim across her face. She met his gaze, and tightened her inner muscles around his cock. A soft smile slipped from her lips, and her dimples appeared. She was challenging him. Could he outlast her?
Hannah bit her bottom lip, and Knox lowered his head to kiss her breasts, licking her nipple with the flat of his tongue. Her back arched and her hips bucked as he continued the onslaught.
“Not fair,” Hannah gasped as she finally gave in, and came around him. Her inner muscles pulsed and her body shuddered as wave after wave of pleasure passed over her.
Knox could not hold out any longer. He filled her with his essence, hot, hard, his body jerking as he came.
When their passion faded, he gathered her in his arms. Hannah shook like a frightened animal, and he wanted to protect her.
&nbs
p; “Are you OK?” she asked through chattering teeth, and only then did he realize he was shaking too.
“Yes.” He pulled the covers over them, warming her with his body.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He brushed her hair from her face.
“I kind of pounced on you.”
“I’m not complaining.” He kissed her lips. “What happened?”
“I don’t know what you mean?” She frowned, her fingers tracing his lips.
“When you got home, you seemed sad.”
She buried her face in his neck. “Work. It’s nothing.”
“Tell me.” He tilted her chin up so she had to face him.
“Sometimes it brings home to me how fragile life is. I thought, just because we were mates, I should fight this attraction between us. I thought we should treat our relationship like a normal relationship. You know, dates, that kind of thing. But when I saw you, I wanted to celebrate life. It’s stupid, I know.”
“No, it’s not stupid at all.” He sighed in contentment, at peace with his mate by his side. “Maybe we should just live here in your bed for the rest of our lives.”
In answer, her stomach rumbled. “My stomach disagrees.”
He kissed her mouth. “Go shower, and I’ll cook us something.”
“Since I just moved in, there is little in the way of groceries.”
“I’ll find something.” He got up out of bed and retrieved his pants, dragging them up over his hips.
Hannah watched him with a soft smile. “Pity, I could quite get used to your naked butt.”
He did up his belt. “I’m game if you are. Or shall we eat?”
Hannah giggled, her dimples showing as she got out of bed. “OK, you win.” She headed for the bathroom, completely naked and comfortable in her own skin.
Had he won? Or had Hannah lost? As he went back downstairs, Knox knew the decision as to whether he made a life with Hannah had been made. There was no way he could ever walk away from her. Not now. Not ever.
They were bonded. Just as they were fated to be.
Chapter Seven – Hannah
The hot water cascaded down on Hannah as she soaped her skin, which still tingled from their lovemaking.
Hannah leaned forward and rested her forehead against the cold tiles. Had she made a mistake? There was no doubt she had come on to Knox. He’d asked her twice if she was sure, and twice she’d told him yes. And she had been sure, in the moment. Heat crept to her face. He must think her an easy lay. The sort of woman who drops her panties for any man.
Switching off the water, she stepped out of the shower and toweled herself dry before grabbing a big fluffy robe. Winding her wet hair up, she wrapped it in another towel and went back out to the bedroom. The scene of the crime.
That was unfair: there had been no crime, other than a wanton need to be close to someone, someone who wanted her. Certainly, Knox did want her. In his bed, at least.
The smell of cooking tempted her out of the room and down the stairs. Her stomach rumbled at the aroma of eggs and mushrooms. “Omelets?”
“Yes. Is that OK?” Knox cast a glance over his shoulder, taking in her robe and the towel on her head. Hannah felt mildly ridiculous, but he smiled and turned back to the hot pan.
“Perfect.” Hannah retrieved the bottle of wine and chocolate cake from the fridge and set them down on the counter. “Drink and dessert. Everybody needs a little Chocolate Velvet Heaven in their life.”
“I believe you.” He grinned at her. “These are ready. Where do you want to eat?” Knox expertly dished up the omelets onto plates, next to potatoes he’d fried with herbs and spices she couldn’t even remember unpacking.
“The living room. Unless you want to sit at the table?” Hannah tried to act normal, but she didn’t know where to look. Every time her eyes rested on Knox, she was overcome with memories of the touch of his skin, or the feel of his lips.
“The living room sounds great.” He picked up the plates, and she gathered up the wine and two glasses and followed him out of the kitchen.
“Set the plates down there.” Hannah pointed to the small table, while she placed the wine bottle on the windowsill.
Before she had a chance to set the glasses down, he was there, his arms encircling her waist. Knox pressed his lips against her neck as he stroked her hair back from her face. “Don’t hide from me, Hannah. Please.”
She ducked her head to look at the floor. “I’m a little embarrassed.” It was hard to admit, but she figured he already sensed how she felt. “I’m not the kind of girl who sleeps with a man she just met.”
“And I’m not the kind of man who sleeps with a woman he’s just met.” He gently turned her to face him. “But we both know this is different. We aren’t just enjoying a one-night stand. I want you. I just hope that you want me.”
“I do.”
“Once you know me, you might change your mind.”
“Once you know me, you might change your mind.” She raised an eyebrow and her dimples broke the tension. He leaned forward and kissed the exact spot on her cheeks where they appeared, sending shivers of longing down her spine.
“Never,” Knox whispered. His eyes met hers, and she saw the pain, the darkness, he hid inside.
Hannah stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. “I suppose it was a good icebreaker.”
He chuckled. “I suppose it was. Now let’s eat, and drink wine, and make small talk.”
“Sounds good to me.” She sat down next to him on the sofa she had brought from her parents’ house. One of the few items she couldn’t bear for them to sell when they moved. “This smells wonderful. Did you learn to cook in the army, or did your parents teach you?”
“I learned pretty much everything I know from the army.” Knox ate his omelet. “This is good, even if I do say so myself.”
“My mom taught me to cook. My dad taught me to build a shed. They are both very traditional in their roles. But since I am an only child, my dad figured if he was going to pass on his skills, he’d have to teach his daughter all his secrets.” Hannah sipped her wine. She had no problem talking about herself and her past; there was nothing to hide, no skeletons in her closet.
“Sounds like the perfect life.” Knox looked up at her. “I guess you know not everyone is that lucky.”
“I do. It’s why I do the job that I do. If I can make just one family’s life better, one child, one parent, then it’s worth it.”
“You’re idealistic.” Knox finished his food and drank his wine.
“Not at all. I know I can’t make everyone’s life better. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t strive to do so.” She cocked her head to one side. “You are baiting me, why?”
“I like the way your eyes sparkle when you are challenged.”
Hannah blushed. “So why the army?”
“Because I needed something. Anything. A place to belong.”
“Do you want to talk about your family?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. My mom died giving birth to me, my father couldn’t cope with it. He committed suicide when I was four years old.”
Her heart stopped beating. She was frozen in time as her brain tried to compute how a child could survive such a terrible situation and remain unscathed. “I’m so sorry.”
Knox shrugged. “It happened so long ago, I don’t remember them, I don’t even miss them. I can’t even remember what it was like when my dad was there.” He drained his glass, and Hannah had to resist the urge not to get up from her seat and hold him as if he were still a four-year-old child.
“Who raised you?”
“An old spinster aunt. She lived in a cabin with an outside bathroom, and in the winter the icicles would hang off the inside of the windows. I roamed the mountains, and did whatever the hell I wanted until I was sixteen. Then she told me she’d done her duty and it was time for me to move on.”
“That’s terrible.”
Knox shrugged. “I was taken
in by a retired colonel who taught me discipline and that things were worth fighting for. It seemed the only path for me to take.”
“So you enlisted.”
“Yes. I served my country for over ten years. Made friends that were more of a family than I had ever known. And I found something I was good at.”
“What happened to the colonel?”
“You mean why did I come here to Bear Creek instead of going back to them?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not ready to face him.” Knox got up abruptly. “I need more wine and some Chocolate Velvet Heaven.”
They took their plates to the kitchen, and Hannah cut the cake while Knox poured the wine. The sexual tension between them had passed; in its place were a million questions, just waiting to be asked.
“Tell me about you.” Knox leaned back against the countertop and ate his cake.
“There’s little to tell.” How could she share with him how wonderful her childhood had been when he had lived through hell?
“Tell me anyway.”
She shrugged and forked cake into her mouth. “I liked school. I learned to play the violin, badly, and was terrible at sports. The highlight was getting asked to prom by Charlie Ryder, the hottest guy in school, where I had my first kiss.”
“Terrible at sports. You surprise me.”
“Really.” She looked down at her curvy body. “I have a certain lack of coordination.”
“That is not true from my experience.” He smiled. She blushed and smiled some more.
“You are incorrigible, Knox… What is your last name?”
“Jamie’s kids have been trying to work out if my first name is really Knox.”
“Are you evading a question again?” Hannah asked.
He grinned as he nodded. “Maybe I am. For so long I’ve just been Knox. My real name belongs to another man.”
“Then let’s leave it at that, Knox.” She tried not to let his evasion intrigue her. If he needed time to open up to her, she could give him all the time he needed. She wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was he. “What happens from here?”
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