Chapter Six

Knox

What came out of my mouth wasn't what I'd intended to say. True, I'd decided to take my dad's advice and feel Evelyn out -- no pun intended -- but when I saw Danny standing there, something akin to panic seized me. That feeling quickly turned to an ice-cold anger when I actually heard the topic of conversation. The second I uttered the words, however, I knew they were true. Evelyn was going to be mine. I'd show her how a woman should be treated, and I'd show her kids what a dad was really like.

"What?"

"Oh, I think you heard me, Evelyn." She backed up a step. So I moved forward a step.

"I can't be in that kind of relationship with you." Shaking her head, Evelyn continued to back up until she was against the wall. She jumped when her back met the drywall. I knew I had to tread carefully here. I was on the hunt and Evelyn was my prey.

"Sure, you can. I've seen you watching me. Unless I'm mistaken, you like what you see."

"Are you suggesting I jump from one brother to another? Your father would be mortified. He's been so good to me, Knox…" She shook her head, her eyes wide. "I don't want him thinking badly of me."

I grinned. "Sweetheart, who do you think kicked my ass to come talk to you? My father thinks you should have been with me to begin with." Reaching out to her, I stroked her cheek lightly with my fingers. "Regardless, if you don't want me, if you aren't ready to move on yet, I fully intend to take care of you and Luke and Aneshya. I have some things to work out with… well, Lemon and her man."

"His name is Rocket. Like yours is Knox."

"That's right. Lemon tell you?"

"Yes. She said you're part of a motorcycle club called Grim Road. I'm also not supposed to say anything outside your group."

"Lemon told you about Grim Road?" Interesting.

"Just that everything there is on the down low." Her breathing quickened, and I saw her glance at my lips. Her gaze came back to my eyes but kept straying downward.

"Good. So Lemon has accepted you too."

"The kids…"

"Are gonna be fine. You heard Luke. He's fine with us being together."

"I don't even know if I like you or not."

"You say as you're staring at my mouth. Wanting me to kiss you, baby?"

Her gaze snapped to mine. "I am not staring at your mouth!"

There was no way to prevent my laughter, though it sounded darker and more dangerous than full of humor. Yeah. Now that the idea had set in my mind, there wasn't a chance in hell I wasn't making her mine.

"Yeah, you are, baby." I pressed closer, my body touching hers but not trapping her. If she really wanted to push me away, I wouldn't fight her. But I didn't think she wanted me to go. "My dad's right. You're as interested in me as I am you."

"No, I'm not." She shook her head slightly, but her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I think you are." I grinned at her, leaning in slowly as I did. "Tell you what. I'm going to kiss you. We'll test exactly how much you're not interested. How does that sound?"

"I --" She gulped, but she lowered her eyes again, looking at my mouth.

"That's what I thought."

I closed the gap between us, brushing my lips over hers in a gentle caress.

Her lips were soft and sweet, just as I knew they would be. After a brief moment of hesitation, her body relaxed. A shuddering sigh escaped her as she twined her arms around my neck.

My dick was rock-hard now. I wanted nothing more than to take her right then, but that was most definitely not on my agenda today. This was about gentling her. Letting her learn my touch. One thing I'd known but had yet to experience was exactly how special this woman really was. The way she melted against me, moaning softly into my mouth as she trembled, gave me a preview of just how passionate a lover she would be. That she was letting me see a glimpse of this side of her told me she was comfortable around me. Still, I wouldn't push her too far. Not yet. But I would push a little further.

She tasted like strawberries and the sweetest sin, her body pressing against mine as though she couldn't help herself. My tongue flicked out to trace her lower lip and she gasped, only inviting me in more.

I took her mouth, sealing my lips to hers, drinking her cries as she offered them to me. Her tongue dueled with mine, exploring, learning me and how I moved when I kissed her. I brought my hands up, cupping her face, as if to memorize her, memorize this moment. This was our first kiss, and I never wanted to forget it.

"Wow…" Evelyn brought trembling fingers to her lips. "That was…"

"Yeah, baby. It was."

"Will you…" She cleared her throat, swallowing. "Will you do it again?"

I grinned. "Do what again?"

Her lips twitched upward, even though I could tell she was still shell-shocked. "Kiss me."

I raised an eyebrow. "You want me to kiss you? Again?" When she nodded, I grinned. "Oh, no, Evelyn. You were hesitant before. I need to be absolutely sure this is what you want." I kissed the side of her neck because I couldn't help myself. "So I need you to tell me again." Another kiss to her neck. "What do you want?"

"Oh my." She moaned. "Kiss me again, please."

I chuckled against her skin, knowing she was as weak for my touch as I was for hers. "As you wish." Then I kissed her again, capturing her lips with mine. This time, I poured some of my hunger into my kiss, needing her to know exactly what I wanted from her. It went beyond the sexual, though there was plenty of sexual hunger. I wanted this woman for my own. Just like I told her I did.

As we kissed, her body molded against mine, her soft curves pressed yearningly against my hardness. There was no denying the attraction now, and it filled me with a heady sense of victory even though I'd never wanted a woman of my own. Not like I wanted Evelyn.

My hands traveled down her back, beneath her shirt, to the curve of her hips, gripping her as my mouth devoured hers. Her hands roamed too, exploring my muscles, running up and down my back. She was giving as good as she got, and damn if it didn't turn me on that much more.

"That's it, baby." When I spoke next to her ear, she whimpered, turning her head to chase my mouth with hers. "You want more?"

"Yes," she whispered. "More. Please, Knox."

Her hands, those elegant, clever hands slid to my shoulders, digging her nails in as if she were using me as an anchor. I didn't mind; it just spurred me on. I kissed her again, this time rougher, tasting every inch of her luscious mouth.

My tongue invaded her mouth with an intensity I'd never delivered to a woman before. The harder I kissed Evelyn, the more I could taste desire on her lips, and she leaned into me, her arms tightening around my neck.

She clung to me so sweetly, her scent wrapping around me like a cloak. Fresh, ocean air and lavender tickled my nose, making me inhale deeply just to take in her sweet fragrance.

I tried to pull back from her but Evelyn clung to me, holding me to her tightly. She met my kiss with her own, darting her own tongue tentatively against mine. The second she did, something inside me settled. Evelyn wanted this. She might not be ready for me to make her mine completely, but she liked the way I made her body feel.

I nipped at her lower lip gently, and she moaned softly. I groaned at the sound and deepened the kiss even more, my tongue swirling around hers playfully. When I pulled away slightly, she whimpered in protest, wanting more. I chuckled against her lips before capturing them again.

I slid my hand downward along her back, tracing the curve of her waist and hips possessively before cupping one hip firmly through the thin material of her long shirt and yoga pants.

Evelyn gasped, looking up into my eyes with such need and lust it made my dick throb. I ached with the need to fuck her.

"God, what you do to me, woman!" My growl was rough, almost angry sounding.

"You're doing the same thing to me." Her voice was husky but soft. She sounded like a woman who'd been screaming all night in pleasure. That was something I was determined to make happen, no matter how long it took to get her there.

I pulled back, framing her beautiful face with my hands. Her long, dark hair was a halo of curls around her face, caressing my hands as I stroked her cheek. "How far do you want this to go, Evelyn? Because I want you. Want to fuck you all fuckin' day, take you back to Grim Road, and fuck you some more until you know without a doubt that you're mine."

"Knox." Her little gasp sent shivers through me. "I don't… I don't know."

I shook my head slowly. "Oh, I think you do. But I get it. You're not ready." I gave her a self-deprecating smile. "If I'm honest with you and myself, I'm not sure I'm ready for all that means either. I only admitted it to myself when I saw Danny here with you."

I let my forehead fall against hers and took several deep breaths. She tilted her head up and kissed my bottom lip before rubbing her face against my bearded cheek.

"I don't think I've ever wanted to have sex more than I do right now in this moment." She made the confession softly but looking up at me so I could see the truth of it in her eyes. "But I don't want you to think badly of me. I don't… that is, I've only ever had one lover and I stayed with him for thirteen years."

"And you're afraid to give yourself to another man so soon?"

"Yes." Then she shook her head, lowering her gaze. "No. I mean. Not exactly." She looked back up at me. "You feel different than Danny ever did." Her brows furrowed. "What I mean is, I never really felt like I'd found my place with Danny. I think I always knew there was something wrong. At first, I think I did what he wanted because I didn't know I could or even should leave him after our first couple of times. I thought I should stay with him until I knew for sure I didn't want to be with him. But as time went on…"

"You fell into a pattern. A habit."

"Yeah. I guess I did."

"And now? How does it feel with me?"

Tears filled Evelyn's eyes, but she smiled up at me. "Like this is where I'm supposed to be."