“Yeah.”
He smiles, soft and crooked. “Then I’m glad I found this place right now.”
My breath catches. Not from the cold this time.
I step into him without thinking. My arms wrap around his waist, and my forehead presses to his chest. He’s warm and solid and smells like cedar and soap.
His arms come around me instantly. No hesitation. Just warmth and comfort and quiet strength.
I don’t want to move.
But I need to look at him.
So I tilt my head back, only a little, and meet his eyes.
It’s there again, that same look from the bar. Like I’m the only thing in focus. Like I’m a question he’s been trying to answer for years.
His thumb brushes against my jaw. “You’re freezing.”
“I don’t care,” I whisper.
His hand moves higher, fingers skimming behind my ear, into my hair. I lean into it, into him, every part of me strung tight with anticipation.
“I’ve been trying to stay away,” he murmurs. His breath fogs in the cold between us. “Trying to give you space. To not want more than you’re ready to give.”
I swallow, heart pounding so hard it hurts. “Maybe I don’t want space tonight.”
He exhales like I broke something loose in him.
His mouth claims mine like he’s done waiting.
There’s no hesitation now, just heat and command and a low growl in his throat that sends shivers skating down my spine. His hands slide down my sides, slow and possessive, until they’re gripping my hips with intent.
“Good, because you’ve been driving me fucking crazy all night,” Knox murmurs against my lips, his voice low and rough. “You know that?”
I nod, breathless.
He pulls back enough to look at me. His eyes are wild and dark, full of hunger. “Say it.”
“Say what?”
“That you want this. Out loud. I need to hear it.”
The edge of authority in his voice makes me clench.
“I want it,” I whisper.
He arches a brow. “No. Use your words, sunshine. Tell me exactly what you want.”
Someone help me.
“I want you,” I breathe. “Here. Now. I don’t care if someone sees. I don’t care about anything but you.”
Something in him snaps. In a flash, I’m spun around and pressed up against the side of his truck, my palms bracing against the cold metal, the sting of it anchoring me in the moment. His body crowds mine, hot and overwhelming, his chest a wall of heat against my back. He cages me there, utterly claimed, his hand wrapping around my throat with just enough pressure to make my pulse stutter.
“You have no idea what you just unleashed,” he growls into my ear, his breath a scorch down the side of my neck. “You think I can be gentle with you out here? You think I can hold back?”
A shiver rips through me, molten and needy. His voice, low and rough, hits me like a strike of lightning, igniting something deep in my core. My thighs clench instinctively. I feel dizzy with want, my skin burning beneath his touch, my body already strung so tight I could come apart from just his words.
