His hands find my hips with a brutal kind of precision, flipping me onto my stomach. A sharp gasp slips from me as the sheets tangle around my limbs, my pulse hammering in my throat.
The only sound is the rush of my breath, the soft scrape of fabric as he shifts behind me. He doesn’t speak, but his hands are on my body, pulling me to my knees, positioning me exactly how he wants.
His palm presses into my back, holding me in place. His thick length teases me, but he doesn’t go any farther.
Every nerve feels lit, like someone struck a match inside me. I’m suspended in the pause, burning with desperation.
“Please, Knox,” I whimper, pushing back against him.
“Tell me exactly what you want, Juliette,” he growls.
“I want you inside me,” I gasp, my voice barely above a whisper. “I need to feel you. All of you.”
He rewards me with a powerful thrust, burying himself to the hilt. A sharp cry rips from my throat at the sudden fullness, the stretch of him overwhelming in the most exquisite way.
Knox groans, his chest pressed against my back as he sets a punishing pace. Each snap of his hips drives me higher, pleasure coiling tighter and tighter in my core. His hands are everywhere, gripping, kneading, igniting sparks across my sensitive skin.
“Knox…I’m so close.”
His teeth scrape the curve of my shoulder, sending a shiver straight to my core. The sharp bite mingles with the heady rush of pleasure flooding my veins. My grip tightens in the sheets, knuckles white as I cling to my control. Knox has no intention of letting me keep it.
One hand slides around my hip, his fingers circling my clit, matching the intensity of his thrusts. It’s too much, the sensations overwhelming me from every angle. I can barely breathe, can barely think beyond the desperate need consuming me.
“Come for me, Juliette.”
His words undo me, permission and command all in one. The coil inside me snaps, ripping through me. Through the haze of my release, he tenses, his movements faltering before he buries himself deep and pulses inside me with a guttural moan.
We catch our breath, and he eases out slowly before pulling me against him. His arms wrap around me, strong and steady, and I sink into the warmth of his skin, the rise and fall of his chest lulling me. His wild heartbeat slows beneath my cheek.
“Oh…my…god,” I whisper, still reeling. “Apparently, I don’t need much time at all when you talk to me like that.”
If we’re being honest, I might orgasm on the spot the next time he uses that tone with me.
His laughter vibrates against my cheek. I tilt my head up, catching the mischievous glint in his eyes and the dimple in his cheek thatknowsI’m weak for it.
“Aye,” he says. “Same over here, obviously.”
I turn into his side, both of us caught in another wave of laughter.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.
This man. I swear he stepped right out of a dream. Effortlessly charming, impossibly real, and somehow, all mine.
forty-two
JULIETTE
THREE MONTHS LATER
It’s the end of October, and I can hardly believe it. Three months have slipped through my fingers without a second to spare. I’m lying in Knox’s bed, basking in the autumn light spilling through the window. The Highlands outside are a canvas of color. Reds, oranges, and golds swirling through the trees, like little fires catching in the wind.
I’ve been back to the States a few times. Just quick trips to tie up loose ends, really. Enough time to make sure my house is ready to sell and to squeeze in some much needed catch-up with Bree. As much as I love Scotland, it’s always good to be reminded of the life I created before.
I didn’t rush back in August to work. Instead, I made the choice to test the waters here, in a place that feels more and more like home every day. I’m planning to apply for my visa soon. I’m making it my mission to settle in. For good.
Life has been nothing short of perfect. I’m not waiting forsomething to go wrong, not looking for hidden curveballs or loose ends lurking around the corner.
I’m happy. Truly, genuinely happy.
