"Relax. I've got you. Just breathe, darlin’." He kisses along my inner thigh, then stares into my pussy, as if, again, he's memorizing my body. "Fucking gorgeous," he growls, before leaning in and kissing my most intimate skin.
His tongue darts around, searching for every sensitive nook. Then he begins a tantalizing dance around my clit that makes my heart race, as my fingers grip the sides of his head firmly.
It’s as if my soul is burning. He’s so passionate and hungry as he holds my squirming body tightly, finding the exact spots and pressure that drives me wild. My moans grow louder as I stare down through the steam to watch his eyes. He’s enjoying this every bit as much as I am, possibly more. His finger circles my entrance, barely nudging inside, driving me crazy with need. His possessive energy amplifies every physical sensation.
“Yesss,” I manage to breathe. I can feel every inch of my skin more clearly than I ever have. I’m overheated, panting, trembling from the force of his touch as my energy shifts, my body threatening to explode.
Knox makes a noise somewhere between a groan and a growl while staring into my eyes, begging me to release for him and urging me on without words. The climax hits me from all directions at once, a deep, rolling sensation burning through my veins like fire as I cry out, riding his eager tongue until every drop of pleasure has been wrung from me.
He stands, holding me tight as if he knows how boneless I feel. “Darlin’, that was the sexiest moment of my entire life.” He trails kisses around my temples, cuddling me close. Then we both rinse off, and he wraps me in a huge fluffy towel.
Everything is a fuzzy blur as he helps me into my tank top and sleep shorts and tucks me into bed. He’s wearing nothing but his briefs, and he spoons me until I’m toasty warm.
“Sleep well, darlin’,” Knox murmurs.
“You too.”
Just as I’m drifting off, I feel his index finger move on my hip…as if tracing a heart.
9
KNOX
After a lifetime of avoiding people as much as possible, it’s amazing how close I feel to Hanna. She has no expectations of me. Just ideas, suggestions, and playful thoughts. Which led to a delightful brunch of raspberry chocolate pancakes washed down with cinnamon coffee, followed by a hike in the forest.
In the afternoon, we sit in front of my laptop at the dining room table, making a list of all the bookish places we want to visit together. The website I use is designed for forestry, but it does a fine job of marking all the libraries, bookstores, and places in the area where people drop off books to share – the town hall, the laundromat.
"I love that people read so much here,” Hanna laughs, leaning against my shoulder.
"The winters can be rough out here. People get snowed in for days, or a tree can land in the middle of a road and block traffic until it gets cleared. If they have a good book, people can pass the time no matter what's going on in the outside world."
She looks at me carefully. "You don't think much of the outside world, do you? I get the sense you'd rather be curled up in your house."
My face drops into a grimace as I grumble. "Most of the time. But once we start getting you out to the bookstores and the library, you'll meet lots of nice people, don’t worry."
"What about you? Don't you want to meet new people?"
“Feh," I snort. "People think they already know me."
Hanna looks directly into my eyes. "That really bothers you, doesn't it? The assumptions people make, I mean."
I'm not sure what to say to that.
"And the expectations," she continues. "I bet that strangers think they know you because they know some of your family. They expect you to be exactly the same."
"In some ways I am. I'll jump in to help people. I'll do what's expected of me."
"No, but the social angle." Her lovely eyes seem to be peering right into my soul. "People expect you to have the same personality and interests."
"Yeah. They do."
Her head shakes. "I think that's just lazy, assuming an entire family is the same."
Her eyes drop, and I grab her hand. "I'm sorry that your own family is letting you down, darlin'.”
She just shakes her head, clearly wanting to change the subject, and points at the screen. “So… Rathlock doesn't have its own library?"
"No. It's too small even to be considered a town."
