Her gaze remained down. “Okay.”
Knox watched as she concentrated on refastening her bra and blouse, tucking the latter back into the waistband of her skirt before standing in front of the mirror on the wall near the door to run her fingers through her disheveled hair.
Her smooth outer appearance gave absolutely no indication that, beneath her skirt, she was no longer wearing panties or that Knox’s cum now coated her lower abdomen and thighs.
Ellie had said he was behaving like a wild animal, marking its territory, and she was right. Whether Ellie knew it yet or not, she already belonged to him. Just as he belonged to her. And when the time was right, he was going to tell her that. At the moment, she’d had more than enough to contend with for one day.
“I’ll arrange for some more underwear to be sent to my apartment. No?” he prompted when she lifted her chin and shook her head.
Color bloomed in her cheeks. “I always buy my things from the store on the second floor here. I’ll go down there before my two o’clock appointment.”
“Okay, but I’m picking you up from here when you finish at five o’clock,” he stated firmly. “That way, I can take you to your apartment, and you can pack a small suitcase before you come and stay with me for the weekend. Or a few weeks. Or?—”
“Knox!” She snorted a laugh when he held up nothing to see here hands. “I don’t finish until six, and I don’t think you actually asked if I want to stay at your apartment with you?”
“Well, I’d like it if it was with me, but if you would prefer to stay there alone?—”
“No!” she gasped. “Absolutely not.” Her cheeks became flushed. “I’m not going to push you out of your own home.”
“Then it’s decided. We’re both going to stay at my apartment until this other situation is sorted out. What I would really like to know…” He gave her a sideways glance. “Is whether you will be sharing my bedroom or using one of the spare rooms?”
She avoided meeting his heated gaze. “Can we decide on that later?”
“Fine,” he agreed, knowing that any further intimacy should probably be initiated by Ellie.
She chewed on her bottom lip for a second or two. “Instead of going out for dinner this evening, could I cook a meal for you at your place?”
“That depends…”
She eyed him curiously. “On what?”
“Whether you really want to eat at home or is it that you’re too frightened to go out and risk the possibility of having Day confront you again.”
Her mouth twisted. “I doubt he would dare to come near me if I’m with you, so it’s definitely the former.”
He grinned. “In that case, I doubt any single man who lives alone has ever turned down having a meal cooked for him.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “You’re really sure I won’t be intruding?”
“Absolutely not. I want you to stay with me, Ellie. For as long as you will let me keep you there or until you feel safe returning to your own apartment.”
“You’re going to London on business early next week,” she reminded.
“Not anymore.”
“You canceled it?”
He hadn’t canceled it yet, but he was going to. The Wynter family would understand once he had explained the situation to them. “I’m not going.”
“You don’t have to cancel your plans on my account?—”
“I can go to London any time,” he dismissed. “Just not next week.”
Knox didn’t like the fear he could still see lurking in the depths of Ellie’s uncovered eyes. Her glasses were still sitting on her desktop across the room.
He gave an inner snort of disbelief at the realization of exactly where he had chosen to make love to Ellie for the first time.
Did he regret it?
