His smile widened. “You helped too,” hesaid.
“I did?” I blinked athim.
Knix’s hand enveloped mine and he brought the back of my hand up to his lips. He kissed me there, gently rubbing his lips across my knuckles. “You did,” he said with a nod. “I had the others—Marv, Bellamy, Texas—and they distracted me from my grief most days. Every once in a while, though, I found myself missing him and hating my mother or myself for reasons I can no longer control—his death, his sickness, his absence. But I found that the more time I spent with you, the less I thought about it. Or, when I did think about him, it wasn’t with the tinge of heartache I was used to experiencing. When I thought about him, I thought about how happy he would have been to see me now. How much he would’ve liked you and your fieryattitude.”
I couldn’t help the nervous bubble of laughter that erupted at that. “Fieryattitude?”
Knix chuckled, the sound reverberating through my hand and sending shivers up my arm and along my spine. “Yes, fiery.” He dropped our intertwined hands and leaned forward. My breath caught in my chest as he moved closer and closer, his lips hovering just above mine. “But I wouldn’t have you any otherway.”
With that, Knix took my mouth and burned away the emotions threatening to overtake me. He kissed me softly, reverently. A part of me thought that he kissed me so gently because he thought me fragile. But, in truth, I think he kissed me like that because of how precious I was tohim.
Knix’s fingers slid into my hair. My breath came faster as my heart thudded against my ribcage. Panting between kisses, my whole body tingled as I edged closer and closer until my legs were on either side of his and I was chest to chest with him. I reached for him, my hands on his neck, fingertips grazing hisnape.
He shivered under my touch, his kiss becoming harder, more demanding—as if he couldn’t get enough of me. Our breaths mingled as we kissed. Goosebumps rose along my arms as I clutched at him, not wanting to let go, but at the same time wanting to feel the firm smoothness of his skin pressed against me. I couldn’t take it anymore, I backed up, my hands going to the bottom of hisshirt.
“Please?” Iwhispered.
Knix didn’t respond the way I thought he would. I thought he would back up and let me do it. I thought he’d shake his head and maybe get himself under control. Of the two of us, he had a lot more of that than I did. Instead, he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and ripped it up and over his head in the blink of an eye. Next, his hands fell to the bottom of myshirt.
“Yes,” he whispered back as he pressed a kiss just underneath my jaw. He edged my shirt up, his large palm spanning across my belly. I let him take my shirt away too, though he did it much more gently than he had hisown.
“Knix,” I breathed his name like a prayer, a plea. Turning, Knix settled me under him as he hovered, the width of his chest and shoulders blocking out all light as he leaned in and took my lips once more. My legs fell open. My muscles tensed. I wrapped one hand around his neck, leveraging myself up to keep my mouth locked on his. Knix’s chest came down on me, the soft, lightly furred skin of his pecs rubbing insistently against my bra-coveredbreasts.
I hissed as he pulled away from my mouth and nuzzled downwards, sucking on the column of my throat and making my back bow against him, my breasts pushing against him as a needy noise escaped my lips. My desire coiled tight in my belly, driving me slowly insane. I rubbed against Knix, wanting more, needing him to push this to the next level. I was ready. I wanted it. Ineededit.
And as perceptive as the man was, Knix’s hand skimmed down my sides, heading straight for the button of my pants. He deftly flicked it open and lowered the zipper, backing down my body as he pulled the fabric away. I gasped when he pressed a soft kiss between my legs over the wet spot on my panties. My hands went to the back of his head, eyeswide.
“K-Knix?” Istuttered.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he admitted in a rough tone. “Will you let me?” Those dark blue eyes of his connected with my gaze and I found that I couldn’t deny him anything. I nodded nervously and in response, Knix smiled and pressed a kiss against my hip as he edged my panties down my legs aswell.
The feel of his rough, padded fingertips on my skin made electricity echo under my flesh. I squirmed helplessly as Knix spread my thighs wide, his head descending. A second before his mouth touched my core, his breath brushed over the softness of my folds, making me tighten up. As soon as his lips met my center, however, I felt myself falling into pleasurablebliss.
I closed my eyes and threw my head back as Knix's ministrations began. Tears leaked out of my eyes as my spine arched. I clenched my hands on the back of his head, feeling dizzy from the sensations. The room spun around me as I reopened my eyes and looked down. I tensed, feeling myself reaching aprecipice.
"I can't..." I whispered. "Knix,I'm..."
He took his mouth away for only a scant moment to talk before he descended back to my core. "It's okay," he whispered harshly. "Let it happen, Little Bit. I'll bring you back. I'll catchyou."
I cried out at those words, my fingers tightening—on the sheets, on his head. He didn't seem tomind.
I gasped out, all of the air in my chest seeming to escape me at once. A moan slipped from between my lips, echoing into the room as my breathy voice resounded back to me. I reached it, a white-hot cliff and fell right over into the oblivion on the other side. And just like he promised, Knix caught me, soothing my flesh gently as he brought me back toEarth.
Sweat beaded on my brow as he slowly crawled back up my body, pressing a kiss to my temple. I chuckled even as I panted, trying to catch my breath. Knix pulled back and met my gaze, a dark glitter of need reflected there. He smiled back then lowered to kiss me. I kissed him back, closing my eyes as I leaned up and his hands circled around my back, his fingers deftly unclasping my bra. He gently pulled the material away, down my arms, and tossed it over his shoulder without ever breaking off ourkiss.
"Harlow..."
I moaned again as he settled between my thighs, this time with his groin pressed to mine. He reached into his jeans pocket. A moment later, he tossed his wallet on the nightstand and ripped open the condom. I shivered, waiting. I trembled as he unbuttoned his own pants, backing off the bed so that he could shuck the fabric down completely before returning to me. Knix sheathed himself and looked down at me, his dark gaze meeting mine—sinking into me—as the tip of him brushed against my core and slowly, excruciatingly slowly, pushedinward.
Butterflies spread throughout my belly as he pushed in. I gasped once he was all the way in, my hands reaching up for his shoulders, my nails sinkingdeep.
"Are you okay?" he askedquietly.
I nodded. More than okay. I was overheated. "Please," I gasped out, "pleasemove."
"Okay, Little Bit. Don't worry." Knix's hands slid behind my back, arching me upward a little as he slid out and then back in. I moaned as he hit a spot deep within me. My whole body shuddered as he moved. My hips pushed against him, wanting more. I couldn't controlmyself.
"Knix," I begged. "Harder.Faster."