So Knox had come to town early.
To surprise his female.
Only the damned door creaked and gave him away.
Skye dazzled him with a smile as she lifted her head and looked towards the door, pausing halfway through wiping down one of the wooden tables. Her rich chocolate eyes lit up as they landed on him. She wiped her hands on a towel and jammed it into her dark blue jeans as she hurried to him, her smile infectious, causing his lips to curve into a grin.
He caught her as she hurled herself at him, lifted her and kissed her as she draped her arms around his neck. The kiss was over too soon, ended just as he was getting into it.
“Hey there, handsome.” She gripped his shoulders, smiling down into his eyes as he held her aloft. “I’m guessing you missed me so much you just couldn’t stay away another second.”
Gods, this female knew him too well. Saw straight through him.
“Guessing you missed me too, judging by that welcome.” He eased her down to him and captured her lips again.
He wanted to groan as her lips brushed his, sending heat rolling through him, but was deeply aware they had company.
Skye broke the kiss again and pushed back. Her dark eyes fell to the flower he gripped in his other hand and darted back to meet his.
“That for me?” Her eyebrows rose, warmth flooding her irises as her smile widened a little.
He chuckled. “It was for Lowe, but I suppose I can let you have it.”
She rolled her eyes at him and snatched the flower, smiled at it and then frowned. Her eyes lifted to lock with his again.
“Is this from my planters?” She sighed and tapped him on the forehead with the flower when he grinned at her, not feeling even a trace of regret over his actions. She pulled a face at him, but there was no real anger in it. “I just planted those.”
He released her when she pushed against him, letting her drop to her feet.
“How is Lowe?” She twirled the flower in her fingers. “And Cameo, and Holly?”
“They’re all good. The others are too.” He added that because she never asked about Rune or Maverick, had a tendency to avoid them as much as possible whenever she came to the Ridge. He knew Rune had scared her though so he could understand that.
The two bears had been keeping to themselves recently anyway.
“There’s a get-together tonight.” He gave her a hopeful look, because Saint expected him to be there and he couldn’t disobey his alpha, even when he wanted to be here with Skye, didn’t want to miss one of their dates.
She rubbed her neck and rolled her head, grimacing as her eyes closed.
She pouted as she looked at him. “I want to go too. I’ve been working flat out this week.”
Knox rubbed her shoulders through her worn black Guns N’ Roses T-shirt, growing aware of something.
She had twisted her dark hair up into a knot at the back of her head, exposing her nape in a way that felt intentional to him as he gazed at it. He shook that off. It was warm today and she had been busy, had probably tied her hair away from her neck because she was hot and sticky, and had wanted to cool down, not because she was trying to get his eyes on her nape.
Still, he couldn’t stop staring at her bare neck as he murmured, “I’d like you to come. Everyone would love to see you again.”
Stacy, the mousy-haired female behind the bar, hollered, “Go! I’ll cover tonight with Jon.”
Skye looked over her shoulder at her friend, tormenting him with a flash of her nape.
“Thanks. I owe you.” She turned back to him and stilled. “What?”
He brushed trembling fingers up her neck and couldn’t stop himself from uttering, “What’s this all about?”
The nerves he was battling grew worse when a look entered her eyes, one that told him he wasn’t going crazy and he had been right to think her pinning her hair up had been intentional.
Gods.
He swallowed hard.
“You look spooked again,” she whispered and sidled closer to him.
His eyes darted between hers. “You’re sure? Like really sure? You should think about it, because if we do this—”
“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks, Knox, and the answer never changes. I want to be with you. I want this.” She stroked a hand down his chest.
A sudden urge to growl and seize hold of her swept through him and he gritted his teeth, his lips drawing back in a grimace as the need to mate with her before she could change her mind took control of him, only it was miles of driving and a long walk to his cabin.
Skye slipped her hand into his and tugged him towards the door to the left of the bar, one that led upstairs to her apartment.
Stacy shook her head and kept polishing the glasses as Skye pulled him past her. “At least keep it down this time. Last time you almost gave old McGregor a heart attack.”
A blush stained Skye’s cheeks.
Might have heated his too.
He wasn’t sure he could keep the noise down this time either. Already the urge to mate with Skye was stealing control of him, had him hard in his jeans and aching to be inside her. His fangs dropped, mouth watering at the thought of sinking them into her nape.
She opened the door and he grabbed her, scooped her up into his arms and took the stairs two at a time. He crossed her small living area to her bedroom and dropped her on the bed, made fast work of her clothes as his heart thundered, blood rushing as it heated. Her little moan as he tossed her boots and jeans aside and pulled her top off, revealing her body to his hungry gaze, urged him on together with the scent of her desire and how flushed her cheeks were.
She wanted this. Really wanted this.
Knox shed his own clothes, not slowing even as Skye raked her gaze over him, silently devouring every inch of his body with it, making him wild for her. She removed her bra and threw it aside with a sultry smile on her lips, a wicked glint in her eyes that dared him to come and get her.
When she stroked her fingers down her neck, he growled and bared fangs, half of him expecting her to grow fearful at the sight of them. She didn’t. Her heated look only grew more intense, more hungry, scalded him and had his cock rock hard.
She dropped her hands to her panties.
On a low growl, he grabbed her, flipped her onto her knees at the edge of the mattress and tore them away. He snarled as he filled her in one thrust, claiming her body, tried to convince himself to be gentle with her but it was impossible as his gaze landed on her nape.
Knox drove into her, clutching her hip with one hand to keep her in place and running his other one down the line of her spine.
He stared down at her as he filled her, his gaze tracking over her curves, her scent making him wild as he fought to calm his racing heart and remain in control. He wanted this to feel good for her, wanted it to be a moment neither of them would ever forget. Her pleasure trickled into him through the fragile bond that had been slowly growing between them and he groaned as she rocked back against him, taking him deep into her whenever he withdrew. He could sense her need, couldn’t hold back the growl as the urge to pleasure her stole command of him, the need to satisfy his female a powerful drug that forced him to obey it.
She moaned, the breathless little sound teasing his ears as he stroked her deeper, harder, lowered his gaze and watched his rigid cock sliding into her with each powerful thrust. Gods. He groaned and gripped her harder, his instincts roaring to life to sweep him up in them as he took her, as he looked at what he was doing and how his shaft glistened with her arousal. Need rolled through him, twisting him tight inside, until he was sure he couldn’t breathe.