“Then you’d better stop.”
His hand came out of my pants and he climbed off the bed. The moment he reached for the hem of his shirt, I propped up on an elbow and refused to blink as he dragged it over his head. I’d seen him shirtless through the window, but damn. There was nothing like a close-up view of those washboard abs. The definition at his hips was mouthwatering. He had the V that disappeared past the waistband of his jeans.
The tattoos on his biceps wrapped up and around his shoulders. One dipped low to his pec. If he let me tonight, I’d gladly trace the lines with my fingertips and my tongue.
He kicked off his shoes while flipping the button on his jeans.
The hitched breath that escaped my lips made Knox freeze. “Too fast?”
I shook my head, eyes glued to his long, thick cock. “You’re, um . . . wow.”
He planted a knee in the bed, covering me with that muscular body. An arm reached for the nightstand drawer and when he brought the condom between us, he gave me one more chance to hit the brakes. “We can save this for another night.”
“Why are you trying to talk me out of having sex with you?”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Because tonight will be the best damn time I’ve had in years. I want that for you too. No regrets.”
“No regrets.”
He held my gaze, searching for a shred of doubt. He wouldn’t find one.
I shoved at his shoulders, forcing him up. Then I stripped off my own top, tossing it to the floor. His eyes flared at the sight of my bare breasts. That appreciation was enough to banish any fears that my body had changed after childbirth and I’d lost my appeal.
Knox surged, his lips fusing to mine. Then we were a mess of frantic movements as we both worked to shove away my pants, leaving nothing between us but heat.
His weight settled into the cradle of my hips. His body was a tower of strength. His arms bracketing my face kept him from crushing me, but he stayed close enough that the dusting of hair on his chest rubbed against my sensitive nipples.
“You are . . . you are a dream,” he breathed. “I gave up on those.”
My breath hitched. “So did I.”
His kiss was soft and gentle as he positioned himself at my entrance. Then he rocked us together, inch by inch.
I savored the stretch, the feel of him so hard inside me. My entire body ignited as he moved, in and out, in deliberate, measured strokes until I was clawing at his shoulders, urging him on, faster and faster.
This man, holy God he had stamina. Knox never tired. He never stopped, just fucked, exactly like a woman should be fucked. Long and with rapt attention.
The sound of our labored breaths echoed in the dark room. The magnificent tension built higher and higher with each of his thrusts until I felt like glass ready to shatter.
“Come.” Knox dropped his mouth to my pulse and sucked. Hard. Then he pistoned his hips, hitting that spot inside that made me see stars.
I exploded around him, pulsing and squeezing, as the world disappeared. There was nothing but us and the fall over the edge.
Tremors racked my body and with a groan, he buried his face in my hair, his own limbs shaking, and gave in to his own orgasm.
His heart thundered as he collapsed on top of me. “Goddamn, Memphis.”
“That was . . .” I wrapped my arms and legs around him, not wanting to lose the weight. But he shifted, rolling to his side and pulling me into his chest.
“That was fucking fire.”
I smiled against his throat, content to sleep exactly like this, our bodies damp with sweat and tangled together. But my son had other ideas.
A tiny cry carried through the house. I rolled off the bed, scurrying for my clothes. Then I jogged to the kitchen, rushing to get a bottle and formula from the diaper bag.
I’d just filled it with water when a shirtless Knox came striding down the hallway, passing the kitchen for the guest bedroom. He emerged moments later with Drake in his arms.
“I can take him,” I said.
“I’ve got him.” He stole the bottle from my hand and walked to the couch, settling down with the baby.
I curled up on the other end, tucking my legs beneath me.
Those two were a sight. A dream.
Drake looked content in Knox’s arms. Knox seemed happy too.
“This was a best day,” I whispered. “Top five.”
“Tell me about them. Your top five best days.”
“You already know the first.”
“Drake’s birthday.”
I nodded. “Early on in labor, when the contractions weren’t coming one on top of another, this nurse brought me in a basket of knitted baby hats. A woman who volunteered in the nursery made them for all the new babies. I picked out this soft gray one, and as I held it, I had this feeling like I was exactly where I needed to be. Have you ever felt like that?”
“Yeah. The day I moved home from San Francisco and walked into the kitchen at The Eloise.”
“It’s a good feeling.”
“That it is.” He glanced down at my son. “What about the other days?”
“My third best day was the day I graduated from college. My girlfriends and I planned this amazing party. We got all dressed up and went clubbing and drank champagne and danced all night.”
The memory of that night wasn’t as bright as it had been. I hadn’t spoken to any of those friends in months. We’d drifted apart some after college, each of us busy with fledgling careers. Then I’d gotten pregnant and my clubbing nights had disappeared and with them, my friends.
Friends who weren’t really friends. I still liked their photos on Instagram. They sent the occasional text to check in. But our lives had gone in different directions.
“My fourth-best day was a trip I took to Hawaii for work,” I said. “We’d just opened a hotel on Maui, and I’d gone out to work with the local marketing team to get some pictures and content for social media. I flew out early and spent an entire day on the beach, reading and napping and doing nothing but listening to the sound of the waves.”
“When was that?”
“A couple years ago. It was my most peaceful day.” Because not long after, I’d met Oliver. And he’d brought chaos to my life.
“I haven’t been to the beach in ages.” Knox took the empty bottle from Drake and set it on the end table. Then he shifted my son over his shoulder, patting his back. “Okay, what’s the next best?”
“The day I moved into my townhouse in the city.” Another best day tainted.
I’d hoped to buy the townhouse from my parents. The location had been fantastic, just a short walk to some of my favorite restaurants. There’d been a coffee shop three blocks away. Its only rival for a vanilla latte was Lyla’s. The townhouse’s interior I’d decorated exactly to my style, classy and chic and comfortable.
I gave Knox a sad smile. “I really loved that place.”
“Is that why your dad took it away?”
“Probably.”
My father had wanted his way. And like he had our entire lives, he kept his children in line by taking away the things we loved.
“Sorry, honey. Gotta say . . . I’m not cool with your dad.”
“I’m not cool with him either.”
When I’d first told Knox about my family, I hadn’t wanted them to seem ugly. But as the days passed, as Knox interacted with Eloise or Anne popped into the hotel to check on her kids, I began to see my parents’ true colors. Black and lifeless and empty.