He might pass the otters off to someone else.
But they’d still be alive and well when she got back to Autre.
And looking at him right now, practically oozing testosterone and heat and I-want-to-eat-you-up, she didn’t care who gave the otters their tiny little bottles. She just wanted Knox.
And that told her everything she needed to know about how she felt about this man.
If he could cheat on his otter-fostering duties and she would still want him, she was pretty far gone for him already.
She swallowed hard. “Well, I…”
“Fi,” he interrupted before she had to come up with something witty and flirty.
“Yeah?”
“Come here.”
Her heart thumped, her stomach flipped, and her inner muscles clenched.
Whoa. She'd had an inkling that Knox would be a little dominating and dirty. Not that come here was dirty. But the gruffness in his voice and the look in his eyes were somehow crazy hot.
She wet her lips and came around the side of his desk. Without a word, he rolled his chair back, seemingly making room for her between his seat and the desk. She lifted a brow. He just watched her. Fine. She wasn't going to play shy or hard to get. Shy simply wasn't in her DNA and hard to get was the last thing she was for Knox.
She slid her butt along the edge of his desk until she was positioned between his knees. They weren't even touching but she felt electricity crackling in the air.
Then he rolled forward and leaned in, resting his palms flat on the surface of his desk on either side of her hips, caging her in.
"Kiss me." The command was simple and gruff.
Her heart gave a hard thunk and she felt adrenaline flood her system.
She had to lean over just slightly to obey. And she was so not the type to be bossed around. But this guy also had her driving seven hundred miles on a fairly regular basis just so she could see him.
Sure it worked out that she could bring animals and that was absolutely a good thing—for the animals and the people involved. But she knew that the Autre animal sanctuary was growing faster because Knox was here.
He was also keeping her up late at night and had her replacing the batteries in her vibrator far more often than she had before she'd met him.
So him telling her to kiss him? Yes please.
She took his face in her hands, his beard soft against her palms, and locked her gaze on his. Then she pressed her lips to his. Softly at first, but the heat between them flared and the feel of his mouth on hers, after so many months of banter, and flirting, and sexual tension, and getting to know him, had her sighing and parting her lips after only a few seconds.
He felt like…yes.
That was the word that echoed in her head. This just felt right. It felt hot and thrilling and full of decadent promises. But it was also satisfying, like she’d finally scratched an itch that had been torturing her for months, while also filling her with a need for more that surprised her with its intensity. This kiss felt like something she’d been waiting for forever. It was strangely familiar, comfortable, and just good.
His lips were demanding against hers, but Knox sat with his hands still on the desk, not moving otherwise. His mouth moved over hers for several long, exquisite seconds, then he licked along her bottom lip, before stroking his tongue against hers. The firm, delicious thrust sent a jolt of heat through her and she was shocked by how thoroughly he could kiss her with no other part of his body involved.
But he was using plenty of chemistry, and their history, and lots of fantasy and longing on her side. She wasn't sure he knew just how much longing, but she wouldn't have been surprised if he suspected. She was a pretty open book…
That thought was what made her pull back.
There were things Knox didn’t know about her. Things she thought she should tell him, but that fell in that category of things-he-seemed-to-not-want-to-know-more-about. I.e., her personal life.
She just stared down at him, breathing hard, shocked by the heat and emotion of the kiss, not sure what to say.
He studied her for a few seconds, then said in that deep, gruff voice, "I wasn't done."
Before she could respond, he came to his feet, towering over her and crowding close, his hands still braced on the desk.
She was trapped between his big hard body and the hard wood behind her. And she couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be. Except maybe with a soft horizontal surface behind her.
This time he was the one who took her face in his hands. His huge palms cupped the sides of her face, his fingers wrapping around to slide into her hair. Then he tipped her head and leaned down to seal his mouth over hers.
If she'd thought he'd kissed her before, it was nothing compared to this.
He took her mouth. Fully. With heat and intention. Lust and electricity zipped along her nerve endings and her entire world narrowed to focus only on this man and everything he was making her feel. Having his mouth against hers before had been amazing but having his mouth and hands on her and his body pressed against her was intoxicating. She felt dizzy, and full of happiness and warmth that was more than just lusty heat.
Though there was plenty of that too.
She moaned and grasped his biceps as she tried to press more fully against him. Their height difference was kind of hot. And kind of a pain in the ass.
He clearly agreed. A second later, with a little growl, his dropped his hands to her hips and lifted her onto the desk, stepping in between her thighs to press close. But again, he was too tall, or she was too short, for them to really fit together.
His growl was a little louder and more frustrated when he scooped his hands under her ass and lifted her as he sat back in his chair. She straddled his thighs now and, oh yes, she was now able to press right against the thick, hard bulge behind his fly.
This time they both groaned.
His fingers tightened where they still cupped her butt and the kiss grew even deeper. Her hands went to his head, her fingers sinking into his hair, holding him still as she pressed into his body from chest to cock.
She was really glad she’d worn only leggings today. The thin material let her feel everything from the impressive ridge between her legs to the big, hot hands holding her ass.
“God, Knox,” she nearly panted as she came up for air.
He dragged his mouth along her jaw, his beard abrading her skin and sending goosebumps dancing down her neck and arms, tightening her nipples. She tipped her head back and his hot mouth trailed kisses down her throat until he got to her collar bone. He gave her a quick lick, and fire seemed to shoot from there straight through her belly to her pussy. She moaned and rocked against him.
He kissed his way back up her neck to her ear where he gave her lobe a tiny nip, then said roughly, “Yep. Exactly what I thought.”
“What?” she asked, breathlessly.
“You taste delicious.” He pulled back, pinning her with his gaze. “I want to eat you right up.”
Her breath caught as she grew even hotter and wetter.
“Well,” she said, her voice sounding thick and scratchy. “I think we should—”
His grip on her tightened and he shifted, but it took her a second to realize he was moving her off of his lap. He set her feet on the floor and rolled his chair back. With him still in it.
She waited for him to say something. When he didn’t immediately, she asked, “Are we going to your place?”