Then it vanished when Knox leaned in to kiss a path up my collarbone to my lips. “But with me,” he murmured, “you don’t have to fight. You don’t have to outsmart or outrun or outplay anyone.”
His forehead touched mine. Tears sprang to my eyes, unbidden.
“You can just breathe, Caroline. Just let go. Let me take care of you. Not use you. Not hurt you. Not break you. Just treat you right.”
He pulled back so we could lock eyes. No one had ever said my name that way—soft, gentle, husky, like it was more than just a barked order to obey whatever command my father gave.
“Let me show you what it feels like when sex isn’t practical—it’s personal.”
My throat was tight. This time, I really was at a loss for words. All I could do was nod and wait for a man to finally treat me like I wasn’t just a quick fuck. To submit to pleasure on my terms.
My fingers curled in his sleeves.
Knox’s gaze softened, and he uncurled my fingers, interlacing them with his. “Relax, Caroline.”
I exhaled through my mouth, letting my body go limp beneath him. I didn’t have to fight or survive. I just had to feel. “Okay.”
Knox kissed me again. It started slow and tender, like he was sealing his words into promise—and then it got faster, harder, and he started rolling his hips, pressing his hard cock into me until I couldn’t take it anymore.
My free hand yanked my panties down. Before I could get them halfway down my thighs, Knox yanked them off. My legs were suddenly in the air, and he was standing between them, panting, staring at my already-damp clit.
Knox licked his lips. I didn’t know whether to close my legs or spread them wider.
He lowered to his knees, spreading mine with his hands. Already forgetting to let him lead, I sat up to watch.
Knox rolled his eyes. “Do I need to ask permission to lick your pussy?”
“Fuck,” I whispered. My core pulsed harder, hotter. “Do it. Now.”
He chuckled darkly and leaned in. His hands spread my legs wider, keeping them open for him. His eyes, blue as hell, locked onto mine—and he dragged his tongue over my clit. Slow, deliberate, teasing. And the moment it slid between my folds, I knew I was fucking doomed.
My fingers clenched the sheets. I didn’t bite back my gasp as I watched him lick me deeper as if savoring me. My legs trembled. My libido was off the fucking charts as I pulsed under the rhythmic laps of his tongue.
Knox’s hands slid under my ass, lifting me slightly for another angle.
A whimper escaped my lips. I wriggled my hips. “Knox—I want you in?—”
Knox fucking growled, his grip tightening. He was keeping me exactly where he wanted me to be, and I had a feeling he was keeping me there until he was finished with me. “Come for me, spitfire.”
“Not yet,” I gasped back. My thighs were trembling, my back arching as he tongue-fucked me. I wanted to break apart and release, but?—
Knox withdrew. I sucked in a gasp and scrambled for him. How dare he stop!
“Caroline,” he grunted. “Fucking relax.” His hands pressed hard down on my thighs, punishing, keeping me open and still. “You’re not running this.”
I tried to buck my hips, but he was too strong to budge, fingers digging into my skin just enough to make sure I knew who was in control here.
“You fight everything. Everyone. Hell, maybe even yourself.” His thumb dragged a slow, punishing line down the inside of my thigh. “But not me. Not here.”
Knox leaned over me. Lips brushed the shell of my ear, voice dropping to a dangerous rasp. “Stop clawing so hard to be in charge. You don’t have to lead this, spitfire. You don’t have to fight me for it.”
“I—”
To shut me up, Knox took my tit in his mouth. His tongue swirled around the peak. “I’m gonna take care of you,” he promised darkly. “I’m gonna fuck you like you’ve never been fucked. And you’re gonna let me.”
He pulled away again to glare, daring me to fight back. I glared back until I realized he was right. Just let go, Caroline. He’s not like the others.
Knox suddenly rose to his feet, unbuttoning his pants and dropping them. His cock strained against his boxers. “Now be a good girl and give it up, Caroline. Let me make you fall the fuck apart.”