Page 70 of Worth the Want
She kisses me again. Hard. I never want to stop kissing her. I could live a thousand years, and nothing would come close to the feel of her lips on mine.
“This is the best surprise date I’ve ever been on,” she muses, leaning back into me. I reach to my side into the bag I stashed here earlier and pull out the candy, laying it out in front of her.
“Cherry candies?”
“You said it was your favorite flavor.”
“It was, but I think I have a new one.”Oh, well, now the candy seems silly.
She opens a box of candies, popping one into her mouth. Turning her head, she looks up at me. “Come here,” shewhispers, and I lean down, letting her press her sour-cherry lips to mine.
“That’smy favorite flavor,” she whispers, her words hitting me directly in the chest.
Being her favorite anything makes me feel like I’m ten feet tall. Indie choosing to spend her nights with me, quietly reading or playing with Hazel in the wildflowers instead of going out or having wild nights like a twenty-something should be able to, tugs at me, leaving me with the nagging question I seem to always come back to. Will I be able to give her the life she should have? Am I enough for her?
Soft music plays from the speaker in the corner of the living room. I’m listening to it from the kitchen while setting up what I hope is a romantic dinner for Knox. His mom has Hazel tonight, so I thought it would be fun to make him dinner since he usually cooks, and after our date the other night, I just want to show him how much he means to me.
It’s very unlike me to do something like this. I’ve never cooked a full meal that didn’t involve a microwave, but Knox is a caretaker, and I just want to show him that I’ll take care of him too. I blush. There are a lot of ways I plan to take care of him tonight. The past few weeks with him have been some of the most special of my life. I can see a future here, one I want badly. He and Hazel are at the center of it.
I check Winnie’s written instructions again and make sure I’m properly cooking the pasta. Fresh pasta. That I made. Me. I giggle alone in Knox’s open kitchen. I have a pot of boiling water on the stove with a heavy amount of salt in it. There’s an Alfredo cooking in the saucepan beside it, and I have theseasoned chicken baking in the oven. My timing should come out perfectly.
I start wiping down the flour and egg mess off the counters. When they’re clean, I grab two plates from the cabinet and utensils from the drawer. I take the sauce off the heat and drop the pasta into the pot. Winnie told me fresh pasta cooks quickly, so I've saved it for last. When I pull the chicken out of the oven, I hear his truck pull up outside. I quickly set it on the cutting board and reach for the bottle of wine I bought for us.
I open it as I walk to the island, setting it down next to the two glasses I have sitting out. A door slamming gets my attention, and I almost knock the bottle off the counter. I laugh a little at my nervousness. I test a piece of the pasta, and it’s perfect. I drain it quickly, adding the butter and seasonings to the noodles before stirring. Okay, everything is ready.
The front door opens, and Knox tentatively sticks his head in the door. I grin. “Hi. Um, surprise.” His answering smile is dazzling. Blue eyes crinkle at the corners, and his straight white teeth are on full display. He shuts the front door behind him before sweeping me into his arms, wrapping his big hand around the back of my head, scratching my neck with his beard as he nuzzles into it.
“What’s all this for?” he asks into my hair, kissing my temple and then my cheek while he still holds me to him.
“I just wanted to do something for you. You’re always doing things for me,” I say quietly.
He pulls my head back so he can look at me before he responds. “Honey, you being here is doing something for me.” I melt into him. I’ve never felt more safe than when I’m in Knox’s arms.
“Well, that I can do. I really like being here with you. With Hazel.”
“We really like having you with us. Hazel never wants you to leave,” he tells me. My throat tightens with emotion, hearing that Hazel may care for me as much as I already care for her.
“You both may be in luck.” I kiss along Knox’s jaw. “I think I’m falling for Silverthorne,” I tell him quietly, like it's a secret I only want to tell him.
“Is that so?” he asks. I nod, our noses just brushing. He smiles into our kiss. It’s not full of heat like it was the last time he was holding me like this. Tonight, it’s something else entirely.
What I feel for Knox isn’t something I can name. It isn’t something I've ever felt before, but it feels like…devotion.Like I could fall in step beside him and walk into a future I’m not sure about because I’m sure abouthim.He’s kissing me like I’m the most true thing in his life. Maybe that’s me projecting since he’s the most true thing in mine.
He carries me to the kitchen table, propping me on the edge of it without breaking our kiss. I wrap my legs around his hips tighter. I don’t want any space between us. He cradles both sides of my face and tips it up toward him, delving his tongue into my mouth. Claiming me. I reach up to fist his hair in my hands, tugging at the roots. I'm rewarded with a deep groan that embeds itself under my skin.
“Knox,” I pant when he pulls his mouth back from mine. It’s a question, but I’m not even sure what I’m asking. I’m out on a ledge somewhere, and it won’t take much to tip me over. He starts placing open-mouthed kisses to my neck, pulling my dress down to expose my collarbone, my shoulders. “I…” I am delirious. I’m in a lust-filled haze. A state that exists between reality and all the fantasies I’ve ever had, and he hasn’t even touched me yet. This is what he does to me.
“I don’t think you understand how bad I want you, Honey,” he rasps, slipping my sundress over my head. My legs loosen around him, and he leans back to look at me in my white lace bra and panties. “You’re so beautiful,” he tells me, pressing kisses down my chest before pulling the cup of my bra away and taking my hardened nipple into his mouth. His scruff against the sensitive skin and his hot mouth sucking has me gasping. He bares his teeth and nips, andoh my god,my vision goes blurry.
“Oh god,” I moan, my eyes falling shut briefly, my grip in his hair tightening. His hum of approval vibrating against me. I want this man. He may want me, but he can’t possibly know how insane with need I am for him. His touch, his laugh, his wit, his cock. “I want you. Please, I want you.” I whisper these words over and over, not caring if I sound desperate because that’s exactly what I am. I am filled with need and desire for this man like I’ve never known.
“I wouldn’t want the dinner you worked so hard on to get cold, Indie. I want you to feel appreciated,” he teases.
“Knox, I can think of seventeen ways you can appreciate me off the top of my head. Only four involve food and none include chicken fettuccine,” I mutter. He laughs at that, breath caressing my skin.
“Okay, Indie Baby, let’s get you taken care of then.”Thank God.He lifts me again like I weigh nothing, walking us down the hall to his bedroom. It’s dark here now, the afternoon sun has fallen behind the mountains. He unhooks my bra before laying me on the center of the bed and drags it down my arms, taking it with him when he sits back on the bed to look at me.His blue eyes look navy in the dim light, and they’re brimming with promises.
“I could stare at you forever, Indie.” His voice is a deep rumble that settles right where the throbbing is between my legs. “Arms up.” I whimper and do what he says. “Keep them there, or I'll stop. Do you understand?” I nod and try to whisper out a yes. He smiles, then leans forward, grabbing me by the chin to plant a firm kiss to my mouth. My arms reflexively go to touch him. When my hands get to his hair, he sits back again.
