Page 30 of Within Shadows
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he teases but slides in and pulls the blanket over him. Knox turns towards me, wrapping my leg around his waist until he freezes.
“Maeve,”
“What?” I ask.
“Are you naked?” His voice is strained, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I shrug, because Idostill have a shirt on. So, technically, I’m not naked.
“Fuck,” he breathes, whipping the blankets off of us as he stares at the way I’m wrapped around him. His fingers trail over my bare hip where the shirt has ridden up and grips my ass. I hold my breath as he continues exploring, sliding his hand around my thigh until he brushes the edge of my pussy. I arch my back, all but begging him to keep going.
“You’re so wet for me,” he pants but doesn’t go any further. Instead, he jerks his hand away, yanking the blanket back over us as he flops flat on his back and grips a fistful of his hair.
“Your trust, Maeve. Ineedto earn your trust.” Even if he addresses me, I still get the feeling that he’s reminding himself. I almost consider lying, telling him that I do trust him, but I can’t do that. He wraps his arm around me, hitching my leg higherover his hip to grind against me. The friction against my clit draws a whimper from me, and he chuckles.
“Neither of us is going to get a good night's rest, and you only have yourself and this perfect pussy of yours to blame,” he tsks, kissing me and biting my lip. Yeah, I may have royally screwed up. This is torture.
Chapter 19
Knox
A chill across my legs has me reaching out, searching for the blankets, but I find something so much better. My hand lands on a soft, beckoning mound of flesh. Maeve’s quiet snores falter as she moans, grinding against me while I grip her ass. She’s nearly naked, lying completely on top of me, and my rock hard dick is nestled right between her thighs with just a shirt. She is more tempting than a glass of water to someone on the brink of dehydration, but I am a man of my word.
Before I can untangle myself, she stirs, rubbing her eyes, and I slow my breathing, pretending to still be asleep as she lifts up. I peer through the slit in my eyelids as she wipes a hand over her mouth; every movement has her rubbing against me, and my cock didn’t get the memo that we are supposed to be asleep. She slowly peels herself away and stares at the bulge that I’m dying to bury inside of her. Her eyes nervously flick to my face, and she watches carefully as her hand inches between her legs.
She slowly moves her hand, mixed with the way she pants and biting her lip to stay silent, makes my cock jerk. She sucks in a quiet breath, moving to twirl her fingers around her clit, and I wait, watching as she draws closer to the one thing she needs. The way she tenses next to me while biting back those sweet sounds is unbearable. I launch myself sideways, ripping her hand from between her thighs and pinning it to the bed next to her head.
Maeve lets out a startled shriek; wide eyes lock onto my face as she catches her breath. Even now, with flushed cheeks and messy hair, she is the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“What is wrong with you?” she bites out, mouth pursed in irritation. I lean close, brushing my lips along her cheek as I keep moving until I wrap my lips around her wet fingers. Maeve gasps softly, shivering as I savor the taste of her, pulling back once I’ve licked her fingers clean.
“You are divine, muse. I’m a man blessed to bow at the feet of a beautiful woman. What could be wrong with that?” I ask, raising a brow. She rolls her eyes, but I notice the way her lips curl.
“That was cheesy, even for you.” She tries tugging her hands free from my grip.
“Trying to escape me again?” I brush my nose against hers, relishing in the way our breath mingles in the inch separating our lips.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she admits sheepishly. I sigh, sitting back on my heels. Before she can escape, I clasp a hand over her pussy, grinding my heel against her sensitive clit to draw a gasp from her.
“That’s a sound I’ll never get tired of hearing.” Reluctantly I withdraw my hand, motioning that she is free. Maeve nearly tumbles from the bed as she scurries out of the room, and I happily watch her ass bounce with each step. This woman owns me; I would rip my heart from my chest and lay it in her palm if she asked me to. I check my phone while waiting and see a text from Al, and my jaw aches with how tightly I clench my teeth.
Al:Checked her house like you asked. Power was cut, cameras are offline, and somebody is parked nearby watching. Her cat is locked in your room, he already used our couch as a scratching post.
I was afraid Oliver wasn’t done yet, and I was right. He’s ramping up the antics and getting bolder, which makes him less rational and more dangerous to Maeve. I asked Al to swing by and check out her house last night and to grab her cat just to be safe. I wouldn’t put animal cruelty beyond Oliver’s capabilities, and I won’t risk it. Maeve won’t be going home anytime soon, and staying here doesn’t feel safe anymore.
Maeve is fuming in the front seat, arms crossed as we drive out of town. I’m only half paying attention to her under-the-breath grumbling as my eyes flick to the rearview mirror. A discreet black car is still there, far enough back to avoid suspicion but still following every turn we make.
“I can’t just stay in your clothes all the time, Knox. I need my stuff.” Maeve tries a gentle approach this time, less demanding than the last twenty attempts for me to take her home. My mind is racing through a dozen options of how to lose whoever is tailing me without scaring Maeve. I dig my phone from my pocket and hand it to her. She takes it and stares at it like I’ve just handed her a potentially explosive device. I roll my eyes and push it closer to her. “The passcode is your birthday.” Maeve snorts a laugh but types it in.
“Coming on a little strong there, big guy,” she mutters. I smirk but keep my mouth shut, choosing not to profess my undying love for her in that moment. Part of me is very curious what she thinks of the baby names I’ve got in mind for when we have our own perfect little blend of the two of us.
“What am I looking for?” she asks, hesitant to snoop.
“My emails.” I wait patiently, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I speed up and swerve through traffic, trying to lose the tail behind us.
“You have an online shopping addiction, obviously. Somehow I’m not surprised. Wait, what the hell?” Maeve swipes through, finally catching on.
“Did you buy stuff from my wishlists? Knox, how much did you spend? And when did you go through my phone?” Her voice slowly rises, and I struggle to bite back my smile.
“You sleep like the dead. Even with a masked man leaning over your bed, you snore so sweetly and softly. It’s cute and mildly alarming. Wrapped in my arms, nothing could wake you. I just wanted to spoil you, to be honest, but it worked out. So you only have to struggle through wearing my clothes for one more day.” I flick my gaze to the rearview as a disgruntled driver lays on their horn, waving their hand as the black car cuts them off. The man following us is close enough that I can see him, making out a blur of his features. Maeve cranes her neck, looking into the rearview mirror.
