As the engine fired up and the aircraft began to move, Harper sank deeper into the leather reclining seat. Damn, she really did love the private jet. Black and sleek, it made her think of Knox with his dark designer suits and smooth polished shoes. The white and gray interior was business-like without being bland or insipid. Again, it made her think of Knox; it didn’t matter that he never wore much color, he could never be accused of looking plain.
The beverage cart creaked as the attentive stewardess appeared, smelling of hairspray and hand sanitizer. After giving Harper a bottle of water and preparing Knox a gin and tonic, she disappeared behind the curtain. Harper kind of liked her, especially since she never flirted with Knox – apparently, she was happily mated to the captain.
Levi and Tanner were in the cabin near the front of the craft, which meant Harper and Knox were alone when she opened her bottle and asked, “So, why don’t you tell me what happened at the meeting?”
Sitting opposite her with his thighs bracketing hers, Knox did exactly that. He would have preferred to simply pyroport them to his privately owned Caribbean island, but he needed to be seen by others to leave Vegas and arrive on the island. Otherwise, people would definitely talk. The less they knew about his abilities, the less they could predict what he could or would do.
Harper sighed. “I wish I’d been there. I don’t like that I didn’t see their reactions for myself.” As his shoulders tensed, she added, “I’m not saying I should have been there – it was for the best that I didn’t go.”
Like that, his muscles lost their stiffness. Knox drummed his fingers on the armrest. “As I reminded you earlier, one of the Primes can sense pregnancies, just like Wren. I want to be in control of when the demon population discovers you’re pregnant.”
She snickered. “Of course you do. You’re all about control.” She rummaged through her bag until she found the plastic box that Meg handed her as they were leaving. Curious about what was inside, she peeled off the lid and found a gorgeously prepared fruit salad. It was sweet of the woman, but… “I miss chocolate.”
Knox’s mouth quirked. “I thought you might.” He pulled a Hershey’s bar out of his pocket, almost chuckling at the way her eyes lit up. His demon’s sour mood lifted at the sight.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“You said it this morning, actually, but it never hurts to hear it again.”
“Then I love you, Knox Thorne. Now gimme that chocolate.”
He handed it over. “I have an ulterior motive.”
She paused in tearing it open. “Oh yeah?”
“You know I love to watch you eat. It’s even better when you’re eating chocolate – you make those little moans that wrap around my cock like a fist.”
Her demon liked that comment a lot. Harper grinned. “I kind of like watching you eat… certain things.”
The sexual implication had all kinds of images flashing through his head and made his cock harden almost painfully. Another time, he might have ordered her to come to him and do something about the hard-on she’d caused. He could see in her eyes that it was what she expected him, wanted him, to do, but… “I have plans for you. They don’t include you riding me on the jet – not today. So be a good girl and eat your chocolate and fruit.”
With a humph, she bit into the bar. “So where are we going anyway? Don’t say it’s a surprise. You know I don’t like them.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “I know.”
“You told me to pack plenty of bikinis, so I’m guessing it’s somewhere warm.”
“Good guess.”
Impatience flared in her eyes. “Come on, give me something.”
“All right. We’ll be staying in a beach hut.”
She blinked. “Beach hut? You mean, like, at a resort?”
“No. I own the island.”
“Well, of course you own an island,” she muttered dryly. “Meg gave me a list of the foods that I can’t eat to give to whoever’s cooking for us. She cried while I was packing. She said she wants me to stay close to her so that she can keep an eye on me and make sure I eat properly. Personally, I think she was just trying to guilt me into taking her along.” She broke off a chunk of her chocolate bar and offered it to him, but he shook his head. “She fusses even more than you do, and that’s saying something. But, of course, that no doubt suits you just fine.”
Knox partially lowered the window shade to protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. “I like knowing there’s always someone watching over you.”
She slanted her head. “I wonder if you’ll ease up on me a little when the baby’s born. Maybe all that hyper-protective energy will then be concentrated on them.”
Knox leaned forward and curled his hand around her chin as he spoke, voice grave. “I will be very protective of the baby – make no mistake about that. But nothing will ever make me less protective of you. Not a thing.” He kissed her hard and deep, tasting Coke and chocolate and Harper… which was a bad move, really, because it only made his cock even harder. “This is going to feel like a really long flight,” he grumbled.
“I bet I can improve your mood,” she said with a smile. “Lucian’s postponed his trip. Apparently, he met some Thai woman and she’s keeping him rather occupied right now.”
That did improve his mood. “Hopefully she keeps him occupied for a long, long time.” Knox took another swig from his glass. “Like a century, for example.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t say I’m disappointed by his news. I don’t think he’ll react well to my being pregnant, so the delay is most welcome. Not that I want or feel that I need his approval. But you’ve seen how he gets when something upsets his little world. It’s excruciatingly annoying. And I know that if he has a tantrum and says something offensive, my demon’s going to want to shove my stiletto blade right up his rectum.”
Knox licked his teeth. “My demon will want to do worse.” The entity already despised Lucian for his neglect of Harper.
“Which means the whole thing has the makings of a clusterfuck.” Harper fell quiet as she finished off her Hershey’s bar and drank more of her Coke. “Oh, I meant to ask before: was Dario at the meeting?”
“Yes, he seemed angry that you were hurt and he wants to be sure that whoever’s behind the attacks will soon be dead.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.”
“I asked him if Nora had any warnings to deliver. She said that when it’s time to kill the child, we shouldn’t hesitate. For a moment, I thought she meant our child. But I think she meant McCauley.”
Frowning, Harper swallowed. “The kid creeps me out, but I don’t want to have to kill him.” Just the thought made her stomach churn. Even her demon wasn’t keen on the idea.
Knox rubbed her thigh. “Neither do I, baby. Neither do I.”
“You said it was a beach hut.”
“It is.”
Hut, my ass. “Knox, aside from having a thatched roof, it is nothing like a hut.” The white, two-story building was more of a luxury villa. Situated on a beautiful tropical beach, it was surrounded by tall palm trees and white sand. The sun glittered off the rippling turquoise-blue sea, and she just wanted to dive right in it – it was seriously freaking hot.
It had only been a short walk from the jet to the “hut”, but already her skin was sticky and sweat was trickling down her back. As they’d walked along the man-made path through the jungle, she’d seen lots of colorful birds, a few snakes, and heard what she suspected were monkeys in the distance. Not a big fan of monkeys, she hoped they remained in the distance.
She almost sighed in relief as the cool breeze swept over her and ruffled her shirt. “Did you ever rent out the island?”
“No. It’s mine.”
He said it with such finality that she smiled. “And you don’t share what’s yours.”
Knox drew her close and spoke against her mouth. “No, I definitely don’t share what’s mine.” Neither did his demon. He licked at her lower lip and then gave it a sharp, possessive nip. “Come on, let’s go inside so I can show you the place.”
Knox first introduced her to the housekeeper and maintenance guy – both of whom were natives of a neighboring island but also belonged to their lair. It was clear to Harper by the way they chatted to Tanner and Levi that the sentinels had accompanied Knox here plenty of times.
The interior of the spacious, stylishly furnished villa was beautiful. Bright walls, gleaming floors, and high windows that took advantage of the idyllic ocean view. The bedroom was her favorite part of the villa. It had a hot tub, a canopy bed with white drapes that kept out the mosquitos, and a gorgeous balcony that overlooked the sea.
Each of the sentinels had their own room at the other side of the villa, which gave Harper and Knox plenty of privacy. She was glad of that, because she could be kind of noisy in bed and the sentinels would no doubt immaturely tease her about it.
Dressed in a neon-pink bikini, she’d just finished applying sun lotion when Knox walked into the bedroom. His eyes darkened as they roamed over her, and her demon stretched languidly. Harper let her own gaze explore his powerful build, lingering a little on the growing bulge in his shorts. “I’m happy to skip the swim and take care of that, just so you know.”
Knox stalked over to her and trailed his finger over the swell of her breasts, inhaling the fruity scent of her sunscreen. “Very magnanimous of you,” he quipped.
“I’m all heart.”
He dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach. “I don’t know why it turns me on knowing that I put a baby in you. I really don’t.”
She swallowed. “I’m not complaining, in case you were wondering.”
He stood, mouth curved. “Come on.” He linked his fingers with hers and led her downstairs and out onto the deck, facing the beach. Tanner and Levi were already sprawled on sun loungers, soaking up the sun.
Harper almost winced at the smothering heat. “That sand’s gonna be hot.”
“Want me to carry you to the water?”
Pride made her spine snap straight. “I can manage.”
Knox’s demon chuckled. “If we run, it’ll hurt less.”
“Then we run. Ready?”
He nodded. “Go.”
Harper took off and, God, it was like stepping on hot coals. She rushed to the shoreline and pretty much sloshed into the sea rather ungracefully. She’d braced herself for the shock of cold water, but the water was surprisingly warm as it lapped at her body.
She watched as Knox dunked himself and then stood straight. Water poured off his head and slid down his body in a way that made her mouth dry up. “You should do that again. And again.” Chuckling, he guided her deeper into the water and pulled her against him. He kissed her gently, softly… then dunked them both, the bastard. She coughed as their heads broke the surface. “You could have warned me!”
Knox and his demon smiled. She always made him think of a hissing, spitting kitten when she snapped at him. He smoothed his hands up her back. “Sorry, baby.”
“No, you’re not.” She saw a dark shadow under the water and almost leapt out of his arms. “Jellyfish!”
Tightening his arms around her, Knox looked around. “There are no jellyfish.”
“I saw jellyfish.”
“There are no jellyfish. Relax,” he soothed. “Breathe. Take in the view.”
Harper took a long breath. Under the scents of salt water and seaweed were the smells of tropical flowers, sunscreen, and the food coming from the villa. Hooking her arms around his neck, she looked around as they bobbed in the sea, water rippling around them. Waves tumbled into rocks, tossing up foamy sprays of water. There was a dock nearby where jet skis and powerboats idled. Beyond the green mountains, in the far distance, were other small islands.
“Well, does it have your stamp of approval?”
“It does.” Even though the heat of the sun pricked her skin and felt oppressive on her chest, she absolutely loved the place. “But if you’re hoping I’ll agree to stay here for the rest of the pregnancy, you’re out of your demonic mind. I don’t hide.”
“It wouldn’t be hiding.” He kissed her shoulder, fingering her bikini strap. “Stress is not good for you or the baby.”
“Oh, don’t play the baby card with me, Thorne.”
“This – quiet, peace, safety – is what you need right now.”
“And staying here for a few weeks would be awesome. But I would lose my mind sitting around here for the rest of the pregnancy with nothing to do.”
“There’s plenty to do and see here. Rivers. Creeks. Jungle. Mountains. Waterfalls. Ancient ruins. You could not be bored.” He paused at the cry of a pelican that flew overhead. “Your friends and family can visit you. I’ll be here.”
“Not all the time.”
“I can be, if that’s what you want.”
She almost snorted, but then she realized… “You’re serious.”
He sighed at her astonishment. “Harper, when are you going to realize that you’re my priority? You come first to me. If you want me to take the next twelve weeks off work to be with you every moment of this pregnancy, that’s what I’ll do.” His demon would love that anyway.
Touched, she swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Being with you twenty-four seven would be no hardship.” Beneath the water, he traced her hipbone, knowing her little raven tattoo was right there. Being that ravens were cunning, strategic tricksters, she felt she could relate to them. Knox suspected they also made her think of her family. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re happy and safe.”
“And I love you for that, but I still can’t stay holed up here.” She smiled, adding, “We can, however, relax here for a little while. That sounds like an awesome plan to me. Besides, we have a nursery to design and baby… stuff to order.”
“Stuff?”
She shrugged. “I’ve never cared for a baby. I don’t know a great deal about what that entails, what we’ll need, or how much of it we’ll need. What I currently know is courtesy of the Internet.”
“We’ll be fine. If we weren’t delaying the announcement of the pregnancy, we could have hired people to prepare the nursery for us.”
She welcomed the ocean breeze as it tugged at her hair, which hung in wet ropes down her back. “No, I’d rather be part of designing and readying it anyway.”
“All right, that’s what you’ll do.” He dipped his hand inside her bikini bottoms, cupping her ass. “So, you’re happy to stay here for a little while. How about a month?”
She frowned. “A week.”
“That’s too short.”
“All right, two weeks.”
“Still too short. Three weeks. And if you do get bored, we’ll leave earlier.”
“Fine, three weeks.”
“Good girl.” Of course, he’d do his best to convince her to stay longer. It was that fact alone that stopped his demon from sulking.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’ll try and talk into me stay – jellyfish!” She pretty much tried to climb up his body, not appreciating his chuckles at all.
“There are no jellyfish.”
“I saw one!” But the bastard didn’t stop chuckling. Instead, he pulled her deeper into the sea. They stayed there for a little while, just talking and enjoying the uninterrupted time. “You know, I could really do with an ice cream right now.”
“Ice cream? I think I can make that happen.” He scooped her up, shocking a little squeal out of her, and traced their footprints in the hot sand as he headed to the villa. Once on the deck, he gently put her on her feet. “Shower first.”
“Good idea.” Although she hadn’t lain on the beach, the sand had somehow found its way inside her bikini and was chafing her skin. Inside the villa, he took her straight to the bathroom attached to their bedroom. Without removing their swimsuits, he backed her into the walk-in shower and then turned on the spray.
Harper hissed through her teeth. The hot water stung her skin, which was sensitive from the sun, but the discomfort quickly faded. And then Knox was kissing her. His mouth was hot and greedy and it totally swept her away.
“So many times a day, I look at this mouth and think about what it feels like wrapped around my cock. Heaven. Fucking heaven.” Knox tugged down her bikini strap, letting it sweep over her shoulder. He licked over the cluster of freckles there, then bit hard. “Mine.” He stripped off their swimsuits and squirted soap onto his hands. As she shampooed her hair, he soaped her down; tracing her, shaping her, teasing her, until the smell of salt was gone and there was only coconut soap and Harper’s honeyed scent.
She gave as good as she got – her touch sexual as she ran her hands all over him, lathering him with gel. Finally, he pulled her fully under the spray, rinsing off shampoo, soap, and sand. As the water poured down on them, he kissed her again, licking and biting. “I fucking love your mouth.” He bit the fleshy part of her lower lip. “And I love fucking it.”
She narrowed her eyes, and he knew why. The idea of kneeling on the tiled floor didn’t hold a lot of appeal. Still, he knew she’d do it if he asked. It was a total fucking turn-on to know that she’d do whatever he asked – she wouldn’t do it easily or meekly, which made it hotter, but she’d do it. He knew exactly what he wanted right then, but it wasn’t his cock in her mouth.
It happened so quickly that Harper found herself blinking rapidly. One minute she’d been pliant against him; the next thing, her back was against the tiled wall and one psychic hand was pinning both of hers above her head. “What are you doing?”
Knox fisted his cock. “Watching.”
Harper gasped as an ice-cold psychic finger slipped inside her. It didn’t matter that she’d been ready for the heat that flared, it still zapped every one of her senses as her pussy began to blaze. “I’m already wet.”
“I know that. But I want you even more wet. And I want to stand here and watch while I play with you until you’re so wet you’re dripping. You want me to have that, don’t you? You want to give me what I want.”
Her mouth quirked. “It’s in my best interests.”
He smiled. “It is.” He cupped her breasts, molding them. They’d grown bigger, fuller. As he used a psychic finger to fuck her pussy, he tugged, twisted, and plucked at her nipples. He swooped down and sucked the unpierced one into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue. She moaned his name – a feminine demand. “What do you want, Harper?”
Her chin lifted. “I’m not going to beg.”
“You don’t need to beg,” he said softly. “I’ll give you whatever you want” – he tugged on her piercing – “but you have to tell me what it is.”
“You.”
He sucked at her pulse. “You have me.”
“In me,” she ground out.
“I am in you.” He gave her a particularly hard thrust with his psychic finger.
Her demon hissed, irritated by his teasing. “Your cock,” Harper clipped. “I want your cock in me!”
Keeping her hands pinned above her head with one psychic hand, Knox hooked her legs over the crooks of his elbows. “Then you’ll have it.” He thrust into her, and her scorching hot pussy clamped and rippled around him. She was coming, he realized. And the “oh shit” look in her eyes meant that she was expecting punishment for not having permission. “It’s okay, you can come.”
It was a really good thing he thought so, because there wasn’t a chance Harper could have held back that orgasm. The moment his long, thick cock had stretched and filled her oversensitive walls in one smooth possessive stroke, sheer bliss had washed over her. She slumped against the wall, eyes falling closed, as her strength seemed to drain out of her.
“Look at me,” he rumbled.
She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with that very familiar savage possessiveness. Her pussy clenched, and he gritted his teeth. Knox slowly pulled back. Frowning, she tried curling her legs around him to keep him with her, but he held them tight.
“Don’t worry, baby, I’m not going anywhere,” he said softly, silkily. “I’m nowhere near finished with you.” Jaw clenched, Knox mercilessly slammed into her over and over, knowing she could take it. He’d angled her hips so that his cock brushed her clit with every brutal thrust, and he knew from many, many past experiences that her body wouldn’t hold out long against that. Already her pussy was becoming tighter and hotter.
Possessiveness spurred him on, kept him driving deep and hard. His demon wanted to crawl inside her until she’d never be free of him. “It won’t matter how many times I have you,” Knox growled, “I’ll always want more of this pussy. My pussy.”
She flexed her hand, wanting to be free to touch him, to scratch him, to pull at his hair. “Let me go.” He shook his head, and her demon reached for the surface and glared at him. “Release me,” it ordered. But he didn’t, and Harper resurfaced with a snarl. The air chilled a little as his eyes bled to black, and the hairs on her nape stood on end as she looked at his demon. “Let me go.”
“No,” it told her in that disembodied voice. “You’ll take what you’re given.” It mercilessly powered into her at a frenzied pace. Where Knox always clung to his control, the demon didn’t. Each slam of his cock was rough and territorial. Knox resurfaced, and the pace and force of the thrusts eased just a little. But then the demon was back, and once again it was feverishly slamming into her. They repeatedly switched, each tormenting her with their own personal brand of fucking.
“Not gonna last,” she warned then.
With a growl, Knox leapt to the surface. “You’ll last because I want you to last.” He thrust harder, literally driving his point home. Violet eyes glared at him, calling him a bastard. “You like it when I don’t give you what you want. You like it when I just take what I want. Like you’re my little toy.”
Fuck if he wasn’t right, the asshole. It probably made her a little weird, but Harper had made her peace with that. She was about to demand that he just made her come for God’s sake, but then she felt it starting to happen again out-of-fucking-nowhere. And since she hadn’t waited for permission, there was a good chance she’d pay for that. “Don’t stop.” He was sadistic enough to do it, but his eyes softened.
“I won’t stop, baby.” Knox fucked her harder, faster, driving as deep as he could go. “Make me come, Harper.” Her pussy clamped down on him as her eyes went blind and she choked out his name, and Knox came so fucking hard it almost blew the head off his cock – it went on and on and on, so intense that it should have hurt.
Shuddering, he slumped against her, breathing hard. “Let’s get you cleaned up so I can get you that ice cream you want.”
“I’m down with that,” she slurred.
Floating on her post-orgasm cloud, Harper was barely aware of him turning off the shower, grabbing towels, and carrying her into the bedroom. It wasn’t until he set her on her feet and began drying her off that she partially snapped out of her buzz. She tried to take over. “I can do it.”
“I know you can do it.” But he kept on patting her dry, and she made no more protests.
“You know, you really should —” Harper froze as a mind slid against hers. Unfamiliar. Small. Young. She gasped in wonder, gripping his arms. “Knox… I just felt the baby’s mind. It was the tiniest touch, but it was there.”
He stroked his hand over the small bump as he reached out with his mind, searching for another. And there it was. He gently “touched” it, felt an answering flutter.
“Did you feel it?”
He nodded, chest squeezing. “It has a vibe of… contentment.” Knox rested his forehead against hers. “I watched the scan and I’ve felt the baby move countless times, but touching the baby’s mind, feeling it respond… that’s something else altogether.”
She smiled knowingly. “And your protective levels just went up another notch, huh.”
“They did.” Knox curled his arms around her. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure that the baby stays content. I’m wondering if maybe all those endorphins rushing through you have mellowed it out. If so, it might be a sound idea to just spend the next twelve weeks fucking the hell out of you.”
“You’ll do that anyway.” Her stomach clenched as he gave her that lopsided smile that did interesting things to her body.
“You’re right. I will.”