Chapter Sixteen – Knox

Hannah breathed life into him. She made him see sunshine and rainbows where before there had been darkness and thunderclouds. She radiated peace and happiness, and he never wanted to taint her. When he’d met her, he thought it impossible not to darken her world if he was in it. He was bad luck, a curse on everyone he came into contact with.

He’d been living a lie fueled by sorrow and guilt.

Hannah had broken through; she pulled him back from the brink, and showed him there was a way through the storm that swirled in his head.

“I’ll prove it to you every day of our lives,” Knox promised as he undid the buttons of the crisp clean shirt that hid her wonderful soft body from him.

Hannah reached for him, her hand stroking his clean-shaven cheek. “Kiss me.”

Knox leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue along her lower lip. She shivered, trembling beneath him, as he opened the last button and stroked her soft belly with his large hands. Hannah tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, and pulled it up. Knox lifted his arms and threw it to the side before unclasping her bra, freeing her luscious breasts.

“You are so beautiful.” Knox cupped her breasts in his hands, and rubbed his thumbs over her taut nipples, watching Hannah squirm with pleasure. Bending forward he sucked her left nipple into his mouth, his tongue rolling around the taut bud. Her breathing came in soft gasps as her arousal kicked up a notch. He could toy with her for hours, learning what her body craved, and giving her what she needed until she was addicted to him.

But he needed to be inside her. He needed to claim her. The thought of another man wanting to get inside her panties was enough to drive him insane. The soldier, the protector, wanted to go and rip this man’s head off. Not only for daring to want his woman, but for ignoring what was going on right under his nose. Dustin had become part of Knox’s life, a surrogate brother, and Knox would protect him with his life, just as if he were a member of his squad.

Knox turned his attention to her right nipple, sucking and licking, driving his woman insane. Hannah stroked his back, cradled his head against her, while she slid her foot along his thigh, and across his crotch. Back and forth she used her foot to stimulate him, until his hips moved in a rhythm, his arousal intense. He needed to be naked.

Pulling away from his mate was hard. But he wanted them to be naked, skin to skin, flesh to flesh. Knox stood up and stripped his clothes from his body, while Hannah wriggled out of her pants, casting them aside to lie naked on the bed before him.

Knox wanted to kiss her intimately and lick her until she begged him to stop. But more than that, he wanted to bury himself inside her and make her come around him. Moving to the bed, he lay beside her, kissing her, while his fingers explored her body. He tweaked her nipples, stroked her belly, and then finally rubbed her clit, urging her to open her legs for him. She did, and he pushed two fingers inside her, deep inside her. She wanted him.

Moving to lie between her thighs, Knox guided himself into her sex, closing his eyes with pleasure as the head of his cock slid inside her. He groaned, his hands gripping the sheets as he fought for control; she was incredible, their bodies fit together perfectly. Hannah trailed her fingers down his back, grazing his skin, urging him on.

Slowly, he penetrated her, flexing his hips to drive his cock deeper, filling her. Hannah gasped, and wrapped her legs around him as if she never wanted to let him go. Opening his eyes, he watched her face, and she leaned forward, kissing his lips tenderly.

“I am in love with you, Hannah.” His words were soft, a caress across her skin.

“I think I may be in love with you too, Knox.” The corners of her lips twitched.

“You think you may be in love with me?” His voice feigned offense.

“Maybe after you’ve made me come, I could reassess.” Her eyes danced with laughter, and he grinned and nodded.

“So that’s how it is, you just want me for my body.”

Hannah altered the angle of her body and slipped a hand down between their bodies, curling her fingers around his balls, and edging up to stroke his cock. “This, I’m in love with this.”

He shook with laughter, and she joined him, holding him close and kissing his face. “I am going to enjoy our lives together. So very much.”

Hannah laid her head back on the pillow and looked into his face, her humor giving way to be replaced by gravity. “I’ve lived a charmed life, Knox, I know that. And I hope that continues, that we never have to face heartbreak. But if we do, we’ll face it together. Side by side. Standing strong.”

Knox stroked her hair back from her face. “Do you know why I got the name Knox?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Because when I told Smithy my story, he said I came from the school of hard knocks. It stuck. But that’s not who I am anymore.” He kissed her reverently. “I want to be a new man.”

“A name doesn’t define a man.” A stray tear rolled from her eye to plop on the pillow. She placed her hand on his heart. “What’s in here defines him.”

Knox pulled his hips back, edging out of her, before thrusting forward, breaking the mood of solemnity. “I thought this was what defined a man.”

Hannah sighed and he moved in a steady rhythm, in and out. “You’re right.”

Knox shifted his weight, cupping her breast in his hand and sucking her nipple into his mouth. Her hips bucked and her sex tightened around his cock. He increased the tempo, thrusting harder and deeper as he took them both to new heights of pleasure. Her breathing became more rapid, her nails digging into his back, urging him on and he impaled her on his cock, straining to fill her completely. He wanted to be one with her, joined forever, deep inside his mate.

When she came, she called out his name. He kissed her neck, wanting to brand her as his, so no man would ever think he had a chance to get inside her panties.

Knox followed her over the edge, filling her with his seed, planting a new life in her womb. Or so he hoped. Their trek into the mountain with Dustin and his time spent with Jamie and his family had changed him. No longer did he want to be alone. He didn’t want to be a solitary bear like his aunt, he wanted to embrace life and fill it with friends and a family of his own, something he had never known outside of the army.

“Do you love me now?” he asked as they lay in each other’s arms.

“I do. I most definitely do.” Hannah kissed him sleepily. “I could stay here like this for a week.”

“Me too.” Knox pulled the covers around them, cocooning them against the world.

“We should eat.”

“We should.” He kissed her neck. “I thought we could order takeout.”

“Oh, good idea.” She turned in his arms and kissed his mouth. “Dinner in bed, it could catch on.”

He kissed her lips. “I think it might.” Getting out of bed, he reached for his jeans and pulled out his phone. “Some first date.”

Hannah stroked his back. “It’s perfect.”

“So are you.” He could never tell her enough times. He wasn’t just saying it, he meant it. For him, Hannah was perfection. And as she smiled, he leaned down and kissed her dimpled cheeks. “So are you.”