When Knox let himself in that night, the house was quiet, and there was a note on the refrigerator telling him he had dinner in the microwave. He warmed it up and ate standing over the sink to avoid making a mess in the freshly cleaned kitchen. It was nice coming home to a spotless house and a home-cooked meal, making him think domestic thoughts that were at odds with the normally darker tone of his sexual needs.
Try as he might, he couldn’t reconcile the idea of a domesticated home life with his sexual appetites. It was difficult to imagine a sweet, loving wife, who was also a lover that allowed him to take the dark liberties with her that he wanted.
After finishing his dinner, he put the dishes in the dishwasher before heading down the hallway to his room. He thought about taking a shower, but decided he was too tired. Knox began unbuttoning his uniform shirt as he nudged open his door with his elbow.
He was a few steps in the room when he realized something was off. Maybe it was his military and police training that had honed his instincts, or perhaps he was simply tuned in to Claire, because he quickly recognized her scent and realized she had been in his room.
Since he did his own laundry and cleaning, she wouldn’t have a reason to enter his sleeping space. His eyes scanned the room, almost immediately homing in on the lacy panties draped across his pillow. With a frown, he walked toward the bed, reaching down to pick up the panties.
He hissed slightly when his fingers brushed the wet crotch. Knox was unable to resist the temptation of bringing the delicate lace to his nose. He inhaled deeply, memorizing the scent of Claire’s arousal, which fueled his own.
With fumbling fingers, he undid his gun belt and uniform pants. His cock strained for escape, and he let it free from the cloth with a small groan. His hand was a poor substitute for her tight pussy, but he desperately needed release.
With a grunt, he wrapped the material around his fist and slid the damp panties up and down his rigid erection. What was she doing to him? He was a hair’s breadth from marching into her room and fucking her.
He imagined she was picturing hearts and flowers and dutiful worship of her body when they made love the first time. Except he didn’t make love. Knox fucked, and he did it hard and forcefully. He took what he wanted, and he wanted her more than ever after her aroma had filled his senses. She had no idea what she was unleashing with this little stunt, and only the thought of terrifying her held him back.
Instead, he settled for coming on her panties, marking them with proof of his arousal and release. With a nod of satisfaction, he tucked his shaft into his underwear, but didn’t bother to refasten his belt or zip his pants as he moved quietly from his room to hers.
The moonlight through the thin curtains highlighted her body, revealing she was sprawled with her legs open, a miniscule crop top and tiny panties her only garments. He smothered a curse as he tiptoed to her bed and prominently lay the soiled underwear on her pillow in exactly the same position she’d left them on his. They would be the first thing she saw when she woke up.
***
Claire stretched and yawned as her eyes opened. The sight of her panties returned to her made her stomach dip with disappointment. She had been certain that would prompt him to come to her last night.
As she rolled out of bed and reached for the lingerie to put in the laundry hamper, her eyes widened at the slight stickiness. She turned the panties in her hand and saw the faint traces of white dried onto the black lace.
Stroking her thumb over it, she couldn’t help grinning at the realization she had gotten to him. Maybe not as much as she’d hoped, but she was breaking down his reserves. He had used her panties to masturbate—the pair she’d worn while doing the same less than an hour before his shift ended.
She briefly considered putting on more clothes, but discarded the idea as she tossed the underwear into the hamper in her bathroom before padding to the kitchen. Claire barely bit back a grin when she saw his look of irritation when she entered. “Good morning,” she said with a bright smile as she went to the cabinet.
Straining for the top shelf to reach the cereal boxes, she allowed a small smile at his faintly audible groan. As she continued reaching, his chair scraped, and he was standing behind her a moment later. Striving for an innocent expression, she turned her head to look up at him. “Could you please hand me the Corn Flakes?”
Knox rubbed up against her as he reached past her for the box. His cock pressed into the small of her back, and she was certain he buried his face in her blonde strands to inhale her scent. She shivered at the feel of their bodies touching, almost forgetting to take the box he extended.
His lips were so close to her cheek that she could feel them ghost across her skin. She sighed softly, tensing with anticipation when he angled just a bit closer.
“Knock off the shit, Claire.”
The words were like being doused with ice water, and she stiffened. She shot a glance at him, surprised to see tightly leashed anger instead of desire in his expression. Bending her head forward, she hid her face behind her hair and didn’t look at him again as he turned away from her.
She didn’t look up until she heard the front door close a few minutes later, and tears tried to gush from her eyes. Staring at the unwanted box of cereal, she blinked several times. Defeat filled her, and she had to accept it was over. He’d withstood even her most blatant attempts, and while the fact he’d masturbated on her panties before returning them confused her a bit, she knew he wasn’t going to give in to the attraction simmering between them.
It wasn’t all one-sided. She knew that, but for whatever reasons, he had clearly decided to ignore it. She knew what a stubborn bastard he could be, so she’d just have to make herself forget him.
At least she had a date tonight. She wasn’t super enthused about seeing Jason Jones outside of work, where he stopped by the deli section every day to buy his lunch, but he was a nice guy. When he’d shyly confessed she was the reason he kept coming back and had asked her out, she hadn’t been able to refuse. It would have been like kicking a puppy.
Well, she’d have to try a nice guy for a change and give up on brooding jerks. Once upon a time, she had functioned without Knox, and she could do it again. So what if he hadn’t been within five thousand miles back then? She could do it even with them sharing a house. What other choice did she have?