Page 19 of Reese’s Protection

He snorted. “And his friends. The prick was losing the fight, so he had to get help. I was outnumbered.”

A lump formed in my throat as I pushed aside the urge to scream in anger. I’d told Knox to stay away from Jeremy, and while I understood Jeremy had threatened Layton, too, it wasn’t worth it. Jeremy would focus his anger on me, not Layton.

“Knox, you shouldn’t have gone near him.” Tears prickled my eyes, and I hated how upset I was over this. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me. Nausea rose in my throat and I forced it down by swallowing.

“He deserves everything that’s coming to him.” He stroked his thumb over my cheekbone, and I leaned into his touch. “He wants you back, and he’ll keep coming to get you. I need to put an end to this.”

“No, you don’t,” I whispered desperately, my skin tingling sharply. How could I get him to understand? “He’ll get bored and stop, trust me. But I can’t lose you. Do you know how long I’ve wanted you? And now I have the chance to kiss you, and I don’t want Jeremy to destroy that for us. I can’t risk you going to jail or getting seriously hurt.”

Knox’s jaw tensed, and I didn’t miss the slight flinch at the movement. He was in pain. Fuck my ex.

“Jeremy won’t stop.” He sighed. “How much do you know about our family?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Our father hit our mother. He said he loved her, and then he beat her black and blue. He was a mean son of a bitch. Men like that? They never stop. Once they get a taste of it, they crave more and more until they kill the person they’re supposed to love.” His nostrils flared as I gaped at him. “I’ve seen what that does to the victim and won’t let it happen to you or Layton. Your ex threatened my family. It’s over for him.”

My heart pounded so hard I felt it in my throat, and all I could see in my imagination was Knox behind bars or—worse—six feet under. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d started this and needed to end it.

I grasped his bruised face tenderly between my hands, careful not to hurt him. “Will you fuck me?”

He stared down at my mouth for a long moment before he leaned in and kissed me. His lips were gentle against mine, and I was careful not to put too much pressure on his swelling face. The last thing I wanted was to hurt him more.

He pushed me out of the bathroom toward the bed, and I went, allowing him to shove me back onto the mattress. I bounced and kicked off my shoes and socks. Then, I sat up on my elbows to watch as he slowly unbuttoned his jeans and tugged them down with his boxers, baring his sexy body.

Excitement swirled low in my stomach, warmth spreading through me. Desire swelled and crested in my chest, and it was all I could do not to grab him and demand that he hurry. Instead, I watched eagerly. I was finally getting what I wanted, and I was going to enjoy every second.

I licked my lips, eyeing his hardening cock as I shrugged off my clothes and threw them as far away as I could. I didn’t know where they landed and didn’t care. I’d waited too long for this moment, and I needed Knox Tennant inside me if it was the last thing I ever did.

His hungry gaze ate me up, and I let him, staying still so he could see all of me. I wasn’t perfect. I could list all the things wrong with my body—I was too skinny, not enough muscle, my cheekbones too sharp—but Knox drank me in as though I was the sexiest man on Earth, and I believed him.

He opened the bottom drawer of his nightstand and threw a bottle of lube and a box of condoms on the bed before he closed the distance between us, leaning down to kiss me again. I dragged him on top of me, our cocks rubbing as I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding him in position. His weight was a comfort, a warm hard blanket on a cold night. A tingling sensation swept over my skin.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured against my mouth, teeth nibbling my bottom lip. “Wanna keep you forever.”

“Then do it,” I whispered desperately, my voice breaking. “Please, keep me. Don’t go after Jeremy anymore, Knox.”

“Not that easy.”

It was, but Knox was stubborn. He’d been that way since I’d met him. I loved that about him, but now it was nothing but frustration.

I carded my fingers through his hair and grasped strands, desire curling low in my stomach. My cock ached, trapped against his, and all I craved was the feel of him inside me. I’d needed him for too long. Desperation clawed at me. Begging for this to happen. Lust licked at my insides. Shit, sugar, and spaghetti! I needed him so freaking bad.

I dropped my feet back onto the bed and spread my knees. “Fuck me. I want your cock in my ass.”

He shivered and grinned while sitting back on his knees. The muscles in his chest and abs rippled with the movement, and I was enraptured by his shredded body. How could this man ever want me? To everyone else, I looked like a criminal, but he saw someone special.

Knox prepped me with care but wasn’t completely gentle about it, which I loved. I didn’t want him to treat me like I could break. I might be half his size, but I could take anything and everything he gave me. My cock twitched, precum beading at the slit, and my asshole clenched at the desire that spiraled through my veins.

When I was stretched, he slid on a condom and lubed himself up. He lined up the head of his dick to my hole, and I shivered with the expectation of what was about to happen.

“Ready?” he growled out, lust trembling through the one word.

“Yeah.” My toes curled and heat flushed my cheeks. “Get inside.”

He pushed past my ring. My entire world narrowed in on this one moment, this one minute in my life where all the happiness I could ever feel assaulted me. Knox’s cock was in me, stretching me open in a way that made me think I was going to cry from joy. How pathetic was that? Yet, I didn’t care. From the first time I’d lain eyes on him, I’d wanted him, and now I had him. I couldn’t let Jeremy ruin this.

I wrapped my arms around Knox’s shoulders, holding him down so we were chest to chest, and grasped him with the kind of desperation that should’ve embarrassed me. He kissed me again. His mouth was assertive yet soft, a combination of dominant and loving. I’d never been kissed like this.