Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
I smiled down at her, leaning in to kiss her, then pressed my forehead to hers. “On my life, Evelyn. On my Goddamned life.”
Chapter Ten
Evelyn
My head felt like it was going to explode. At first, I didn’t believe what Apple told me. The idea that a man I’d shared a large part of the last thirteen years with, a man I believed I was in a permanent relationship with, a man who had fathered both my children, had just tried to have me killed just didn’t compute. But when Danny told me he loved me and the children, I knew. It was the same face, the same tone of voice he’d used all these years to deceive me. This man wasn’t capable of loving anyone but himself.
“Just a little longer, baby,” Knox put an arm around me and guided me inside. Instead of taking me back to my bedroom, though, he took me through the house and around to the backyard. Grover had a small shed where he kept tools. Knox took me straight to the shed and shoved me inside, closing the door behind us.
“OK, honey. Rage all you need to.”
It was like a dam broke. Knox’s permission to lose my shit broke loose everything I’d been trying to keep inside. Losing Grover had been bad enough, but just the thought of what Danny had done…
“The kids were right there, Knox! They were right fucking there!”
“I know, honey.”
“They could have been killed!”
“They weren’t, though. They weren’t. I’ll find out if Danny was involved. If he was, I’ll take care of him. He’ll never hurt you or the kids again.”
I pushed back to look up at Knox, tears streaming from my eyes down my cheeks. I knew I probably looked horrible -- a pretty crier I was not -- but I needed Knox to really pay attention to what I needed to say.
“Whatever happens, I don’t want the kids to know.” I shook my head violently. “Not about this. It’s bad enough what happened. If Danny did something -- anything -- they can never know.”
“Honey --”
“No! I mean it, Knox! They do not know! Ever!”
“OK, Evelyn. I swear I’ll never tell them. But you know Luke is smart enough to figure it out.”
“I don’t care. I’m not telling them, and I don’t want you to, either. If he figures it out and asks --”
“I’m not going to lie to him, Evelyn, and I don’t think you will either. He’s already in super-protective mode over you and Aneshya. He trusts me right now. If I lie to him, I destroy that trust.”
I sobbed then, knowing he was right. Knox pulled me tighter against him and held me for long, long moments. He let me cry and rage. I’m sure I screamed into his chest more than once. Through my entire breakdown, Knox held me. He soothed me with his presence, with his lips in my hair and his arms around me. I’d never had anyone to hold me like this. To encourage me to get out all the emotion I had pent up inside and let me know someone cared about me.
It was all too much. I knew if I didn’t find some way to get out all this emotion, I was going to start screaming again. So I took Knox’s face in my hands and pulled him down for a kiss. I thrust my tongue into his mouth, needing for him to take control but unable to voice my needs. Knox, being the dominant man I knew he was, immediately swept me up into his arms and set me on a workbench.
He continued to kiss me even as he ran his hands up my shirt to cup my breasts. When he squeezed, I thrust my chest out, wanting more. Needing his touch to be rough and demanding.
“Knox!” I gasped out his name into his mouth.
“You need me.” That wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“Do you trust me?” He trailed his mouth from my lips to my ear, then down my neck to my collarbone.
“I do! Please, Knox!”
He stepped back to whip my shirt over my head. Knox wrapped his arms around my torso before fastening his lips around one nipple. I couldn’t help the scream, especially when he bit down. Instead of dampening my need, the sharp pain seemed to inflame it. My hands flew to his head, threading through his hair.
Knox growled, and I felt the vibration from my nipple straight to my clit. My cries weren’t subtle. On my second scream, Knox clamped a hand over my mouth. Then he was by my ear, whispering.
“That’s it, my beautiful little wanton. You’re close to coming, aren’t you? I haven’t even touched your clit.” I nodded because he still had his hand over my mouth. “Don’t you come until I tell you.”
What? How the fuck was I supposed to do that? Especially with Knox biting, suckling, and licking my nipples. The man seemed to know exactly how to bring me up, then let me float back down before I crested the hill.