Page 25 of Knox Unleashed
“Knox…”
“Relax. I’m helping you in the shower. Not seducing you. If it makes you feel better, pretend I’m a nurse.”
Her mouth presses into a thin line. “Yeah, because you’re known for your caring and giving manner.”
“I can be very giving when I need to be. So stop making this even more awkward for the two of us.”
She opens her mouth like she’s about to argue, then closes it and reaches for the hem of her polo shirt. It takes about two seconds for her to realize this is a bad idea due to her injuries. “Fine. You do it.”
I step forward before she changes her mind and pull the Magnolia Bait and Marine Supply polo shirt gently over her head. When it’s finally off, she sucks in a breath, which I can barely focus on because the sight of Maren in little denim shorts and a pretty burgundy bra covered in lace flowers is quite the distraction.
Sure, I’m here for noble purposes, but my inner dialogue is fixated on her figure.
Some of the bruises on her body look worse under the dim bathroom light.
“You want help with the rest?” I ask, but I can’t help the slight twitch of a smile.
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Trust me,” I say, tugging off my own T-shirt and letting it drop to the ground with a splat. “This is not my idea of a relaxing evening. I had very different plans of riding this out at the clubhouse with my brothers.”
“Then why were you here?”
The question stops me in my tracks. “I’ll tell you what, we get showered and cleaned up, and then we’ll talk about what happened earlier, yeah?”
She nods, but then her eyes flick down to my chest and back up again. “This is embarrassing.”
“Which bit?”
“All of it,” she says, every word filled with exasperation.
I slide my hand to her neck and rub my thumb along her jaw. “Vegas, remember? Tomorrow, we get out of here, and we can go back to ignoring each other.”
“You realize you’re completely inappropriate as both a hook up and a human.”
I shrug. “Maybe. But I’m me. And I’m finding this whole thing as weird as you. So let’s just make a fucking pact to get through it.”
She offers me her hand, and I take it and shake it.
“For the record,” I continue, “I’m gonna touch your body in there to make sure all these wounds get cleaned up properly.”
“Just don’t make it weird.”
“You kissed me. My cock got excited. Might happen again. Doesn’t mean you need to do anything about it.”
“So reassuring,” Maren says, but she grips the sink again.
I crouch in front of her, then unbutton and unzip her shorts before hooking my fingers into the waistband to lower them. It takes everything I am not to press my nose to the seam of her pussy, because, well, I fucking love pussy. And I’ve a strong suspicion that Maren’s might move to the top of my list if we were to get acquainted. Her underwear matches her bra and fits her just as well.
And, fuck me if there isn’t a little damp spot I want to suck on. In the moment, it felt like she was enjoying our kiss, but seeing the evidence she liked it just as much as I did sends me a little feral.
I want to press my thumb over it, circle her clit, maybe, see what Maren Caldwell looks like when she lets go of who she thinks she should be and slides into who she is.
When I stand again and reach behind her, I find the clasp of her bra and pop it open.
“The single-handed bra-opening technique. Well-practiced, obviously,” she says.
I brush the straps from her shoulders and guide them down her arms. “One of those core boy skills you practice on your first girlfriend and never forget.”
