Page 96 of Knox

And for a second, I think he’s going to say no… that is, until he tilts his head down, his mouth hovering a single millimeter from mine.

I close my eyes and lean into—

SCRATCH-SCRATCH!

A hiss echoes from the bushes three feet away, and Knox freezes. He looks up just as a freaking raccoon leaps out of the foliage, scaring the absolute crap out of both of us.

“What the fuck!” Knox immediately flips his weight, throwing himself over me to shield my body from the evil beast.

The stupid, adorable raccoon glares at us for a second, then trots off into the woods.

We lie there in stunned silence, panting, staring at the empty bushes.

“Did… did I just get cockblocked by a raccoon?”

“I believe we both did.” Knox rolls off me onto the grass, stands up, and wipes the dirt off his palms. “Come on, little Prince. Let’s go fix that pipe.”

“But—”

“We’re fixing the pipe.”

“Fine…” I grab his hand, let him haul me to my feet, and brush the grass and dirt off my clothes.

Fucking Meeko!

— ¤ —

“Pass me the emery cloth,” Knox says, still standing shirtless on a wooden chair in the middle of the bedroom.

He’s working overhead, trying to smooth and prep the burst copper pipe.

Every time he leans into the tool and twists, his biceps bulge and the muscles across his back and shoulders flex beautifully.

I swear this man could make counting pennies look entertaining and sexy as hell.

“Oh, sure,” I respond, peeking into the toolbox… even though I have no idea what a freaking emery cloth looks like.

Is it like a rag?

It sounds like the name for an invisibility cloak, but I don’t see anything in here made of fabric…

“It’s the sheet of sandpaper,” Knox clarifies.

“Oh! Yeah, of course.”

“Thanks.” He takes the sandpaper and goes right back to work.

I stand there, staring up at him for the fiftieth time since he stepped onto that chair, imagining how hot it would be to peel off those jeans and have my way with him.

I mean… look at that ass.

So strong, so firm, and so—No, no!

What the hell, Cillian!

I need to distract myself.

To think about something wholesome... Something that has absolutely nothing to do with sex.