Page 80 of Keep Me Close

“You’re beautiful,” I murmur, the words slipping out before I can overthink them.

She stills. “What?”

“I said that you’re beautiful.” My thumb brushes over her skin as I keep her anchored against me. “I’ve always thought so.”

“Even before all this?”

“Yeah, even before all this.”

She turns just enough to meet my gaze, searching it for a long moment. “I want you.”

My body stills, wondering if I misheard her.

When I remain silent, she says, “I want you to make love to me, Knox.”

The words hit hard. Not because I don’t want it, but because I do. Too damn much.

“Chey…” I press my forehead briefly to the side of her head, trying to keep a tight grip on my self-control. “You’ve had a rough day.”

Her fingers curl around my forearm. “That’s not what this is about.”

“You’re upset. Stressed. Your ex just—” My jaw tightens. “I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret.”

I won’t be a decision she looks back on and wishes she could undo.

Her gaze lifts to mine again. “That isn’t going to happen.”

I search her face, looking for signs of hesitation. Instead, what I find is trust.

“I won’t regret it,” she murmurs. “Not with you.”

Fuck.

Whatever defenses I had left, she just blew a hole straight through them.

My grip tightens around her as I release a slow breath. I keep her close, one arm banded around her middle, holding her steady, while my other hand drifts down her belly to her pussy.

One touch and my cock stiffens even more than it already was.

As soon as my fingers graze her delicate flesh, her breath catches and her legs fall open. Gently, I rub her clit before stroking her lips and circling her entrance. It doesn’t take long before her head falls back against my shoulder and her fingers tighten around my arm, nails pressing into my skin.

“I’ve got you,” I murmur, my mouth brushing the sensitive spot just below her ear as my hand moves over her with slow, deliberate strokes.

She melts into me, her back flush against my chest, her head tipping to the side to give me better access as a soft sound slips from her lips. The water laps gently around us, but it does nothing to calm everything that rushes through my veins.

Her hips shift, continuing to search for more.

I’ve imagined this moment too many times to let it slip past in a blur. Every hitch of her breath, and every tremor that moves through her feeds into the careful, controlled way I touch her, allowing the tension to build instead of breaking too soon.

Her body grows more responsive, more restless, until her breathing turns uneven, her chest rising and falling against the water.

“Knox…” My name falls from her lips, and it’s enough to send a pulse of heat straight through me.

I press my mouth just below her ear. “Let go, baby,” I whisper, voice roughened with need. “I’ve got you.”

When she finally comes apart, she shudders as she clutches my arm, pressing into me as if she can’t get close enough. I hold her through her orgasm, my fingers continuing to move with rhythmic strokes. It’s only when she relaxes against me, the last of her tension draining from her muscles, that I wrap both arms around her and hold her tight.

For a long moment, neither of us moves. She stays tucked against me as her breathing gradually evens out. That’s when it hits me how right this feels.