Page 28 of Hard Knox

Knox increased his pace, his thrusts becoming more erratic, his hands clenching my hips for support. I could feel his body tremble with desire.

“I’m going to come,” I gasped, feeling the familiar sensation building within me. “Oh, fuck, Knox, don’t stop!”

He didn’t stop, continuing to thrust into me, his movements becoming more frenzied. I could hear his breathing become ragged, and I sensed he was nearing as well.

“Come with me,” he growled, his voice low and sensual.

I felt his cock throbbing within me, and I could tell he was about to come. My body convulsed, waves of pleasure washing over me as I came harder than I ever had before.

“Fuck, baby,” Knox groaned, his hips thrusting one last time before he let out a guttural moan, pulling out of me. I felt him spill onto my ass, right where I ached. The warm sensation spread over my sore skin. I could feel him pulsing, and I knew he was marking me as his.

Then came the shock. He leaned over me and bit my shoulder, hard enough to leave a mark.

“What the fuck?” I called out.

“You’re mine,” he growled, his voice thick with lust. “My property, Eliza. Don’t you forget it.”

Sucking in a breath, my anger floated away as every fiber of my being seemed to agree with him. Nestled against his chest, I allowed myself to feel a profound sense of partnership. Of belonging to him.

Chapter 14

Knox

As I lay next to Eliza in my room of the clubhouse, her breathin’ steady and soft in sleep, my own mind was racin’ a mile a damn minute. The arrest had rattled me deep—not just the cuffs and the questions, but how it all threatened every damn thing I cared about. I sure as hell hadn’t killed Mark, but there were pieces of my past that I was none too proud of, parts that I feared would drive Eliza away if she ever caught wind of ‘em.

Come mornin’, though, we were right back at it. Sittin’ across from each other with our notebooks and laptops sprawled out, we dug into the mess of information we’d gathered.

“So, we know Mark had enemies,” I started, tryin’ to steer us clear of the mess in my head and keep us on the solid ground of facts. “Business rivals who’d stand to gain from him bein’ out of the picture.”

Eliza nodded, her eyes glued to her screen. Then she twisted her laptop my way. The screen flashed a social media profile of some woman claimin’ to be Mark’s wife—another woman, not Eliza, with two kids grinnin’ up from a picnic photo, twins. They couldn’t be much more than Emma’s age. My gut clenched up, not just at the secret spillin’ out, but at the hurt it was gonna sling at Eliza.

“He had a second family in Gatlinburg?” Her voice was low, heavy with the sting of betrayal. “I knew he had an office there, but a whole family. The whole time? How deep did his secrets go?”

I watched her, feelin’ my own heart twist up with the echo of her pain. “I’m sorry, Eliza. Folks hide shit, thinkin’ it’s for the best. Don’t make it right.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, her eyes somewhere far off. “Lying, hiding things… It’s the worst. Just ends up hurting everyone.”

Her words jabbed at me, stirrin’ up that guilty ache about my own hidden chapters—my days with the club, the stuff I’d done that wouldn’t exactly get a nod of approval from the law, things I did to keep us floatin’ but not things I’m proud of. None of it was meant to hurt her, but the chance of it cuttin’ deep was there, hangin’ over us like a dark cloud.

Before I could even get my thoughts out, we were cut off by a loud crash from outside. We both shot up, racin’ to the window. A shadow was bookin’ it away from Eliza’s car, which now sported a smashed window and a spray-painted threat across the hood: “Stay away.”

Instinct kicked in hard and fast. I yanked Eliza back from the window. “Get down,” I rustled. Years of dealin’ with club turf wars had sharpened my reflexes. We ducked behind the wall as I scoped out the area for any sign of the troublemakers.

“Ain’t safe here,” I muttered, my eyes still on the lookout. “We need to head to my place—it’s locked down tighter.”

“But I thought this was your place.”

“No, I’m talkin’ about my other spot, my secret second place.”

Eliza shot daggers at me.

“Too soon, huh?”

She nodded, her eyes filled with wonder and a hint of fear. “Okay, let’s get the hell out of here.”

I hustled her out through the back door to my Harley, eyes peeled for any more trouble. As we dashed to my secret spot, the adrenaline rush died down and I felt so grateful for Eliza’s trust in me, despite everything going on. It nailed down something crucial between us—this tangled mess, this fight for the truth, was pulling us together tighter than I ever thought possible.

Back at my pad, once I was sure we were buttoned up safe, I faced her. “I’ve got you,” I told her, and it wasn’t just about keeping her safe from harm. It was a vow, deep and solid, to shield her from the ghosts of my past, from the secrets at present, from anything that dared to touch her.

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