Page 56 of Knot Guilty

“Oh, sweetheart, this is so many of my fantasies all rolled into one,” he purrs.

“Let’s see if you still think so when you’re on your ass.”

“The way I see it, I win either way.”

He lunges then, and I twist out of his path. The only problem is that I failed to anticipate how much the blanket would slip on the grass. My feet get tangled, and I end up facing away from Maxen with my arm wrenched up behind my back. “Give up yet?” he murmurs in my ear while circling a single fingertip around a nipple.

“Not a chance.”

I jump to take the pressure off my captured arm and spin to free it. When I land on my feet again, it’s with an arm around Maxen’s neck. I lean forward and drop, successfully managing to flip him over my back. Somehow, he’s able to control his landing enough to throw his own weight, pulling me right over with him. Through some acrobatic spin and throw action, Maxen lands me flat on my back on the cool grass with him between my legs again.

“I win,” he says just before he spears me with his massive cock.

Something cool and smooth brushes across my mouth as I laze in the rooftop oasis with Maxen. Keeping my eyes closed, I smile and lick the melting chocolate from my lips. At the next pass, I bite into the strawberry, and the sweet nectar melds with the chocolate, a decadent, almost sinful combination.

I’m sitting between Maxen’s legs, reclined back against his bare chest. We’re covered from the chill by a light fleece he had hidden amongst the stack of pillows. Keeping my eyes open, I follow Maxen’s hand as he reaches for his glass of champagne, taking a generous sip.

He picks up another chocolate-covered strawberry, and this time when he paints my lips with it, it’s him that licks it off. I chase him as he sits back up, but instead of being rewarded with another sensual kiss, he teases me with a chuckle and bites into the fruit.

The night has been the most decadent I’ve ever had, basking in one another’s bodies under an open sky. By now, it has to be extremely late, and even though tomorrow is Saturday, I’ll want to check in with Knot for an update in the morning.

Reaching for the last strawberry, I offer it to Maxen before pulling back at the last second and biting it myself. After I’ve swallowed it with a victorious grin, I shove off the blanket and reach for my discarded dress.

Fabric shifts behind me as I slide the wrinkled, shimmery dress over my head, and then Maxen is at my back, lifting my hair to the side to secure the tie at my neck. Considering all we’ve done, the act is oddly intimate.

I’m suddenly insecure about how mismatched we are emotionally and take a step forward out of his reach. By the time I turn around, Maxen has pulled on his pants and is watching me, wearing a guarded expression. He tilts his head to the side and asks, “Pulling away already?”

I feign annoyance to cover up my freak out over being read so well again. “Don’t be ridiculous. I… I’m just surprising myself with all… this.”

Maxen’s shoulders fall, though the reaction is slight enough that I would have probably missed it if he’d been wearing a shirt. What it means is that he doesn’t believe me. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but I think I hurt him.

“Come on,” he says coolly. “I’ll take you home.”

He turns away, and I decide I will not be a coward. I don’t want to miss my chance to experience something real just because I’m afraid. I step up and stop him with a hand against his heart. “No. I want to stay with you.”

A small smile graces his lips, and Maxen lifts his hand to trace his knuckles over my cheek. “I’d like that.”

Now that we’ve cleared the air, the two of us set out to gather our clothes and shoes. Underneath all the piled-up chaos is the flower Maxen put in my hair. I consider tucking the stem over my ear, but Maxen picks it up and places it in his pocket. No matter, I still have a large and beautiful bouquet of the roses in my apartment.

The pillows, Maxen’s remaining clothes, and our shoes are tossed in the middle of the blanket, and the whole thing is gathered and tossed over his shoulder. I help by collecting the ice bucket and glasses, and we leave the garden terrace without a trace of our romantic exploits.

The two of us walk barefoot to Maxen’s apartment, where the loaded blanket gets deposited on the sofa table. We continue deeper into the stylish flat, not stopping until we reach Maxen’s bedroom. There, we strip down in the dark and get wrapped up in each other all over again in his bed.

My ringing phone wakes us at nine the next morning. Cursing myself for sleeping in, I fumble to grab the offensive device out of my clutch that sits on the bedside table. “Phelps.”

“Get to my office. Twenty minutes.”

Knot hangs up without waiting for a response, leaving me staring at the now blank screen.

“Who was–” Maxen begins but is interrupted by his phone receiving a call. He climbs out of bed and pads naked to his pants on the floor. The call is on its third ring when he pulls the phone from his pocket. “Gates here.”

Maxen meets my dazed stare with one of his own. “Twenty minutes,” he affirms.

I glance toward the floor at my abused dress. “Hmm.”

“Walk of shame time,” my lover teases.

For that, he gets the finger. “Come on,” he laughs. “I’ll get you there fast enough that you’ll have time to change.”

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