Page 16 of Hear Me Roar

“True, but you’re at least acknowledging you are in fact a tease,right?”

“Oh, hush, or I’ll torture you for the rest of thenight.”

Smack!

I yelped and squeezed my eyes shut as a twang of delicious pain spread across my backside. Knox hummed appreciatively with a wicked grin and sidled closer, looming over my vulnerable form in delightedauthority.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath,” he ordered, so I did, the scent of his secret potion filling the air around us as he poured it into his palm. It was refreshingly minty, with the relaxing hint of lavender tied in too, undertones of sweet and spicy ginger playing in aswell.

The second I exhaled, his hands were on me, his thumbs kneading into my neck, then down to my shoulders, loosening each muscle with skilled care. The more he kneaded, the warmer the oil became, my body falling lax against the sheet, allowing him to press deeperstill.

Taking his sweet time, Knox paid special attention to the bigger knots found on his descent down my back. Every now and then, you’d hear something crack, too, bubbling satiated moans from deep within me as I relaxed beyond belief. I all but curled into his touch, whimpering when he attacked the sore spots at the middle of my back and applied pressure with hiselbows.

“Feels good, baby?” His voice was a husky purr, shooting a white-hot shiver down myspine.

I nodded with an “mhmm” in tow, goose bumps skittering over my skin as cool bursts of relief rushed through my being in the purest ofhighs.

Lower and lower he went, working meticulously around the tailbone of my spine until his hands slithered over my ass – giving each globe a squeeze and a light slap – en route to mylegs.

Or so Ithought.

Deft fingers briskly snaked their way to my sex, stroking me with leisure over the small scrap of material shielding her from his greedyeyes.

“Not a pressure point, coach,” I chided him, hissing when his thumb hooked under my panties, making direct contact with mylips.

“You're right, but she called me. I couldn't just ignore her,” he said, hypnotized by the show he’dstarted.

“She calledyou?”

“Yep.”

“I didn't hear aword.”

Knox chuckled, the sound deliciously dark as he stepped around to the end of the table. “That's ’cause her cry is only meant for me,baby.”

The next thirty seconds went by in a blur. Literally, it all happened before I could blink. One second, I flat against the sheet, and the next, I was on my knees, ass in the air, my thighs in his grasp. An audible gasp left me and I peeked over my shoulder to find Knox leaning over the table, his plump lip caught between histeeth.

His eyes met mine as a Cheshire smile split across his fine face. “Slide ’em to the side,kitten.”

He had said he’d be kissing my ass later,right?

This, apparently, was later, and I had no intention to stop him, obliging to his command withouthesitation.

Talk about your literal happyending.

They were gone.Finally. I’d sent security away with a long list of items I supposedly needed from the grocery store, under the notion I wasn’t feeling well. Whether they believed me or not, Dimitri paid themnotto ask questions. So, they didn't. Ever. Typically, Dima and Maksim would've driven me to and from wherever I needed to go, along with escorting me around, too, but I had other plans for the day. Plans that weren’t any of their business. Despite the fact I was alone in the penthouse, I needed to be cautious and stay vigilant of the time. If they happened to come home suddenly, and I was none the wiser to their presence, it could screw everything up. Then all of this would have been fornothing.

Cracking open the oversized sliding glass door off the living area, I stepped out onto the massive balcony that overlooked the busy streets of Manhattan, and curled up in one of the plushy chairs I still vividly remembered picking out when we first moved in. I’d fallen in love with the set because of the color. The cushions were a soft lavender, contrasting seamlessly with the deep espresso of the wicker structure. Dimitri had said it would pair well with the white tiles and add a modern style to the exterior of our home. A faint smile touched my lips as my eyes took in every aspect of the well-decorated space, one that used to be my favorite spot in the entire house. I had many a fond memory on this balcony, memories that seemed like a lifetime ago. Memories that would never be again, trapped in the past with an old version ourselves. I think that's what I missed the most: the old us. The us that lived and breathed for one another. The happy us that, at one point in time, I was certain would last forever. But nothing everdoes...

A blaring honk from somewhere down below snapped me out of my daze. I shook away the images that now had the ability to burn me and pulled out an ancient cell phone my husband had no clue of. Dimitri wasn't the only with a trick or two up his sleeve. I knew, without a doubt, he was tracking every move on my phone, so I bought this little gem on eBay. Don't worry, the seller was kind – and savvy – enough to forge the statement as an online makeup shop, leaving nothing for Dimitri toquestion.

With a shaky hand, I dialed the number I’d committed to memory and waited not so patiently for ananswer.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

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