Page 41 of Falling For My Best Friend's Brother

“It’s normal to be terrified of losing everything you’ve worked for. Anyone in your position would be. That’s why you have to think about your employees too, not just yourself.”

His silence told me he was thinking. Then, I watched as his eyes traveled around to my face, feeling his heated gaze move from my eyes to my nose before settling on my lips.

“Why did you help me?” he asked in a hoarse whisper. “I’ve been so mean to you.”

I smiled. “You have. But at least you’ve been real with me. And like I said, you’re not a bad guy. Plus, last week was pretty awesome.” My cheeks flamed as thoughts of his body slick with heat and moving against mine filled my mind.

His lips curved upward in a smug smile. “Have you missed me?”

I couldn’t lie, even if I wanted to. “Mhmm. And you?”

His free hand lifted to cup my cheek as sapphire eyes gripped my green ones, holding me hostage. “Every fucking day.”

It was the best thing I’d heard all night. I still didn’t understand what it was I felt for Knox—there was no point in hiding it. I didn’t hate the guy anymore, far from it—but I knew it was intense and fucking terrifying.

When he leaned forward and kissed me, common sense told me I was at risk of falling for him and I needed to abandon ship. But as I stated earlier, my body and my mind sometimes were at odds when they most needed to cooperate… and I found myself kissing him back.

“I haven’t been able to decide if I want to fuck you in that dress or out of it,” Knox murmured against my lips, sliding one hand down to cup my breast. “Did you notice that every man and woman present tonight had their eyes on you? It drove me mad with both jealousy and lust.”

It wasn’t just my face; my entire fucking body was blushing. “Yeah? Did you think I’d go home with some random stranger?”

He growled deeply. “Over my dead fucking body.”

And then he kissed me again, deeply and gently, sucking my lips and stroking my tongue with his in long fluid movements that made my thighs clench together, seeking some sort of friction against that place that pulsed.

His possessiveness shone through, not just his words, but his touch. The way he held me, the way his mouth moved against mine, it felt like a declaration of ownership, and I wasn’t sure what it meant exactly, but I knew I liked it way more than I should.

Knox pulled away after some time, though his hands still cupped my cheeks. “Thank you for tonight,” he whispered again.

“I’m glad I could help.”

“No,” he shook his head, pressing his forehead to mine. “I mean, I’m grateful you were my date, but not just that. For this. Being here with me. Talking, listening. It’s been a long time since I opened up to anyone.”

Shit. Something warm exploded inside my chest and I just knew it was too late. I was a goner.

“You too, Knox. It’s been a magical evening.”

Just then, he grabbed my underarms and pulled me onto his body, wrapping his hands around me. It was shocking and threwme off so much so that for the first few seconds, I couldn’t move. When I finally regained my senses, I had to bunch my dress up to sit astride him before hugging him back.

And so, we stayed like that, hugging, not saying a word. Just basking in the warmth of each other’s bodies as our thoughts wandered.

Knox spoke up after a while. “I think there’s one more thing I need to thank you for.”

“What’s that?” I asked softly.

“For your help with Dean Bishop.” He whispered gruffly. “Thank you, princess.”

Chapter fifteen

Nina

In the days that followed, Knox and I reverted to our routine of constant sex. But somehow, somewhere, there was an obvious shift that neither Knox nor I wanted to focus on. I tried to ignore it. But with every moment we spent together, the change was there, glaring and mocking me, daring me to do something to fix it.

First off, I had not slept in my room since the night of his corporate event. I spent every sleeping and waking moment in Knox’s arms, and missed him every second he wasn't home. I paced a hole in the tiles, counting each of those seconds until he would walk through the door, after which my entire day would somehow brighten up and I would throw myself back into his arms.

I knew it was a terrible idea to get used to being around him, but I was too far gone now to stop myself. I yearned for his touchalmost as much as I needed air. My favorite thing to do had quickly become having him buried to the hilt inside me.

I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me what was happening—I was falling for Knox. Harder than I’d ever fallen for anyone.

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