Page 110 of Burnout
“Now that I got you all alone I am.” He sways us slowly to the beat.
“I thought you would want to celebrate with your friends.” I only promised Quinn I’d stay for one hour, but Knox hasn’t mentioned leaving and I don’t want to pull him away.
“I do, but if there’s the option to be alone with you, you can rest assured that’s always the one I’m going to choose.” His words make my chest tighten.
“You’re a real smooth talker, Knox Holland.”
“Joel,” he says.
“What?”
“My middle name is Joel.”
His lids are heavy and his mouth soft. I bring a hand up to his cheek. “Knox Joel Holland. I like it.”
“My dad’s name is Joel. I always hated that she named me after him. I don’t want to be anything like him.”
“I think you’ve already proven how different you are. What you did, dropping out of school and taking care of your brothers, is not a small thing.”
I can tell he wants to shrug it off. “You have a good heart, and it’s just a name. Mine is Sarah. No reason. My mom just liked the name.”
His smile returns. “Avery Sarah Oliver.”
His grip around me tightens and we’re quiet as we dance and stare at each other.
“Are you happy?” I ask, then add, “About Neon Punch. I can’t tell. You’re very hard to read tonight.”
“Yeah, it’s just…” His brow creases. “I guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
“Will you move there or drive back and forth so you can be in Valley on weekends and stuff?” I ask. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since he told me he was leaving.
“You’re pretty.”
Surprised laughter spills out of me. “Was that an answer?”
“I might have missed the question because I was staring at your mouth. I’m obsessed with your mouth.” He leans in and kisses me while I continue to giggle at him.
We stumble back to the hotel. Well, Knox stumbles and I hold him up.
“I think you should probably take off all your clothes,” he says when we get into the room. He kicks off his boots and flops onto the bed on his back.
“What a great idea,” I say in my best surprised voice as I pull my shirt over my head.
His smile is lazy and carefree. “I’m full of great ideas.”
“Oh yeah?” I cross the room halfway to him while unbuttoning my jeans. “Like what?”
He holds his hands out and waves me forward with his fingers.
I crawl over him, jeans still on but shirt tossed aside. His arms wrap around me and he crushes me to his chest.
I squeal and yelp like I’m protesting, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be. I lick his face and then he bites my boob. We’re attacking each other back and forth, but smiling and rolling around the big bed.
My next retaliation is licking his nipple piercing, and then he takes my face in both of his hands and holds me while he kisses me breathless.
From there it’s a lot of scrambling hands to get each other undressed, him ripping open the condom foil at super speed and covering himself while I cling to him like I can keep him here with me no matter what. When he pushes inside of me, we both still.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he says, eyes so dark and serious that I wonder if he’s thought the words before but is only saying them now because he’s drunk.
