Page 56 of Burnout
“Victory kiss?” His brows lift. “And you want to be the one I claim it from? Is that what you’re saying?”
“You did win.” I shrug. “And you’re in charge tonight, remember? So whatever you want.”
“That’s a dangerous thing to say to me, princess.” He lowers his voice. “I’d have you bent over my bike so fast you wouldn’t know which way was up.”
His words make heat pool low in my stomach and my breath catches in my throat. “I’m not sure I’d mind that so much. In fact, I think I’d like it very much.”
His eyes darken and he studies my face, maybe reading my seriousness. I’m so serious. He stays close. I can feel the heat radiating off him. One hand moves to my cheek. He’s wearing gloves and the warm leather feels decadent. His thumb strokes my skin and then his hand drops to my neck as he eliminates the rest of the space between us.
His eyes never leave me. I’ve stopped breathing. “You want me to kiss you?”
I’m not capable of speaking, so I nod.
“That’s not an answer.”
“Yes.” I manage to get out the word. Or I think I do. I can’t hear it over the blood rushing and thrumming in my ears. I know it’s not a great idea to make out with Knox while I’m training him, but there’s already this tension between us. How much worse could it get if we kiss a little?
The seconds tick by and he still doesn’t move until I add, “Kiss me, Knox.”
He makes a tsking sound and his head lowers. “You just can’t help but boss me around, can you?”
Oops.
“Luckily, what we want right now is the same.” His lips take mine. Hard and controlling from the moment they touch me. I open immediately and his tongue sweeps in, stroking mine. A person could get lost in Knox’s kisses. I do. I never want to stop.
I grab a fistful of his jacket, trying to tug him closer. He’s in charge and rough, but still somehow gentle in the way he caresses my face. I’m not sure how long he kisses me like that, but when he finally eases up, the world around us comes back into focus. People talking, laughing, the sound of engines and tires on the track.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he says, voice gruff, as I’m still reeling from the loss of his mouth on mine.
My legs are like jelly as he takes my hand and pulls me with him toward his motorcycle. I have to jog to keep up with him. There’s a small crowd of guys standing around and drinking near his bike. When we get there, Knox lets go of my hand to grab his helmet. Slowly and carefully, he lowers it onto my head. As if I’m not dying to get out of here. His kisses promised so much more and I am eager for it all. I push back all other worries. They’ll still be there tomorrow while this moment feels fleeting.
“On the bike, princess. And don’t flash anyone in the process.”
Not an easy feat, but I climb on while holding my dress tight in front of me.
Knox is about to get on himself when one of the guys stumbles over. “Legendary Knox Holland does it again.” His tone is playful, bordering on mocking. “Guess it’s easy to win when you’ve got sponsors throwing money at you and paying for all the best equipment.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Knox tries to ignore him, but the guy claps him on the shoulder and stops Knox from getting on the bike.
“Oh, that’s right. They dumped your ass.” The guy waggles a finger around like he’s reprimanding a child. “You really need to get that temper of yours in check.”
Knox’s jaw flexes, but otherwise he looks unaffected and calm. “Get lost, Justin. You’re drunk and making an ass of yourself.”
The guy waves it off, staggering a little as if proving Knox’s point. “I saw your old man hanging around here the other day.”
I see the way Knox tenses. It’s only for a fraction of a second and then the mask of indifference quickly slams down, but it was there.
“Good for you,” Knox says, shrugging out of his hold and throwing one leg over the bike.
“You wanna talk about making an ass of yourself, he was trying to get people to race him like he isn’t an over-the-hill burnout.” The guy’s gaze snaps to me as Knox lets one hand drop to my leg. I can feel the edge in his touch. It’s soft, but solid. He needs something to anchor him and I’m happy to be that. I doubt he even realizes he’s done it.
Unfortunately, the guy decides to try one last attempt at pissing off Knox. Why? I’m not sure. Knox is taller, broader, and this guy doesn’t look like he could fight my brother.
“Expensive bike, expensive pussy. What’d he pay for you, honey? And can I get on a payment plan? I’m no Knox Holland, but he’ll be washed up in a year or two anyway.” He smiles and laughs at his own joke.
Knox is off the bike before I know it, stalking toward him and pushing him. “Stop fucking talking.”
The guy is caught off guard, though he shouldn’t be. He poked the bear. He stumbles back and falls on his ass. For reasons I can’t comprehend, the guy is still smiling.
