Page 19 of Queen of Anarchy (Dirty Broken Savages 2)

7

River

Knox’s wordshave a real effect on me, and I can’t get them out of my head as we keep sorting through all of his torture equipment.

He promised to help me. Promised they’d all help me.

I’ve been doing things on my own for so long now that taking help from other people doesn’t come naturally at all. Still, hearing him say it and knowing he meant it makes something settle in my chest. Something I’m not sure how to identify yet.

His story struck something inside me too.

I’ve never doubted for a second that these men have fucked up pasts, just like I do. The way they act and carry themselves, their whole life situation… ofcoursethey have fucked up pasts.

Gage practically admitted as much to me before, after I killed Ivan, and Priest basically broadcasts it with his whole… everything. There’s definitely a reason Ash is the way he is, and Knox…

Well.

The raw, vulnerable, and broken part of my soul recognizes every bit of fury and pain that Knox carries. I know what it’s like to have the people who should protect you betray that duty and practically throw you out to the goddamn wolves. The image of my father standing there, looking down at the floor while men put their hands on me and Hannah, ready to drag us away, is imprinted in my mind, and I’ll never forget it. How he couldn’t protect us, and the way we were used and abused to pay for his sins. I know what it’s like to be toyed with and treated like an object, and I know what kinds of scars that leaves.

I feel drawn to Knox in this moment, more strongly than ever. He’s always been the King who's been easiest to connect with—except maybe Ash, but thinking about him makes my chest tighten for a whole different reason, so I push that thought away.

Right now, it’s just me and Knox in this quiet basement room. And right now, I want to kiss him. Not just because I want him or want to fuck him, but for other reasons that are harder to explain.

I’m a little afraid of those feelings. Afraid to peer too deep into them, like I might not come back out again if I do.

So I don’t initiate things with a kiss, because that seems too personal. Too intimate.

Instead, I put down the implement in my hand and tug my shirt over my head, letting Knox get a good look.

His eyes darken immediately, the atmosphere in the basement shifting just as fast. Making a noise in his throat, he grabs me, tugging me toward him.

His hands are big, and they go straight for my tits, yanking my bra down hard to expose my breasts to him. He looks hungry, and he goes straight for my pierced nipple, latching on to it with his mouth and sucking hard.

I gasp softly, arching against him from the heat that flares through me as soon as his warm, wet mouth is on my sensitive nipple. The piercing is still healing, and the little stabs of pain just add to the sensation.

Knox pulls off with a wet pop and then moves to the other nipple, biting down on that one hard until I moan his name.

It all goes straight to my pussy, my clit throbbing with the desire to be touched. It takes no time at all for me to reach this point with Knox and hisgo for what you wantattitude, and I let myself get wrapped up in it, panting softly while he works me over with his lips and teeth and tongue.

I know he likes the pierced nipple best. It’s easy to tell from the possessive way he puts his mouth on it. The way he swirls his tongue around the peaked bud and plays with the ring with his teeth. He likes having marked me, likes knowing that there’s something he can go back to that shows he was there.

When he tugs at the ring sharply, the pain grows, and I buck against him, trying to seek out some kind of friction or something to help deal with the growing ache between my legs.

Knox gives it to me, and I can feel him grinning against my chest. He wedges his leg between mine, giving me a solid thigh to hump against.

I grind down on him, pressing my clit against the hard muscle of his leg, moaning gratefully when that eases the ache enough that I can get my hands on him.

“Yeah,” Knox mutters, looking up. “Touch me.” His deep brown eyes are so dark they’re almost black, and that feral grin stretches his face. Usually, it looks a little dangerous or unhinged, but in this context, it just looks like he wants to devour me.

My body pulses in time with my pounding heartbeat, making it pretty clear that I wouldn’t mind being devoured.

I give him what he wants in turn. I run my hands over the broad expanse of his shoulders and down his back, mapping out the firm muscle I can feel through his shirt. Heat pours off him, and he drags me in closer, leaning down to steal a biting kiss.

It’s always hot between us, always burning fast and intense like a forest fire—but there’s something different in it now. Something about the conversation we just had. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but knowing how well he understands my pain, having that extra closeness with him beyond us both being into fucking people up, makes things even more intense. It builds that heat hotter and faster, and I kiss him almost desperately.

Almost like I need it.

Like I needhim.

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