Page 11 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)

Knox

It had been four days since Crew had left for spring training, and I was catching a flight in a couple of hours to join him and the rest of the Seawolves in Arizona. Of course, I couldn’t leave Portland without saying goodbye to Grady and Mallory first.

Since we’d been bouncing between houses the last few weeks, neither Crew nor I bothered knocking to make Mallory or her mom answer the door. Walking inside, I found Mallory in the living room, propped up with pillows on the couch.

“Hey, Mal. How ya doing?”

She smiled and set down the remote. “Not too bad today. Mom helped me get in the shower this morning. It’s amazing what clean hair can do for a lady.”

“Well, you look gorgeous.” I handed her the coffee I’d picked up on my way over. “Half-caf with two Splenda and a splash of oat milk.”

Her eyes lit up. “You’re too good to me. Thank you.”

“Of course. You’re my favorite kid’s mom, so I gotta treat you right.” I chuckled. “Speaking of my favorite kid …” Before I could ask her where Grady was, Debra came into the room. “Hi, Mrs. Wade,” I greeted politely, like I did any time I saw her.

“Knox,” she replied, icily, then headed down the opposite hall from where she’d entered.

Mallory sighed. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why she acts that way with you, but I’m going to talk to her.”

“You have much more important things to deal with. One day I’ll win her over, but until then, don’t worry about me.” I grinned, hoping what I said was true.

She gave me a small smile. “I just wish she could show some appreciation for all you’ve done for us. You even stayed behind when you could have left with Crew for spring training.”

“Like I was going to leave you all before I had to.” The original plan was to drive down to Arizona with Crew, but that all changed when we figured it might be helpful to both Mallory and Archer if I hung around as long as I could. “Besides, I got four extra days of Grady time.”

“And he loved every second of it.”

“Me too. Now, where’s G?” I looked at the time on my phone. “My ride will be here in ten minutes, and I want to say goodbye.”

“He and Archer are in the kitchen, likely making a mess and claiming it’s lunch.”

I grinned. “Sounds about right.”

Rounding the corner of the kitchen, I saw Grady standing in his toddler tower at the counter, Archer holding onto him while he arranged apple slices on the plates.

“Lunch is looking good,” I said, catching them by surprise.

“Knox!” Grady shouted.

I crossed the room and lifted him out of the tower for a hug.

“Are you still leaving today?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. My plane leaves soon.”

“Will you call me every day like Daddy does?”

“Of course I will.” I ruffled his hair.

“He’s already picked out the book he wants to read with you guys tonight,” Archer stated. “I think the video calls have been helping with him missing Crew. I’m sure it will help with him missing you too.”

“I hope so.” I glanced at my boyfriend’s son.

I never expected I’d be dating a father at this point in my life, but there wasn’t a single thing I’d change about our situation.

Grady had worked his way into my heart, and I believed all of our lives were better with him in them.

“G, I’ve got to go. Be good for your mom and listen to Archer, okay? ”

“I always listen,” he replied firmly.

“Sure you do,” I muttered under my breath. I turned back to Archer just as my phone dinged saying my ride was two minutes away. “Okay, I’m out of here. Call us if you need anything at all.”

He smiled. “I will.”

With one last goodbye to them and another one to Mallory, I stepped outside and walked to the car I’d ordered. I had a plane to catch and a boyfriend waiting for me when I landed.

It may have only been February, but the temperature was mild in Phoenix, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a drastic change from the dreary weather in Portland.

I scanned the line of cars outside the airport terminal and spotted Crew’s truck. I made my way over, tossing my bags into the back before opening the passenger door.

“Hey,” he greeted with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Hey, yourself.” I leaned in to kiss him, and he returned it, but pulled away before I was ready.

During the entire flight, I looked forward to seeing him again, but his excitement didn’t seem to match mine.

“How was the flight?” he asked, pulling away from the curb.

“Uneventful.” I glanced over at him. “How was practice today?”

“Fine. Castro’s been running us hard, but nothing we can’t handle. How’s Grady?” Castro was one of the pitching coaches and someone I didn’t work directly with given I was a first baseman.

“He seemed happy this morning. He and Archer were making lunch when I stopped by to say goodbye, and Grady couldn’t stop smiling. I think we made the right choice hiring him.”

“That’s good,” he replied, but he spoke so quietly I barely heard him.

I shifted so I was facing him as much as I could in the front seat. “Everything okay? You seem off.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m a little jealous.”

“Jealous of what?”

He sighed. “You got to spend more time with Grady. I know that was the plan, but I still hated that I was here. Now, he’s hanging out with Archer. It should be me playing baseball with him and fixing lunches.”

I reached for Crew’s hand. “I get that, and I would have traded places with you if I could, but no one can replace you. Grady talks about you all the time, and he can’t wait to see you again.”

My boyfriend nodded but didn’t say anything.

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I missed you.”

He glanced at me, and the corners of his mouth lifted. “I missed you too.”

Thirty minutes later, we pulled into the apartment complex where we would be living for the next two months, and Crew shifted the truck into park. “Let’s get your stuff inside. We’ve got four days to make up for.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I hopped out of the truck, grabbed my bags, and barely made it through the door before Crew’s mouth was on mine. His hands were pulling at my clothes, like he couldn’t wait a second longer to get me naked.

I couldn’t either.

His fingers yanked at the hem of my shirt as I dragged his over his head. Our pants and boxers disappeared in a flash, left in a pile right in the hallway.

“The last few days without you sucked,” I breathed as he backed us into the living room. We didn’t stop until he hit the back of the couch.

“Thank god we get to spend the rest of the season together,” Crew stated before turning and bracing his hands on the cushions with his back arched and ass pushing toward me. The sight of him completely bare had me hard in an instant.

“Damn,” I muttered, stepping in close and trailing my hands over his hips. My fingers roamed lower, down the backs of his thighs, then up again over the curve of his ass cheeks. “You want it here? Just like this?”

He nodded. “There’s lube in the end table drawer.”

“Love that you thought ahead.”

I slid the drawer open and snagged the small plastic bottle inside. After coating my fingers in the slick gel, I trailed them down his crack and teased over his hole. I expected him to tense a little, but he didn’t. And when I pressed in, he opened for me so easily.

“You’re already …” My fingers slid in deeper without much resistance. “You prepped, didn’t you?”

He glanced back at me, his face flushed. “Before I left to pick you up.”

My dick twitched. “Did you think of me filling you while you did it?”

He let out a long breath. “Of course. You’re all I ever think about.”

I curled my fingers inside, hitting the spot we both loved, and he moaned. “Did you come while doing it?”

He pushed back against me. “No. Wanted to save it for you.”

I was already hard, but the image of him lying on his back, stretching himself, had me ready to blow. I pulled my fingers free, covered my shaft in more lube, and lined up behind him. Even though he was ready to take me, I controlled my movements and pushed in achingly slow.

“Fuck,” I groaned as I focused on the heat and tightness wrapped around me. “You feel so good.”

“I need more.”

“I got you.” I moved hard and deep, forcing the couch to slide across the floor with each thrust.

He gasped when I got the right angle. “There. Right. Fucking. There.”

I gripped his hips tighter and gave him exactly what he wanted. He shoved his hand between his body and the couch and started to stroke his shaft.

The sound of skin slapping skin filled the quiet apartment, and my abs clenched every time I bottomed out.

“This is what you wanted when you fingered yourself,” I rasped. “You needed me to fuck you the second we got home.”

His only response was a grunt.

I reached around and replaced his hand with mine. He pushed forward fucking my fist as I continued drilling into him. It only took a few seconds before his legs started to shake.

“Come for me,” I demanded, biting down on his shoulder.

“Knox!” he shouted as his cum spilled over my fingers.

His entire body trembled, and when he clenched around my cock, he took me right over the edge with him.

He sagged against the couch, trying to catch his breath. I curled over the back of him, resting my forehead between his shoulder blades, my cock still pulsing inside him.

Eventually, I slipped out, kissed his back, and stepped back just enough to grab a couple of tissues to clean up.

“Gotta say, reunion sex? It almost makes the time apart worth it.”

He lifted his head, eyebrows raised. “Almost?”

I leaned forward and kissed him hard. “Yes. As amazing as claiming that hot ass of yours was, I still hate being away from you. So if I had to choose, I’d pick being with you every time.”

“Your ability to be cheesy and filthy at the same time is impressive,” he teased.

“It’s a gift.” A second passed, and I added, “Maybe we should implement a new rule.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully. “Oh yeah. What’s that?”

“If we go more than an hour without seeing each other, mandatory reunion sex.”

He smirked. “I think that can be arranged.”