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twenty-eight

Harlow

When Lucia hands me my new glass of Riesling, I tell her I’m going to take a minute to collect myself. I’ve got quite a bit running through my head right now that I need to figure out.

I stand off to the side of the bar, leaning back on it, eyes closed, as I try to compose myself. To my right, I feel somebody join me before the silence is broken.

“I’m guessing you need to gather your composure, too,” Knox says as I open my eyes and turn to face him.

“Something like that,” I reply with a soft chuckle as I sip my wine. “Hoping this helps, too.”

Knox leans his bottle of beer over. “Then a toast to us not looking like such fucking idiots.” I toast my glass to his bottle as we both laugh. “So, uh…” he runs a hand through his hair, giving him that messy, tousled look I love. “How has tonight been for you?”

“Aside from a few awkward moments,” I say with a small smile that he returns, “it’s been kinda fun. I’ve never been to an event quite like this before.”

“I guess you get used to it,” he says. “But I hate things like this. I don’t like having to talk to more people than necessary.”

I place my palm on Knox’s forearm. “Try not to overthink it. I know why you don’t like talking to people, but try to remember that these people aren’t looking to air out any of your dirty laundry. They’re not writing gossip; they’re not looking for a scoop. They’re here to help Stars Charity raise money.”

Knox lets out a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m trying. It’s hard to just flip my mindset, but having you beside me…” he turns toward me and smiles. “That helps a lot.”

I can feel the blush spreading across my cheeks. “I’m glad I can help, Knox.”

He places a finger on my chin and brings my eyes to meet his. “You blushing, Freckles?”

“I might be…”

He chuckles. “Freckles and blushing, a lethal combination.”

“So what you’re saying is that I’m getting to you right now,” I tease.

Knox wraps an arm around the front of my waist and leans closer. “You’ve been getting to me for a while, Harlow. You have no fucking idea.”

My breath catches in my throat. Is this what tonight is going to be? Both of us flustering the other until we just can’t take it anymore?

God help me.

“There you are, Spencer,” we hear Paul Fisher bellow as he comes up to join us. Knox turns to face him and positions me right in front of him, pulling me close and resting his hand low on my hip.

“Hey, Skip,” he says. “You’ve met Harlow, right?”

Paul and I both laugh. “Knox, you remember she’s Cole’s sister, and she’s been working adjacent to the team for several years now, right?”

“Not to mention Rory being one of my best friends,” I add. “Good to see you tonight, Paul.”

“Paul?” Knox says, surprised.

“He’s not my manager,” I laugh. “He’s Skipper to you. He’s Paul to his daughter’s friend.”

“Harlow,” Paul says. “I’ve got to ask something I think everyone is thinking.” Knox’s grip on my hip tightens. “How the hell did you end up with Fort Knox?”

I try to stifle my laugh as Knox groans. “Really, Skip?”

“It’s a legitimate question, isn’t it?” Paul laughs.

“Knox isn’t like most people think,” I answer. “I know he was famous for not sharing any part of his life before, but once you get to really know him, you realize he’s an incredible person.” I peer up at him with a soft smile. “He might be the best man I know.” He gives me a bright but unbelieving smile before he presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“Another question then,” Paul says. “Knox, what made you go for Cole’s sister? That’s kind of dangerous, don’t you think?”

“Not really,” he replies. “You know how Cole is. He’s never been bothered by it. He’s actually been incredibly supportive.”

Sure, we can call my brother’s constant teasing supportive.

“I don’t know how he does that then. If one of my players went for my daughter, I’d lose my mind.”

“Well, I’m grateful he’s good with it. I know from the outside that she and I seem very different, but we’re more alike than anyone realizes.” I look up and catch the glint in Knox’s bright, green eyes. “Honestly, I feel like I can actually be myself around her.”

The next few seconds are silent, filled with unspoken words. If this is all supposed to be fake, why did that sound so genuine?

“Hell, you two make the same faces at each other as Garro and his fiancée.” Knox and I laugh lightly as we both attempt to regain our composure… again. “But I’m happy about it. Knox has had such a change this season. You’re good for him, Harlow.”

“Yeah,” Knox says, slowly letting his hand start drifting down my thigh. “I think she is, too.”

“Make sure you both enjoy yourselves tonight, but also be sure to talk to the donors,” Paul says before saying his goodbye and leaving us standing alone.

“Well, I guess we should get this part over with,” Knox says.

“Happy to be your arm candy for the night then.”

He laughs before taking my hand in his and leading me to the open floor.

After a couple hours of trying to subtly suck up to the donors, Knox and I find ourselves leaning against the glass railing to the rooftop terrace, looking out over the city. He seemed to do a great job of mingling tonight, but I can see that it’s taken a lot out of him. He’s open with me, but it’s still hard for him to open up even a little bit with anyone else.

I turn my back to the railing and look at Knox. “Hey, the hard part’s over now, at least.”

He softly smiles. “Yeah. Thank fuck, too. I don’t think I had any more of that in me.”

“Well, I think you did great,” I say, resting my hand on his arm. “You looked great, too.”

He smirks before moving to stand in front of me, gripping his hands against the railing and trapping me in his arms. “You think it was my ass that looked great, don’t you?”

I groan. “You drunkenly tell someone one time that they have a sexy ass, and they’ll hold it close to their chest, just waiting for the right moment to bring it up.“ We both laugh. “If you must know, yes, your ass looks great tonight.”

Knox leans in closer. “Well,” he says, “your ass has been distracting me all goddamn night.”

“Hmm…” I say. “I didn’t think it would be my ass that did it for you.” Our bodies are touching now, close enough for me to feel his racing heart and him to feel mine.

“No,” he starts before leaning to my ear and whispering. “You thought it would be your tits, didn’t you?”

“I had considered that,” I reply coolly.

“Yeah, I considered that, too.” I eye him knowingly. “You know how you look tonight, Harlow. It’s hard not to stare at every inch of you.”

“The way you’re dressed tonight, I’ve been eyeing every inch of you.” Knox cocks an eyebrow at me, and I reply in mock offense. “So dirty, Spencer.” I lean closer and brush my lips against his. “What kind of woman do you take me for?”

“The kind of woman who goes for what she wants. The kind of woman that’s tired of listening to the voice in her head telling her something is a bad idea.”

My breath catches, and my body heats up. The honesty in this exchange is something we’ve both been fighting. But I think we’re finally giving up.

“That does sound like me,” I admit, lowering my tone to help reel him in.

We stare at each other momentarily, desire flowing between us. Knox presses his lips against mine, kissing me lightly. “Thought I saw someone walking by,” he says with a smirk.

“There’s no one around us,” I reply. “If you want a kiss, you can just ask.” he laughs before he captures my mouth again, roughly this time.

I drape my arms around Knox’s neck as he rests his hands firmly on my lower back, very slowly letting them fall to my ass. He pulls me in closer as we continue our kiss, unable to fight his desire to have me all to himself. Everything becomes more heated when he grinds his hips into me, letting me feel how hot this all is for him.

Knox breaks our kiss. “Harlow…”

“Knox…” I say breathily.

He’s fighting with himself right now; I can see the inner turmoil in his eyes. But when I place another kiss on his lips, he groans and kisses me back even harder than before.

When we part again, we both struggle to catch our breath. The air feels thick, deprived of oxygen. “Harlow…” he manages, pressing his forehead against mine. “Do you want to get out of here?”

All I can do is nod.

As we leave the dinner, Knox and I don’t say a single word to each other. He grabs his car from the valet as quickly as possible and breaks almost every traffic law to get us back to his place. The ride up the elevator to the top floor is excruciatingly long as we stand on opposite sides, knowing that’s the only thing keeping us from each other right now.

When the elevator dings to let us know we’ve arrived, Knox grabs my hand and quickly leads me off the elevator and straight to the door of his penthouse. He hurries us both inside before using his foot to push it shut as he finally kisses me again. He walks me backward to his kitchen island, lifting me up to sit on the cold marble.

Once I’m seated, the kisses become more frantic, none of them enough to sate our desires. I push his suit jacket off his shoulders, and he lets it fall, pooling at his feet. As I drape my arms around his neck, he plants one hand on the counter beside me and lets the other tease the exposed skin of my leg.

He slowly moves around the hem before sliding his hand under the fabric. Knox strokes his tongue against mine as he lightly trails his fingers up the inside of my thigh. I break our kiss and throw my head back, unable to hold back the low moan that escapes.

He uses this opportunity to pepper light kisses down my neck. “Harlow…” he says, pressing a kiss to the hollow of my throat. “Tell me you want this.” He kisses my jaw. “Tell me you want me .“ He nibbles my earlobe.

The culmination of all this pent-up desire is almost too much to take. We’ve fought this for months now, and we still ended up right where we are now—letting go of our worries and taking what we want. I have never desired somebody the way I desire Knox.

He said earlier that I’m a woman who goes for what she wants. Tonight, that’s never been more true.

We part lips and press our foreheads together. I look into his eyes as the easiest words I’ve ever spoken flow out.

“I want you, Knox.”