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thirty-three

Knox

Today has been a great fucking day.

Harlow slept naked in my bed and treated me to the best goddamn blow job I’ve ever had right after she woke up. I couldn’t get enough of her last night or this morning. She seems to be just as damn insatiable.

Maybe I shouldn’t enjoy the fact that she had to wear a turtleneck today, but I’m smug at the fact that I marked her so much that she couldn’t easily cover it up.

Last night, I was a man possessed, and I wanted to claim every fucking inch of her body.

And as I’m out on the field throwing out practice pitches to Scholl, I see her in her seat by the first baseline with my name on her back, and a whole new wave of desire floods me. Josh has talked about how he feels seeing Ella in his jersey, but I’ve never paid much attention to it. But now that I’ve had Harlow, I fucking get it. She can keep that on tonight when I fuck her so hard she forgets her own damn name.

When Scholl and I finish our warmup, I jog over to Harlow, who is seated with Rory and Sage. “Media and tabloids seem to really like seeing me talk to my good luck charm before each start,” I say as I come to stand right in front of her.

“Well then,” she replies, “You certainly can’t let them down.”

“Lucia and Ella not joining you guys out here tonight?” I ask, noticing her absence.

“Not tonight,” she says. “Lucia’s hanging back tonight in case Ayala needs some assistance since he’s just coming off the IL. And Ella usually hangs back anyway.”

“Nos!” I hear, and I look down to see Sage standing right at the railing, smiling right up at me. She can’t say Knox, so to her, I’m Nos. It’s the cutest fucking thing.

“Sagie!” I say enthusiastically. “You gonna watch your daddy play baseball tonight?”

“No.”

Rory sighs. “No is her new favorite word. Been a lot of fun lately when I’m trying to get her to do something.”

“That’s okay, Sagie.” I kneel down to her level and whisper through the railing. “You’ll have more fun watching Uncle Knox pitch tonight anyway.” Sage giggles.

I stand up and catch a sweet look on Harlow’s face as Cole walks over to join us. “Don’t listen to him, Sagie. Uncle Cole is way more fun to watch.”

“Uncle Cole is full of himself,” Harlow chimes in. Now, she looks at Cole. “What’s up? You never come over before a game.”

“Can’t I come say hi to my sister?”

“You can, but it’s weird because you never do when you’re on the field.

Cole rolls his eyes, and I snicker. When he eyes me, I lean over to him, whispering, “We both know your sister isn’t why you’re over here, man.” My response is an elbow right to the ribs.

“Nice manbun, Cole,” Rory says with a smirk.

He takes a hand and smooths back his hair. “You know you like it.”

“I don’t know. You could probably do with a haircut.”

Cole’s smile falters a bit. “Yeah, maybe,” he says awkwardly. “It has been a while.”

I have to whisper to him again. “Be a little less fucking obvious, will you?”

“Shut. Up.” Cole says through gritted teeth.

“Nah, you know I’m fucking with you, Cole,” Rory says, smiling. “If anyone can pull off a manbun, it’s you.”

Cole, in all his subtlety, blushes as red as a goddamn tomato. I need to save him from doing something stupid here.

“Well,” I say as I throw an arm around Cole’s shoulder. “Time for us to get back on the field, ladies.”

“Good luck tonight, Knox,” Harlow tells me in that flirty tone she loves to use.

I take my arm off Cole and wrap them both around her waist. “You are my good luck charm, so I should be fine.” I brush my lips against her ear so only she can hear me now. “You’re wearing that jersey again tonight, baby. Just the jersey.”

“Whatever you want, boss.”

She smiles as I kiss her lips, just like I do before every game.

But this feels a little… different.

Because I want to just pull her closer.

Because I don’t want to stop.

Because I just want to get lost in her.

Thankfully, I have a game to pitch, so I don’t have time to dwell on what any of that means.

Tonight is a good game for me. I pitch six innings, and the only run that comes during that time is based on a rare error on Lane, meaning it doesn’t count against my ERA. Relievers give up four runs after I’m pulled, so we still get the loss, but it’s a no-decision for me.

I spent some extra time in the shower tonight to try to get the hot water to loosen up my shoulder. Pitching can really take its toll over time, so it’s good to try to keep things loose.

Since I’m the last one in the showers, I expect the clubhouse to be empty when I walk back in. But instead, I find Lane sitting on the sofa, hands behind his head as he leans against the back, waiting for me to walk in.

Goddammit.

“At least let me put on some fucking clothing before you start trying to interrogate me,” I chide, crossing the room to my things. “I don’t really want my dick hanging out while we’re talking.”

“Harlow wouldn’t mind, though, would she?” He smirks.

Asshole.

I throw on a white T-shirt, black athletic shorts, and a black baseball cap before I take a seat next to Lane on the sofa and sigh. “What are you still doing here, Lane?”

“You know exactly why I’m here, man.”

“Can’t keep my sex life private, can I?”

“I’m not going to make you spill all the details. I don’t need to know everything you did to Cole’s sister.” Lane turns to face me now. “But I am curious as to how that happened since you both seemed pretty adamant about not sleeping together at all.”

“What happened is I am a weak man, and Harlow is sinfully hot.”

“No arguments here,” Lane says with a laugh.

I smack him with my hat. “That’s my girlfriend, dick,” I say before quickly correcting myself. “ Fake girlfriend. She’s my fake girlfriend. But I still don’t need you sniffing around since I have to keep up appearances.”

Lane cocks an eyebrow. “And part of keeping up appearances is sleeping together and leaving hickeys all over her goddamn neck?”

“I may be a tad bit possessive in the bedroom,” I admit. “She definitely didn’t mind that, though.”

“So you had fun then?”

I sigh. “To put it mildly. Last night was… really fucking good. I, uh… fucked her against my living room window.”

“Exhibitionism, huh? Kinky.”

“Fuck off. It was after midnight—nobody could see us.”

“So what happens from here?” Lane asks in a more serious tone. “I’ve known you since I came to the team five years ago, and I think I can count on one hand the number of hookups you’ve had in that time.”

“Coming from the king of hookups.”

Lane groans. “Yeah, yeah. We all know I used to fuck my way around every city we traveled to. But you also know that’s not me anymore.” He lets out a breath. “I don’t regret Sage a bit, but she did come from one of those nights. I know what can happen, and I’d rather just focus on my daughter now.”

I lean back against the sofa to join Lane and turn to face him. “Because you’re a damn good dad, man.”

“It’s nice to have the reminder sometimes, so thank you. Anyway, my point is that while you’ve had hookups, those were all just one night. And you and Harlow are going to see each other every day until at least the end of the season. I care about both of you and don’t want to see someone get hurt over this.”

I take a deep breath. “I think we’ve got this. I’m not really worried,” I admit.

“Knox,” Lane says feebly. “It’s not you that I’m really worried about. I think no matter what happens, you’re going to be fine. Harlow I’m not so sure of. She’s good and kind… and I’ve seen her hurt before. I just don’t want to see that happen to her again.”

“I get it,” I say, scrubbing a hand over my face. “But I don’t have any intention of hurting her. I really enjoy being around her. When this is all over, we’re still going to be friends, I have no doubts about that.”

“You enjoy having her around?” Lane shoots me an inquisitive look.

“Don’t get any ideas, Brooks,” I say. “She’s fun to be around. And we sure as hell have fun together. But that’s all it is.”

“Mhmm.”

I roll my eyes as a text from Harlow pops up on my phone.

Harlow

Hurry your ass up, Spencer

We’ve got a standing appointment with your bed

Or couch

Or kitchen counter

I’m not that picky

Knox

Dear God, you’re going to fucking break me, woman

Harlow

And you’ll enjoy every second of it, won’t you?

Knox

Every fucking second

Almost done in here

Just think about last night and get yourself ready for me

Harlow

Been doing that all day, baby

I’m beyond ready for you

Knox

Well, fuck me

Harlow

That’s exactly my plan, yes

I chuckle as I set my phone down and catch Lane with an interesting look on his face. “What’s that for?”

“Nothing,” he says with a dismissive laugh. “That was just a lot of happiness from you right there, so I know Harlow texted you.”

“Yeah, it was her, but why does that mean anything?”

“I don’t know,” Lane says, standing up and crossing the room to the clubhouse door. “But I think you’ll figure it out soon.”

Then he’s out the door. And I’m left to wonder what he was implying.

But I can worry about that later.

A gorgeous woman is waiting for me in the hall, and I need to get her home as soon as possible…

“Yes, there you go, baby. Fucking greedy for my cock, aren’t you?”

“So greedy,” Harlow says breathlessly as she rides me on the couch. We didn’t make it far when we got back to my penthouse after the game. I almost just bent her over the kitchen counter until she said she wanted to be on top of me. There were too many steps to the bedroom when I wanted to be inside her now, so the couch sufficed.

“You and that greedy cunt look so good like this. My name on your back, and your tits in my face as you take every fucking inch of me. Fucking perfect, Harlow. So fucking perfect. ”

I lean forward and bring my mouth to her neck, sucking and nibbling on the skin. One more mark to join the others she covered up today.

She throws her head back and moans. “You like that?” I kiss her before biting her bottom lip. “You like it when I mark you, don’t you?”

“Mhmm.”

I smack her ass. “Words, Harlow. Use your words, or I might need to do that again.”

“Do it,” she says, looking me dead in the eyes. “Do it again.” I smack her again as she moans. “Fuck, baby.”

“There you go. Keep moaning. You sound so fucking good when you moan, stretching around my cock like it was made for you.”

She brushes her lips against mine. “Maybe it was.”

I groan before grabbing her hips and helping her slide up and down. Harlow moans loud enough for the entire building to hear. I don’t give a shit who hears, though. Let them know that the goddess always with me gets fucked just like she deserves.

“You’re doing so well, Lo. Now, touch yourself. I want to feel you come on my cock.” She plants one hand on my shoulder for stability as she slides the other down her body.

Slowly.

Teasingly.

When her finger finds her clit, she starts rubbing. “Mmm… it feels so good, Knox. I’m not going to last much longer.”

“Good.” I nip her ear. “Clench around me, and don’t forget to scream my name when you do.”

Harlow’s breathing is heavy as I take over our movements, holding her steady as I start thrusting into her. The only sounds to be heard are the slapping of skin and her moaning, which grows increasingly louder the closer she gets to release.

When I lean forward and ghost my lips over her neck, she shatters. “Knox! Oh God!”

I slow my thrusts as I fuck her through her orgasm. “So good, Harlow. Screaming my name nice and loud while clenching around my cock. Such a good girl. Now get on your back—I’m coming all over those perfect tits tonight.”

She slides off me and rests her head on the arm of the sofa, body lying out in front of her. Her jersey hangs open since we left it unbuttoned, displaying all of her for me.

I plant one leg on the floor, bend the other at the knee, and slide it on the other side of her so I’m standing over top of her. Now in position, I rip the condom off and take my cock into my hand as I start stroking. “So fucking pretty like that, Harlow.” She bites one of her fingers, looking all innocent like she hasn’t had my tongue buried in her cunt. “Displayed like that only for me to see. Desperate for me to come all over you.”

“Yes,” she rasps. “Give me your cum, Knox. I want it to cover me.”

Fucking hell .

My breathing is heavy, and moans are slipping out as I’m pumping myself faster. Harlow whispers encouragements, begging me to come on her, and it’s enough to push me over the edge.

“Harlow, fuck!” I scream as my white-hot climax erupts from me, covering her from tits to stomach.

I pump until there’s nothing left, until everything is drained from me. As I catch my breath, she takes a finger, dragging it through the release coating her. With her finger now covered, she brings it to her mouth and licks it off, moaning softly when she does.

“Fucking Christ, baby. If I wasn’t spent right now, that would make me so hard.”

“I’ll just have to keep that in my back pocket then.” She laughs before I lean down to kiss her, bringing my body down on top of her. “Knox, I’m a sticky mess. Why did you lay on top of me?”

I just laugh. “Harlow, I’ve been taking care of myself for years. This is not the first time I’ve had my cum on me.”

“When was the last time you took care of yourself then, huh?”

“Yesterday morning,” I answer, unashamed. “Didn’t think we’d end the night with you in my bed, so I had to get myself off to the thought of what it would be like.”

“That’s honest.” She softly kisses me. “I like honest Knox.”

I shift us now, rolling myself so I’m on my back with Harlow beside me, my arm wrapped around her. “I’ve always been honest with you,” I say. “Hell, I told you about Emily. Aside from Simon and my lawyer, you’re the only one who knows.”

She looks at me in surprise. “I’m the only one who knows? Not even Cole, Lane, or Josh?”

“Nope. It’s just you. You’re the only one I’ve ever been… comfortable enough with to share that.”

Her smile reaches her eyes. “I’m happy you were able to share that with me then. I’m so happy that you’re comfortable with me.”

Harlow rests her head on my arm as I gently run my fingers through her golden blonde hair. “In the name of honesty, I’ll tell you this.” She looks at me curiously. “I’ve never been as comfortable around anyone as I am with you.”

“Really?” she asks shyly.

“Really. It’s a little strange since we didn’t know each other well before the season, but once I started getting to know you, I was just immediately comfortable. You have such a calming demeanor.”

She doesn’t say anything with words, but her expression tells me everything.

The sweet look tells me she feels honored to be the only one who knows something so monumental about me.

Her soft smile tells me she’s happy to be where she is right now.

And the sparkle in her ocean eyes tells me that this woman is so fucking special.

This is the happiest I’ve been in seven years, possibly ever. I don’t feel alone with my demons anymore because Harlow has made it clear that I have all of her support.

I’ve spent so damn long keeping those close to me at arm’s length and everyone else out entirely. I’ve only ever been revered as Knox the baseball player. For years, I told myself that’s all I actually wanted.

Then Harlow came along and changed everything. Because while she likes Knox the baseball player, she also celebrates Knox the person . To her, I’m more than just what I can do on the mound. I feel like I’m human again, which is something I didn’t realize I was missing.

But the woman nuzzling herself into my chest right now came in when I least expected it and became everything I never knew I needed. I didn’t think I needed somebody who was the epitome of sunshine, but now I can’t imagine a day without her. I like the warmth she radiates and the comfort she brings.

And as I realize what all of that means, my stomach starts to sink. Because that’s not what was supposed to happen. None of this is real.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I understand what’s happening. I recognize the way I feel around Harlow. It was the same way I felt seven years ago.

It’s the start of falling for somebody… and that fucking terrifies me.