Page 56

fifty-five

Knox

The sun starts peeking out from behind the blackout curtains in my bedroom. I rub my eyes and glance down to see Harlow’s blonde hair splayed across my chest, a stark reminder that last night really did happen.

I didn’t dream it up—we made things official, and I confessed that I love her.

And she loves me, too.

I’m the happiest damn motherfucker on the planet right now. I’m sitting on cloud nine, holding my girlfriend and, for once, believing that I deserve good things.

And Harlow is the best thing of all .

She stirs now, lifting her head as she blinks the sleep from her eyes. And when they open, she flashes me the sweetest smile. “Good morning, Knox.”

“Good morning, beautiful,” I say as I place a finger under her chin and gently bring her lips up to meet mine. “Did you sleep well?”

“Best night of sleep I’ve ever had,” she smiles.

“Every night I have you beside me is my best night.”

Instead of smiling, Harlow laughs. “Oh my God, Fort Knox really is a simp.”

I chuckle in return. “Yeah, maybe I am.” I brush my thumb across the freckles on her cheek. “But I don’t fucking care. I’ve got you, Harlow. Nothing else matters.”

Her smile back is genuine, lighting her face up in pure warmth. She is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I just want to live in this moment forever.

“I still can’t believe last night actually happened,” she says. “That I didn’t dream it up.”

I lean in closer, brushing my forehead against hers. “It happened, Lo. And I meant every word I said. I’m so fucking in love with you.”

Harlow melts into me, sighing in contentment. “I love you, too. So much more than I ever thought I could love anybody.”

“And all that because you decided to come talk to me after the home opener.”

“Best decision I ever made.” She smiles. “What are our plans for the day?”

“Well, I’ve got a game tonight, and I assume you’ll be there to cheer for your boyfriend.”

“My boyfriend, who will be sitting on the bench tonight?” she smirks.

“Meaning I’ll have all the time in the world to sit and just look at you.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer, leaning my lips to her ear. “My other plans for today involve you and this bed.”

“Knox!” she shouts, lifting her head and looking into my eyes. “How do you go from sweet to horny just like that?”

“Because you are laying on top of me completely naked, and nothing is going to stop me from worshiping that body the way it deserves.”

I take hold of her hips and sit her on top of me as Harlow lightly moans. “I was trying to be sweet and romantic this morning.”

I pepper light kisses up her neck and stroke my hands up and down her sides. “Come sit on my face, baby, and tell me you don’t want to be horny, too.”

“I won’t say no to that,” she replies, breathing already heavy. “I daydream about the things you can do with your tongue.”

“Good,” I say roughly. “Now get that pussy up here and let me eat, Lo. I’m fucking starving.”

An orgasm for Harlow turns into her riding me until I make a complete mess of her. And a shower to clean her up turns into me pinning her against the wall, creating even more of a mess. But goddamn, I’m even more ravenous for her now than I was before.

Her sounds, her taste, her feel have only become even more addicting now that we’re finally together.

Once we eventually clean ourselves off, she throws on one of my old T-shirts and joins me on the sofa, climbing onto my lap and snuggling into my chest.

If I could live the rest of my life like this, with Harlow wrapped up in my arms, everything else would be inconsequential.

All I need is this.

All I need is her .

We were both content to relax in the silence until our phones start vibrating. “I’m just ignoring that,” I say, moving my phone to the coffee table.

“Works for me,” she replies, nuzzling her face into my neck.

We settle back into silence, trying to enjoy each other before I head to the field in a few hours.

And then our phones start vibrating again.

“Goddammit,” I mumble. “Who the fuck is bothering us?”

Harlow grabs her phone and takes a look. “Literally everybody. There’s a whole new text chain with all of our friends.”

“Fucking hell,” I reply, grabbing my own phone and opening it up.

Lane

I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re dying to know what happened last night

Cole

Nope, I don’t want to know everything they did

Rory

Don’t be a prude, Cole

Cole

Am I really a prude if I don’t want to hear about my sister’s sex life?

Lucia

Better get used to it, Pierce

Harlow

Hi, can we not discuss my sex life in a damn group chat?

Ella

It’s not like I was ever given the opportunity to talk about it before, to be fair

Josh

I think that’s all I’ve heard about for the past day and a half

Lane

We could always just talk about Knox’s sex life instead

Knox

And those just happen to be one and the same

Rory

I’m going to take it the date went well

Ella

Oh, I bet it did

Cole

You’re all purposefully torturing me

Knox

Torture Cole on your own

I’m a little busy right now

Harlow

Super subtle, Knox

Knox

Like they weren’t already guessing

Cole

Guessing and confirming are different things

Knox

Well, I could tell you about this one thing she does…

Cole

NO

Harlow

KNOX!

I’m going to kick you

Knox

Your legs are in my lap

You won’t have to reach very far

Lucia

Anybody else finding this really cute?

Rory

Super fucking cute

Lane

I’m living for this

Harlow

Why are all of our friends so fucking weird?

Knox

We can always find new ones

Lane

Dick

We’re just invested in your relationship

Harlow

Which is really fucking weird

Cole

I, for one, think it’s just adorable that Fort Knox is finally dating my sister

Ella

According to the rest of the world, they’ve been together for months now

Wait, what counts as the day you got together then?

Knox

Don’t know, don’t care

Harlow

The date doesn’t really matter to me

I’m just happy we’re together

Knox

Me too, baby

Josh

You know, it has been nice to see Fort smiling finally

Rory

Right?

His smile is so cute

Cole

You think his smile is cute?

Rory

Jealous, Pierce?

Cole

You wish, Fisher

Knox

Okay, I’ve had enough of all this

I’m going to enjoy some time with my girlfriend before I need to head to the field

Harlow

And we’ll probably be a bit too busy to respond to anything else

Cole

Gahhh

I’m out of here

The bat cracks as Josh connects with the ball, hitting a solo home run past center field. We’re in the bottom of the eighth, and while Damian Anderson gave up three runs before he was pulled in the seventh, the Stars are still in the lead, currently winning 5-3.

Ayala pops out after Josh’s home run, ending the eighth inning. Chris Rockman takes the mound now, looking to get the save against the Kansas Huskers.

And he starts off strong, striking out the first two batters. Batter number three hits a line drive into center field and makes it safely to second base when Lane bobbles the ball as he goes to scoop it up.

Batter number four then connects on a fastball right down the middle, sending the ball flying into the right field wall. The runner on second speeds home, bringing the score up to 5-4.

Rockman looks a bit rattled now, but he still hasn’t blown the save. So, he gears up for a curveball, which he throws at the edge of the strike zone.

But it wasn’t enough. The batter sent the ball over the wall in right field, and with a two-run home run, the Huskers now lead 6-5.

Rockman does strike out the final batter he faces, but the atmosphere in the dugout after is bleak. The home team never wants to play in the bottom of the ninth because that means you aren’t in the lead. Now, the pressure is on to tie the game or pull ahead.

And when we go three up, three down, the win goes to the Huskers.

I’m not as upset as you’d expect, though.

I don’t think anything can dash my happiness right now.

And that’s all because of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed bombshell sinking into her seat after our loss. As the guys start to make their way out of the dugout to the clubhouse, I jog over to Harlow instead.

Now, standing in front of her, I say, “Prettiest fan here.”

Harlow opens her eyes now, and she smiles at me. “You guys just lost, and you’re over here to tell me I’m pretty?”

“Get used to it,” I reply, leaning closer and wrapping my arms around her waist. “We’re only just getting started. I’m going to remind you every day how goddamn stunning you are.”

She blushes as she grasps my jersey, bringing her face to my chest. “You’re way too happy right now, Knox.”

“Funny how things change, isn’t it?” I press a kiss to her temple. “But you can’t win them all anyway.”

“Shouldn’t you want to win more, though?”

“I’ve got you, Harlow. I’ve already won .”

She quickly turns to face me, her lips pressing into mine with so much affection—enough for me to drown out everyone around us, soaking her in as if it were just us.

This season has been so unexpected for me.

I started out as Fort Knox, the man with a poor reputation who refused to let anybody in.

And now, as we approach the end of the regular season, I’m just Knox, the man who can’t stop smiling and has found the most incredible woman.

Once again, I owe everything to Simon. My future would be dark and lonely without him setting up this arrangement with Harlow.

Now, I want things I never thought I would.

I want love.

I want marriage.

And truthfully, I think I want kids, too.

And I want all of that with Harlow.

It happened so fast, but I know she’s it for me. I’ll never feel like this for anybody else. I don’t want to feel like this again if it’s not with her.

“I love you, Freckles.”

“I love you, too, Slick.”