I collapse onto the beach, trying to hide my smile when I see Knox going for the sunscreen. He’s been applying it almost religiously since we left the bungalow this morning. He says that he just doesn’t want me to burn, but I have a feeling that it’s more than that.
He seems to savor running his hands all over me. I think that he just likes taking care of me and making sure that I’m safe.
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like that too.
I’ve been taking care of other people for my whole life and it’s nice to have someone do it for me for a change.
The way his patient hands keep stroking over my bare skin has me going out of my mind. I didn’t feel ready to give into him yesterday, but today, after he’s spent all day being so charming and wonderful, I’m ready to jump his bones.
“Time to reapply,” Knox says and I can feel myself growing wet as he moves to kneel behind me.
I sit up in the sand, moving my hair out of the way as he starts to rub the sunscreen onto my shoulders.
I bite my lip, trying not to moan as his thumbs dig into my tired muscles. It’s a good thing that I packed a swimsuit on the off chance that I had some time off when I thought that this was a business trip. We’ve already been swimming and paddle boarding and I’m starting to get worn out.
“Want to try kayaking next?” Knox whispers as his hands glide farther down my back.
This time I do moan and lean back against him.
“Too tired. I need food,” I sigh and I feel him laugh against my back.
“Alright, let’s get dressed and get you fed. Then we can explore the island some more or head back to the bungalow for a nap.”
I take his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. He grabs our towels and the bottle of sunscreen and then grabs my hand again, leading me down the beach and back to our bungalow.
“Do you want to shower first?” he asks me as he lets me into our cabin on the water.
“Sure.”
I grab a pair of shorts and a tank top and head into the bathroom to get cleaned up. I hurry through a shower and tug on my clean clothes. By the time I get out, the food that Knox had ordered for us is being delivered.
“I thought that you might be too tired to walk around and find a place.”
“This looks amazing,” I say, taking in all of the dishes.
“Help yourself. I’m just going to change.”
I nod, taking a seat on the deck of our bungalow and looking out over the water as I start to fill up my plate. Knox joins me a minute later and I smile as he steals a french fry off my plate.
“It’s beautiful here.”
Knox nods, leaning back in his chair as he looks out over the island.
“Why don’t you own a hotel here yet?” I ask him as I take a bite of my tuna.
“Haven’t branched out this way yet. After being here though, maybe I’ll have to.”
He has a thoughtful look in his eye and I wonder if we’ll be coming back soon for a real business trip soon. I can’t say that I would mind spending another vacation here.
A thought hits me then.
Will I still be his assistant if he gets me to fall in love with him?
I’m not sure that I could handle all of the other employees talking about me like that. I’m sure that they would think that I was trying to sleep my way up in the company.
I already barely have any friends in Los Angeles since no one wants to befriend the girl closest to the boss. They all think that I’m going to run to Knox with all of the gossip and get them in trouble.
I wonder if I should tell Knox that the reason that I’ve been avoiding his advances is because I’m worried about what everyone will think.
I know that I shouldn’t care about that, but growing up with Camille and Gregory Manot means that caring about my appearance and reputation have been bred into me.
“What are you thinking about?” Knox asks, and I wonder how long I had been staring off into space.
“Just thinking about going back to work after all of this.”
It’s true enough, but as I meet Knox’s gaze, I get the feeling that he sees more than I’m ready to share.
“We can move here,” he states, and I choke on my sip of water.
“I can’t do that. I’d miss Elodie too much,” I admit and he shrugs.
“Then we’ll visit often.”
He seems so confident, so sure about this thing between us and I wonder why.
“How do you know that this between us is real?” I ask him as I pop the last bite of food into my mouth.
“It’s a gut feeling. The second that I saw you, I knew that you were my missing half.”
“What if your gut is wrong?” I whisper, looking out over the water.
“It’s not.”
“You don’t know that. Not for sure,” I argue.
“It’s never been wrong before,” he counters.
We stare at each other for a beat and I can feel Knox trying to see inside my head.
“What’s stopping you from feeling this?” he whispers, and I swallow audibly.
“I do feel it,” I admit shakily. “I’m just not sure that I should.”
“You should,” he says confidently.
“What happens if you leave me?”
“I won’t. I would never.”
That’s easy for him to say.
“We don’t always have the choice. Watching my sister struggle to live has made me realize that life is pressure and we never know when our time is going to be up.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason to go after what you want before it’s too late?”
I bite my lip, wondering if he’s right.
Should I take this chance?
My heart beats, thumping in my chest as if to say yes, take it and never let go.
“Maybe you’re right,” I say as Knox stands and holds out his hand to me.
I let him pull me to my feet and he tugs me again until I’m pressing up against his chest.
“I am, Chloe. This is right,” he breathes against my lips and I nod.
That’s all it takes and his lips land on mine. I thought that it would be slow, that he would ease me into it, but it’s like my nod gave him permission to let everything out.
He kisses me like he’s been starved for it, like he won’t survive another minute unless his lips are on mine.
I gasp when his teeth sink into my bottom lip and he groans in response, wasting no time in pushing his tongue into my mouth and tasting me.
I’m not sure when my hands wrapped around his neck, but they sink into his hair, tangling in the short strands at the back of his head as I get lost in what he’s doing to my body.
We pull apart and I suck in a deep breath, my eyes wide and trained on Knox.
“Did you still want to explore the island?” I ask as I try to calm my racing heart.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Knox says with a sexy smirk.
“What’s that?”
“I’d rather explore you.”
I can feel my eyes widen at his words and that place between my legs flares to life. I squeeze my thighs together, trying to calm the ache that’s forming there as Knox backs me up toward the bed.
His fingers find the button on my shorts and he has them slipping down my legs in an instant. I gasp as his hands go to the hem of my shirt and he starts to tug the fabric up and over my head.
I want to help him take his clothes off too, but before I can, he’s pushing me down onto the soft mattress and caging me in with his body.
“You’re the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen,” he whispers and I can feel the blush spreading all over my body.
His lips find mine, and I relax as he kisses me. I barely notice as his hands unhook my bra and skim down my sides to my panties.
He pulls away, his lips trailing down my neck as his fingers hook on the sides of my underwear and he tugs them down my thighs.
I moan as his lips find the swell of my breast and he nips at the skin there as his hands mold the mounds. His tongue laps at my nipple and shock waves run down my body, all headed to my core.
I can feel myself getting wetter with every flick of his tongue, and I squirm on the bed beneath him.
I need more.
“I’m going to give it to you, beautiful,” Knox says, and I realize that I must have said that out loud.
Either way, it gets Knox to move.
He sucks my nipple into his mouth, letting it go with a pop, and I arch against him. He kisses down my stomach and I start to tense up.
I’ve never been a size zero, much to my parents’ disappointment, and I wonder if it will be a turn-off for Knox. When his tongue grazes a circle around my belly button, I realize that he doesn’t care.
He thinks that I’m beautiful just the way that I am.
He shoulders my thighs open and I gasp as he comes face to face with my drenched flesh.
“Um…” I start, but Knox doesn’t wait to hear what I have to say.
He leans forward, his tongue parting my folds and nudging against that little button that has me lighting up like a Christmas tree.
“Oh, oh, oh,” I chant and he moans against my core.
After that, I’m just feeling. Every part of my body is focused on what his tongue, lips, teeth, and fingers are doing to me. When he sucks my clit into his mouth, his smooth tongue rolling over the bundle of nerves, I see stars.
I shout his name to the ceiling as I come and he holds me tighter, pinning my hips to the bed as he continues to lick my pussy.
My body sags and I smile as Knox crawls back up my body. His arms wrap around my waist and he tugs me to him.
I go willingly, letting him take another piece of my heart as he cuddles me to his chest.