Chapter 144: Take Me With You

NORA’S POV

The warmth of Knox’s truck enveloped us the second he pulled the passenger door shut against the frosty ocean wind.

I sank back into the leather seat, my cheeks tingling from the cold and my lips still burning from the kiss we had shared on the pier.

Knox walked around the front of the hood, sliding behind the wheel. When he closed his door, the roar of the coastal breeze was cut off completely, replaced by the low hum of the engine.

He reached over and turned up the heater, warm air washing across my ankles and knees. Then, before shifting into drive, Knox rested his right hand on the center console between our seats.

His palm was upturned, his long fingers open in a silent invitation.

I didn’t hesitate. I slid my hand into his, letting my fingers lace through his warm, calloused grip. Knox tightened his hold gently, bringing my hand to his lips and pressing a slow, tender kiss against my knuckles before resting our joined hands against his thigh.

"You okay?" Knox asked softly, glancing at me as he backed the truck out of the alley.

"Better than okay," I said, a breathless smile tugging at my lips. "I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since we left the restaurant."

"Good," Knox murmured, his thumb stroking soothing circles across the back of my hand. "That was the only goal tonight."

We drove along the coastal highway in a comfortable, easy silence. The dark ocean stretched out to our right under a canopy of stars, while our headlights lit a bright path through the quiet pine trees.

Soft music played from the dashboard, filling the cab with a calm melody that made the outside world feel miles away.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked quietly, watching the streetlights cast moving shadows across the strong lines of his profile.

Knox kept his eyes on the road, but a faint, nostalgic curve touched his lips. "I was thinking about the first time you sat in that seat," he admitted in a low rumble.

A laugh slipped past my lips. "Back in October? You practically threw me into the truck after the library."

"I was terrified of you," Knox replied with deadpan honesty.

I turned toward him, raising an eyebrow. "You? Terrified of a five-foot-four honors tutor?"

"You had zero fear of me, Bennett," Knox said, glancing over with warmth in his gray eyes. "Every other person on this campus either wanted something from me or walked on eggshells around me. You walked into my rink, hit me in the nose with a puck, and handed me a legal contract with rules."

He squeezed my hand, his voice dropping into a deeper, more intimate register. "I spent four weeks trying to convince myself that you were just part of a business arrangement. But every time you looked at me, you saw right through the armor."

"It wasn’t armor to me, Knox," I told him softly, leaning my head against the headrest to look at him. "It was just a boy carrying an entire world on his shoulders, trying to protect everyone around him."

Knox went quiet for a moment, his jaw tightening slightly with emotion. He lifted our joined hands again, pressing another lingering kiss to the center of my palm.

"Nobody has ever seen me like you do, Nora," he whispered.

The air in the cab grew thick with a quiet, undeniable pull that made my heart hammer in my chest.

Twenty minutes later, the glowing stone arches of Briar University emerged through the windshield as Knox steered the truck through the campus gates toward North Hall.

He slowed to a crawl, pulling up to the curb under the dark branches of the tall oak trees outside my dormitory entrance.

The truck came to a stop. Knox shifted into park, but he didn’t turn off the ignition, and neither of us made a move to unbuckle our seatbelts.

Silence settled between us, full of a quiet hesitation neither of us wanted to break.

Through the window, the facade of North Hall was mostly dark, save for the faint glow of the stairwells. Room 304 was lit up, meaning Priya was still awake inside, studying.

Knox unbuckled his seatbelt, turning his broad frame sideways so he was facing me completely. He rested one arm over the steering wheel, his eyes searching mine in the dim amber glow of the dashboard.

"It’s past ten," Knox said quietly.

"I know," I answered, my voice barely above a whisper.

He looked toward the entrance of North Hall, then back at me. "I know you have early classes tomorrow. And I know Priya is upstairs."

He paused, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

"Tell me to let you go inside, Bennett," Knox murmured. "Because if you don’t, I’m not going to want to let you out of this truck."

A rush of sweet, thrilling heat bloomed through my veins, chasing away any lingering hesitation.

I reached out, resting my hand against his cheek. His skin was warm, his jaw freshly shaved and firm beneath my fingertips. He leaned into my touch instinctively, closing his eyes for a second as if my palm were the only anchor in his entire world.

"I don’t want to go upstairs," I whispered truthfully.

Knox’s eyes opened slowly, burning with an intense, raw focus that stole my breath. "You don’t?"

"No," I replied, holding his gaze with absolute certainty. "Priya is studying, the dorm is noisy, and I don’t want tonight to end with a quick goodbye at the double doors."

Knox stared at me, his chest rising and falling in an uneven rhythm.

"Come home with me," Knox said. "The house is empty tonight. Bear is staying at his brother’s place in town, and Jake won’t be back until morning."

He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my skin. "Just you and me, Nora. No interruptions."

My heart pounded as I nodded and replied. "Take me with you, Captain."

A slow, breathtaking smile broke across Knox’s face... one of the purest, happiest expressions I had ever seen on him. He leaned forward, brushing a soft, promising kiss against my lips before sitting back and shifting the truck into drive.

Ten minutes later, the truck tires crunched over the gravel driveway behind the SinBin.

The house was completely dark, save for the amber porch light illuminating the back door. Knox cut the engine, killed the headlights, and stepped out into the chilly night.

He walked around to my side, opening the door and catching my waist in his large hands as I stepped down from the cab. Instead of letting me go, Knox drew me flush against him for a long, quiet second, his warmth shielding me from the biting air.

"Watch your step," he murmured, taking my hand and guiding me up the wooden porch steps.

Knox unlocked the back door, leading me inside into the quiet warmth of the kitchen.

The house smelled faintly of roasted coffee and clean cedar floor wax, peaceful and still in the midnight hour. Knox didn’t bother turning on the harsh overhead lights; he clicked on a single under-cabinet runner that cast a soft golden glow across the countertops.

He led me through the living room toward the central staircase, his hand never leaving mine.

Each step we climbed up to the second floor felt like crossing an invisible boundary into something completely new.

We weren’t sneaking around, we weren’t hiding an impermissible benefit, and we weren’t pretending for a camera. We were simply two people who had chosen each other against all odds.

At the end of the upstairs hallway, Knox pushed open the wooden door to his bedroom.

He clicked on the bedside lamp, filling the spacious room with warm, honey-colored light.

I stepped across the threshold, looking around the room. The timber nightstand sat neatly in the corner, holding only an alarm clock and a framed photo of Knox on the ice as a kid. The violation of Chloe’s intrusion was completely washed away; the space felt safe, quiet, and deeply private.

Knox stepped up behind me, gently sliding his hands over my shoulders.

"Can I take your coat?" he asked softly.

I nodded, letting him slide the black wool coat from my shoulders. He hung it carefully over the back of his desk chair, then shrugged out of his own charcoal coat, leaving him in his fitted black crewneck sweater and dark trousers.

When Knox turned back to me, the atmosphere in the room shifted, growing thick and electric with unspoken longing.

He took a slow step forward, closing the distance between us until his chest was inches from mine. "You have no idea how beautiful you are, Nora," Knox murmured, his voice dipping into that low rasp that made my pulse race.

He reached out, cupping my face with his warm hands. His thumbs brushed across my cheekbones, his touch reverent and gentle for a man of his strength.

"You gave me my life back," Knox whispered, looking into my eyes with an honesty that made my chest ache with emotion. "You gave me back my team, my pride, and the only thing I’ve ever cared about keeping."

"You did that yourself, Knox," I whispered, resting my hands against the firm fabric of his sweater. "I just stood beside you."

"You were the only person who did," Knox answered. "And I love you for it."

His words hung softly in the quiet room.

My breath hitched. "I love you too, Knox."

A tremor ran through Knox’s broad frame at my words.

He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against mine, his breath mingling with mine in the warm room. When his lips met mine, the kiss was deeper and sweeter than anything we had shared before.

It began gently, tasting like the spiced chai and the cool night air, before deepening into an all-consuming fire. My fingers slid into the soft hair at the nape of his neck, tangling into the strands as I pulled him closer.

Knox groaned softly against my lips, his arms wrapping around my waist, lifting me effortlessly against his body.

Every barrier, every lingering doubt, and every ounce of fear dissolved into the quiet warmth of the room. He moved us slowly toward the edge of the bed, without breaking the kiss.