Chapter 145: Burning Alive

NORA’S POV

The back of my knees hit the edge of the mattress, and gravity took the rest.

We tumbled backward onto the bed in a breathless tangle of limbs. Knox caught his weight on his forearms at the last second, bracing his frame above me so his six-foot-three build didn’t crush me into the springs.

But his mouth never broke the kiss.

If anything, the contact turned deeper and hotter. Knox slanted his lips over mine, parting them with a low growl in his throat that vibrated straight through my collarbones.

I hooked my right leg around his hip, pulling him flush against me. My fingers tangled into the thick curls at the nape of his neck, tugging him closer until there wasn’t a millimeter of air left between his chest and mine.

Knox responded instantly. He shifted his hips forward, pressing the solid weight of his muscular thighs between mine, testing the give of the mattress beneath us.

"Nora," Knox rumbled against my lips.

"Don’t stop," I whispered, my pulse hammering against my ribs. "Don’t you dare stop, Knox."

A tremor ran through his broad shoulders.

Instead of answering with words, Knox dragged his lips from my mouth across my jaw. He kissed the sensitive hollow beneath my ear, his dark stubble scraping lightly against my flushed skin, sending a wave of electric goosebumps down my spine.

"I couldn’t stop if I tried," he murmured.

His lips trailed down the column of my throat, pressing a slow, open-mouthed kiss over my racing pulse before his teeth caught gently at the curve where my neck met my shoulder. A sharp, sweet gasp tore from my lips, my back arching off the duvet.

I slid my hands down his back, kneading the tight muscles along his shoulder blades through the fabric of his sweater. I pressed my hips upward, testing the ridge of his erection straining against the dark denim of his trousers.

Knox sucked in a sharp, ragged breath against my throat, his hands clamping onto my hips.

"Bennett," he groaned, his hips rolling instinctively against mine, delivering a wave of friction that made my toes curl. "You’re playing with fire."

"Then burn me," I challenged, meeting his gaze as he lifted his head.

His gray eyes were molten, stripped entirely of his cocky captain smirk. All that remained was pure, unfiltered hunger.

Before I could catch my breath, Knox returned to my mouth, kissing me with an unhurried, consuming hunger that stole every coherent thought. His tongue stroked against mine, claiming and demanding, while his right hand slid down my side over the ribbed fabric of my dark emerald dress.

When his rough, calloused palm reached the hem at my mid-thigh, his fingers didn’t hesitate. They slid beneath the knit fabric, finding the bare, warm skin of my outer thigh.

The contrast of his chilled, rough athlete fingers against my fevered skin made me whimper directly into his mouth.

Knox swallowed the sound, groaning low in his chest as his hand glided higher, his thumb tracing searing circles against the curve of my hip. He nudged his knee further between my thighs, spreading my legs wider and settling his pelvis tight against mine.

"You’re so warm," Knox whispered, breaking the kiss just enough to look down at me.

"You’re not cold anymore?" I managed to tease, breathless, my hands tugging at the bottom hem of his black crewneck sweater.

"I’m burning alive, Bennett," Knox said with a faint, wicked smirk flickering at the edge of his lips.

He caught both of my wrists in one of his large hands, gently pinning them to the mattress above my head for two agonizing seconds. "Patience, Bookworm. We’re not rushing this."

"Knox..."

He released my wrists and shifted his weight, his large hands sliding up under the knit dress toward my ribs. Through the fabric of my dress and the lace of my bra, his thumbs found the sensitive peaks of my breasts.

He circled them slowly, adding a bit of pressure and rolling the tight points between his calloused thumbs and fingers until a breathless cry ripped through my throat.

Then he leaned down, pressing his open mouth over the ribbed knit fabric of my dress, drawing the clothed peak between his lips and sucking hard.

The wet heat soaked through the wool and lace straight to my bare skin. My hands flew back into his hair, gripping his dark curls as my hips bucked helplessly against the bed.

"Take this off," I pleaded, gripping the collar of his sweater and yanking it upward. "Take it off, Knox."

Knox didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed up onto his knees, gripping the hem of his black crewneck and yanking it over his head in one fluid motion, tossing it blindly across the room.

My breath hitched in my throat.

I had seen Knox shirtless in the athletic training room through a haze of ice packs and tape, but seeing him like this... inches away in the golden amber glow of his bedroom lamp, was completely different.

His chest was broad, cut with powerful muscle honed from years of punishing checks and daily skates. A faint, pale scar traced along his lower ribs from an old skate blade, and the corded muscles of his shoulders shifted as he braced his palms flat on either side of my head.

His heart was hammering violently behind his ribs, visible against his skin.

I reached out, running both palms flat across his chest, feeling the heat radiating off his skin and the rapid thud of his heartbeat beneath my fingers. I traced the defined ridges of his abs down to his belt buckle, lightly scraping my nails over the taut skin.

Knox flinched with a sharp intake of air, his jaw clenching as his head dropped back. He caught my hand, pressing a hot, searing kiss into the center of my palm before his gray eyes locked back onto mine.

"Your turn," Knox said softly.

He reached down, gathering the hem of my emerald knit dress. He sat me up against his chest, his arms wrapping around me as he bunched the thick fabric up past my hips and waist. I lifted my arms without hesitation, letting him pull the dress over my head and cast it onto the floor.

Cool air washed over my bare torso, but before a chill could settle, Knox turned me gently and reached behind my back. With one flick of his fingers, the clasp of my bra gave way.

He slid the straps down my shoulders, freeing my boobs to the warm room, and eased me back down onto the pillows.

Knox went completely still.

His chest rose and fell in an uneven rhythm as his gaze swept over me. The raw, reverent awe carved into his features made my chest ache with an intensity that bordered on painful.

"Nora," Knox whispered. "You are completely breathtaking."

"Don’t just look at me," I whispered, my voice trembling with need.

Knox lowered his head, pressing a slow, worshipful kiss to the center of my chest, right above my pounding heart. Then he shifted lower, his lips parting over the curve of my breast.

He took his time, licking a slow circle around the rosy crest before drawing the hardened peak into his mouth.

The wet heat of his tongue combined with the gentle scrape of his teeth sent a white-hot shock straight between my thighs. My hands flew into his dark curls, gripping the strands as I arched up into his mouth, crying out his name.

Knox groaned against my skin, his hand cupping my other breast, kneading the soft flesh while his mouth worked in a slow, torturous rhythm that drove every rational thought from my head.

He switched sides with agonizing care, giving the other peak the exact same devoted attention until my heels dug into the mattress and my hips shifted restlessly against his thighs.

"Knox, please..." I gasped, my head thrashing against the pillow.

"I’ve got you, Bennett," he rasped, lifting his head. His lips were wet and swollen, his breath coming in ragged pants against my collarbone. "I’ve got you."

Knox began sliding down the length of the mattress on all fours, dragging his bare, muscular chest across my skin as he moved toward the foot of the bed. I propped myself up on my elbows, my chest heaving, watching every line of his body in the honey light.

He reached for my feet, his fingers wrapping around the ankle of my left boot. With a smooth downward pull, he unzipped the black suede, slid the boot from my foot, and dropped it over the side of the bed with a soft thud.

Before reaching for the other boot, Knox wrapped his large hand around the arch of my bare foot, his thumb pressing into the tired muscles.

"You’ve been running on your feet all week," Knox murmured in a low rumble, his thumb working out the tension in my arch. "Rusty’s, the communal ovens, the quad."

A shiver of pure affection rippled through me as he moved to the right boot, unzipping the suede and sliding it off to drop beside the first. He massaged my right foot with the same tender, thorough care before letting his hands slide slowly up my shins.

Knox pushed himself onto his knees between my parted thighs, looking up at me like a man who had finally found home after a lifetime in the cold.

His hands slid up past my calves to the inside of my knees, spreading them wider.

Then, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of my lace panties, Knox held my gaze. "Lift your hips for me, baby."

The pet name shattered the last defense I possessed.

I lifted my hips off the sheets, and Knox slowly, smoothly dragged the damp lace down my thighs. He took his time, letting the fabric graze my knees and calves before sliding it free of my ankles and tossing it blindly toward the foot of the bed.

I was completely bare beneath him.

The cool night air grazed the slick heat between my thighs, making me instinctively squeeze my knees together. But Knox was already there. His large, warm palms caught my inner thighs, gently pressing them open and anchoring me flat against the mattress.

"Don’t hide from me," Knox murmured. "You have no idea how beautiful you are."

He leaned down between my parted legs, his warm breath washing directly over my damp, aching center.

The anticipation was so thick it felt like a long time.

Knox parted my folds with his thumbs, his gaze locking onto mine from between my knees. Then he lowered his mouth, pressing his parted lips directly against my wetness before his hot tongue swept upward in a slow, agonizingly deep lick straight over my clit.

My hips jerked violently off the mattress, my hands clawing into the duvet as all the air was ripped from my lungs.

"Oh, fvck..."