Marrying the Mob Prince
2-16

INDIE "Get up."

The command pierced through my foggy state as I opened my eyes. The blurry form on the bed shifted into a scowling, handsome man. Knox sat on the mattress. His piercing stare burned through my clothes.

I tugged on the sheets to cover my chest, even though I wore pajamas.

"We're behind schedule," he seethed with all the gravity of a rocket launch coordinator. "Let's go."

"Five extra minutes."

"No."

I pulled a pillow over my head.

It was ripped off me, along with the linens. Cold stung my calves and I moaned, groping for the covers.

"All right. Jesus. Were you a drill sergeant in a former life?" I scowled as he removed the comforter off my feet, wondering how anyone could be so much of an asshole this early in the day. "You know, you could try luring me out of bed. A kiss on the cheek and a latte would go a long way."

Knox yanked the pillows out from under me and tossed them aside.

"That doesn't suit me."

"Yeah, well, running this house like a boot camp is not how you'll win me over." I swung my legs out and stood, yawning. "Unless you don't care about that."

Knox brushed hair from my cheek. "What would you have me do, Indie?"

I tried to ignore the strange aching in my limbs and lifted my brow. "I just want you to show your softer side."

"Parts of me will always be hard around you." He groped my ass and strolled into the walk-in closet. "Come. We're late."

I followed him. The smell of him saturated the air, the sharp, earthy notes affecting me. He picked up leggings and a sports bra and offered them to me.

I took them, stunned. "When did you buy these?"

"Yesterday. I went for a run while you were...indisposed. I stopped at Lululemon before coming home."

"That was nice of you."

I rubbed the velvet-soft fabric, touched by the gesture. The only time a man bought me anything was dinner, right before we went to his place.

I pulled on the leggings, marveling at the smooth material. "These feel amazing."

"I'm glad you like them."

"I do," I admitted, pursing my lips. "Maybe you should've bribed me with these instead of threatening to throw me out, huh?"

His mouth curved. "You're not the type to respond to gifts."

"I'm not, but did you ever think of seducing me like a normal man? An apology with flowers? Hell, you didn't even have to mean it. I would've eaten up a heartfelt speech. But you chose to threaten me. Then you wake me up at six and shove me on a treadmill. And you wonder why I'm not falling on my knees to suck your cock."

His hand flew in his hair. Then he looked frustrated with himself. "I'm not doing this to make you want me."

"There's your problem."

"Who says I have one?"

"I do. You obviously want more, or you wouldn't be risking so much to keep me." I dressed as Knox's presence poured heat into my body. "Forcing me to adapt to your schedule can't be what you really want. Why can't you just tell me?" "This is what I want."

"A desperate grab for control?" I wondered, sliding the racerback top over my head. "An attempt to mold me into your idea of a perfect woman?"

"When you're with me, you get the best of everything. You will be safe, healthy, and whole because that's what I desire."

"What about my desires?"

His smile sent a flicker of heat into my chest. "I can't trust them. If I left you to your own devices, you'd hide in my bedroom all day."

Harsh, but true.

I'd barely been able to function since the incident. Even now, the thought of returning to work and explaining to my family why I'd moved in with Knox tightened my throat.

Knox gripped my bicep and marched me to the gym, a room with high ceilings and wall-to-wall mirrors. He maneuvered me to a treadmill and angled it at a steep incline. I strolled uphill while he sprinted, lifted weights, and used a weighted jump rope. After twenty-five minutes, I clung to the machine, panting.

Knox finished his sprint and bounced off the treadmill, his chocolate waves sticking to his square, handsome face. Sweat glistened on his forehead. A timer beeped from his phone. He closed it and wiped his shimmering brow. He reached over and ripped off the safety key, and the track slowed to a halt. Then he handed me a towel.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm going to handcuff you to this and leave you here for days." I panted, mopping my neck. "Just so you know."

"That's not an answer to my question."

"I'm tired."

Knox made a sound of approval. "Better than moping all day, isn't it?"

As I debated rappelling off Knox's patio with knotted bedsheets, he clasped my hand and led me into a wide bathroom with a large, rainfall shower separated by glass walls, rust-colored stone blanketing the floor. Thin cedar panels blanketed the walls and ceiling. I'd never seen anything like it.

The sliding door shut behind us.

"Take off your clothes."

His cold command sent a flicker of heat between my legs. I pictured myself showering with him, the water blushing his skin. Perhaps he'd make me wash first. Hard to imagine him engaging in something so intimate, but the possibility whirled the butterflies in my stomach.

I obeyed him, somewhat awkwardly, removing my sports bra with a pained grimace and peeling off my leggings. Knox uncovered his athletic physique with a catlike leisure. Corded muscle bulged from his arms, the tanned skin accenting the shadows. My gaze panned down his virile neck and his perfectly sculpted body. When his thumbs hooked under his black briefs, I whirled away.

The mirror reflected Knox's nude profile, the thick shadow of his cock hanging between his muscular thighs. My cheeks stained pink as I forced my attention ahead, away from the mirrors. My heart pounded.

Judging by his erection, sex was on his mind. Was he going to fuck me right now? Or start something in the shower?

Knox palmed my upper back.

I jumped at the contact, then followed him into the shower. He pushed me to the side and flipped on the faucet. Cold water drenched him in seconds.

I covered my breasts, gaping at him. "Aren't you freezing?"

He arched his neck like a cat leaning into touch. "It helps."

"With what?"

"Shocks my nervous system. Gives me a break from my overactive brain." He raked his dark brown hair, eyes closed in apparent ecstasy. "Ice baths are good, too."

"That sounds like torture."

He turned the knob and pulled me toward him.

I stumbled into the warming spray, wincing. "You don't have to yank me."

"Wash me."

Do this. Do that.

My patience with him hit its breaking point, but his naked presence muted my rage. He was beautiful underwater, his hair darkened by the spray, contrasting with his natural tan. I wondered if he'd inherited that from his dad. Had he even known his father? During my research, I discovered that no name was listed under Father on his birth certificate. Had this unknown man realized that he'd fathered a prodigy, or was he blithely unaware of what he'd done, like so many uncaring men?

Had no one ever claimed Knox?

Sourness pitted my stomach. My head pounded with questions, but the idea of grilling him in my vulnerable position swelled a ball in my throat. I pumped liquid soap in my palms, lathered them and raised them to his chest. As I caressed his chilled skin, I grimaced with sympathy. It was like holding an ice cube under blistering heat. Why did he have to torture himself?

I glanced down at the patch of horizontal marks crisscrossing his abdomen, and grief tore at my throat. Knox was dying for affection. He was desperate for it but couldn't express it in healthy ways. Maybe I could help him.

I stroked his broad pecs, fingers slipping in his chest hair, relishing in the act.

He let out the minutest sigh. "I could get used to this."

So could I.

My heartbeat seemed too loud. I was overwhelmed. Was it was from the steam filling the shower or the heat radiating from his body? A pink flush spread across his torso, except for the scarring on his abdomen. I was amazed at the thrill looking at him gave me. Under the guise of washing, I explored, feeling his wide shoulders, thick biceps, the muscle rippling his back, with undisguised greed.

Judging by the curl of his lip, he'd noticed.

"Planning on updating your article?"

I smiled, picturing the bold headlines. "I'd rather keep that to myself."

That seemed to be the right answer.

His smile grew a fraction as my hands wandered down his taut stomach. He didn't have the body of a gym rat, but that suited him just fine. He was perfectly proportioned, nothing in excess. The large erection jutting from below his abs completed the mouthwatering visual. My gaze lingered far too long on his giant, uncut cock. I couldn't imagine it inside me, let alone my mouth.

"I thought you didn't like being touched."

"I enjoy your touch very much." Two rough fingers prodded under my chin, forcing me to look at his face. "But I'm not a fan of intimacy."

My heart lurched. "Why? Does physical touch repulse you? Or are you afraid of crossing that line?"

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Knox glowered. "No."

My hands paused on his hips. "No?"

"No, I'm not answering those questions."

"We're in a relationship, Knox. I have to know your boundaries!"

"My boundaries are no intimacy."

I forced myself to grin as I caressed his sides. "We have very different definitions of that word."

"You are providing a service."

"A service, huh?" I stroked his inner thigh, watching his eyes glaze over. "What does that involve?"

"Washing parts of me that are eager for your attention."

"What a nice way to say that you need a blowjob."

"You know damned well I want more than that."

I cleared my throat, continuing to massage him. "But we only have fifteen minutes."

"Think you can take me in your mouth for that long?"

I doubted anyone could without suffocating.

I glanced down, mesmerized by the sheer size of him. He was too big. Wide and long. He looked dangerous. Riding a cock that large would probably put me out of commission for a few days, and yet, an eagerness to try him leapt in my belly. I wanted him. Of course I did. For all his bullshit about natural design and breeding, he was right about one thing. When I looked at him, I asked myself the same questions.

How would he feel inside me?

What would happen when we had sex?

Maybe it was the only way to connect with him. I had to get to know him-the real Bryan Knox.

Whoever that was.

Because if I had to spend the rest of my life bantering with a brick wall, I would lose my mind. I'd hoped the laminated schedule was a weird sexual fantasy, but nope. He was dead serious. Probably would have a schedule for the rest of my life. Confronting that reality was too much to bear right now.

My hand rotated to cradle the sac hanging between his legs. He was stretched tight. Ready to go. I fondled them as Knox swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.

His neck flushed as I traced the steel outline.

"On your knees, Indie."

My heartbeat skyrocketed. "I would, but a blowjob isn't on my schedule," I quipped, intimidated by his hot glare. "You should've cleared it with my admin yesterday."

He shut off the water, but I didn't feel the absence of heat. A blaze poured from him, melting my skin. I felt an immediate and consuming attraction. It made me feel good that he seemed to be unable to look away from me. He inhaled a sharp breath, like a beast denied the rut during mating season.

"I'm making it part of today's routine."

"I see," I said, well aware I was playing with fire. "Your schedule is absolute unless it involves fucking me."

"You're quite right, Miss Starling."

"That doesn't seem very fair to me."

His smile contained a sensual flame. "That's why they call me a tyrant."

Knox took my waist and dragged me into him, almost as though he meant to kiss me. Swells of warmth bloomed inside me when I realized this was his first unrestrained action. He angled his head and glared at me, his cock stabbing my thigh. "Don't move a muscle."

His grip transferred to my wrists, which he pinned on the wall. His fingers tightened as he fitted his mouth between my neck and shoulder. I inhaled sharply from the stroke of wet heat. He didn't kiss. He claimed me. He sucked me into his mouth with a delirious lust. My skin burned from his fiery possession. One hand cupped my breast while the other wrenched open my thighs. His finger rolled over my clit, discovering how much I wanted him. He bit down hard. Sliding his hands under my ass, he scooped me upright. He lifted me high, my butt balanced on his palms.

Oh God.

My fingers ached to touch him, but that was out of my control. Along with everything else.

I slipped against the shower wall. "Knox."

"Put your legs over my shoulders."

I obeyed, blushing. I bared myself to him as I straddled his face. Knox stabilized me with one arm around my back and the other clutching my leg. Gently, he positioned me against the stone wall. My face blistered with shame as he splayed me open, exposing my sex to him. His mouth hovered unbearably close, and an image of Knox eating me out claimed my body with swells of warmth. Such a supplicant gesture for someone obsessed with power. Would he be good at it?

I couldn't wait to replace out.

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"Do you know what your pussy looks like, Indie?"

"Jesus, Knox."

"You're glistening, that's how wet you are. Your lips are open for me. Your clit is swollen. Every part of you is dripping, just like I always dreamed it would. This is the way I want you, Indie. Open. Ready for me."

He turned his head, lashing my inner thigh with his tongue. It made a wickedly sexy dance. Closer and closer, he moved, his hot breath feathering my clit.

"Tell me you want me to lick your pussy."

A delicious shudder ran through me.

Jesus.

"Stop fighting me. I know there's a cock-hungry slut inside you that wants to submit to me. You're not fooling me with that doe-eyed look. Your pussy is dripping. Now. Tell me you want my mouth." "I-I want your mouth."

He licked me.

I sucked in a breath as a lightning bolt of arousal struck me, so powerful that I almost lost my balance. I dug into his hair and stared at the intoxicating sight of myself balanced on his powerful shoulders, his gorgeous face shoved between my legs. I bit my lip hard. His tongue plunged inside with a slow, methodical rhythm. As the slick heat fucked me, his ferocious glare seemed to do the same. He suckled my clit, ripping a moan from me. I clung on for dear life, unable to escape the swirling, sucking, torturous friction of his perfect mouth.

God, he was amazing.

His tongue couldn't reach where I needed him until he pressed my back into the glass. I whimpered, defenseless against the male machine fucking through my defenses. His splayed fingers tightened on my ass.

My nerves fired off with two overwhelming sensations-Hot. Wet.

He flicked my clit faster and faster, the ricochet from his teasing massage blooming warmth inside me. He found a tempo that made me grip him and scream. My thighs quivered with the quake of an approaching orgasm, and then another hot flick sent me over the edge.

I cried out for a release.

Then I gasped in sweet agony, overtaken by a wave of bliss. The orgasm spread fire to my heart. This was much more than sexual desire. It shattered the barrier I'd built to protect myself from him. Knox wrapped his arms around me, bringing me down to earth. I smiled, giddy with the sensation. I still clasped his neck. I stood in a flood of joy. I wanted to hold him. Kiss him. But he wouldn't let me.

Knox knotted his fingers in my hair and pushed me away from him, revealing his harsh expression. Pain hit the back of my throat, cleaving through my happiness. This was not a loving, tender man who would cuddle me after sex. He didn't want my mouth on his lips. A moment later, the hold on my hair glided to my shoulder.

He pushed.

My knees touched the floor. I was still dripping wet, aching with unsatisfied need. Suddenly, my vision filled with a closeup of his thighs. Then a bulbous head rubbed my cheek. He was harder than steel.

He positioned his cock to my lips and forced them to part. I eagerly opened my mouth. His thumb hooked my lips, opening me to accommodate him. Then he slid inside, filling me with a thickness I could barely breathe around. I gagged.

Sucking on a man of his size was challenging. I couldn't wrap my lips around my teeth to protect him, but Knox didn't seem to care. He groaned as he buried himself, and heat teased my nipples as though he'd licked me there. He inched himself deeper. His grip on me loosened as his other hand cupped my jaw. Knox's tiger-slanted gaze burned as his hips chased his pleasure.

"I'm going to fuck your mouth. And I'll need you to swallow every bit of cum."

My body still glowed with ecstasy, but at those words, my desire for him eroded everything else.

"Relax, Indie. There's a good girl." A hitch caught in his breath as he guided me with his hips. "All the way. I don't mind a little teeth."

I took him in as deep as I could, gagging, stunning myself with my enthusiasm. I wanted to be the one to break down his walls. I wanted him delirious with pleasure. I wanted him to break free of this icy façade. And I wanted him to shoot his load in my mouth. I popped him out for a break and sucked on the sides of him. I glided down to the base of his cock, fondling the tight skin stretched over his balls. Tired of my teasing, Knox grabbed my face and pushed inside my mouth. Then he fucked me with measured movements, his length becoming easier and easier to suck.

Knox slowly fell apart.

"Indie," he sighed.

I suckled the head, hoping to hear another sigh. He rewarded me with a groan. I'd drained him of energy, and he couldn't keep up the shield. Was I finally glimpsing the real him? His firm hold became a loving caress. He stroked me with a tenderness I'd longed for.

"I've wanted you since the moment we met."

Why did that sound like we were standing at an altar?

Our eyes clashed in a tangle of confused emotions, and then Knox seemed to realize he'd said something vulnerable. He seized my hair and fucked me hard, pausing his thrusts only to let me breathe. Then the relentless possession began

anew.

I watched the war raging on his face. He grimaced as he inched back and forth, going inside so deep that I couldn't inhale. He yanked me toward him as liquid heat shot into my mouth. Then he pinched my nose shut and thrust, pushing his seed down. Spasms ripped through his legs as he released a passionate yell.

When I swallowed, his chest heaved. He swayed as though fighting the urge to collapse. Then he raked a hand through his messy locks and smiled. It was almost as intimate as a kiss.

He pulled out of me, shaking. "Did you enjoy that?"

I nodded mindlessly, his taste still rolling on my tongue.

Surprisingly, I'd enjoyed this act of raw domination. Even the fingers restraining me had burned my tingling skin.

What else could he make me do?