Marrying the Mob Prince
2-31

INDIE

I had to leave Knox.

I didn't want to, but it was necessary.

Guilt stabbed my insides every moment. I consoled myself with the fact that this wasn't forever. I believed in us, but I couldn't live like this anymore. I wanted to be his equal-not his prisoner. I wouldn't spend the rest of my life bending to his whims. If he cared about our relationship, he'd change. Unfortunately, the only way to hammer the message home was by leaving, but I couldn't simply walk out the front door.

I had to plan it carefully.

Knox was many things, but he wasn't negligent. The man had a sixth sense about my physical needs. I woke up in the early morning to a dense column thrusting inside me. Waking up to a naked, muscular chest gliding over me had been one of my most erotic experiences ever.

I lay on my side, winded after three incredible hours of being filled, fucked, and used. Knox spooned me, his thigh thrown over my leg. Heat stole into my cheeks as he breathed a kiss under my ear. Light peeked through the window, caressing the muscled arm flung over my waist. His embrace felt like a steel cage.

I rolled over, studying his face. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead. His hair was slightly damp, mussed into waves. My pulse raced at the sight of his strong body.

"It's half past seven," Knox grumbled. "Thirty minutes to shower, eat, and exercise."

"Hip thrusts count, right?"

His eyes glinted with mischief. "I believe so, but I'd be doing all the work."

"Well, if you'd let me ride you once in a while, we wouldn't have that problem." Fat chance.

Knox liked sex with me best when I was bound. He tied my ankles and wrists. Then he used me in whichever positions he desired until I begged for mercy. I still throbbed in all the places he'd fucked me. The thought of never experiencing this bliss again...I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed.

"Got to get up."

Knox gently disengaged from me, swatted my ass, and slid off the bed. I admired him as he stretched, his back muscles rippling with a power few women could imagine.

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it from the nightstand, frowning at the screen.

Eliot: We need to talk.

Eliot: It's urgent.

What could he possibly want? Discomfort needled my spine. I dismissed the texts, in no mood to be chewed out by my former boss.

Then I joined Knox in the bathroom. I would imprint his body and the way he made me feel in my memory. He scooped me in his arms. His head dipped as one hand lowered to stroke my thigh.

I shouldn't encourage this. I'm leaving him. My heart wrenched with a sharp pain that only his touch soothed, because I was still a slave to him. I craved his weight on me. I ached for him to pin me down as he entered me. I trembled when his deep eyes penetrated mine, half-hoping he'd see the guilt in them.

"What is it, Indie?"

My cheeks flushed. "You never gave me my pill."

"Time for that again?"

"It's every day, Knox."

Knox opened a drawer and pulled out the birth control packet. He popped out a pill. Holding it, he stroked my chin. I parted my lips, and he pushed it inside with his index finger. I closed my mouth around him, the erotic gesture making my core twinge. He withdrew, and I swallowed the pill.

I tasted myself on his finger. "Thanks."

"You don't have to take it anymore."

"Are you saying that because you've tracked my ovulation?" I joked, raising a brow. "Or are you in a mood?"

Knox headed for the shower, his drawl echoing behind him. "I don't care if you get pregnant." He turned on the water, the sound shattering my thoughts.

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"Well, I do." I followed him in the freezing spray, teeth chattering. "I-I'm barely into my career. Having a baby would set me back years."

He adjusted the water temperature to warm. "I'll replace you a job anywhere you like."

"Do you seriously want this?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't complain if you had a baby."

Pain struck my throat. While he dreamed about a building a life with me, I was preparing to leave him. "Don't you think we have other priorities?" "Life goes on, Indie."

"What made you bring this up?"

"Tony." He pulled me under the heated spray. "His wife added me to a shared album of their kid. My phone is blowing up with baby pictures."

"Oh, so now you want one? Is this a competition?"

His gaze narrowed. "It's on my mind. That's all."

I didn't trust that for a second. Knox moved at a ridiculously fast pace. Last week, we got engaged. Now he brought up babies. Tomorrow, he'd throw my birth control pills in the trash and drag me to the altar. I couldn't deal with him, and yet his dominance made me whimper.

His fingers buried in my hair, tightening. He jolted my head back and crashed his mouth into mine. My resolve weakened as his tongue parted the seam of my lips and thrust into me. He pushed me against the wall, the cold stones digging into my ass. He broke from our kiss, sighing.

"We should talk about it soon."

"I'm twenty-five," I reminded him stonily. "There's plenty of time for kids. Let's...take it slow. Okay?"

Knox's mouth thinned, clearly not pleased by my reaction. Dismay stung my cheeks as he stepped aside and exited the shower. He ripped a towel from a rack and dried himself. Then he paused in front of the sink, staring into his reflection. He looked bereft. His pain dove into my chest.

Then he left the room.

I washed myself and pulled on a robe, searching the rooms until I found him in his mancave. The tower of servers blinked with blue and red, a geek version of a Christmas tree. Knox stood at the sliding glass door, his imposing frame backlit with outdoor light.

I put my hand on my hip. "Why are you brooding?"

He didn't answer right away. "I'm thinking."

"You're standing in the dark. Alone."

"I've been that way my whole life," he said, his tone wistful. "It's why I want this. I have no family except a teacher who recommended me for the gifted program, you, and a former neighbor. She has dementia and no longer recognizes me." I flinched, struggling hard to contain my guilt. "You'll have plenty of people on my side. A sister. Parents. Aunts and uncles."

"I want a son," he boomed, crossing his arms. "I'll teach him to code as soon as his eyes can focus on a screen. I'll hire the best tutors-no kid of mine is going to public school. When he comes of age, he'll manage Black Prism."

"In other words, you'll dominate your kid's life." I met his hardened gaze, and grief tore at my heart. "That's a recipe for disaster, Knox. What if he hates coding? What if he tells you to fuck off, runs away to Colorado, and decides he wants to spend of the rest of his life selling ski equipment? And what if you have a girl?"

"If my son is stupid enough to deny his birthright, I'll cut him off and pass the torch to the next one. And my daughters will expand my empire."

His gloomy vision for our children's future stole the warmth from the room.

"Modeling yourself after Darth Vader won't get you any Father of the Year awards." I swallowed the despair in my throat. "I can't believe we're having this conversation right now. We're not a month out from that psychopath blackmailing us, and you want kids? Or have you forgotten what happened?"

"Believe me, I haven't."

He smoothed the hair from my face. His touch soothed my distress. It always did. Dangerous men make me feel safe. And Bryan Knox, with his questionable business practices, his connections with the Mafia, and his ex-military guards, definitely made me feel protected.

"You should think of wedding venues."

The knot in my stomach throbbed. Leaving him would be unbearable. I closed my eyes as he stroked my head and prayed for strength. And for Knox's forgiveness.