Chapter 5 MIDNIGHT THIRST

SERA

I bolted out of the kitchen like I was on fire.

And maybe I was.

My heart was pounding so loud I swore the walls could hear it. My thighs clenched with every step I took, slick and heated between them, Knox's words still echoing in my head like a dirty mantra.

"I bet you like it rough. I bet you'd let me bend you over this sink and fuck you until you scream."

Fuck.

I turned the corner, and nearly ran into Jared.

He was walking toward the kitchen, probably looking for me.

I forced my lips into a smile, heart galloping in my chest.

"Hey," I said, placing a hand on his chest to stop him gently, "I was just coming to find you."

He blinked at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I lied, slipping my arms around his neck. "I just... missed you."

"Missed me, huh?" His eyes warmed instantly. "I was gone for like ten minutes."

"Too long," I whispered, brushing my mouth against his.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss me, but I deepened it, fast, needy, and wet. I pressed my body to his and felt the tension coil tighter and tighter inside me.

But it wasn't Jared I was thinking of, and that sickened me almost as much as it turned me on.

Knox had lit a fire in me, and now, I was aching to put it out.

I kissed Jared harder, tugging on his shirt, letting my hands roam down his chest down to his abs. He tasted like wine and familiarity.

But I needed something rougher, and wilder. I needed to forget the way Knox's breath had scorched my ear.

I pulled Jared's earlobe between my teeth and whispered, "I want you to fuck me."

His breath caught.

"Right now," I said. "I want your cock in my mouth. Let me take care of you."

Jared pulled back slightly, blinking at me like I'd just spoken in tongues.

"Sera..."

I dropped to my knees before he could finish, my hands already moving to his belt buckle. My fingers trembled, not from nerves, but from need.

"Hey, hey-baby, wait..." He grabbed my wrists gently, stopping me.

I looked up at him, lips parted. "What?"

"I'm exhausted," His smile was soft. "That flight kicked my ass, and we haven't stopped since we got here. Can we just... rain check?"

Rain check.

I swallowed, forcing a laugh, even though I wanted to scream.

"Sure. Of course. I just thought..."

"We've got all week. Let's rest up," He pulled me to my feet, kissing my forehead. "Tomorrow, we'll take a walk, explore the villa. We'll have time to... indulge."

He gave me a wink, but it didn't touch the growing ache in my chest, and my core.

"Yeah. You're right," I nodded, brushing hair from my face and pasting a smile on. "Rest first."

He took my hand and led me to our room.

But even as the door closed behind us and Jared started stripping off his shirt, my thoughts were still in the kitchen.

Still trapped between a hard body and a cold sink.

Still hearing that deep, filthy voice in my ear.

Still wondering what might've happened if Jared hadn't called my name.

****

I couldn't sleep.

Jared's soft, rhythmic snoring filled the dark room like a lullaby I wasn't invited to. I lay there, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling while my body drowned with frustration.

No amount of shifting, turning, or closing my eyes could drown out the ache between my legs, or the memory of Knox's voice in my ear, that filthy, sinful whisper that had lodged itself deep into my bloodstream like venom.

I even tried my vibrator again, beneath the covers, muffling my gasps into the pillow. But it wasn't enough.

It couldn't be.

Not when my skin still burned from where Knox had touched me... hovered near me... pressed against me.

Damn him.

Throwing the covers off in defeat, I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot across the cool floor. Jared stirred, but didn't wake. He never did.

I left the room quietly, my silk short robe trailing around my upper thighs as I made my way down the hallway, the house heavy with that eerie stillness that only existed in the deep of night.

I just needed water.

A distraction. Something, or anything to cool me down.

But when I turned the corner into the kitchen, I froze.

Knox was there.

Shirtless. Again. Of course.

But this time... this time he wasn't wearing pants.

Just briefs. Tight, black, and utterly indecent.

And the bulge straining against the thin material made my mouth go dry.

God.

He was leaning back against the kitchen island, a glass of red wine in his hand, one arm draped casually across the counter like he had every right to be there, radiating heat and sex and danger.

His body was all shadows and muscle, his abs chiseled, that deep V disappearing into his waistband like an invitation to sin.

He took a slow sip of red wine, like he'd been expecting me.

"Couldn't sleep?" His voice was low, rough silk.

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to pretend I didn't just get punched in the gut by the sight of him.

"Isn't it too early to be drinking?"

"Or too late," he said, swirling his wine. "Depends on how you look at it."

I rolled my eyes, moving toward the fridge.

"I came for water. That's all."

He raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in those eyes.

"At midnight?"

"I was thirsty."

He hummed, the sound vibrating deep in his chest.

"Aren't we all."

Fuck!

I opened the fridge, keeping my eyes firmly on the bottled water inside, pretending like I wasn't painfully aware of every move he made behind me.

Like I couldn't feel his stare burning into the backs of my thighs. Like my nipples weren't hard and straining against the thin silk of my robe.

"You're tense," he said, his voice quieter now, closer. "Didn't get what you needed tonight?"

I stiffened.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said tightly, still not looking at him.

"Sure you do." He leaned against the counter, wine glass dangling from his fingers. "You've got that look. That ache behind your eyes. I can tell you have been starving."

And he didn't mean food. Both of us knew that.

I turned slowly, his words thick in the air between us.

"You shouldn't talk to me like that."

He took a step toward me, predatory. Confident. The dim lighting hit his body in all the right ways, carving definition into muscle, catching the glint in his wicked, knowing eyes.

"But it's true." His voice softened, still low, still dangerous, but there was something else in it now.

Cajoling.

Like he was pulling me toward him, gently, almost sweetly.

"I told you this evening," he continued walking towards me. "I know what it looks like when a woman's needs aren't being met. I know what it feels like to be wanted... really wanted. You deserve that. Not some empty goodnight kisses and polite promises that are never met."

I didn't respond. I couldn't.

"You deserve to be devoured."

My breath caught.

"You should've seen your face earlier," he continued, circling me like I was prey. "The way you looked at me. Like you wanted me to ruin you right there. You were dripping, weren't you?"

He moved in closer, his bare chest now inches from me.

"Are you dripping now?"

"Knox..." I whispered, unsure if it was a warning or a plea.

"I would worship you, Sera," he continued. "With my hands, my mouth, and my cock. I would make you scream so loud they'd hear you from the guest wing."

"Stop," I whispered, breathless.

"Why?" he murmured. "Because you're afraid I'm right?"

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his knuckles grazing my cheek. I shuddered, but not from cold.

"You came down here hoping I wouldn't be here. But part of you... the part you're so afraid of... you hoped I would be."

My heart thudded wildly in my chest.

"I should go," I said, but I didn't move.

"You won't."

And I didn't.

Because in the next second, his mouth was on mine.

And I let him.