HARD KNOX (15 page)

twenty-seven

(ana)

*NOW*

I paced. I bit my nails down to
nothing, to the point where they hurt bad. My bottom lip kept quivering. My
eyes tried to fill with tears but I fought them off. I wasn’t sure how it would
all play out. This was a really big deal. Not just for me, even though it was
my body and the rest of my life that would forever change. But it was a big
deal for Knox, the Reap, and even Porter and
the family
.

I managed to mutter the words to
Knox over the phone.

“I
’m pregnant.
”

It didn’t make sense. No, it did
make sense. It made a lot of sense. I was super late. I had been getting fucked
by Knox two, three times a day, every single day, unprotected for weeks now.

No shock there.

But to me… after everything that
had happened…

The apartment door blasted open.
Knox took two steps in and stopped. He shut the door and stared at me. I
dropped my hands to my sides and my eyes filled with tears again. This time, I
didn’t hold them back. I slowly pointed to the table, where the pregnancy test
was.

There was no denying this test. It
was full-on-double-lines-you-are-fucking-pregnant.

I shook it like it would change or
something.

But I didn’t want it to change.

I was carrying Knox’s baby!

His seed… my body…
the rest of
our lives.

Knox walked to the table and stood
there. He made fists and put them on the table as he stared at the pregnancy
test.

I looked at the logo on his back.
He was a mile wide.

Reaper’s Bastards MC.

Notorious bad boys in town and in
the city. They all had a criminal record. Knox’s father was in a prison with a
life sentence. His one friend - King - was in prison on death row.

Yet, to me, they weren’t bad guys.

They were guys who did bad things
for the greater good.

That didn’t justify breaking the
law, but to them, they were outlaws. They didn’t have laws. They had their own
set of rules to live by.

“Knox…”

He looked over his shoulder. “Darlin’,
I have to ask this. I need you to not get mad.”

“What?”

“This… definitely mine?”

“Yes,” I said. “I swear.”

Knox slowly turned. I had no idea
what to expect. I should have been the one on the pill. Knox had enough on his
plate. He shouldn’t have to worry about sex. And a man like Knox should never
have to cover up his dick when he wanted to fuck.

Was I blaming myself for getting
pregnant?

Knox stepped toward me. “Fuck,
darlin’…”

“Please say something.”

Knox came closer and put a hand to
my belly. “Mine.”

“Yours,” I whispered.

“Ours,” Knox said.

When our eyes met it was an intense
flurry of emotions I never thought possible. Next thing I knew I jumped up into
his arms. I wrapped my legs around him and we started to kiss. His hands spread
across my back. He had the biggest hands I’d ever felt in my life.

Knox turned and walked me to the
table. He plopped me down and swatted the pregnancy test off the table. He
grabbed a chair and threw it like it was a toothpick. It slammed into the wall.
He pulled me tight to his body and started to kiss down my neck. I put my head
back, groaning with pleasure and relief. I tried to touch him but he grabbed my
hands and made me grip the edge of the table.

It was so fucking hot. He always
took complete control. I loved losing myself to him every chance I got.

His eager hands tore at my pants
and ripped them down my legs. His hands came right back up and grabbed the
sides of my panties. I lifted my ass up and he tore so hard I heard them start
to rip. I let out a shuddering cry and had no idea what to expect.

Here I had thought for a second
that maybe Knox would be mad at me or something.

The second my panties hit the
floor, it was like time stopped.

Knox put his right hand to my
stomach and gently pushed, forcing me to my elbows. I opened my legs, showing
my sex. I was tender, dripping wet, almost shivering from the heat that raged
for him.

His eyes locked to my eyes for a
second.

Then he spoke one word.

“Mine.”

I nodded.

Of course I
’m yours,
Knox. I
’ve always been yours. I
’ll always be yours. We created
life together.

His free hand reached forward and
his thumb pressed to the hood of my clit. He started to peel me back but
stopped, only to twist his thumb, sending an electric shock of pleasure through
my body. Pins and needles attacked my legs and I thrust forward on impulse,
letting out another whimper.

His thumb slid down and sank into
my pussy.

“Fuck, darlin’,” he said. “My seed…
my future…”

I took a hand off the table and
reached for Knox’s face. My fingertips grazed the scruff on his face. “Yes,
Knox. Ours. Together. The way we always wanted.”

His hand on my belly squeezed just
a little. I could see in his eyes he was really feeling the emotion and connection.
That was the greatest gift I could have ever gotten in my life. Right then I
knew he’d be a great father to our son or daughter. I’d never worry about it again.

As he slipped his thumb up to my
clit again, I jumped at him, letting out a growl.

“Oh, darlin’,” he said. “You’re so
ready.”

I scratched at his neck. “Taste me,
Knox. Be my outlaw.”

“I am your outlaw, Ana,” he said. “Forever.”

His hands grabbed my hips and
pulled me to the edge of the table. Knox dropped to one knee before me as
though he was going to ask me to marry him.

He came forward and gently kissed
my damp labia.

It made me shiver feeling the
prickling of his facial hair against such a tender part of my body.

Then his tongue came forward and
tasted me. His hands eased around to the middle of my back. Then in one quick
motion he pulled me forward and thrust his tongue forward.

I let out a scream and grabbed his
hair.

“Knox!” I yelled. “Fuck!”

His lips closed over my lips and he
began to eat me.

Within seconds
… the
entire room started to spin
…

His left hand held my left breast
tight. I felt his chest against my back. His breath on my neck, making me
quiver. He thrust forward for the millionth time, fucking my brains out from
behind as we were in my bed.

Slowly, his right hand went from
holding my hip to touching my belly.

His body slapped against mine, the
bed moaning in protest as I moaned in pleasure. My legs were tingling and numb.

Knox sank his teeth into my
shoulder and let out a deep growl.

His thick cock started to get
thicker. I whimpered and clutched to sheets.

How could one man be so full of
cum?

It was one of the wonders of the
world with no answer nor explanation.

Knox turned a little toward me,
throwing his right leg over mine, almost forcing me to my belly. I was pinned
to the bed, face down, Knox smothering me. His thrusts became faster, his lips,
tongue, teeth all touching the back of my neck. My hair was everywhere, in my
face, making it hard to take a full breath of fresh air.

I felt a small rise of panic but
then Knox started to come. He poured into me with such force that any sense of
panic was killed off. And to my ultimate surprise, I started to orgasm. It came
out of nowhere. I let out a scream as my insides pulsed yet again. Knox then
lifted just enough to let me rock my hips and thrust at his spilling cock,
eating up every droplet of his seed as I could get. My mind could only focus on
the raging pleasure soaring through my body.

It was the most intense orgasm that
had ever come out of nowhere.

Knox stayed right there too,
fucking himself forward with force and gently pulling back, over and over for
what felt like days.

Then he lowered himself down and
rolled back to his side, his chest to my back.

His left hand holding my breast.
His right hand against my belly.

I was trying to catch my breath
when he kissed my shoulder and asked, “Has it been enough time?”

“You literally just came inside me
ten seconds ago,” I said.

“Not that. The test.”

I laughed. “Yes, Knox. It’s been
enough time.”

Knox pulled away and lunged from
the bedroom toward the bathroom.

After he went down on me until I
couldn’t breathe, Knox left the apartment to get more pregnancy tests.

I had just peed on the third and
final test in the pack.

He came walking back to bed, butt
naked, his insanely big dick just dangling between his legs like an extra limb,
holding a little white pregnancy test in his hand. A big smile climbed across
his face as he leaned against the doorway.

“Well?” I asked.

“Another positive.”

“Are we done questioning it?” I
asked.

“I don’t know, darlin’. This is…”

I never saw Knox like that before
in my life. He was giddy. He looked ready to cry even. It was like… it was like
seeing him happy and free for the first time ever.

So much so that it made me choke
up. Then I burst into tears like a hormonal mess.

Knox tossed the pregnancy test to
the dresser and ran to the bed. He wrapped me up in his arms. “Darlin’, what is
it?”

“You never wanted kids, Knox.”

“That was then.”

“But nothing’s changed.”

“What do you mean?”

I looked at him and felt the pit of
my stomach give out. “What if someone… I mean… I’m pregnant. I’m going to get
big. I’m going to eat gross foods. I’m not going to be pretty anymore for you.
And then what if people find out and try to hurt me and the baby because of
you?”

I had just unloaded a lot to Knox.
So it was no shock when he got out of the bed again, this time his beautifully
chiseled ass facing me.

But there was nothing beautiful
about what I had just done.

Knox took another step away from the
bed.

I had just chased him away
…
probably for good.

twenty-eight

(knox)

*THEN*

Mrs. McGover lived down the block
on the corner. She had a chained link fence and a golden retriever that would
chase me the length of the yard. The first few times I would go by there I
would tease the fuck out of the dog. Then Mrs. McGover caught me and told me
her dog, Honey, just wanted to be petted. I petted the damn dog and then Mrs.
McGover asked me to cut her grass. I was looking for a few bucks to earn so I did
it.

The old hag never paid me.

Not fucking once.

I cut her grass for ten years.

Why did I keep going back?

The dog.

She became a sense of comfort to me
up until I met Ana.

I found out that Mrs. McGover lost
her husband to cancer. And that she was never able to give him kids and that
she blamed herself for his cancer because of that. She made cookies and they
were always like little fucking bricks. I always ate one in front of her and
then kept the rest to throw off the bridge at cars that passed under.

I was a prick, okay?

I took Ana to meet Mrs. McGover and
Honey. Ana loved Honey. Mrs. McGover fell for Ana, but who wouldn’t? We were
all inside the house and for some damn reason, Ana spotted something on a stand
in the kitchen. It turned out to be some kind of ring. A little diamond in the
middle but two yellowish diamonds on the side. Mrs. McGover said it had a
special story and she’d never tell it.

About a year after Ana moved into
town, Honey died. Old age. Nothing could be done to stop it. To face the truth
of time. The first time I went down the sidewalk and the dog wasn’t there to
chase me, I cried. I stood on the corner and cried like a fucking baby. Then I
saw Mrs. McGover in the window staring at me.

We never spoke about it, but I kept
cutting her grass and helping her for another few years. Shit, I would pull up
on my motorcycle and leather cut. I’d get off, take off my cut, lit up a smoke,
and then cut the grass for her.

She never judged me for my life and
what I did to survive.

Then she told me she was sick, just
like her husband had been.

I cried that day again, right in
front of her.

It was the first and only time she
ever hugged me.

And you know what she did then?

She gave me that damn ring Ana saw
that day. She had never seen Ana again after that first time. But yet it stuck
with her.

Mrs. McGover put the ring in my
hand and told me that one day I would give it to Ana.

I thought she was full of shit.

I found out later the ring was
worth over ten grand. But I promised I would never sell it, no matter what.

I attended Mrs. McGover’s funeral,
along with Slam, King, and Matteo. Shit, we were four of the ten people there.
We stuck out like sore thumbs in the small group of elderly folk all dressed
up.

After everyone left, I had a smoke
and held the ring up, staring at it.

I knew then that death was
inevitable. Whether the fucking reaper got me on the road or some jack off put
a bullet in my head or I got cancer, I was going to die.

That was the exact moment I knew
…
I was going to propose to Ana.

twenty-nine

(knox)

*NOW*

I knew she was thinking it and I
fucking hated that she said something about it. Of course Ana being pregnant
was a big risk for her, the baby, me, and the MC. She would be an easy target
from now on, along with my family.

My family.

The one thing I secretly wanted in
life but never really had.

I walked to the kitchen and grabbed
my bag. I tossed it to the table, knowing that Ana had to be in a panic in the
bedroom. I didn’t mean to just storm away from her, but I had to get something.

I kept that damn ring with me
everyday of my life. It was zipped in a small inside pouch and when I touched
the ring, it finally all made sense to me. All the guilt and bullshit seemed to
just wash away. Whatever had happened through all these years with me and my
darlin’ didn’t really matter.

We were together right now and she
was carrying my child.

A life growing inside her. A life
that knew nothing about the Reap. A life that knew nothing about wild violence
and wilder outlaws.

I squeezed the ring tight in my
hand.

I was butt ass naked in the
kitchen, feeling all these emotions run through my body. Hell, I could have
cried. I could have screamed with happiness. I could have jumped and fist
bumped the air.
But I didn
’t want my dick to come slamming down on
the table and break the table in half
…

I just stood there.

It was a stoic feeling. A feeling
that went beyond being a man.

I was now a father.

Everything changed. Everything
would continue to change.

I opened my hand and looked at the
damn ring.

The one thing that wouldn’t change…

The love for Ana, my darlin
’.

I went back to the room and sat on
the edge of the bed. Ana’s beautiful eyes were big and worried.

“I’m not leaving,” I said. “I
wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I’m sorry for what I said.”

“No. You’re right, Ana. Why the
fuck would I want kids? I grew up in a world that was a storm of shit. You saw
where I lived, how I lived. Hell, you lived it yourself. Who would want to
relive that? The difference, darlin’, is that you and I are meant to be. We
have a connection that nobody can fuck with. People have tried to fuck with us
for a long time. We tried to fuck with each other. I pushed you away so you
could have that house with fence and basketball hoop. You never left. You tried
to hide from me so I would forget you.” I reached out and touched her face. “But
I could never forget you, Ana. Even if my head got all messed up, I couldn’t
forget. Because you’re in my heart.” I then put my hand to her belly. “Now we’re
a family. So, yeah, I don’t want kids. But I want this baby, with you. I want
to watch you grow and change. I want to feel that life inside you kick, punch,
twist, and turn. You think for a second you’re not beautiful and I’ll make sure
you feel beautiful.”

“Knox…” Tears filled Ana’s eyes.

“Listen to me, darlin’. You’re
going to get big. Who cares? I’m going to love you in a way that you never
thought possible. You’re giving me the greatest gift a man could get. I’m a
father now. I’m going to take care of you and our baby. I never want you to
worry about that. Promise me.”

Ana shook her head. “I can’t.”

I touched her face again. I leaned
in and put my forehead to hers. “I know you can’t, Ana. I know it’d be a lie if
you did. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you feel beautiful.”

“Even after the baby comes, Knox,
things are different.”

I sucked in a breath. “Not for me.
Not for me.”

“I’m going to get stretch marks.”

“I’m not worried. I’m going to kiss
every mark on your body. And after the baby is here, I’m going to keep doing
it. I’m going to cherish your body for what it’s done.”

“Oh, fuck,” Ana whispered.

“What?”

“That makes me wet.”

I grinned. I kissed her. She tasted
as delicious as ever.

“You’re going to be protected, Ana.
The Reap isn’t going to let you down. We’re taking care of things in town.
Okay? I’m not going to say it’s simple but I just want you to focus on the
baby. On your body. And how you want the wedding to be.”

“The what?” Ana asked.

I never really thought I’d end up
proposing to someone. If I was, it would be to Ana. Even then, I knew it was
going to be an interesting situation.

This was it.

I was naked and I got on one knee
next to the bed. Ana covered her mouth and the sheet fell down her body,
exposing her tits. My cock started to swell again.

I held the ring in my right hand
and when she saw it, she burst into tears.

“You saw this ring a long time ago,
darlin’. I knew I had to get it for you. No, I didn’t steal it. I earned it. I
kept this ring for years. Everyday it’s been with me. I’ve been waiting for the
right time to hand it off. This ring has seen really good days and really bad
days. Now it’s your turn, Ana. As long as you wear it and as long as you’ll be
mine for the rest of our lives. Darlin’, will you marry me?”

Ana nodded and then screamed
YES
at me.

I slid the damn ring on her finger
and another piece of the world felt right.

I grabbed her and hugged her as she
wept.

I swore on it, to her and to
myself, I never wanted her to worry.

Face it, I was a bad guy. I was a
cocky asshole with an attitude to match. I had committed crimes. I had spent
time in jail. Police hated me and lawyers loved me. I took to the streets as my
home, always looking for a sense of freedom. Two wheels were better than four.
My leather cut was just an extension of the ink on my body.

It was all I knew.

But when it came to Ana, she was my
everything. There were women all around me and my life. The only one that
mattered was Ana. From the day I met her until the day I would take my last breath.

I kissed her, hard, and couldn’t
control myself. I kissed down her neck but then made a different path as I
kissed her shoulder, down her arm, and finally, I kissed the diamond ring. I
pulled away and she held her hand out, beaming with happiness.

That’s when I slipped my fingers
between her legs just to see how happy she was.

I fucked Ana while she wore nothing
but that diamond ring.

The entire time I thrust in and out
her sweet body, my hands touching, my lips tasting, my ears savoring the groans
and whimpers, my phone was across the room, buzzing over and over and over.

The pattern had stuck.

For everything good came something
bad.

When I came up for air, I wished I
hadn’t.

When Uncle Jakey calls personally
it only means one thing.

Someone was dead.