Speaking of her guys … Knox was padding up the narrow wooden walkway that led from the villa’s deck to the shoreline, bucket in hand. Well, damn. Little drops of water were sliding down all that hard muscle and sleek tanned skin, making her want to lick it all up. He was as mouth-watering and magnetic as he was intimidating.
It made her glad they were on a private beach, or there would be females ogling and batting their eyelashes at him. Then Harper would have to kick some skanky ass.
“Hey, baby.” He bent and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, tasting of salty water. Her body hummed, and her toes curled. The feel of his wet hand sweeping across her back felt so good on her heated skin.
A loud splash was followed by, “Da!”
Knox ended the kiss with a nip to her lower lip and then straightened to smile at Asher. “I got something for you.” Squatting, he emptied the bucket of sea water into Asher’s pool to top it up, and the little guy flashed his dimples. “I half expected him to climb out of the pool and crawl everywhere, looking for trouble,” Knox said to her. “But he really does love the water. When the temperature cools, we’ll take him to the shoreline, so he can paddle in the sea. You sure you don’t want to take another dip? Tanner and Levi will watch him when they’re done racing.”
It was tempting to have a reprieve from the heat, but … “I’m not taking any chances with the jellyfish.” No way.
Knox sighed. “There are no jellyfish.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. It came right at me.”
Fighting a smile, he slid onto the double-lounger and traced the length of her spine with his finger. “You need more sunscreen.”
She snorted. “No, I don’t.” She was in the shade, for God’s sake. “You just want to put some on me.”
He gave her a very boyish smile. “Busted.”
She chuckled and handed him the tub of lotion. “There. Have at it.” He sprayed the lotion on her back and then rubbed it in, digging his fingertips into her skin just right. Closing her eyes, she moaned.
“You can’t make that sound in public, baby,” he admonished, voice dropping an octave. “You know what your little moans do to me.”
She shot him a glare over her shoulder. “And you know just what you’re doing to me right now.” His smile said that, yes, he did. Maybe that bit of smugness should have annoyed her, but his self-assurance totally flipped her switch.
“When Asher has a little nap later, I’ll show you what else I like doing to you.”
“Promises, promises.” Hearing jet skis whizz by, she looked up in time to see that … “Oh, Tanner’s now winning.” Though he and Levi had come along to the island, they were giving her, Knox, and Asher enough space to enjoy family quality time. Meanwhile, Larkin and Keenan were working with the Force to find where Alethea had been staying in North Las Vegas.
Before they left, Knox had made a short announcement throughout the Underground that Sherryl Malloy had been working with Alethea and, as such, was partly responsible for what almost happened to Asher and Heidi. His announcement had been accompanied by a short excerpt of Malloy’s torture. According to Keenan, most had been as shocked as the Primes to realize what mercilessness lived inside Harper.
Jonas had called Knox after seeing the clip, insisting that Alethea would only have worked alongside the Horseman if she’d had no idea who he was. Jonas had also wanted to know what Malloy had had to say, but Knox hadn’t told him any more than he’d told the other Primes over the video conference call.
Harper had worried that Ciaran might be hurt by Malloy’s death, but he’d assured her that the only thing he felt about it was utter satisfaction. As far as he was concerned, if the female was truly the type to risk the safety of a child—his own sister—Malloy wasn’t the person he thought he knew, and he couldn’t grieve a person he’d never known.
Feeling Knox’s hand slide into her bikini bottoms and massage the lotion into her skin, she said, “I really don’t think my ass is at risk of getting sunburned.”
“You know something, baby? This lotion would act as a really good lube.”
Harper tensed. “Don’t you dare try shoving your finger up—”
“I’d never do that in Asher’s presence,” said Knox, chuckling. “But later, when we’re alone … ”
Rolling onto her side, she propped herself up on her elbow. “Want to know what I think?”
“Always.”
“I think you’ve been far too preoccupied with my ass ever since your demon put the damn brand on it.”
Knox smiled at her haughty tone. “Know what I think, baby?”
“What?”
“I think you like that brand far more than you’re willing to admit.”
“Why would I like having a ‘K’ on my ass?”