Burnout (The Holland Brothers Book 1)

“Are you listening?” I ask Knox.

His gaze travels up my legs. “Huh?”

I tilt my head to the side and give him my best sassy, authoritative look. His lips pull apart into a smile. “Kidding. Yeah, I heard you. Slowly up and slowly down.”

The way he says the last part, I’m certain he’s talking about something completely different than me. My face heats and my stomach dips. I have spent every minute since he walked into the gym tonight imagining his hands on me again. If this is part of some elaborate game to have me desperate and needy so I’m too distracted to torture him with exercise, it’s working. Today’s training session has been more stolen kisses and little touches than workout.

“I am going to help Hope. You stay here and work on that.” Distance. That’s what we need. Otherwise, I might try to jump him in the middle of the gym.

Smiling like he knows exactly what I’m doing, he nods.

Coach Weaver has lifted all bans on my practicing. I’m now doing my full routines on beam and vault. The only catch is she downgraded the skill level on my beam dismount. I’m trying to focus on the positives, but I want to be back–fully back–in time for our first competition.

“Your boyfriend is hot,” Hope says when I mount the beam next to her.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” The words fly out quickly without thought. “We’re just…I’m not…He’s…” I stop myself, but her smug teenage smile appears.

“Hot boy got your tongue?”

I stick said tongue out at her. I can act her age too. “Let’s see your full turn and then we’ll work on back handspring layouts.”

Her smile falls into a pursed look of determination as she gets into position. At least she’s easy to distract.

And I am too, as it turns out, because I focus on nothing but Hope and helping her on beam skills until Knox wanders over almost an hour later.

He sits on the floor in front of us. He’s sweaty and too handsome for his own good. He smiles at me as I talk Hope through a handspring layout.

There’s something about the way he smiles at me. It burns into my skin and makes me light-headed. I turn back to Hope with a flick of my ponytail. “Get your arms and chest up quickly and focus on raising your hips.”

“I’m doing all that,” she mutters, frustrated and whiny. She glances over at Knox like she’s embarrassed he’s seeing her at less than perfect.

“You’re doing great. Keep practicing on the mat. It’ll make it easier to land it up here. It took me forever to get it.”

“Show me all of it together once more?” Her dad has just arrived, and she waves at him before adding, “Please?”

“All right.” I hop down onto the mat.

“No. On the beam.”

I waver. It’s been forever since I’ve done the combination pass on the beam, but her pleading eyes get the better of me.

“Fine. One time.”

I pull myself back up onto the beam next to her. A quick glance at Knox shows him eyeing me with a mix of admiration and excitement. It gives me a little boost of confidence. I’ve done this a million times, and my knee has been feeling stronger every day.

Without giving myself too much time to worry about getting it right in front of them, I go into the back handspring, layout step out, layout step out. I stand tall, hands over head when I end. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips and a jolt of excitement tingles through my fingertips. Damn that felt good.

When I glance at Hope, her mouth gapes wide. “Damn, Avery. I hope someday I’m half as good as you.”

My face heats from the compliment. “Don’t be silly. You’re going to be so much better than me.”

She smiles wide and jumps down with a wave to me and Knox.

When I hop to the floor, Knox stands and steps forward slowly.

“That was impressive,” he says.

“You’ve seen me do skills before.”

“Yeah, but not like that.”

Another shot of confidence pushes some of those lingering doubts away. Maybe I will be ready for competition season.

“What are you doing tonight?” he asks, pulling his T-shirt over his head. My least favorite part of the workout is when he puts on clothes and leaves.

“I’m not sure, why?”

“Thought we could hang out. I need to stop by the house, but after that I’m free.”

“That sounds fun. I’d love to meet your brothers.”

“Oh, I, uh…” He rubs at the back of his neck and one of his brows, the one with the scar cut through it, lifts. “You would?”

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. Lots of reasons. We’re kind of a lot.”

“If I can handle you, I think they’ll be a cakewalk.”

He chuckles, that cocky smirk back on his lips. “I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into, princess.”

Knox pulls into the driveway of a small white house not far from the Valley U campus. I park along the curb and hop out. There are several other vehicles. His brothers’, I’m assuming.

I tug on the hem of my shorts as I walk up the drive, shove my hands into my pockets, then pull them out again. I’m nervous. Four brothers and if they’re anything like Knox, this could be interesting.

Knox waits for me a step outside of the open garage. There’s gym equipment taking up the entire space, except a workbench with tools on it along the back wall.

“We don’t have to stay,” he says. “I just need to check in with Flynn and shower. We could go to your dorm.”

“Trying to keep me away?”

“You should be taking me up on it.”

I laugh. “Quinn and some friends from her Spanish class are there studying, so unless you want to listen to their bad pronunciation of Spanish words, I think this is the safer option.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he says under his breath and leads me farther into the garage.

I showered after practice and then mostly sat around while I bossed Knox and Hope around the gym, but I would have brought something nicer to change into if I’d known we were going to hang out tonight. Naked hanging out, judging by the looks he gave me during his workout. All I had were the jean shorts and shirt I wore to classes today.

As soon as he pushes through the entry door from the garage into the house, noise explodes around us. Male voices talk loudly over the sound of the TV.

I barely have time to process the layout or any other details before we step into chaos. The kitchen looks out onto the living area and the dining room off to the side. Three guys are sitting on leather couches in front of the TV, another is in the kitchen with a pretty blonde girl.

“Hey,” one of the guys in the living room calls when he spots Knox, then quickly turns back to the TV. He does a double take though and glances back again. His gaze goes past Knox to me. He stares really hard and for too long. I’m certain I turn crimson at his full attention. Especially when everyone else notices, and then all eyes are on me.

“This is Avery,” Knox says, hitching a thumb over his shoulder. Then he signs my name. Or I think that’s what he does. I learned the alphabet in elementary school, but I’m rusty with some of the letters.

He’s the only one that’s managing to act cool and collected. He glances back at me. “These are my brothers. And Hollywood. I mean, Jane. She’s Hendrick’s fiancée.”

Jane is the first one to approach me. The closer she gets, the prettier she is. She looks familiar, but I can’t figure out why. And she’s smiling at me with this big, disbelieving look on her face. I hope she doesn’t think Knox and I are dating or something. Maybe we should have chanced the Spanish study session at my dorm.

“Hi. Avery?” she asks like maybe she’s afraid she didn’t hear my name right.

“Yeah. Hello.” I lift one hand in a wave.

“Finally, another girl around here,” she says. “Thank god.”

“Do you want something to drink?” the brother in the kitchen asks. His smile matches hers.

“Umm…sure.”

I panic and glance at Knox for help.

Once again, he seems totally at ease, even though they’re all looking at me like this is a much bigger deal. With a roll of his eyes, he says, “Don’t be weird, Hollywood. She’s the girl that’s been helping me at the gym.”

Jane nods, eyes still wide and pinned on me. Something tells me she’s not really hearing him.

“O-kay.” Knox comes over and puts himself between us, then turns me by the shoulders.

His innocent touch sends a rush of heat to my skin. I remember exactly what those hands can do.

In the living room, I can immediately pick out the youngest brother. He has a baby face and messy, reddish-brown hair. His cheeks are ruddy, and he’s quiet but sneaking glances at me. The other two stand.

The taller of them wears a playful smirk as he steps forward and loud whispers, “Did he force you here? Blink twice if you’re under duress.”

I hear Knox groan behind me, and his hands fall away from my shoulders. He edges in front of me and pushes his brother away with a playful shove. He’s signing again. This time as he talks. “Thank you all for making this super uncomfortable. Now you know why I don’t bring people here.”

His brother snickers. “I’m Brogan, and don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you that you’re hanging out with this asshole.”

Knox shakes his head and sighs like he’s annoyed, but there’s an ease in his stance being here. “That’s Archer, you met Hendrick in the kitchen, and this is Flynn.”

“Hi,” I say again, waving and moving my gaze around the room.

When Knox nudges Flynn’s foot and asks about school and practice, the rest of the room goes back to ignoring us.

“Sorry about that.” Jane appears next to me with two glasses of wine. “It’s just, there’s a lot of testosterone in this house. I got excited about another girl in the house. A peace offering, or whatever you call it when you want to apologize for coming on too strong.”

I can’t help but smile back at her. I take the wine just so she doesn’t feel bad, but after I take a sip, I feel a little more at ease.

“Are you two staying for dinner?” she asks me.

Knox isn’t listening, so I shake my head. “I’m not sure.”

“We’re making plenty if you do.”

“Can I help with anything?” I ask.

“Oh no, we’ve got it. Knox used to cook for us every night but since he’s started working out with you, Hendrick and I have made it our thing. It’s kind of fun.”

I try to picture Knox cooking, but can’t.

Jane walks over to the couch where Brogan is sitting and pushes his leg. “Move over and make room for Avery to sit down.”

I start to protest, but Jane doesn’t look like someone who is used to being told no. Brogan moves over without a second thought, eyes glued to the TV. He and Archer are playing some sort of video game.

I sit with my wine.

Brogan leans back into the couch. His shoulder brushing against mine. He’s a big guy, broader than the others. “I’m surprised we haven’t run into you on campus.”

“You go to Valley?” I wrap my hands around the top of the glass.

“Yep,” Brogan says. “Me and Archer, and Jane.”

“Really?”

He nods. “Seniors. What about you?”

“Sophomore.”

Something about Jane finally snaps into place. “Wait. Jane is…”

“Ivy Greene,” Brogan finishes for me with a proud smile. “Yep.”

“Knox never said.” Ivy Greene, or Jane Greenfield, is a Valley U icon. She was a child TV star and now she goes here. I’ve never seen her on campus, so I was almost convinced she wasn’t real.

“Something tells me there’s a lot Knox doesn’t say. Unless he’s a lot chattier with you than he is with us.”

Brogan nudges Archer next to him and signs something. Archer nods. Knox also never mentioned one of his brothers is Deaf. He didn’t mention a lot of things, I guess. Not that I expected him to spill his guts to some girl he’s only known for a month, but being here I already feel like I understand him better.

Since everyone else is preoccupied, I listen in on Knox talking to his youngest brother. They’re talking about colleges, I think. Knox is asking him if he’s heard back from a coach in Illinois. Flynn is all shoulder shrugs and head shakes. He says very little, but Knox just keeps engaging him until finally he glances away. His gaze starts to scan the room like he doesn’t know where I am, then he smiles when he sees me sitting next to Brogan with wine in my hand.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to leave you to the wolves,” he says, walking over to the edge of the couch in front of me.

“We don’t bite,” Brogan protests. “We’re like really playful wolves who just want to have a good time.”

“Have a good time with someone else.” Knox inclines his head and takes a step back. I feel five sets of eyes on me as I follow him out of the living room and down a hallway. He stops at the last door and pushes it open, then holds out a hand for me to enter.

“I’m gonna shower quick, but I figured you might want to hang in here instead of being subjected to my brothers fawning all over you.” He rolls his eyes.

“They’re nice.”

“They’re a pain in my ass.” He grabs the frame of the door that leads into what I suspect is the bathroom and stares at me for a beat. “Be right back.”

Once the shower turns on, I walk around the room, greedy to explore every detail of his room. It’s a pretty good size. Big enough for the king-size bed that sits in the center of one wall. The frame is simple, dark wood. And there’s a matching nightstand on one side. The top is bare except for a charging dock.

I glance toward the bathroom door and then open the top drawer. A bottle of lube rolls and hits the front of the drawer next to a box of condoms. I wince at the noise and close it quickly.

The walls are painted a light gray and the curtains are black and pulled closed. I glance back at the bed, noting his black comforter and laugh. At least he’s consistent.

His dresser is the same dark wood as the bed and nightstand. It sits in front of the bed. Two drawers aren’t shut all the way – sock drawer and boxers. I don’t snoop in the others. On top of the dresser is a stack of folded clean clothes. I drop my nose, Knox’s familiar smell of leather and lemons filling my nostrils.

A TV is mounted over the dresser and the only other item of interest is his closet. It’s ajar, so I walk into it. It’s mostly empty. One side has clothes hanging on it. The other is bare and on the floor is what I assume is riding gear.

I hear the shower cut off and start to leave, but two pictures taped on the inside of the door catch my eye. Neither are framed, but they’re taped up where Knox must look at them sometimes. One is of what I presume to be him and a woman, his mother maybe. Knox can’t be more than five or six. He has the same smile. A little cautious and reserved even when I can tell he’s happy. The woman is beautiful. Light brown hair and big brown eyes. Her smile is everything Knox’s isn’t. Big and filled with so much happiness it practically jumps out of the photo.

The other one is of him and his brothers. They’re older here. Maybe even taken recently. They’re standing in front of the bar at The Tipsy Rose. Knox is standing next to Hendrick, who has one arm thrown over him and the other around Archer’s shoulders. Brogan is lying on top of the bar and Flynn is sitting on a stool.

I hurry out of the closet only a few seconds before Knox reappears. Dressed but hair still damp.

“That was quick,” I say and then take a sip of my forgotten wine.

“Sorry. Did I leave you enough time to snoop?”

I laugh and don’t even try to pretend like I wasn’t doing just that. “Yes, but sadly I didn’t find anything interesting. No whips or chains, ball gags.”

“You must not have looked very hard.” His demeanor shifts and the way he’s looking at me is a lot like he did before he took his victory kiss.

“Really? Show me.”

He shakes his head slowly. “Uh-uh. Not yet. I’ve been dying to taste you again.”

My breath hitches and the next second his mouth is covering mine. Without breaking the kiss, he takes my wine. I hear him set it on the nightstand as he walks me backward until my thighs hit the edge of the bed.

Everything happens so fast. I’m on my back and he’s trailing kisses down my body. Lifting my shirt so he can reach more skin and then unbuttoning my jean shorts. I help him push them down. He swats at my hands when I try to do the same to my panties. “I want to unwrap you all myself.”

My stomach flutters as he inches the pink material down slowly. He pulls off my panties and spreads my legs apart. His stare burns my skin. The kisses he places along my inner thighs and low on my stomach are gentle. His eyes flick to mine as he brings his mouth down close and licks up my folds.

“Oh God,” I groan loudly.

I swear I can see him smirking as he does it again. My legs quiver and I push my hips lower, desperate for more. He swats my pussy. Not hard but I’m so keyed up that it stings and then pulses with new pleasure.

“I’m in charge in here, princess. Be a good girl and hold still.”

The only reason I comply is because he doesn’t make me wait. His mouth covers me again. This time he adds more pressure and alternates sucking on my clit.

“Knox. Please. More.” My words are broken up with cries of ecstasy. Guys have gone down on me before, but it was never like this.

One of his fingers slides into my pussy. Then he adds a second.

He nips at my thigh and pushes my legs farther apart. I’m splayed out for him, naked from the waist down and he’s fully dressed. I sit up, intending to undo his pants, but Knox doesn’t let up and the new angle has all his focus on my clit.

“Look at this pretty pussy. So tight. So greedy for more.” He shifts slightly and pulls me farther off the bed so he can keep thrusting his fingers in and out of me while continuing to lick and suck on my clit.

I’m putty in his hands. I come hard, my entire body locking up and then shaking as the orgasm refuses to end. My arms can’t hold me up any longer and I fall back onto the bed. It’s almost painful how long it goes on, but that pain melts into pleasure and I chase it, grinding down onto his face. He gives me another gentle smack and then follows it with sweet licks until my body stops writhing under him.

As soon as the tremors leave my body, I’m filled with a rush of adrenaline. I sit up quickly, and we remove his shirt, then push his jeans and boxers down. They’re also black.

My eyes flick to his when his dick springs free. He’s long and thick, smooth and hard. Perfect. I understand why he’s such a cocky asshole.

I scoot closer and wrap my fingers around his shaft, then bring my lips to the head and kiss him gently.

“Still addicted to my mouth?”

“You have no fucking idea.” He drags the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip and then pushes me down onto his long, thick cock.

His throat works as he stares down at me. He pulls my shirt up but I don’t want to let go of him to take it off.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t take over. He lets me work my mouth down his length, taking a little more each time.

Only when I take him to the back of my throat does he wrap a hand in my hair and urge me to increase the pace. I’ve always loved giving blow jobs. It makes me feel powerful and sexy, but seeing Knox with pleasure painted across his face—pleasure I put there—is euphoric. He holds on to every shred of control until the last possible second. He pulls out of my mouth and jerks himself to release, coming all over my chest and onto the bottom of my shirt.

I’m too enthralled to care and he’s staring at my chest like it’s the best thing he’s ever seen. I’ve always been self-conscious about my boobs. They’re a little bigger than most gymnasts’ but probably small on average. But right now, I’m not insecure at all.

He pulls up his pants and tucks himself away, then disappears into the bathroom. When he returns, he has a washcloth.

“This is why I wanted to take your shirt off.” He smirks as he drops the cloth on the bed and pulls my shirt over my head.

“Oops.”

He cleans me up and then takes my shirt and the washcloth back with him to the bathroom.

“I think this was your plan to keep me naked,” I say.

“Stay that way if you want, princess. I’ll never stop you, but it might be awkward for you to sit around the dinner table with your pussy out.”

He tosses me a T-shirt from the stack of clothes on top of his dresser. It takes me a second to register his words.

“I can’t go out there now.” I can still hear the TV and his brothers’ muffled voices. “They’re going to know we were in here…you know.”

“I hate to break it to you, princess, but they knew why you were here the second you walked through the door.”

I try to cover my face with the shirt instead of putting it on, but Knox takes it from me and pulls it down over my head. I slip my arms through and then get up and put on my panties and shorts. I love wearing his shirts. They’re big and soft.

When I stand, the hem falls past my shorts. It’s one hundred percent obvious I’m wearing his shirt.

“I think I’ll just stay in here.”

He laughs and takes my hand. “Come on. You gotta eat.”