Chapter 56 CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 56
YAEL
The lecture finally ended, and I was packing my notebook as fast as humanly possible, praying I could slip out before Mia launched phase two of her interrogation. No such luck.
“Yael, wait up!” Jordan’s voice cut through the crowd, followed by the thud of sneakers. She and Liam jogged up the aisle, both in hoodies and sweats from whatever gym class they’d just survived. Jordan’s short hair was still damp, and Liam had his backpack slung over one shoulder like always.
Jordan took one look at me and stopped dead. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Liam asked, blinking.
Jordan grabbed my scarf—gently, but still—and tugged it down an inch. Her eyes went wide. “Girl. Those are not mosquito bites.”
Mia cackled. “Told you! She got absolutely destroyed.”
I yanked the scarf back up, face on fire. “Can we not do this in the middle of the hallway?”
Liam finally caught up, glancing between us. “Wait… destroyed how? Like… oh.” His eyes widened. “OH. You and Knox? Finally?”
“Shh!” I hissed, grabbing all three of them and herding them toward the exit. “My room. Now.”
We power-walked across campus, the four of us bundled against the December chill. Mia kept shooting me smug looks, Jordan was grinning like she’d won a bet, and Liam just looked quietly pleased, like a proud big brother who wasn’t actually related to me.
The second my dorm door shut, they pounced.
“Details,” Mia demanded, flopping onto my bed. “All of them.”
Jordan dropped into my desk chair, kicking her feet up. “Start with the hickeys. How many are we talking?”
Liam leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “And is he treating you right? Because if not, I’ll—”
“He’s perfect,” I blurted, then slapped a hand over my mouth.
They all screamed.
“OH MY GOD!” Mia shrieked, kicking her legs. “She’s in love!”
“I didn’t say love,” I protested, but my cheeks were burning.
“You didn’t have to,” Jordan said, smirking. “It’s written all over your face. And neck. And probably everywhere else.”
I groaned, falling face-first onto the bed beside Mia. “Fine. Yes. We had sex. Amazing sex. Multiple times. He ran me a bath after. Made me tea. He’s… yeah. He’s incredible.”
Mia rolled over and hugged me. “I’m so happy for you! Knox, tamed by our little Yael.”
“Not tamed,” I mumbled into the pillow. “Just… mine.”
Liam smiled softly. “Good. He better know how lucky he is.”
Jordan threw a pillow at me. “Proud of you, babe. Now spill—was it big?”
“Jordan!” I squeaked.
“What? Inquiring minds!”
We laughed and talked for another twenty minutes—Mia demanding positions, Jordan rating stamina on a scale she made up, Liam mostly listening but occasionally asking sweet questions like “Did he hold you after?” Until reality crashed back in.
“Shit,” Liam said, checking his phone. “Bio test tomorrow. We gotta study.”
Groans all around.
“Fine,” Mia sighed, standing. “But this conversation is paused, not over.”
They filed out with hugs and promises of more grilling later. I waved them off, then collapsed at my desk to actually open my notes.
My phone buzzed.
Knox: come outside. got something to show you
I smiled like an idiot, grabbed my coat, and slipped out.
He was waiting by the dorm steps, hands in his pockets, beanie pulled low. The second he saw me, his whole face softened.
“Hi, pretty girl.”
“Hi,” I said, stepping into his arms for a quick kiss. “What’s the surprise?”
“You’ll see.” He took my hand and tugged me toward the edge of campus.
We cut through the school garden—bare trees, frosted benches, fairy lights still up from winter fest—and then he pulled me off the path, behind a hedge I’d never noticed before.
There was a hidden gate, overgrown with ivy. He pushed it open, and I gasped.
It was a secret garden. Small, walled in, completely private. A frozen fountain in the center, rose bushes sleeping under snow, and in the back corner—a treehouse. Actual treehouse, with a little ladder and windows.
“Knox,” I breathed. “How…?”
“Old botany professor showed it to me freshman year,” he said quietly, leading me inside. “Said it was his secret spot. Asked me to take care of it if anything happened to him. He passed three months before you got here. No one else knows it’s here anymore.”
It was breathtaking. Twinkly lights strung along the branches, blankets and pillows inside the treehouse, a little battery heater humming softly.
“You did all this?” I asked, climbing up after him.
“For you,” he said simply. “Thought you could use a quiet place to study. Or… not study.”
He kissed me then—slow, deep, perfect. I melted into it, hands under his coat, but eventually pulled back.
“I really do have to study,” I said reluctantly. “Test tomorrow.”
He smiled. “Then let’s study.”
We spread out my notes and flashcards on the floor, curled up under a blanket. He quizzed me on terms, patient and sweet, rubbing my back when I got frustrated.
“You’ve got this,” he murmured every time I hesitated. “Smartest girl I know.”
Hours blurred. At some point, my head ended up in his lap, his fingers in my hair. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to moonlight filtering through the windows.
Knox was asleep beside me, arm around my waist.
And I was… aching.
Not sore anymore. Horny. Ridiculously, inexplicably horny. Heat pooled low in my belly, thighs pressing together under the blanket. I shifted, and the friction made me bite my lip to stay quiet.
I looked at him—peaceful, beautiful, lips parted—and something snapped.
I wanted him. Now.
I slipped out from under his arm, careful not to wake him yet. I pulled off my sweater, my leggings, everything until I was naked in the soft glow of the fairy lights.
Then I straddled his lap, hands going to his sweats.
He stirred as I freed him, already half-hard.
“Yael?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep.
“Shh,” I whispered, leaning down to take him in my mouth.
He groaned instantly, hips twitching. “Fuck—baby—what—”
I sucked him deep, tongue swirling, loving the way he hardened fully against my lips.
“What are you doing?” he rasped, but his hand was already in my hair, guiding gently.
I pulled off with a wet pop. “Couldn’t sleep,” I said, voice husky. “I need you.”
His eyes darkened. “Take what you need.”
I sank down on him slowly, both of us moaning as I took him to the hilt.
“So wet,” he groaned, hands gripping my hips. “Already soaked for me.”
I started riding him—slow at first, then faster, chasing the angle that made me see stars.
“Knox,” I whimpered. “Feels so good—”
He let me use him for a while, watching me with hooded eyes, thumbs brushing my nipples.
Then he snapped.
He flipped us, pinning me under him, and started thrusting hard—deep, punishing strokes that had me crying out.
“Yes—yes—harder—”
He gave it to me, one hand around my throat, the other spanking my ass sharp and perfect.
“Gonna come soon,” he growled against my ear. “Where—”
“Inside,” I gasped. “I’m on the pill—please—want it—”
He cursed, pace turning brutal.
“Yael—fuck—baby—”
He came with a broken moan of my name, burying himself deep, holding me so tight I could barely breathe. It was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.
I followed seconds later, clenching around him, waves crashing until everything went black.
When I came to, he was still inside me, hands kneading my ass gently, lips brushing my shoulder.
“You okay?” he whispered.
I nodded, boneless. “Perfect.”
He chuckled softly. “My girl wakes up in the middle of the night just to ride me. I’m
the luckiest bastard alive.”
I smiled into his neck, drifting again.
His hands stayed on my ass, possessive and warm.
And I fell asleep feeling completely, utterly his.