by Violet Paige
“All right.” I ran my thumb against her cheek. “Ask me whatever you want. What is it?” I had hoped this would happen. I needed her help, but I wasn’t going to ask for it. She had to offer it. To come to me on her own.
“I know you’ve been meeting with my assistant, Crew. Tell me what you two have meeting about it. And why is Seraphina involved? I want the truth. No more secrets, or I call Kimble.”
I rolled her on her back. She gasped. “I’m serious, Knight.”
I smiled. “I’ve been waiting for that question all night.”
“You have?” Her eyes darted back and forth.
I dragged my lips over hers. “Mmmhmm. If only you had asked that first.”
She inhaled deeply. “Are you going to tell me?”
“I am. The entire story,” I admitted. I wouldn’t leave out any of the details.
I hooked my arm under her knee. She gasped.
“But first…”
She bit her lower lip. “You’re that confident I’m going to like the answer?”
I laughed. “I am.” I lowered myself over her body, ready to love her until the last drop of rain fell from the sky tonight.
9
Kennedy
Knight’s body covered mine. His heavy, sculpted muscles weighted me to the bed. He had fallen asleep with his arm slung across my chest and his leg, pinning my thigh beneath him. I tried to turn, but he only pulled me closer to his chest, creating a cocoon with our bodies. I relented, giving in to the luxury of lying in bed for a few more minutes. Twice this week I had slept longer than usual—both times because of him.
I wiggled against him. My back pressed to his chest. His breath was steady and slow. I wondered whether he was truly asleep. I loved the way his arms wrapped around my body, shielding me, protecting me, holding me. But I knew it was only temporary. There was no way to sustain the truce. We’d agree to anything for a few hours to fall into bed together just one more time.
The storm had lingered over the city all night. I listened for wind or rain, but it was quiet outside. Kimble had probably already assessed the damage. Any minute he would knock on the door and want to tell me what the most serious threats were. He knew Knight had never left. It didn’t matter to him—he’d knock regardless of who was in my bed. Nothing happened on the manse’s grounds without Kimble’s knowledge. He was the most loyal and dedicated person I knew. He had proven his allegiance with a pledge to protect my life.
“Hey, you.” Knight’s voice vibrated against my neck.
“Good morning,” I answered. His fingers dug into my waist, rotating me to face him. My breasts rubbed against the planes of muscle. The friction felt good, like warm electricity. A slow hum buzzed between us.
“Some night.” He winked. “Do you think the power is back on?”
The candles had melted into puddles of wax that were now hardened trails all over the mantle and floor.
My heart raced. I needed to climb out of bed and start the shower. I had a full day of meetings. Two conference calls and a check-in with Victoria on the next vote in the senate. I definitely didn’t have free minutes to offer Knight. I knew better than to trust the words we said to each other last night. They were only words. We both knew how to lie to get what we wanted. Although, I couldn’t let him walk out without telling me about Crew. I didn’t have my answers yet.
The rough side of his jaw grazed my cheek. His mouth moved to my ear. My spine tingled with sensation.
“Mmm,” I murmured, rolling on my back. I looked into obsidian eyes, surprised at how quickly I felt the consuming effect they had on me.
Knight pushed forward on his palms, flexing his biceps. Everything about this view was incredible. Did I dare let myself think I could have mornings like this? Waking up with this gorgeous man and his sexy body planted on top of mine.
“You’re quiet.”
I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I’d say the wrong thing. I wanted to be selfish a little while longer. Hold on to him. Pretend this could happen. That on the other side of the door was a world where Knight and I weren’t enemies.
“Just thinking.” It was a half-truth.
“What do you think about clearing your schedule for the morning?” he taunted. His hand coasted along my thigh, trailing the inside of my knee and maneuvering my leg so that there was room for his body between my legs.
I exhaled as I felt the hardness of his shaft press against me. Shit. He was solid, pulsing, a length so overwhelming I was intimidated every single time. Knight’s eyes flickered. I knew that devilish glance. I’d memorized how it started with temptation and ended with a promise.
My eyes darted toward the door when I heard a rap-tap-tap.
“Go away!” Knight yelled.
I giggled. “It’s Kimble. Storm report I think.”
“He can go to hell then,” he growled, wagging his eyebrows as he dove toward my throat, lashing at it with his tongue. I arched toward him. His cock nudged at my entrance. I whimpered.
“But, it could be important,” I argued weakly. There was no way either of us was going to answer the door.
The knocking continued. I thought I heard Kimble say my name, but I wasn’t sure. My head pounded with the rush of blood coursing through my veins. The adrenaline. The lust I had for Knight.
“Not as important as this.” Knight gripped my wrists, pinning them over my head. The hold was secure and commanding. I seized on a breath of air.
“I’m busy,” my voice squeaked when I called over Knight’s back. The knocking stopped. Footsteps faded in the hallway. “Better?” I asked.
But Knight was two steps ahead. He paused, sliding in, slowly. Reveling in the way it felt as my body adjusted to his. Loving the fire we made together. Anticipating the full thrust when he was about to fuck me. My hips jutted forward to meet his.
He grinned. “I thought so.”
My eyes narrowed, trying to articulate a comeback, but my mind went black when he slammed into me.
“Oh shit,” I hissed toward the ceiling. Knight hilted himself deep. Deeper. Sliding so far in I saw stars and the planets swirling. My vision was filled with glitter and flames.
He groaned. My eyes traveled over his torso, admiring the muscles and ridges along his abdomen. He kissed me, breaking my focus. Our tongues tangled. He bit at my lips and I began to think I could come from his kisses. It was the complete surrender. The way he claimed me. Loved me. His strokes hit my walls from all angles. It wasn’t long before I was begging him to let me come. I tugged against his hand, needing leverage. He had a firm clasp on my wrists. He buried himself inside me, dipping to kiss my neck.
His name was on my lips. I said it over and over as the climax surged through my body, spreading from my core to every limb. Coating my veins with heat until my toes curled, and I was blazing from the inside out.
His thrusts picked up speed. I panted, knowing I was at the beginning of another orgasm. Another spilled from the deepest recesses while Knight’s body continued to do wicked things to me. Impossible things. Dirty. Dark. Beautiful things. His eyes filled with admiration and accomplishment. The more I spiraled, the more turned on he became.
He growled against my ear. Suddenly my wrists were free. He lifted my back from the bed, scooping me toward him. My lips dragged against his. Our foreheads pressed together. His skin was damp and heated. I climbed in his lap, lifting with enough height to slide over his cock.
We both murmured words that didn’t make sense. We tried to comprehend the collision of skin. The friction that drove us wild. My fingers dug into his shoulders as he began to coax me up and down, finding a new rhythm. A new beat of music. He tugged at the corners of my lips, but the frenzy building between us was like wildfire. My head tipped back, granting him the lines of my neck.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he whispered, exploring every inch of skin he could.
A lazy smile spread on my face, knowing he was taking it all in. I offered him my nipples. He sucked
and toyed with his tongue until the flames ran between my legs and I gasped.
“Just how many times can I make you come in the morning?” he taunted.
I reared toward him, pushing him backward, flat on the bed. I liked this angle.
“Trying to set a new record?” We were nothing if not competitive.
He laughed. “I’m up for the challenge. But I’m starting to lose count.”
“Bastard,” I whispered, stealing a hungry kiss as my hips ground against his. His fingers curled against my waist, sliding lower, squeezing my ass harder. I moaned loudly.
His eyes lit. “I love the dirty sounds you make,” he said with a low rumble.
“What about the ones you make?” I countered.
He growled, taking a handful of my hair, drawing my mouth toward his. “Like that?”
“Mmmhmm.” I melted into him.
“I want to stay inside this house the rest of the day and fuck you. You’re going to clear your schedule, aren’t you?”
“Oh shit.” I rasped the words as he spun me on my back. Somehow, I was in the same position we had started. I stared in his eyes. Knight hooked his arm under my knee.
“What was that?” he pressed.
I bit my lip. “No way.”
He slammed into me and I bucked at the intensity. At the fullness in which he took my body.
“Wrong answer.” He winked, withdrawing his best asset from my body.
I nodded readily. “Okay. Schedule cleared. Just do that again.”
“That’s better.” He shouldn’t be able to smile like that. It was sinful, but so sexy. His hard thick cock drove inside me again and I began to shatter with him as he fused us together. We shook in unison. We were breaking apart, holding each other together.
I didn’t know when or how it happened, but we had climbed to another level. A place I didn’t realize existed—until Knight.
Our breathing slowed as his body began to relax again.
“Fuck me,” he groaned, resting his head on my shoulder.
I giggled. “I’d say your wish was already granted.”
He chuckled. “God, you’re incredible. I was serious about my plans for the day.”
“You can’t expect me to stay in bed all day.” I eyed him. My body was humming. Singing.
“I didn’t say bed. You have a lot of options in this suite. Wall. Shower. That tiny couch thing over there.”
I gawked. He was serious. He nuzzled close to me. My heart beat with his. I felt how they synced together. I exhaled quietly.
“Knight?”
“Hmm?” His eyes closed, even though his fingers drew lazy circles along my arms.
I shook my head. “Never mind.” I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I didn’t want to disturb the tranquility we had found, even if it was drenched in sex.
He rolled on his side. “Never mind never means never mind. Talk. What are you thinking over there?”
I glanced at him from the side. He was right. He knew how to gauge my intentions. I thought he always had. “You never told me about Crew. About the meeting.”
“Not yet.”
“And? Don’t you think you should make good on your promise?”
He propped up on his elbow. His eyes fell to my lips. They must look bruised and swollen the way he had kissed me.
“It’s not a quick conversation. It’s a complicated situation. The fallout is going to be immense.”
I jerked the sheet to my chest. He had my attention. “What kind of fallout?” I didn’t understand how Crew could be involved in anything like that.
“I think we should have some coffee brought up. This is going to take a while.”
I nodded. “All right.” I began to maneuver away from him, when Knight, caught my waist.
“I didn’t say you needed to go anywhere.”
I laughed. “But it sounds serious. I think we should get dressed. I’ll have breakfast brought up,” I offered.
“If you put on one shred of clothing, I’m just going to take it off,” he warned.
“Even if Kimble reappears?”
He shook his head. “Why is he still around? I get why your dad hired him, but really that guy is weirdly obsessive about you. It’s not good.”
I sighed. “Maybe there’s more than one discussion we need to have this morning.” At some point I was going to have to tell him what had happened.
His eyes darkened as if he already knew.
I kissed him on the cheek before crawling off the bed. “Let me call downstairs to the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and I padded over to the intercom to give Bella her instructions.
“Kennedy?
I looked over at Knight. He was sprawled across my sheets. His beautiful body, canvassing the entire mattress.
“Yes?”
“We should make a promise before we say anything else.”
“Like what?” I hesitated in front of the speaker.
“Like we don’t leave this room until we hear each other out. Completely,” he emphasized. “The entire story.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay. I promise.”
He walked toward me confidently. Our eyes met as he lifted me toward him. I wrapped my hands around his neck.
“I’m not going to lose you again. I swear.” He breathed into my hair. For a moment, I believed him.
10
Knight
The coffee was poured. There were croissants piled high on a tray along with bacon and egg-white omelets delivered by Bella. Kimble spoke to Kennedy by phone. It didn’t sound like he was happy about it, but she stood her ground, insisting an in-person meeting wasn’t necessary. She had lost part of the fence at the rear of the property. He was worried about the security sensors. I didn’t see why he had to bother her with small details. He should just do his fucking job and keep her safe.
Kennedy peeled off the end of her croissant and nibbled on it.
“Who goes first?” she asked.
I refilled our coffee cups to the top. “I’m sure you want to know about Crew.”
She nodded. “I do. You owe me the entire story. You can’t leave anything out.”
“Okay. Okay. I know how it works, babe.”
She blushed. “Sorry. I’m feeling uneasy about what this could be about. I don’t like it.”
“Which part? That you don’t have all the information?”
She pressed her pretty lips together. “Of course, that part. Crew is someone I trusted until now. It feels like he’s been keeping something from me. How can I trust him after that?”
“You can still trust him,” I stated.
Her eyes widened. “You seem confident when you say that.”
“I am. Our meeting was personal. It wasn’t business.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. He works for me. He is my assistant. The person closest to me at work. How could it be personal? Nothing about this makes sense.”
“No, it didn’t make sense to me either at first. I needed time to accept it. To process what he and Seraphina told me.”
“Your sister? I can’t imagine what she would have to do with this.”
I nodded. “Our meeting was about them. It’s not what you think. I doubt you’d be able to predict what I’m about to say.” I couldn’t believe I was going to tell her about Crew and Seraphina, but it was going to take Kennedy’s backing to make this work for everyone involved. Without her, Crew wouldn’t survive.
I hesitated. If this backfired, I was putting my sister and Crew in more danger.
“Knight, aren’t you going to tell me?” She searched my eyes for an answer.
I was going to place my sister’s life in her hands.
“I trust you.” Our gazes locked. “Nothing proves that more than what I’m about to say.” If I couldn’t trust Kennedy now, who could I trust? I didn’t have time to assess exactly where her head was. I had to believe that she would protect my sister the same way I would.
“Seraphina and Crew need our help. I have to get my little sister out of New Orleans. She wants to go to France and take over the vineyards. Run the champagne caves. But I’m not sure that’s the safest place for them.”
“I must have missed the part where you told me why.” She stared at me.
I rubbed the back of my head. I knew there was going to be fallout over this. “She and Crew are together. They have been for a while.”
The woman I loved tilted her head. “Together? But she’s a part of the Castille family. And she’s pregnant.”
I cleared my throat. “I know. I was as surprised as you are. She doesn’t love her husband. She never has. If he finds out…if any of them find out that the baby is Crew’s and not Brandon’s Crew isn’t going to be there for that kid’s first birthday. We both know that. The Castilles will have him removed.”
Kennedy sat back on her heels, tossing the remainder of her croissant on the plate. “This is crazy.”
I nodded. “It is.”
“What the hell were they thinking?”
I shrugged. “To be honest, I didn’t ask for the specifics, because still my little sister.”
“Right. But holy shit, this is a nightmare.”
“I’m going to help them.” I gauged her for compassion or solidarity. Anything to let me know what she was thinking. “I don’t see how I can do that without you being implicated because of Crew’s position in your organization.”
“The Castilles won’t let Crew leave her alive,” she whispered.
“Which is exactly why we need to help them.”
“Do you have any idea how many contracts I have with them? This is going to be an all-out war if I betray their son.” She pinched her lips together. I knew she was already thinking about the long-term play. “Alliances are different since you left,” she explained. “They are more complicated and nuanced. I’ve tried to play by a different set of rules than our father created, but that doesn’t mean the old laws aren’t still around. They are ingrained in this city. Not even I can erase them.”