Seductive Knight

by Tierney O'Malley

  While waiting for Edmund and Bors to bring the Roses and Miguel in the backyard, Alex paced in front of the picnic table and chairs.

  Gawain watched Alex wring her hands.

  Earlier, when Bors broke the news to her about Luke’s betrayal and Lucrezia’s connection to her family’s unfortunate demise, her shoulders sagged as if someone sat on them. And now, she had to face her grandmother.

  “Babe? You want a drink?”

  “What?”

  “We have everything caffeine-free in the cooler.”

  “No, thank you. My stomach is full of butterflies right now. If I eat, I might embarrass myself and throw up in front of them. Jesus, how did they know I’m here?”

  “Baby—”

  “Do you have a comb with you? I can’t believe they ruined my family.”

  Alex’s accent was so thick, he could hardly get some of the words. She was so nervous. Gawain felt like punching anything. “You’re fine.”

  Gawain looked at his family for help. They were all watching Alex.

  “You have nothing to worry about, Alex. It is them who should quake in their high heels.” Addie smiled. As a habit, she placed her hand on her stomach protectively.

  “Right, if they say anything bad against you, I’ll pull their hair and then drown them in the lake. I’ve never pulled a woman’s hair before, but there’s always the first time.” Kirsten nodded to punctuate her words.

  “I’ll use their full names and horrible characters in my book and I’ll turn them into scullery maids cleaning chamber pots.” Julie waggled her brows.

  Gawain could tell Julie was already thinking about the story. She was practically licking her lips.

  “Just look them in the eye, Alex, and then flip them off. That’s what Percival would do, right, hon?”

  Percival winked at Addie.

  “Or, I could ask them questions,” Alex whispered.

  Bors came back. Behind him were Lucrezia and Frieda. Miguel and Edmund trailed behind. Gawain wanted to smirk when he saw Lucrezia dabbling the corners of her eyes with a white handkerchief. Such a phony, dramatic witch, he thought. When he looked at Miguel, irritation bubbled in his chest. He didn’t like the way the man was leering at his sisters-in-law, Kirsten and Alex. Gawain’s brothers changed their stance as well. They, too, noticed the man’s insolence.

  He didn’t like him right away. The man’s eyes made him think of snakes, and his smile looked conniving. He wanted to punch him so hard to break his teeth.

  “Which one is my granddaughter?”

  Gawain inched closer to Alex. Their arms touched. She felt warm, but shivering as if it was snowing outside.

  Without accent or quiver in her voice Alex introduced herself. “I’m Alex. You are my grandmother?”

  “Yes. Child, I am so glad to see you. You’ve grown. Remember your Aunt Frieda?”

  “Yes. You weren’t at my tenth birthday party, Aunt Frieda.”

  “I know. I didn’t think I should go, since it was a kid’s birthday party. Anyway, that was long time ago. I’m married now. See, this is my husband, Miguel.”

  Miguel moved to stand beside Frieda. “Hello, Alex. I heard so many good things about you. Finally, I can put a face on a beautiful name.”

  Gawain looked at Alex. Her color turned scary pale and she began shaking violently now. “Alex?”

  “I’m sorry. I think I scared her. Must be the tattoos.” Miguel lifted his hands with his palms up.

  Kirsten stood up, her eyes huge. Gawain shook his head at her, while Edmund quickly wrapped an arm around her.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Frieda pointed at Alex. “She looks possessed.”

  Miguel lowered his arms. The smile on his face disappeared. Slowly, he took a step back and then stood behind Lucrezia.

  As if coming out of a trance. Alex closed her eyes and took deep breaths. When she opened them, they were blazing with hatred.

  “Bors…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I told you there was something that I saw the night Mom and I took off for the Philippines but couldn’t remember what it was.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Now I remember. Spiders.”

  All hell broke loose.

  Bors and Branyan drew their guns the same time Miguel grabbed Lucrezia and wrapped his arm around her neck, a small knife pointed on her chest.

  Percival herded everyone and kept them at a safe distance while Gawain kept Alex beside him.

  “Miguel, what are you doing? Put that knife away!”

  Miguel backed away, dragging Lucrezia with him. “I didn’t touch Molly. I didn’t do anything!”

  “Shut up, Miguel! Let go of my mom.”

  “Listen to your wife, Miguel. Don’t be stupid.” Branyan pulled his radio off his belt and called for backup.

  “This fucking woman made me go to the Rose’s house. She told me to give Molly drugs.”

  “Why?” Alex asked the question in an almost high-pitched voice.

  “So I could take her to bed without a fight. Lucrezia and Frieda were waiting for my call to tell them when Molly was high on drugs and in bed with me. I was supposed to stay with her until Clayton arrived.”

  “Get this man off me. I don’t know what he’s talking about. Alex, I’m your grandmother and I love you. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

  “What about my mother?”

  “Liar! This old hag hated Molly, Alex. She wants the jewels, money, house. She wants everything and hated the idea that Molly was enjoying everything.”

  Miguel dragged Lucrezia toward the back door, the tip of his knife digging into Lucrezia’s neck and drawing blood.

  Bors trained his gun on Miguel’s chest. “Let her go and we can talk about the details. Kill her and you’ll follow her to hell right away. Either one, you will pay for your fucking sins. What is it going to be?

  “I’m not going to jail.”

  “Too, late, you asshole.” Bors snarled.

  Gawain didn’t take his eyes off Miguel. His brother could take the ugly bastard down in a heartbeat—Miguel was tall enough to give Bors enough room to shoot him even with Lucrezia standing in front.

  “Miguel, what is wrong with you? Why are you making up these accusations? Are you demented?”

  Frieda made a move toward Miguel, but Branyan stopped her.

  “Yes! Anyone who lives with you two greedy bitches would fucking lose his head. You talk about money and jewelry and how you could put your hands into Clayton’s fortune.”

  Bors nodded to Branyan. “Do you have proof that they are involved, Miguel?”

  “Yes. She has Molly’s letter to Clayton. In a safe. In her bedroom. Lucrezia found it on Molly’s dresser and took it.”

  “You ingrate!” Lucrezia’s eyes turned wild. She tried to wriggle out of Miguel’s hold but failed.

  “How did you know that she took the letter?” Alex asked.

  “When I woke up and found myself bleeding on the floor, I called them. They were waiting for me a block away from your home. You and Molly were not in the house, so these two went into Molly’s room to look for her jewelry. That’s how they found the note.”

  “Your mother was a whore. She didn’t deserve Clayton!”

  Gawain felt Alex tremble. This time he knew she was beyond angry.

  Lucrezia bit Miguel’s arm. Miguel howled from the pain. Before he could do more damage to Lucrezia’s neck, Bors fired. Miguel went down like a sack of rice. Lucrezia went still—in shock. Frieda, on the other hand, turned her wrath on Alex.

  “Whore! You should have stayed in that dirty Philippines to rot. Like your mother. A drug addict, thief, whore.”

  Frieda didn’t see it coming. Kirsten came from behind her and yanked her hair so hard, her hair extension came off.

  “Bitch! My hair!”

  “Eww! Gross!” Kirsten threw the fake hair on the ground.

  And that was where it stayed until they heard the sirens.

  Chapter
Eighteen

  Changes were made, but not that painful for both of them. After hearing Luke’s defense for betraying her trust, Alex decided to help him save his family home, but severed their friendship. Alex remained living with Gawain. Not that he’d let her stay anywhere else anyway. After her family was charged with atrocious crimes that changed her world, the mansion where she grew up in was left empty. She didn’t think that she could move back in there, which had made Gawain real happy, though she still talked about going home. She had tried calling Ema a couple times, but failed. Apparently, the phone had just kept on ringing. She looked so forlorn when she hung up the phone. The sadness that registered on her face nearly made him spill his secret. He hoped she wouldn’t be mad when she found out that he’d been talking to Ema and Nanni.

  Standing at the foot of the stairs, he fished his cell phone out of his pocket. He checked the screen. Yup, it was his turn to play Word Scramble. His sister, who was a brainiac, loved to play word games and she would always include the whole family in a challenge. Alex had been incredibly good in coming up with big words, but she was still upstairs getting dressed.

  Tonight, the dark skies were clear and the stars were out, the air sweet and the moon bright to witness what he had to do. He hoped it was enough to help get the result he had planned. Thinking about the letter and the single solitary diamond in his pocket made Gawain’s heart thud in his chest. Its beat doubled when he heard movement upstairs. He looked up.

  And there she was.

  His lady.

  Alexandria Rose.

  She wore a white silk strapless dress with a silver ribbon that Kirsten had made for her. The material hugged her body, showing every delicious curve she possessed. Her pointy white shoes peeked through, which added to her sexiness. Most of all, he loved her hair tied up and adorned with silver ribbons the most. The style exposed her neck that he had nibbled on earlier. Very minimal make up, he liked that. No jewelry. He liked that, too. She didn’t need any glitter. She glowed with her own beauty.

  Gawain couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

  “You look like a wolf ready to devour its prey.”

  He slowly took the steps up while she came down one step at a time until they met in the middle. “You took my breath away. Kirsten did a good job creating this dress.” He ran his fingers along the edge of her dress where the swell of her breasts barely showed. “Now, can I take it off you?”

  “No! It took me forever to put this on.”

  Gawain wiggled his brows.

  “Don’t you dare, Gawain Knight.” Alex scrunched her nose at him, which only made him want to touch her.

  Wrapping his arms around her narrow waist, he pulled her against him. “Later then, love. I will take this dress off you and lick every delicious part of your body.” He liked seeing her skin turn pink. With one kiss on her shoulder, he took a deep controlling breath. “Ready?”

  Alex sighed. “Yes. We’d better go before my brain loses its functionality. And you are the reason.”

  Gawain laughed at that.

  * * * *

  His parents’ house was ablaze with bright lights. Cars filled the driveway, a telltale sign that friends were also in attendance. Gawain looked at Alex who’d been chewing her lower lip and running her hands on her lap.

  When she asked what was the occasion for this big party, he just said, “A special kind.” She rolled her eyes in reply.

  “All right. Here we go.”

  “Looks like a lot of people are in attendance.”

  “Yes. Which means a lot of people will see a beautiful woman in my arms. They’ll be jealous.”

  “I think it’s the other way around. You sure your exes are not in there?”

  “None made it to my parents’ house.”

  “Not even Reina.”

  “She made it, but she was uninvited at the time. Hey, we’re not here to talk about my exes.” The front door opened. “Uh-oh. There’s my sister. We’d better get out of this car.”

  Gawain opened his door. “Hey, button. You look lovely.”

  “I could say the same about you, prune. But you are…” Kirsten looked at his watch. “Seven minutes late. Should I even ask why?”

  Gawain laughed. “No, brat.” He rounded the car to open Alex’s door.

  “See? We’re late. It’s embarrassing.” Alex scowled at him as he helped her get out of the car.

  Gawain just winked.

  “Alex! Look at you. Just wait ‘til everyone sees you. You’re a goddess divine.”

  “I pale compared to you, Kirsten. Your dress is to die for. Deep green is a perfect color for you.”

  “You think so?”

  “Definitely.”

  The two talked about their dresses, they praised one another and giggled. Gawain watched his sister hook her arm around Alex’s. Kirsten’s job was to take Alex upstairs to join the other sisters-at-heart. Just as he thought he’d been forgotten, Alex looked back and smiled.

  His heart melted.

  Loud, boisterous laughter reached him as soon as he stepped inside his parents’ house. Since the house was empty, he surmised everyone was already in the backyard. He went to the kitchen, found it empty also, then grabbed a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. He opened the backdoor. Gawain grinned. Tiny Christmas lights decorated the backyard.

  Instead of renting a huge tent that he’d seen in outdoor weddings, he’d rented a wide fishnet with twinkling Christmas lights hung above to mimic an image of a night sky littered with stars. In the middle of the net hung a disco ball bright with reflective lights. Small red lanterns added to the magical scene.

  A stage at the far end of the makeshift dance area stood with the local band playing Colbie Caillat’s Bubbly. It was Kirsten’s idea to hire a band with a female vocalist.

  Gawain quickly scanned the backyard. Everyone in attendance were close friends and relatives. His father and mother, dressed nicely, engrossed in a conversation with Bors’s supervisor and Branyan. Susan and Ben Baskerville were there, too. They had quit badgering him about letting Alex stay with them. Instead, they visited a lot, which was fine, since they’d made Alex happy. Percival spotted him and left the table where two guys were working on computers.

  “You cleaned up nice, Knight.”

  “Special night, Teta.” Gawain grinned. He couldn’t recall seeing Teta wear anything but pedal pushers and tight top. Teta was Julie’s close friend. When Julie introduced Teta to the Knight family, the old lady had won their hearts easily with her ridiculous remarks, and quirkiness. Since then, Teta had become a permanent member of the family, one they all love. “You look wonderful.”

  “Hmpt. Save your flattery, boy. I don’t need it. So you finally found someone to dip your pecker into, eh?”

  “Teta!”

  “What? You’ve been dreaming of finding someone to bring into this home. Don’t shake your head at me. I know. Alex is a nice girl, Knight. Take care of her, or I’ll have your balls.”

  “I’ll take care of her.”

  Teta nodded. “Well, I have to go upstairs to check up on the kids. Someday, one of yours will join them, right?”

  Gawain’s heart swelled thinking about his baby playing with his nieces and nephews. “Yeah, but not too soon.”

  Teta turned around to leave then stopped. “You know that you’re my favorite Knight, right?”

  “I kind of had a feeling.” Damn, he didn’t know that.

  “Well, now you know. Just don’t tell the others.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I love you, boy. Remember that.”

  “I love you, too, Teta.”

  Teta pursed her lips, then snorted. “Whatever. “

  Gawain laughed. Whenever Teta tried to say something nice, she would cover it up with a snort or a caustic remark.

  Percival joined him then punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Did Teta tell you she loves you and you’re her favorite?”

  “The fuck. You mean—”


  “Yup. And I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”

  “What was that about?’

  “With Teta? Who knows. Here’s your corsage.”

  “Thanks.”

  A bright light flashed.

  “And that’s the forensic photographer from Bors’s work. He’ll be taking pictures tonight.”

  “Cool. I see we’re being streamed live right now.” He pointed at the big screen on the left of the band.

  “Yup. Those two guys in the corner are handling it.”

  “Nanni and Ema?”

  “Waiting.”

  Gawain adjusted his tie.

  “You look nervous, little brother.”

  “I am.”

  Percival laughed. “Can’t believe it’s your turn.”

  “Me, too.”

  Tristan, Bors, and Edmund joined them, all of them wearing black tuxes.

  “It’s been years since I went to my prom. I didn’t think I’d be excited this much.” Bors combed back his long hair.

  Gawain noticed his brother shaved. “Who’s babysitting?”

  “Tristan’s receptionist, Cindy. Lucan is excited. I think he has a crush on her. The kid’s only two.”

  “Don’t tell Julie. She’ll keep Lucan under lock and key.”

  The band started playing a different song. He recognized it right away—Heaven by Bryan Adams. It was a cue that the ladies were coming out.

  They all turned toward the door. A minute later, the women came out. They were all amazingly beautiful.

  Gawain’s eyes, however, were trained on Alex. When someone hooted and whistled, he followed suit while the women laughed and posed for the photographer.

  Tristan nudged him. “Don’t forget the corsage, bro. And wipe your drool.”

  “Fuck you. I’m not drooling.”

  “I’m not talking about your mouth.” Tristan laughed and left his side.

  Gawain grinned and walked toward Alex.

  “Hey, beautiful. Happy Prom night,” he said, then slipped the corsage made out of white tiny roses around her wrist.

  “What? Wait, you mean this party is about a prom?”

  “Yes. It’s on our list. Remember?”