Page 64 of A Knight’s Revenge: The Complete Series

I rolled my eyes, though the urge to do just that so I could put my hands on her even for a minute rode me hard. “Not this time. I would like to speak with you, though.”

She let out a petulant huff, motioning for me to get on with it.

Her sass triggered me, as usual—nobody sassed Bennett Spencer— and my control slipped.

I pushed into her personal space, and she let me do it.

I’d seen her fight, and I knew that if she didn’t want me this close to her—if she didn’t want me dragging her into those dark corners —she wouldn’t allow it.

I towered over her, leaning one arm up against the wall next to her head. She crossed her arms and glared up at me, and I enjoyed how little she still seemed next to me at my six-foot-four, even though she was now a very tall girl.

“My father continues to threaten to kill you if this game you’re playing with the Families escalates any further,” I growled at her. “Do not push him, Jolie.”

She barked out an incredulous laugh. “You think this is news to me, Bennett? Take a message back to him—I will kill him if he fucking tries.”

I slammed my fist up against the wall. “Why are you so goddamn reckless? This is suicide, Jolie. I will not watch you die again , and I won’t let you drag Zach or Noah into danger, either.”

She shoved at me, but I didn’t budge. “Fuck you, asshole. Zach and Noah are big boys who can think for themselves.”

True, but none of us could think straight around her. If I had to be the asshole so I could keep all four of us fucking alive , I would do it.

I grabbed her wrists and shoved them against the wall next to her head. She gasped but still did not resist me, and I leaned down so that we were eye to eye, our noses almost touching.

Do not get hard, you weak, pathetic motherfucker .

“Do not come for Spencer,” I growled at her. “I will stand in between you and my father until one of you puts a bullet in my head. That’s a promise.”

She closed her eyes, a pained look crossing her heartbreakingly beautiful face. I felt it when the fight left her body as she sagged against the wall, and God help me, I sagged with her, my fingers threading through hers as our foreheads touched.

“Just trust in me, Bennett,” she whispered. “Believe in what I’m doing because you know, deep down, it’s right . Why can’t you do that?”

Before I could force words from my mouth, I heard, “Bennett! What are you doing?”

I stiffened. Harper stalked out of the locker room, wearing nothing but a skintight tank top and shiny pink leggings. Her angry glare landed on Jolie. “Get away from him, you psycho slut!”

I released Jolie and stepped back, knowing this conversation was over and that I’d made zero progress. Jolie dusted herself off before shooting me one last scowl, ignoring Harper.

“Your fiancée needs your attention, Spencer,” she drawled like she didn’t give a shit, but she couldn’t hide that ferocious heat in her eyes.

It was fucking torture.

She marched away, taking a chunk of my heart with her, like always.

I whirled on my fiancée. “I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from interrupting me when I have business to attend to, Harper,” I said coolly.

Her jaw dropped open before she remembered herself, snapping it shut and pasting a pleasing smile on her face. “Of course, Bennett. It just did not look like that was a very… businesslike conversation. But I know how… rude and frustrating she can be.”

I cocked my head. “Right. It’s too bad she’s not dead at the bottom of the Obsidian, isn’t it?”

Harper sputtered at me, but I was already walking away.

Dinnertime at the dining hall was always a much more subdued affair than breakfast or lunch were during class hours. Students came and went at random times, fewer actually stayed to eat there, and the drama was usually at a minimum.

Noah had gone for a swim after class, so he met me outside the gym and accompanied me to dinner. After grabbing a plate, we made our way toward our usual table at the quiet front of the hall.

Only Noah dropped his plate at the table across the aisle where Jolie sat with Mari Anzaldua, John Tyler Ashmore, and Hannah Langford.

To avoid looking like an antisocial, petulant dick, I sat across from Noah, leaving one solitary, empty seat between Jolie and me.

“Um, hi, guys?” Jolie said, her sandwich paused halfway between her plate and her mouth.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Noah replied smoothly, the shocked looks at the table clearly amusing him. “Cool if we sit here?”

“Knock yourselves out,” she said before shooting a look at Mari, who appeared to be barely holding in her laughter, daring her to make a comment.

Of course it was at that moment that Zach breezed into the dining hall, also fresh from his workout. His dark, wet hair flopped across his forehead, and he wore his usual too-tight white T-shirt.

He had eyes only for Jolie as he picked a burrito from an open food station and made his way toward us.

That asshole had been walking around on cloud nine since his birthday when his mission to make Jolie his girlfriend had apparently succeeded—though he insisted on referring to her only as “our girl” around Noah and me. He was tight-lipped about what went down between them, but I could guess.

It was a weird feeling—to be thrilled for my brother, who was the happiest I’d ever seen him, while also wanting to punch him in his smug fucking face.

“Oh, look, a party,” Zach said as he slid into the chair between Jolie and me. “Hey, Princess. Missed you.”

“Hey,” she murmured back at him, sounding all smitten and demure and so unlike the angry girl I’d just pinned to the wall by the locker rooms.

Maybe I would punch Zach in the face after all.

He placed a hand around the nape of Jolie’s delicate neck and pulled her into a possessive kiss. She let out the tiniest little moan, and the sound conjured memories of mine that had my dick hardening in my crew team joggers.

For fuck’s sake .

Noah’s stare from across the table was full of longing. He was so close to caving and jumping into this poly shit Zach was pushing for, the consequences for Hargraves be damned.

Mari pointed at John Tyler with her fork. “I think you should cough up your pool winnings, amigo. Zach’s first in, clearly.”

“Totally,” Hannah said with a mouthful of food. “Mari and I win this one, JT.”

“We never specified they had to be together,” John Tyler replied in his usual monotone. “Hargraves made the first move.”

What the fuck was all this ?

Noah grinned, not embarrassed in the slightest. “It’s true. Even Zach will admit it.”

Zach chuckled while Jolie blushed like a schoolgirl, which did not help the situation in my pants. Zach said, “I think you guys should just split the pot evenly. I am definitely a proponent of… everyone winning.”

He nudged me with his elbow, and I shrugged him off.

This was going to come crashing down on us eventually. I just hoped we all survived it.