Page 5 of Dark Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 10)

I look between him, the tray of food, then at the massive fifty-inch TV he’s got strapped to the wall, and I shake my head. “Nah, you can choose.”

I climb onto his bed, sitting back against the headboard as he lowers the tray and sits on the other side of it, passing me a fork.

Just as he picks up the remote, there’s a huge roar from the other side of the door.

My entire body locks up at the realisation that the enemy—my Family’s enemy—is only a room away. Hell, what am I thinking… Ant is the enemy.

But when it’s just the two of us, our surnames, our connections, don’t matter.

“It’s okay,” he says, reaching over and uncurling my fists. “They’re all watching some fight. It’s probably getting a little heated.”

The reason I have to climb into his room via the window is because to get to it from the front door, we’d have to walk through a massive room that the younger members of the Mariano Family have converted to a massive den.

It’s dangerous being here, but we figured that it was safer than being out in public where anyone from either Family could see us.

Here, we’re locked in his room where no one should bother us.

Well, that’s what we hope for.

“You don’t want to watch?” I ask, once again feeling like I’m keeping him from his friends by being here.

Lowering the remote, he just stares at me.

“No, Calli. I wouldn’t rather be out there with a bunch of sweaty, angry dickheads when I could be in here with you… in this skirt.” He bites down on his bottom lip and wiggles his brows.

“You’re an idiot.”

He shrugs, not having a care in the world as he shamelessly checks out my legs.

“Eat up, Sunshine. I’ve got plans for you tonight.”

A wave of heat races through my body, burning me from the inside out.

“Your parents aren’t expecting you home, right?”

I scoff. “You think they’ve even noticed I’m out?”

He gives me a sad smile, but I know he understands. Having a big brother who’s stolen the spotlight almost all his life, he gets what it’s like, living in the shadows and expected to behave in a certain way. The only difference is that he’s expected to step up now and become a soldier.

I, however, am expected to do what? Find a nice Greek guy and pop out some future soldiers?

I blow out a frustrated breath.

“It’s a good job I called you over, then. We wouldn’t want you home alone and lonely.” His words drip with lust.

“I was just working,” I say, throwing a little cold water on his train of thought.

“Sure you were.” He wiggles his brows suggestively.

“You’re a nightmare.”

“You love it,” he counters, finally picking the remote back up and hitting play on the number one film that comes up on Netflix. I don’t even get a chance to see what it is other than it looks kinda romance-y. Not that I have an issue with that. I just can’t imagine him being into it.

Grabbing one of the containers and a fork, Ant spears a piece of shredded chicken and holds it up for me.

“Your favourite,” he murmurs as I part my lips, accepting it from him.

An appreciative moan rumbles in my chest as the flavours explode in my mouth and he watches as my tongue sneaks out to lick up the sauce.