Page 60

Delores

The way Chess looks at me makes my skin tingle. It’s like he’s discovered the most precious thing on the planet and wants to wrap himself around it forever. He looks at Fitz with adoration, too, but it’s different when he’s watching me.

I could almost feel the change in his confidence when I said I’d protect them from the Khans if need be. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have a clue how I’d do that, but voicing it seemed to help my nerdy cheetah break free of his fears. He’s been laughing, talking, and sharing delicious food with me all evening without ducking his head once.

Perhaps he needed the reassurance that I wanted him? If so, I wish I’d known sooner.

The twins dressed him in that smooth, suave suit, but as wisps of his floppy curls escape his bun and he gestures animatedly when talking about geeky shows and books with me, the real Chess peeks out. I ignored Fitz’s warning from before and asked about the baking show; it started him on a detailed rant about cooking shows and the superiority of his favorite in comparison. That led to other shows we enjoyed and after that, everything was easy.

I see exactly why Fitz fell for the quiet cat and his habit of needing to push his glasses up after he gets too excited is making me squishy as hell.

Of course, when he took the suit jacket off during dinner, I got a good gander at his lithe muscles and tight ass, so my lady bits are standing at attention, too. Chess is the complete package and I can’t help but give him starry-eyed looks as we hold hands and wait for the desserts to be served.

“Do you think their pastry chef will pass muster?” I ask him teasingly. “You have awfully discerning opinions about filo dough.”

His chuckle rumbles over me as he shrugs. “If not, I’m sure Fitz will spill the beans to someone and they’ll find a new one. He hates for people he loves to be disappointed.”

I’m about to question that gem when a huff of anger sounds behind me. My spine stiffens and the hairs on my entire body stand on end as I recognize the sound. Swallowing hard, I will my hands not to shake as the clack-clack of Leopardtins moving across the marble comes closer.

Lucille is in the house.

“Delores Diamond Drew! What on earth are you doing here?” Her tone is full of acid and disbelief, as if they should have cast me out with the riff-raff before my feet hit the pavement out front.

I give Chess a pleading expression, hoping he understands. I lick my lips, letting go of his hand and turning in my seat to look at the woman standing just outside of my peripheral vision. That’s one of her tricks to make you come to her, so I’m resisting standing up defiantly.

“Happy New Year, Lucille. I thought you were in Ibiza for the holidays,” I reply in a mild, unperturbed voice. I school my features to keep her from knowing how much seeing her affects me.

“I’m surprised to see you here, of all places, Delores. You’ve never shown the slightest interest in attending events such as this.” The woman who gave birth to me rakes her eyes over me briefly, then looks at Chess with a narrowed gaze. “Stand up and introduce your friend. I can’t abide rudeness and you know it.”

Chess rumbles a little as I push to my feet, moving away from him to allow Lucille full access to inspect me. He rises as well, pushing our chairs in so he can step forward and meet the most dangerous woman on the Council’s stare evenly.

Being raised by Khans has its benefits.

“Lucille, this is Chess. He’s my date this evening.” I smile politely as I turn to my cheetah. “Chess, this is Lucille Rostoff Drew, head of the Council, heir to the Rostoff empire, and my mother.”

The words taste like acid on my tongue, but I was taught the proper way to introduce my parents from a very young age. They each have rules that must be followed, and any deviation led to severe punishments. Hera forbid a seven-year-old forget a title or important lineage declaration at a school function.

“Interesting. Someone enticed a designer to alter couture to fit your ample frame—they must have impeccable assistants. I don’t remember selecting that gown, though,” Lucille ignores Chess for the moment, too busy tossing barbs about my appearance to notice the animal shimmering under his skin. “And that diadem is not one of ours; your father wouldn’t allow you to sully my family’s heirlooms in that ridiculous hair.”

I can feel the growl before I hear it and I reach out to take Chess’ arm, pretending to use it for balance. “No, Lucille. The dress was a Yule gift, and the tiara was loaned to me so I would be suitably attired for this auspicious occasion. I thought it would please you if they photographed us in public.”

“Loaned to you? Delores Diamond Drew, we are not peasants! Drews do not need to borrow accessories!” Her tone gets sharper and I sense her leopard rising to the surface as well.

Before I can attempt to repair the damage, Chess steps forward, a hard look on his face. “The Panther Princess tiara has been a Khan family heirloom since my grandmother was a child. Are you implying the crown of the Khan matriarch is not good enough?”

Oh, snap.

Chessie just trapped her into choosing between humiliating me and insulting the Khans. I press my thighs together, hoping my immediate reaction to the normally submissive cat dominating the conversation like a fucking boss isn’t obvious. That kitty just earned himself a very happy ending when we get out of here.

The horror on Lucille’s face only lasts a second before she locks it down, arching a brow as she eyes my date critically. “Since you’re not the heir or the spare, you must be the orphan. Interesting to find you here with Delores rather than your… brothers. Of course, she’s always had a soft spot for inferior preds. I’ve never been able to teach her how to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.”

Shit, shit, shit. This is getting out of hand.

“It was kind of Felix to send the tiara for me to wear, though, wasn’t it? The future Raj is one of my professors and he’s been extremely helpful to my studies. This boon is a fitting tribute to our name, is it not?” I squeeze Chess’ bicep, wordlessly begging him to let me end this before blood is shed.

“Mmm,” Lucile says as she looks at me again. “Yes, those birdbrains informed me of your schedule. I wasn’t aware being his student afforded you such a close relationship with the princes. I should visit campus soon and meet the men who hold your…education… in their hands.”

My cheetah looks like he’s going to lose it again at her implication, but thank the gods, a waiter with a large tray full of desserts arrives. Lucille looks at it in horror, as if she’ll gain weight by seeing the items on it, and waves her hand at me dismissively.

“Enjoy your calories, Delores. You’ll want to keep track of them if you’re going to prove useful to me in a long-term fashion.” With that grenade lobbed, she stalks off towards the other half of the restaurant. I see Bruiser materialize behind her, but not my father.

Where the hell is Bruno and why is Lucille at a Khan business instead of in Ibiza, as she told me?

I turn to Chess, and he cups my face in his hands gently. “Don’t worry, angel. She can’t hurt you; you have protectors now.”

Shaking my head, I feel the sting of her verbal cracks more deeply than if she’d used her fists. I don’t want to be a needy, broken doll, but Lucille knows exactly where to land the punches to make me feel the worst.

Narcissists always do and they purposely aim for the weakest spot so they can maintain their control over you.

“Shhh.” Chess says as he kisses my eyelids. “I’ll get all the treats boxed, and we’ll head home to finish our date in much better company, angel. How about that?”

I nod, giving him a watery smile. “I’d like that a lot, my spotted knight. In fact, I’d like it as much as I did you wanting to tear apart the most powerful woman in the room because she was mean to me.”

“You could feel that?”

Shrugging, I give him a look. “Women always know, Chessie. Now take me home.”

“Anything for you, angel.”

The ride home was uneventful, but Chess insisted on carrying the to-go bag and me across the campus to the Tower. When we reached the door, he let me enter my code and lead him up the front stairs to my room without even asking. I know all the Khans are fascinated with the freedom Aubrey and Rennie have granted me in their lair, but I’m not giving up the ghost until they tell me I can.

“Come on, knight. We’re going to get these beautiful, but highly uncomfortable, clothes off and pig out.”

His eyes crinkle at the corners as I pull open my door and kick off my shoes the second I get inside. “Leaving your door unlocked is a recipe for disaster, angel.”

“I don’t care what Fitz rifles through,” I say as I tug the gown up and over my head to leave me in the tiny thong and nothing else as I root through a drawer for jammies. “He’s welcome to sniff my undies if it makes him happy.”

“You really are an angel,” he says as he drops the bag on the floor and kicks the door shut.

A soft growl echoes out of his chest and I feel the animal in him. Turning to face the adorable cheetah, I smirk. “When I want to be, Chessie. But maybe tonight, I’d rather be bad.”

He moves with a speed I haven’t seen before and suddenly, his arms are around me, pulling me tight to his body. The rumble of his cat and the erection pushing against my belly tell me he’s excited, but I see the uncertainty in his eyes. This is a first for my knight, and having been there not so long ago myself, I want him to have a far better experience than I did.

Reaching up, I cup his face and smile softly at him. “Hold on there, cowboy. Let’s take this to bed so we can explore.”

The blush on his face is so cute I can barely stand it, so I grab his hand and pull him over to my bed, toppling us onto the large mattress the moment we’re close enough. His hands coast over my skin as I wiggle on top of him and bracket his legs with my thighs. I sit up, pulling the pins from my hair until it tumbles over us, then do the same for him.

“Much better, don’t you think?” I whisper as I place his hands on my hips. Amazingly, I’m not nervous about Chess; in fact, since Fitz and I have been exploring every position possible for weeks, I actually feel confident.

“Oh, yes. Much,” he says with a hungry look. “But it could be better.”

I nod, rocking my hips over him slowly. The friction pulls a moan from me and I watch his eyes bleed amber as the cat within makes itself known. “You have too many clothes on.”

His eyes widen and he practically tears at the buttons on his shirt, wriggling and bumping my pussy as he fights to get it off. Laughing softly, I rise a little to let him do the same with his pants and boxers, then settle on top of him again. His cock rubs against the lace of my panties and I growl softly.

“I’m going to tell you something I told Fitz,” I murmur as I roll my hips against his, letting the head of his dick bump my clit through the fabric. He blinks, eyes hazy, as he looks at me. “I have an implant and since I know you’re clean because he is, we’re going to do this the fun way.”

Chess swallows hard, blinking at me. “Holy shit, angel.”

I shrug and smile as I lift again, stretching down his body to kiss him hungrily before I speak. “What can I say? You’re lucky boys. Now help me with this before we both explode.”

His lips curve and the sound of ripping lingerie fills the air, followed by the scrap flying across the room. “Angel, you’re going to fucking kill me.”

Winking playfully, I lower again, sliding my wetness over his throbbing cock slowly. “Hopefully not, because I’m looking forward to this. Are you ready, my sweet knight?”

A gasp rips from my lips when my nerdy cheetah grabs my hips, lines up, and thrusts into me like a seasoned pro. He’s thicker than Fitz and I’m shocked as hell to feel something pressing inside of me, stroking a spot that makes me quiver.

“What the hell, Chessie?” I breathe as I lift and drop to feel it again.

Oh, my fucking stars and garters—that is amazing.

“Didn’t Fitzy tell you? I’m pierced, angel. Can you feel it?”

I bob my head, swallowing hard as I keep moving over him to ride the sensation building in my gut. “Uh… noooo… he didn’t. Fuck, Chess, that’s…”

“I should have asked if you were ready,” he teases as he grips my hips. “Are you?”

Digging my nails into his shoulders, I use the leverage to speed up, riding him like my life depends on it. The hardware bumps the spot in me over and over and before long, I feel the beginning of my orgasm rocketing toward me. My eyes open and I look down, loving the look of pure delight on his features as we move together.

His hand creeps up my thigh, fingertips feathering over my pussy until his thumb finds my clit, and that does it.

I scream his name, shivers running over me as my walls contract and squeeze his dick until he explodes as well. It feels like we’re suspended in time for a moment as we gently coast down from the high and I finally collapse on his chest.

“Holy shit,” I pant. “That was fucking hot.”

The laughter makes his chest vibrate under my cheek and I sense the grin on his face. “Just give me a few and we’ll be ready for round two, angel.”

I push up a little, swiping my hair out of my face as I blink. “Why, Mr. Chester, I think you might be an addict.”