Page 46 of One Bad Knight

There was something new and dangerous about her. Like she could eat the soul of any man or woman here. The perfect do-gooder turned into the princess of darkness, and it made my cock immediately hard.

For once, I felt like I could belong next to her. Kissing the dirt at her feet, of course, but near her nonetheless. Her veil of cultivated veneer and obedience was ripped away, revealing something far more provocative. A woman who wasn’t afraid to be who she was.

Kat floated through a room of pastel colors, while men openly salivated, and women glared. A quick glance at John across the room, and I saw his face turning an unusual shade of red. Even as his lips tightened in displeasure, he tried to regain the attention of the small crowd that gathered around him.

The dark princess crossed the room to me.

The attention that had been on her, now swallowed me with greedy, probing eyes.

“What are you doing?” I murmured.

“You are my boyfriend, remember?” she said, lifting her chin with an imperious air.

“Aren’t you worried about what everyone will think?” I asked.

One eyebrow arched. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a fuck.” And then an amused little smile curled on her face. I felt like I’d missed out on some inside joke. Again, my strange upbringing left me on the outside of things.

Still, I straightened and took her arm.

“How about a drink?” she suggested.

“Absofuckinglutely,” I agreed, not sure if I needed it more to help distract me from the bodily reaction I had to Kat or to help distract me from the many eyes that now tracked us.

Though Kat was on my arm, she was the one who led us around. People seemed to give us a wide berth at first.

A mixture of feelings rioted through me. The discomfort of having always stayed in the shadows to suddenly be thrown in a spotlight was jarring at best. But the thrill and zing of pride that vibrated through me at having Kat on my arm was unlike any sensation I’d ever known.

Neither of us belonged here, but we belonged together.

My throat grew thick. I’d never belonged anywhere before. As Kat sipped on a glass of whiskey, neat, I dropped my hand to squeeze her waist.

No matter what horrors I faced, no matter what pathetic, dark end I met, I would never forget the night I belonged with the girl of my past and the woman of my dreams.

My heart thumped harder and harder, until I couldn’t hear anything else. I swallowed hard and took Kat’s drink, setting it on a nearby table.

She shot me a questioning gaze, but I simply led her to the other side of the room. Before she knew what was happening, I ushered her into the oversized washroom. The bathroom was fancier than any home I’d been in, reminding me more of a museum with its cream molding and gold-framed paintings. It smelled of lavender, but my senses were entirely honed in on the woman who permeated the space with the scent of dark honey and saffron.

Without preamble, I set her perfect ass on the sink, reaching under her dress to drag her panties off her hips and down her legs.

“Gatsby,” she breathed, in shock.

I jammed the pair in my back pocket as I forcibly spread her legs with my knees. I would inhale her sweet scent later, maybe even rub one out with the black lace fabric covered in her essence.

But right now, I had the real thing. All of her perfect beauty and fierceness before me, and I couldn’t wait another goddamn second.

With a quick unzip, I poised myself at her already hot, wet entrance.

“We can’t,” she gasped, though her expression demanded I don’t dare stop. I doubt she realized how her lace-covered hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me closer.

“How can I not?” I rasped.

I pushed into her tight heat, and a half hiss, half groan escaped me. My forehead met hers. Kat sucked in her breath and bucked against me with a helpless whimper.

Her heat burned me. Her dark eyes drilled into me, while her glistening lips held my every desire and need on them. What I would do to keep her. To be good enough for her.

A couple long strokes had us both panting. People chattered just on the other side of the door.

I would tear this world apart for Kat, rock by rock, and kill anyone who got in my way. But that’s exactly how I knew I was the villain. I didn’t want to save the world. I wanted to burn it at her feet, so she would know the desire she ignited in me.