Page 59 of Reckless Dynasty (Knight's Ridge Empire 9)

My shoes tap against marble flooring that I’m sure cost more than I’m likely to make in my lifetime alone.

I feel like a total fraud even standing in here.

“You remember me telling you that your money didn’t impress me, right?” I say, staring at a painting that I’m sure I should probably recognise as one of the greats. But as I study it, I realise that I don’t even really like it. To me, it says nothing. It means nothing, and quite honestly, it’s not even that attractive. It’s just for show, and that alone turns me off.

“Well, lucky for us, this isn’t my money. It belongs to someone who clearly has way too much. And after all the shit we’ve been through, I think we more than deserve a couple of days pretending to live the luxury of their life.”

“Do you even know who the place belongs to?” I ask, watching as he kicks his shoes off and places the cases we packed against the pristine walls.

“Nope. And right now, I couldn’t give a fuck.”

The second I follow his lead and abandon my shoes, he takes my hand and drags me down the hallway toward the first door.

I squeal as my legs struggle to keep up with him, and a wide smile spreads across my face at his playfulness.

“This is a chef’s wet dream,” I announce as we stumble into a kitchen that is beyond anything I’ve ever seen before.

“Fuck the chef, the only thing I want to eat in here is you on top of that granite counter.”

“Toby,” I gasp as his large hands wrap around my waist, ready to put me in position. “No,” I cry, darting away from him before he can lift me from my feet.

“Demon,” he growls as I fly from the room, quickly finding myself in another full of sleek black furniture. But in the corner, there’s a pink dollhouse which looks totally out of place. The sight of it makes another laugh tumble from my lips. I guess this is what the mega wealthy call a family room.

Heavy footsteps pound behind me as I continue forward and emerge back into the hallway we started in. Or at least, I think it is. I move too fast to take notice of the details of the room as I race for the stairs.

The thick pile of the carpet beneath my feet softens my footsteps, and I smile to myself that I might just be able to put some distance between us to prolong this little game of cat and mouse.

My heart pounds as adrenaline races through my veins. I pause at the corner and listen. A laugh bubbles up when all that greets me is the sound of my heavy breathing.

Pulling my cardigan off, I throw it at the stairs and run once more, nothing but joy and recklessness filling my body.

As I move, I unbutton my blouse, finally letting it fall from my arms and abandoning it in the hallway.

I rush around another corner as footsteps thunder up the stairs behind me.

“You can’t outrun me, Demon. I will find you and I’ll even graciously claim my winnings.”

My stomach tumbles with excitement as I push forward.

Tugging my jeans undone, I awkwardly shove them down over my hips as I discover another set of stairs.

I leave my trousers behind on them, quickly followed by my socks.

My bra hits the carpet in the hallway before I push through the first door I find and rush inside.

I’m already deep in the room before I actually look up and take in my surroundings.

“Holy crap,” I gasp as I take in the sheer size of the bedroom. But as stunning as the room is, it’s the windows, or more so the sunset beyond that steals my attention.

The sky is beautiful shades of orange and red as the sun makes its final descent toward the horizon, reflecting in the still water of what I can only think is a lake in their freaking garden.

This place is like heaven on earth.

It’s a shocking reminder of just how much my life has changed. My weekends away are no longer at an old holiday park with Bri, getting as wasted as we possibly can and riding high on life. Instead, I’m in the middle of a millionaire’s mansion, playing hide and seek. Well, I guess we never really grow up, do we?

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Toby’s voice calls from beyond the door.

In a rush, I shimmy my knickers over my hips and let them drop to my feet.