Page 32 of Reckless Princess (Knight's Ridge Empire 8)

The second my arse hits the seat, he slams the door, cutting off any connection that was still crackling between us, despite his obvious anger.

The rain begins lashing around me, and in only moments little rivers run down the windscreen, obscuring my view of him as he walks around the front of the car.

I hold my upper arm, my skin burning from his touch, and gasp when he stops and turns to me.

His eyes find mine through the rain before he bends forward, pressing his palms to the bonnet.

I don’t breathe as the weight of his pain and regret hits me square in the chest.

Mum was right about something. There is one very broken boy staring back at me right now.

Tears burn my eyes as I hold his stare.

What must it have really been like for him to grow up living with a monster? A monster who was determined to break him, to terrorise him, to make him feel completely worthless?

The rain grows heavier still until it’s bouncing off the car, soaking Toby’s hoodie and running down his face.

Eventually, he rips his eyes from mine and lowers his gaze, his shoulders dropping along with his head as he allows himself to get swallowed up by his pain.

Releasing my arm, my fingers curl around the door handle, my need to offer him comfort almost too much to ignore.

But I never open the door. Instead, I focus on that dark side of him. The side which was unable to see the truth about what we could have been and was too consumed with the need for revenge that he shattered everything we could have had.

My heart is still racing, my fists curled on my lap when he finally pushes from the car, his clothing wet through.

He marches toward the driver’s side, pulls the door open, and drops inside. Cool air rushes around me, making my skin erupt in goosebumps, and a shiver runs down my spine.

The tension in the air is unbearable as he puts the car into drive and takes off down the quiet street.

A million questions dance on the tip of my tongue, but I’m not brave enough to ask them as he damn near takes the corner at the end of the street without looking.

“You probably shouldn’t be driving right now,” I hiss, my fingernails digging into the soft leather beneath me.

He doesn’t respond, but I don’t miss the way his grip on the wheel tightens and how his scarred knuckles turn white.

His speed only increases, making my heart race as he jumps light after light.

“Toby, you’re going to fucking kill us,” I cry when he almost takes a turn wrong which would have left us impaled in a corner shop.

“At least I’d have you by my side.”

All the air rushes out of my lungs at the sincerity in his words.

Thankfully, he slows his crazy-arse driving a little after our near miss, and I manage to relax slightly.

“I know what you’re doing,” I state once he seems to have calmed down.

“Is that right, Demon?”

“You can’t outrun it all, you know. Unless you deal with it, it’s always going to drag you down.”

His grip shifts on the wheel, but he doesn’t say anything more as he takes a slip road toward the dual carriageway and floors the accelerator once more.