Page 6 of Rio (Knight Empire #3)
Her face hardens as our eyes hold. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, or underestimate me, Knight.”
“Underestimate you?” I cry. “Never.” But all the same, I wonder what she’s thinking.
“The thing I can’t ignore is that you, with your yachts, and jets, and power suits and money deals, you are the embodiment of the stories I’ve heard from my mom, from the clinic.
My attraction to you feels like a betrayal of who I am, and a betrayal to all the people whose stories are buried deep in my heart like an ache that’s always there. ”
I jolt, because she might as well have slapped me. She hates me because I remind her of all that is wrong, but she’s attracted to me.
I can’t win.
She stands, walks over to the balcony door and steps outside, gazing up at the night sky.
I follow her. Stars twinkle like shiny orbs of light studded in a rich velvet sky.
Below us, the hotel gardens are softly lit.
I can make out the outline of the pool, and the curve of the stone pathway. A couple slow dances under a pergola.
Lucky people.
“But none of that explains why I still want you,” she murmurs, as I stand by her side.
My heart explodes. Her words detonate something deep inside. She wants me. Maybe I’m not the only one who’s been obsessed. Just like that, I forget what game we’re playing.
“Look at it this way,” I offer, wanting to lighten the mood. “We have more in common than not.”
“How so?” Her eyes narrow on me.
“We enjoy a nice drink at the bar. We care for our mothers who were let down by abominable men. We have fathers who failed us. We have Dex and Dani in common. And we both just enjoyed a good game of strip poker.”
Her lips curl in something akin to amusement. “Typical Knight, reducing life events to single bulleted points in a bid to move things on.”
“Move things on?” It takes a few seconds for me to realize. “Princesa, I’m not racing to get you in bed.”
“You don’t want me in your bed?” She pouts so provocatively, I fight the urge to kiss her.
I was only half-joking. But the look in Raquel’s eyes tells me she isn’t entirely sure I’m kidding either. She turns her head away from me, taking in the view spread out before us from the balcony, lost in thought.
A strained silence falls. I touch her arm, wanting her attention, needing her eyes on me. She turns slowly, her dark, penetrative gaze stripping me down. She looks, really looks.
“You’d think I’d have an aversion to sexy, suit-wearing overly-confident assholes by now, yet, I’m confounded by this. By you , Knight. By how irrationally I want you.”‘
I rest my palm against the side of her face, and to my complete shock and relief, she doesn’t move away.
My heart skips a beat when she lifts her head, looking up at me.
Our lips are only an inch apart, and her hands skate slowly up my chest. Her touch is warm, and soft, like her breath, and when her fingers skitter over my heated skin, I lean in and claim her mouth, my tongue sliding into her mouth and dueling with hers.
She makes a little noise. One of those delicious fucking little mewls that tells me she’s feeling it.
I’m feeling it bigtime. Especially when her arms go around my neck and she clings to me like she never wants to let go. Pressing her sexy body against mine, teasing me. Giving me the mother of all boners. My hands around her waist, and I reel her closer.
“Oh.” She pulls back.
She felt it. My boner against her stomach.
“Must be painful,” she murmurs, her hot breath on my face.
“You have no idea.” My hands slide down, under her dress. She moves her face away a little, and my hands still, as if I’m asking for permission. She nods, and I slide my hands over her skin, my cock stiffening as I find the warm globes of her bottom.
Hot damn.
I blow out a sharp breath. She feels like sin. Like a rush of wind that makes it hard to breathe. I can’t wait to feel her all over, not just with my fingers, but with my tongue.
She makes those noises again that let me know how much she’s loving this.
We get into it, touching, feeling, kissing, bodies pressed tight like we fit just right.
Then her cell phone buzzes. “I bet that’s my boss,” she hisses.
“I was supposed to send him something.” She pulls away and disappears back inside. I follow her.
“It was him.” She swipes a hand over her neck, looks at her desk, her expression tightening. She’s gone from being so chill, to be so flustered.
“What does he want?” I hate this guy already.
“I have to work.”
“Want me to leave?” I ask, because I’m a gentleman.
“You can stay.”
“Stay? But you said—”
“Stay.”
I start to undo the zipper to my pants, then look at her. “It’s painful.”
She shifts her weight, one hand gripping the back of the chair, like she needs something to hold onto, something to keep her grounded. Her eyes fill with want.
That’s all I need.
I strip out of my pants in one smooth motion. Now I’m shirtless and in my boxers. Looking down, I see a small patch of pre-cum on the front.
“I can go,” I offer. It doesn’t make sense for me to stay here, especially if all she’s going to be doing is working. And yet it also doesn’t make sense for me to strip down to my boxers and offer to leave.
“This shouldn’t take too long.” Her voice is a breathless whisper. She sits down at her desk and I settle down on her bed. She really doesn’t want me to leave, and I’ve given her enough chances to let me go.
“And then?” I ask. “Do we keep playing?
She shrugs. “Why not?” Her eyes fall to my tented briefs. “I wish I could take care of that for you.” Then, she deliberately slides her tongue out, and licks all around her lips. It’s the most suggestive thing I’ve seen in a while.
“I wish you would,” I manage to rasp, adjusting my cock in my boxers.
“And you look like a big boy, too.”
“You have an appreciation for these things.”
This woman is exactly who I’ve been looking for my entire life. Beauty and brains, and a wit that is so sharp, she’ll give most people whiplash. And she’s up for it. Doesn’t want me gone. Wants me here. Maybe this night will end well.
She raises a brow. “Wait for me.”
These are the three most glorious words she could have said to me.