Page 2 of Sunrise (Monarch Club #3)

Vault

I think I’ve stunned him. It takes Knox a few seconds to get into action, but the shock on his face is quickly replaced by arrogance.

Knox swaggers up to the stage like he owns the goddamn club.

He can’t help himself. It’s just how he is.

Especially when he’s trying to hide something.

He always acts braver than he feels, and it comes out looking like this.

There’s no way he’s afraid of getting up in front of a crowd. He’s an attention whore.

I hope this isn’t a mistake.

Shaking off my concern, I wait for him to come up and join Sophie and I on the stage. Look, I’ve got more than enough on my plate as it is, and what I’m trying to accomplish here can all too easily be derailed if I’m not careful. I need to stay focused.

Stroking the length of black rope I plan to use next, I let the texture comfort me as Knox prowls closer. “Are you okay with this?”

I don’t rig anyone without their consent first.

Knox arches his brow. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Fair enough.

I glance over to check on Sophie. She’s dangling in a slow circle like a butterfly caught in stray spider silk. Which was the vision I was going for .

Shibari is an art. I take it seriously and enjoy the masterpieces I create. Knox will be even more stunning than usual by the time I’m done with him. “Take off your shirt.”

“Take it off yourself.”

This isn’t the first time he’s stared at me with challenge and fire in his gaze, but in every phase of our life, his face has changed. The fucker has the audacity to get better looking every year.

He glares at me, and I’m momentarily struck stupid.

Sometimes, when I take a real look at Knox, I’m sucked back into his vortex and it’s like meeting a god who visits us mere mortals only on special occasions, but each time he shows up, he’s better looking.

Gone are his full cheeks from the last bit of baby fat he had when he was in middle school.

Gone are the scrawny fingers and arms he had in high school.

Gone is the buzzcut he rocked for a decade.

Gone are his helix piercings and eyebrow slit, too.

His mouth never changes, though. It’s still full. Broad. Kissable.

Fuckable.

His eyes are green with flecks of amber, framed by lashes that are longer than most women’s. I’ve always loved them.

We lock gazes, and my jaw sets as I reach over to unbutton his dress shirt.

He playfully smacks my hand away, his smirk crinkling the sides of his mouth, and he undresses himself instead of making me do it.

To save myself from getting sucked into his orbit, I break eye contact first to check on Sophie again. “How are you, Sunrise?”

“Green,” she says.

When I turn my attention back to Knox, he’s no longer smirking. He’s not moving.

I don’t even think he’s breathing.

What the fuck?

“Did you forget how to use your hands?” I tease. The small audience below waits for us to get on with the show. They can keep waiting. I don’t give a fuck about anyone except who’s on this stage.

Which now includes Ryker.

Great, it’s turning into a party.

I swear, having Knox in our club draws each of us out of the shadows. Makes sense. Growing up, he kept us all together, one way or another. For the man who says he’d never make anything of himself, he helped shape each us into what and who we are today.

His pecs flex when he peels his shirt back and tosses it on the floor. The fire in his gaze is dead. I think he wants to punch me.

Clenching my teeth, I walk around until I’m behind him.

Trailing my fingers across the back of his shoulders seems to make him tense up even more.

Without saying a word, I wait for the beat of the Missio song piping into the room to set my brain into rigger mode.

Then I lose myself to the rhythm of knots and bass beats.

“Too tight?” I ask once I’m in front of him again, making sure the rope is flat and perfectly placed.

“I like tight,” he growls, with no hint of amusement.

“I know.” My gaze flicks back to Sophie. “What color are you?”

“Yellow.” Her voice is more strained, but she continues to hold her perfect position for me.

A quick nod to Dmitri and he lowers her down. She’s light in my arms when I catch her and unhook the first rope, then the next. She pulls the quick release on her legs, the rope unravels, and her bare feet hit the stage.

“Finish him,” she says over the audience’s applause. “I’m fine.”

My attention returns to Knox, who’s staring straight ahead like a soldier waiting for orders.

His arms are bound tight to his sides, the blue rope snaking around his torso.

I’d like to think it’s holding him together, but nothing holds this man together when he explodes, which is exactly what I think is about to happen.

“What color are you?”

“Green as a fucking kiwi.”

He’s lying.

“Knox.” I shouldn’t have asked him to come up here. I didn’t think it would affect him like this. I’ve made a mistake. “We’re done. I’m ending the scene.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he sneers at me. Turning to Ryker, he yells. “Don’t listen to him.”

“It’s over.”

“No, it’s not. Fucking finish, Alex.”

My heart skids to a stop. He rarely calls me by my real name and only when it’s important. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod at Ryker and pick another bundle of rope from my pile.

Dropping to my knees, I look up at him, desperate to understand what the fuck is going on in his mind, but he gives nothing away. Knox is just like the fortress he’s named after. Practically impenetrable.

Nudging his thighs open with the back of my hand, he lets me position him in a way that makes it easy to tie his thighs up. His dick is close to my face this way, but he’s not hard. Mine’s in a cage, so …

My fingers glide along the rope, calming me as I knot Knox’s lower half. He fills these pants out well, and the configuration I put him in showcases his tight ass.

“What color are you?”

“An unripe banana.”

Fucker. “May I keep going?”

It takes him ten seconds to respond. And, yes, I counted.

“Don’t stop,” he says quietly.

By the time I’m done, there’s a slight tremble in his right hand. Sophie stands beside him, and I reposition them to face each other, then tie them together in a less intricate pattern than I originally planned.

“What color are you, Soph?”

“Green.”

“Knox?”

He swallows, staring at Sophie like she’s the sun and he’s too far absorbed by her to realize his corneas are burning.

“Knox?” she asks when he still hasn’t answered.

“Yellow.” He breaks eye contact with her and pins me with his hard gaze. “Keep going.”

So, I do. Against the rules, against my better judgement, I give this man what he wants.

It’s what always got me in trouble back in the day. I’ve always followed Knox’s direction as if I don’t have a brain of my own. And I’ve suffered the consequences of my actions every fucking time.

After giving Dmitri the signal, he lowers the ring again and I attach them both to it. “Do you trust me?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer .

“Yes.” Sophie dips her head at Knox as if giving him a clue that he needs to respond, too.

He swallows hard. “Yes.”

I’m an asshole for doing this. And yet, that doesn’t stop me from giving the signal to raise them both into the motherfucking air. Bound together. Facing each other.

Knox is afraid of heights.

Monitoring his breathing for any signs of panic, I watch him carefully until Dmitri has them both suspended about ten feet in the air. They dangle, spinning ever so slightly.

“Bend,” I command.

Sophie obeys first, bowing her back until her long ponytail dangles by her feet. It throws them off balance, which makes Knox try to fight out of his bindings.

“Bend,” I say louder. “You have to trust me.”

He’s panicking.

Dmitri starts lowering them down and I throw out my hand to stop him. “Bend for me, Knox. Trust me.”

His nostrils flare, lips pressed in a tight line. He kicks his feet a little, knocking them more off balance. Ryker starts forward on the stage again.

My heart pounds in my throat. “ Please , Knox.”

Sophie holds her position.

I hold my fucking breath.

Finally, Knox slowly tips his head back.

“That’s it. Keep going.” I stand under them, praying he’ll listen. “More. Bend more for me.”

His pinned hands shake at his sides, but he obeys.

His shoulders follow next, and then his back bows, pitching his lower half forward, closer to Sophie’s.

They balance perfectly in the black and white ropes I’ve tied between them.

The braid and knots pull tight to show off a less than intricate pattern than I would have preferred.

I rushed because I knew Knox wasn’t feeling the show, and didn’t want to make him stay longer than necessary.

The room stands, applauding as if this show was ever for them.

On my signal, Dmitri lowers them down and I catch Knox, while Ryker gets Sophie.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He doesn’t look it. Do I push the issue or let it slide?

“Hold still.” My nimble fingers fly over his body, untying the knots so I can unravel him as fast as possible.

I didn’t use quick releases for this one because stringing them up and suspending them would have been too risky that way.

Ryker’s slower at freeing Sophie. Her ropes were more intricate than Knox’s, only because I didn’t think he’d allow me the time, nor did I think I could survive it.

Not tonight.

Once free, Knox grabs his shirt off the floor and marches down the steps.

“Go,” Sophie urges me, knowing he’s not okay.

I jump off the stage instead of using the steps and catch up to him just as he shoves the door open. “You did great.”

He ignores me and keeps walking.

“Knox, what gives?”

He storms through the lobby and out the main door.

“ Knox !” Catching up with him in the parking lot, my fuse is lit. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“You called her Sunrise.”

Holy shit. Bile rises in my throat. I hadn’t realized I did that. I… fuck… it’s a habit. I was scared tonight, and Sophie… The slip of tongue was an accident.

But it’s not a lie. She is my sunrise.

“Nothing to say, huh?” Knox is definitely going to punch me. “God, I’m a fucking idiot.” He scrubs his face and heads towards his bike.

I need to explain. I have to tell him what I—

He releases his kickstand, starts the bike, and zooms past me so fast he’s a fucking blur.

Shit.