Page 21 of Wicked Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 1)

“Try me, asshole. I’ll be waiting.”

“Seb?” A sickly sweet voice pierces through the lot and I outwardly groan, knowing who it belongs to without even looking.

“Oh, your little plaything is here. Go and give her all your bullshit. I’m sure she’ll lap it right up.”

His eyes hold mine, the air between us crackling as I’m sure Teagan fumes in the distance.

“At least I won’t need that ice for my balls. Teag’s mouth will sort me right out.”

If he’s waiting for a reaction after that statement then he’s going to be bitterly disappointed.

“I hope she bites.”

“Seb,” she hisses this time, “get your hands off the rubbish.”

He releases me like a good little puppy.

“Aw, so you can be trained,” I quip, much to his irritation if the vein that bulges by his temple is anything to go by. “Good to know.”

The dangerous growl that rips up his throat does weird things to my insides. Things that tell me I need to get the hell away from him right now.

Pressing my palm against his chest, I ignore just how muscular it is and force him to back up.

“You’re right,” I say, glancing at a shocked Teagan. “The trash really needs to keep his hands to himself.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about—”

Pushing from the car he backed me up against, I step toward her.

“Back the fuck off, Teagan. I don’t want anything from you. That asshole is all yours.”

I hold her shocked stare for a beat before turning my back on the lot of them and stalking toward my car.

It’s not until I’ve got the door closed behind me that I let out the frustrated breath I was holding.

Was it too much to ask to start here and just blend in?

Apparently so.

My cell pings in my purse, and instead of just getting the fuck out of there and away from the idiots who are still loitering, I drag it out.

A smile curls at my lips when I find a call from Harley. Just seeing her name makes me smile.

Harley and Ruby were the first real friends I’ve made in years after vowing to never get close to anyone after my first few schools. I learned quickly that it was a waste of time and effort to make friends when I was ultimately going to be ripped away from them in the coming weeks or months. But there was something about Rosewood that allowed me to lower my walls, and I reluctantly let them both in.

Then the inevitable happened, and I had to leave them behind.

But unlike the friends that came before them, they’ve both kept in touch, making this whole move that little bit easier.

“Hey,” I say, my voice lighter than it has been for a while. “How’s it going?”

“Hey. It’s good. We’re just on lunch, thought I’d check in. How’s the fancy new school treating you?”

Groaning, I fall back into the seat and give her a very basic rundown.

“You’ve been there two days and annoyed both the queen bitch and her king already. That’s got to be a record, Stella, even for you.”

“They’re a bunch of assholes,” I scoff.