Page 97 of Wicked Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 1)

I gasp when I look at myself in the mirror. How Theo managed not to burst out laughing is beyond me. My hair is a matted mess sticking up in all directions. My makeup is everywhere, lipstick smeared across my lips, over my jaw and down my— “Fuck.” Lifting my fingers, I run them over the hickies and bite marks that litter my throat.

Those were all from Seb… right?

Fuck my life.

With only water, I do the best job I can at washing away what remains of last night’s makeup. I look better than I was expecting once I’ve mostly managed to clear it away. And after finger-brushing my teeth, I feel almost human again.

I find a comb on the shelf above the sink which helps me to tame my wild hair, and when I wrap my fingers around the handle to finally escape the sanctuary of the bathroom, I almost feel strong enough to deal with the jerks on the other side.

All I can hope is that two of them are still passed out and that, by some miracle, Seb will let me slip out to find Calli without any drama.

Yeah, it’s wishful thinking, and I realize my mistake when I step into the main room and find all four of them sitting on the couches with coffees in hand.

Nico’s girls are nowhere to be seen, and thankfully, he’s got some pants on.

“Morning, Princess.” Alex winks, his eyes dropping to my stocking-clad legs. Theo’s shirt sits high on the thighs, so it’s no secret what I’m wearing beneath. Although if his words from earlier are anything to go by, then I could be standing here naked and it wouldn’t really matter.

I swallow, dragging my eyes from him to the other three idiots whose hungry stares are trained on me.

“W-where’s my dress?” I stutter, hating that I sound unsure of myself.

Silence ripples through the room, sending a shiver of unease down my spine as Seb leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Come here, Hellion,” he demands, his dark eyes holding mine and daring me to defy him.

A part of me wants to. A really fucking huge part wants me to spin on my heels and run as fast as I can from this den of sin. But I don’t, because locked in his stare, I lose control of my body and find myself taking a step toward him.

A smirk twitches at his lips, satisfaction that I followed orders filling his eyes.

The others all track my every movement as I round the coffee table that’s got two steaming mugs sitting in the middle and come to stand in front of him.

His face is totally unreadable as I stare at him. His mask is firmly in place. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, because I can’t read anything about his intentions—and that’s dangerous.

“W-where’s Toby?” I ask, although the second his name rolls off my tongue I realize it was probably the wrong thing to say, because Seb’s jaw tics in frustration.

Without saying a word, he reaches for my hand and tugs, ensuring that I fall down on his lap.

His hands encircle my waist and he spins me, placing me exactly where he wants me between his spread thighs, my back to his front.

Leaning forward, his hot breath races over my ear, making me shiver. It’s something he doesn’t miss, if his low chuckle tells me anything.

“Did you have fun last night, Princess?” he asks, loud enough for the others to hear.

Unable to look at any of them, my eyes find the steaming coffees on the table before me. My fists clench with the need to reach for one.

Seb must sense my desperation, because just as I’m about to move, he reaches out and collars my throat with his hot hand.

Asshole.

“Answer me, Hellion,” he growls, sending traitorous tingles south of my waist.

“Y-yes?” I don’t mean for it to come out as a question, but I’ve got so many unknowns about what went down last night that I have no idea what the correct answer could be.

“Oh yeah? So you enjoyed whoring yourself around my boys, despite what I told you about who you belong to?”

I don’t respond, and I sense he doesn’t actually want me to.

“You did, didn’t you?”