Nick knew.
Knight hadn’t even fucked me and he spent thousands of dollars on me.
I should have known in his luxury condo with his Aston Martin and his shit-hot club that Knight Sebring who could have anybody would not chose me unless there was some jacked reason why.
“Wars fought over a face like this.”
Bullshit.
I wondered how many woman he’d said that to.
I closed my eyes tight.
Then I turned, moving stiffly, I reached in and flipped the switch on the light in the study and the windowless room went black. Then, like I’d be graded for the endeavor, I carefully closed the door.
Then I walked slowly down the hall to the bedroom.
Then I got dressed, shoved my PJs in my overnight bag, went to the kitchen, grabbed my purse from the counter and dug out the keys to Knight’s apartment. I dropped them on the counter, pulled on my jacket and grabbed my bag and purse.
Then I got the heck out of there.
* * * * *
The covers were yanked off, my eyes flew open and my first thought was that he busted through the chain.
I knew it was him.
And I knew this because the room was filled with vibrating, searing heat.
“Knight –” I whispered but that was all I got out before I was out of bed, moved, tugged and positioned until I was straddling him as he sat on the side. His arm locked around my hips, his other hand fisted in my hair holding my face an inch from his
“It’s fuckin’ three thirty in the morning and I drove here from my place where I found my bed empty. Then I got here and the chain was fuckin’ on. One word answer,” he bit out. “Yes or no. You forget where you were supposed to sleep and who was gonna be sleepin’ beside you? And, babe, warning, the answer better be yes.”
I stared into his shadowed face.
Then I said, “No.”
He instantly started to swing me out.
But I clamped on and snapped, “Knight! No. You don’t get to punish me. We’re over.”
He stilled.
Completely.
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
“Nick came over tonight.” His body, already still, went solid under me. “He had a key. We had a chat. I know.”
“You know,” he clipped then, “You know what?”
“I know about your charity cases.”
Silence.
Scary silence.
Terrifying silence then in a sinister, soft whisper, “My what?”
“The girls you find, the pretty ones that you take care of, you spoil then you get tired of and scrape off,” I reminded him. “Girls like me.”
More silence and it was more terrifying, the room stifling such was his fury.
I kept going. He might be pissed, really pissed but I couldn’t imagine he’d hurt me.
“So we’re over.”
“Nick told you that,” he stated.
My arms clamped around his shoulders loosened and I tried to push away but his hold got tight so I stopped.
“Yes,” I answered belatedly.
“Nick came to my house, saw you, told you that and you believed it and left me.”
It was my turn to still.
And I did it at his tone which was scathing.
Then I whispered, “Yes.”
“Left without callin’. Left without callin’ at the very least to tell my motherfucking dickhead of a brother was in my house when he shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t even have a key, which is obviously somethin’ he hid from me then he lied to me when I took his other key. Then he talks shit to you about me and you don’t call me about that either. You don’t wait for me to come home and tell it to me. You just leave.”
Uh-oh.
“Knight.”
“I’m gonna let you off me, Anya, then you’re gonna crawl into bed on your own, cheek to the mattress, ass in the air and feel lucky we are not at my place. You need a cane, at least a strap but all I got is my belt and that might mark you so you’re gonna take my hand.”
A cane?
I didn’t ask that.
“He lied to me?” I asked and it was the wrong thing to do. His arm got so tight, I couldn’t breathe, his fist twisted in my hair and pain spiked across my scalp.
Both these went on for no more than a second before his hold loosened and he spoke.
“Yeah. He lied to you. You know who hasn’t lied to you?”
Oh God.
“Knight –”
“Me,” he growled.
“Honey.”
His arm and hand left me as he ordered, “Crawl in bed, Anya.”
“Knight –”
“Do it or I swear to Christ you won’t sit easy for a week.”
My pulse spiked but my limbs moved. I crawled into bed, my breath stopping and starting until I got to the middle. Then I put my cheek to the mattress, my ass in the air, my arms cocked at my sides.