Page 27 of The Hunted

“Have you lived here, at the manor long?”

“My entire life.”

Really? Well, I have to say I didn’t expect that answer. I can’t see any mother raising a child in this debauchery.

“You grew up here? In this, this chaos?”

He looks at me again as he moves to tend to the food cooking in the frying pan on the stove.

“It wasn’t always a club. It’s been in my family for generations. My mother left it to me.”

What does he mean? Did she pass away? Is she somewhere else?

He turns his attention back to the stove. The scent of what he’s cooking wafts around the room, and shockingly my stomach growls.

“Where’s your mother, Knox?”

“That’s enough questions, Raven.”

He doesn’t turn to me this time, but his voice is firm, final. I sigh lightly. I was pushing my luck asking too many questions in the first place. I sit silently waiting for dinner while I think of my sister. Guilt churns in my stomach that I am safe, warm, and about to be fed while she may not be receiving even the basic needs.

A few moments tick by. Knox spins around and places the best-looking hamburger and fries I’ve ever seen in front of me. I can’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

He looks down at the plate, trying to figure out what made me laugh.

“Nothing. I just didn’t expect a burger and fries. I assumed I’d get something fancier out of you.”

“Fancier?” he asks as he moves around the island to sit on the stool next to me. He pops a fry into his mouth.

“You wear expensive clothes, you have exotic cars, you live in a castle. You know, fancy.”

He throws his head back and laughs. The sound sends a bolt of heat straight to my core. The man is sexy already, but when he lets loose and laughs, he’s a completely different person. I can’t help but laugh with him.

“I’m many things, but fancy isn’t one of them. This is just stuff.” He waves his arms around the room.

“Fancy stuff,” I add while munching on a fry.

Knox throws an arm around my shoulders, pulls me to him, and kisses my forehead.

“Eat.”

After dinner, Knox pours me a glass of wine and sends me to the balcony to relax while he finishes cleaning up.

I snag a throw off the couch and wrap it around my shoulders on my way out. I lean on the railing, taking in the beautiful mountains beyond. Moon light shines off them. The smell of fall hangs in the cool, crisp air. It truly is beautiful here. From the limestone façade that brilliantly reflects the sunlight in the day, to the spires that rise up to kiss the night sky, this castle is a work of art. It looks to be plucked from an English estate and dropped in the middle of nowhere Tennessee. If you didn’t know what went on here, you would be none the wiser. Who would ever suspect this estate houses an exclusive casino and BDSM club?

Knox comes up behind me, snakes his arms around my waist, and draws me back against him. His lips come down on the side of my neck. His breath rushes by my ear sending shivers through my body, and his stubble tickles my sensitive skin.

“You look so good on my balcony.”

“You think so?” I turn and set my glass down on a table.

“I know so.”

His lips find mine. His kiss is hot and warming. He half-growls into my mouth, fisting my hair roughly at the nape of my neck.

Our kiss grows frantic. I’m desperate for the distraction, and it seems his cock is desperate for me. The hardness of him pushes against me before he picks me up, and I lock my legs around his waist. He kisses me as he carries me back inside, and the throw and glass of wine are long forgotten.

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