Page 24 of To Curse A Knight

I had my own connections to provide such a thing—my family’s counterfeiting side of the business ranged from government documents to famous artwork, but dead men had no allies, and to be clear, I was very much a dead man.

Kellan was going to fake my demise in a car accident off a gorge outside of Cascade Falls, under the guise that my body disappeared down the river, never to be found. When I’d handed over the keys to my Mercedes for the ruse, regret swirled in the recesses of my heart. Jacques loved that car, and it had been my intention to gift it to him. I’d opted to leave him a different one in my will.

My newly renovated building had also been left to Hillary, for whatever purpose she deemed fit. I’d had so many plans for my empire with that space. Another pain to my heart.

The timing of these changes was questionable. Sebastien was instructed to manipulate the will notes to thwart any suspicion my death was faked or planned. I could only hope client confidentiality would hold and he wouldn’t betray my confidence. Under Kellan’s watchful eyes, perhaps he wouldn’t.

The Cartel man’s loyalty to me was surprising, and yet, I trusted him entirely. He’d spared my life. Then he had revealed a damning secret I hadn’t earned, and was now taking serious risks to protect me.

It was not me he was ultimately trying to serve, though; every glimpse ofMi Reinain his gaze told me he was as besotted by her as I was. His motivations were not my concern; his actions kept me under a powerful shield until I could sharpen my sword—the least I could do was offer the man my trust in return.

Once the new laptop was in my hands, I would enlist my dark-web connections to contribute; to turn on my parents and their agenda—the online evil powers that did not know my real name or purpose.

Perhaps in that regard, the techy Irishman could offer something useful.

“Aaron?” Hillary’s soft voice and touch brushed against the back of my hand.

“Apologies.” I groped for her hand, threading her delicate fingers through my own and squeezing for good measure. “My mind is elsewhere.”

Sheclicked her tongue but remained silent, her smooth skin growing warm beneath my palm. It was a new sensation, holding her hand with no other motive; her comfort soothed the collection of thoughts and I tucked them away for examination later.

I traced the lines of her palm with the pad of my thumb, the lack of sight heightening the sensation of her touch. Pinpricks of awareness tiptoed up my spine; I longed to touch her like this everywhere—to explore her body in ways I’d never appreciated before.

Dead men were romantics, it would seem.

“We’re here.” Hillary tore her hand from mine before I could think of another damning thought. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt, jolting me forward. A blast of chilled air hit the uncovered parts of my face before slender, deft fingers gently removed my blindfold.

Twilight colored the dark square building in front of me a coppery gold. The air was dead quiet. Hulking mountains surrounded all sides of the nondescript outpost. A dusting of snow crunched underfoot as she led me to the side door. Her driver hovered behind us as an eye scanner and thumb print released the mechanism on the metal door to open.

She and Hillary shared a look full of significance before the driver walked in ahead of us and proceeded down a dark hallway on the main floor. We didn’t follow; instead, my escort took an immediate left and led me down a sterile stairwell to the level below.

We passed through a ballroom-sized space full of metal shelving, most of it empty, save for a few paper boxes and what appeared to be a lifetime supply of bottled water, toilet paper, and protein bars.

Another thumbprint opened access to a series of shelves along what appeared to be a concrete wall. Beyond was a small foyer with coat hooks and a welcome mat. She flicked a switch beside me, and the door swung closed behind us, leaving us in complete darkness.

“Sorry,” she said thickly, her voice muffled in the cramped space. Another flick of plastic, and the electronic hum of tube lighting, then brilliant white flooded the interior.

She pulled me through the opening while I blinked rapidly, dazed by spots of tiny fireworks filling my vision at the abrupt change.

When my body finally shook off the assault to my senses, I took stock of my new home. It was… pleasantly surprising.

The open concept kitchen and living room area looked like any other modern apartment; warm, marble-tiled floors and white kitchen cabinets with a black quartz island made up the primary cooking area—not all that different from her setup at home. I eyed the small espresso machine sitting innocently on the counter and couldn’t stifle my chuckle. My Queen would still get her perfect coffee, even through an apocalypse.

Comfortable-looking leather furniture in creams and champagne pink filled the smaller living space on the opposite side of the room. A wall of filled bookshelves along the back held enough reading material for a two-year shut-in.

Most impressive were the beams of what appeared to be natural light coming from strategic cutouts on the ceiling and walls, as if sunlight were breaking through the thick concrete.

“Have you been preparing for the end of days,Mi Reina? It would seem this was not designed for my comfort.” I raised an eyebrow at the coffee machine, and she smiled sweetly.

“I’m prepared, Aaron. With Daddy’s enemies and my own, you never know when you’re going to need your own little home away from home.” Her voice held a light tone, but the forced smile faltered. Her blue gaze peered into my own.“I know it’s not your home, and I know this is going to be an adjustment, but I—”

I pulled her body toward me, not allowing her to finish apologizing for offering me shelter and safety. My lips crashed down into hers, forcefully removing the words from her tongue with my own as I demanded entrance. Small hands gripped my wrists as I pushed her forward and pressed my muscles against her smaller form until her thighs hit the couch cushion behind her.

Her body melted into mine, our kiss scorching into a frantic melee of sucks and nips as my hands crept into her hair to hold her in place; I was determined to dismantle her before fucking her properly.

I pulled away only far enough to whisper as I licked a trail of fevered kisses down the column of her neck.

“I am going to fuck you,Mi Reina. I will fuck every thought out of your head until you can no longer speak such silly things. The only words on your pretty tongue are to be ‘please’, ‘yes’, and gasping my name. Tell me you understand.”

---