Page 75 of Brutal Knight

The night she took control of the syndicate, we didn’t make it up the stairs. We barely walked through the door before I had her up against the wall, pulling her shirt off as she moaned. Watching her stand before the men who had hurt her or let her be hurt, seeing her assert her new power, I’d felt a rush of pride and desire. I’d known then what I wanted when we came home.

I ate her out by the front door until she came, her fingers tangled in my hair. Then I turned her around and started to fuck her slowly, my hands on her thighs as I felt her legs shake. I went as slow as I could until she begged me to move faster.

When I finally flipped her around and fucked her hard against the wall, I watched her face as she came again. I saw the ecstasy in her eyes, the rose-colored flush on her cheeks.

All I could think was that I wanted this, wanted her, forever.

I’ve seen so much of Willow now. I know what she's like when she’s afraid, what she’s like when she’s feeling mischievous. I know the tiny smile she has when she thinks I’m not looking, when she’s just enjoying her life with me.

This is everything I could have wanted, everything I hadn’t dared hope for. She’s no longer afraid or running. Willow is right by my side, and she’s willing to fight to stay there.

Maybe that’s why for the first time, a few nights after she makes her move, I bring her with me to Tír na Nóg. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the club. Helping Willow has kept me busy, and Lachlan told me that he hopes giving Finn more responsibilities will help set him on track again.

I always hoped to bring Willow with me one day, when she felt comfortable enough. The club is our business, but it’s also a home to us, a place where we all feel comfortable.

Tonight is a celebration. Willow has taken control of Dmitri’s old syndicate, and that’s cause to celebrate all by itself—but Jamie is also back in record time, having taken out one of Edward’s buildings. One of his most prized fronts is gone.

There are two triumphs to recognize tonight.

And Willow looks gorgeous.

It’s the first time she’s been out to an event since we’ve been married. I’ve seen her so many times at galas and Assembly parties that I never stopped to realize just how at home she is in a situation like this. I’m reminded when she comes down the stairs.

Her dark curls are pulled back into a long ponytail, the ends brushing against her neck. She’s wearing long silver earrings, the metal blinking in the light when she turns her head. More than anything else, what I see most is the dress she’s wearing.

It’s silver satin, clinging to her body in all the right places. It makes her skin look luminous. It’s shorter than anything she’s worn since she’s been with me, and I’m struck by just how incredible her legs look in it.

All I want right now is to hold up the party just so I can have her, just so I can show her how much I want her.

It takes all my willpower to hold back, but I can’t help kissing her when she finally reaches the last stair. I can feel Willow inhale sharply, surprised, before she melts into the kiss. Her hands curl around my shoulders, and I can’t help the fleeting images that pass through my mind.

I’m imagining what I could do to her in that dress. I’m thinking about how easy it would be to just push it out of the way and fuck her right here, making her come before we even leave the house.

But I know the others are already there, and there’s a challenge to making myself wait. To making Willow wait. So I pull back, taking in her flushed face, and smirk.

“You look like a fucking goddess in that dress and those heels. And later tonight, I’m going to pull the dress off with my teeth and then fuck you in nothing but the heels. Would you like that?”

She swallows, her pupils expanding. “Yes.”

“Good. Because I want you to think about that all night. I want you soaked and ready for me by the time we get home.”

“God, Connor…”

“Trust me, angel. God has nothing to do with what I’ve got planned for you tonight.”

I grin, my cock half hard as I press one more kiss to her lips, then guide her out the door with a hand at her lower back.

On the drive, I think about how I want this to be an opportunity. More than anything, I want to bring Willow deeper into the fold. She’s part of this now.

I know she’ll be a mafia queen in her own right, so she should know how it works. But I’m also ready to have the woman I care about beside me, there when I’m with my family. My brothers, the most important people in my life.

I want Willow to learn about the world she’s entered, but I also want her to know my family. I want my family to know her too, and I want them to eventually accept her and care about her just the way I do. I want them to know she’s strong, and I want them to trust her. Especially after all the history between her and my family.

I’m hoping tonight is the first step forward.

Willow is still a little shy when we arrive. She walks carefully, staying close by my side. But despite that, I can tell she’s coming out of her shell, her smile more self-assured than it’s ever been before.

It’s so different than she was when she came to me. She was hiding in corners then, avoiding eye contact and every other kind of connection. Now, she smiles at my brothers, waving as we approach. She’s getting used to them, used to being one of us.

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