Page 110 of Devious Knight

“What is it?” he asks, sounding like we were already in the middle of a conversation.

“This feels weirdly normal.”

“What’s wrong with that?” He searches my eyes.

“We’re not normal.”

He grins back at me. “Missing the monster?”

“No.”

“Still think you know him?”

“I know to avoid him.”

“Maybe I want you to see a different side of him. The side that’s definitely more interesting than Michael.”

“Oh, please, you wouldn’t waste your time like that.”

“Yet here we are, having dinner.”

My cheeks warm when I think of him preparing this exquisite meal with me in mind. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“I’d beg to differ. A week ago, you would have been out that door before I could ask you to sit with me.”

He’s right, but there are other reasons for my compliance. “A week ago, I didn’t know the new lord chancellor was your godfather.” That’s my clever way of slipping in that I know they’re linked and I’m testing the water to see what he has to say about Parker.

Kade gives me a tight-lipped smile and leans in close enough to brush against my shoulder. “That’s not the only reason you agreed to dinner with me. It might not even be a reason.”

“It is, because I don’t want any more trouble.”

“Maybe so, but let’s not kid ourselves here. You didn’t know he was my godfather when you allowed me to eat you out in the library.” The monster comes back with that wicked grin, and his words send a bolt of arousal through me.

My cheeks burn and my heart skips like rocks over the surface of a river when I think of the unforgettable incident I will never forget.

Kade tries to touch the ends of my ponytail, but I swat his hands away. “Looks like it’s time for me to go.”

He taps his Rolex. “You still have another hour and ten minutes. You’re not going anywhere yet, Lolita.” He leans back in his chair while I fume.

“I’m not going to be your prisoner and sit here listening to you torture me about my mistakes.”

“Except it wasn’t a mistake.” He taunts back with a knowing, arrogant smile. “You don’t make mistakes like that.”

I search my mind for a good comeback. Something good that will shut him down and restore my dignity.

I feel like a fool when I find nothing and realize I can’t come up with an excuse because last week wasn’t a mistake.

“Don’t worry. I don’t make mistakes like that either.” He chews on his bottom lip for a few seconds, then something serious invades his eyes, shifting the lighthearted humor from his expression. “You don’t like him.”

The statement catches me off guard because of the way he changed the subject. "Who are you talking about?” I know who he means, but I’m playing dumb.

“My godfather.”

I’m not sure how he knows that. Maybe he picked up on it at the assembly, but I need to be careful with my answer.

“Why do you think that?” I swallow past the sudden constriction in my throat.

“Just an observation.”

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