Page 60 of The Knight

“There’s always a choice, Freya. So much could go wrong. These people are playing for keeps. No limits.”

“True. But if we don’t take risks, we lose the opportunity for things to get better.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Are we still talking about the laptop?”

“The laptop. Everything. It’s all connected, isn’t it?” Her pupils were dark, dilated, as her gaze dropped to his mouth.Lower.

Fuck.A surge of heat rushed through him. Her scent wound around him, clouding his rational mind.

She set her glass back on the table and stepped closer. “Choice can be a good thing.” Her hand slid behind his neck,fingers brushing the sensitive skin there. He stifled a groan as his body responded, every muscle tensing.

“Freya—”

“What?” Her lips were dangerously close to his.

He caught her wrist, pressing a slow kiss to its delicate inside. The taste of her almost undid him. “Are you sure about this? About what you’re choosing?” His voice was rough, barely restrained, and it took all his willpower not to lift her onto the bed and claim her right there and then.

Her eyes, luminous, locked onto his. “I’ve avoided so many choices all my life. Now, I’m done hiding. I want you.”

Fuck. Abe placed his glass on the table next to hers, his hands finding the narrow curve of her waist. He pulled her close, savoring the way she melted against him, her soft curves fitting perfectly to his hard planes. His palm glided over the swell of her ass, fingers slipping under her t-shirt hem. He traced the edge of her lace underwear, loving the way he made her breath stall.

“No one has ever made me feel like you do, Abe. No one has ever made mefeel.”

“Freya.” There was so much he wanted to say—how different this felt, how right—but need was making it hard for him to think straight.

But he could show her.

“God, you feel incredible.” His hand traveled up her back, her skin blazing beneath his touch. His cock strained as Freya ground against him.

“Off.” She tugged his shirt free of his body and dropped it on the floor. Unrestrained, her hands roamed his arms, his chest, nails raking his skin in a maddening tease.

In one fluid motion, he scooped her up and carried her to the couch. He sat with her straddling his lap, her legs clamped against him. Here, he could touchallof her.

He gripped the hem of her t-shirt, lifting it over her head. Firelight bathed her skin in warm, golden hues, stealing his breath. He skimmed her breasts, nipples tightening under his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed, her head tipping back to expose the elegant line of her throat. Offering herself to him.

“Abe.”

“I’m right here, Duchess.” He kissed her throat, his hands gripping the soft flesh of her hips, knowledge settling deep inside him.

He wanted more than just this moment.

He wanted all of her—every triumph, every struggle, and for all the days to come.

32

Every inchof Freya’s body tingled with anticipation. The warmth of Abe’s skin against hers fired shivers down the length of her spine and fueled the fire he’d lit within her.

There was nothing more that she wanted than to be with this man. Nothing had felt more right since forever. She’d spent so long guarding her heart, terrified of ending up like her mother—broken and a shell of her former self. But in this moment, with Abe’s muscular arms encircling her, those fears seemed distant, as if they had belonged to someone else—the woman she had been before.

Time with Abe had shown her that her mother’s story did not have to be hers. Instead, there were couples like Abbie and Fox, their relationship one of easy laughter and open adoration. They were happy.

Longing pierced her chest. That could be me. That could beus.

For years, she had hidden behind spreadsheets and logic, clinging to the safety of numbers. But now, with Abe’s warmth soaking into her bones, that life felt hollow. The world of sensation and emotion she’d denied herself beckoned. Shecraved a life of passion and connection, vibrant and real, not the gray emptiness of statistical tables. She yearned to unleash this hidden side of herself, to let it fly and break free from the shackles that had held her down for so long.

Leaning down, she pressed her lips to Abe’s, savoring his taste—bourbon, desire, and midnight promises. A moan escaped her as she deepened the kiss, revealing in the slide of his tongue against hers. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer.

This is worth the risk. He is worth the risk.

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