Page 21 of Devoted
“Oh, you guys are fucking gross.” I didn’t touch the cape at all, but I shake my hands out anyway, wishing I had some hand sanitizer on me. This isnothow I expected my night to go.
“It really was a beautifully made cape, Vivian,” Ezekiel tries to console me. His eyes are soft, eyebrows pinched together in a look of genuine apology. I’m just about to forgive him for defiling my work, but Alek ruins the moment.
“He said it wasexquisiteto come on.”
“Alek!” Ezekiel and I scold him at the same time. My brother’s poor boyfriend looks like he’s about to die of embarrassment, and I look only a few shades of red lighter than him.
Suddenly, one of the entrance doors swings open and only misses me by a few inches. I’m about to turn around to see who just about knocked me on my ass when I hear Ezekiel greet the person. “Hello, Knight.”
Turning around, I quietly gasp for a few reasons: Knight is wearing the same fucking costume as meandhe looks hot as hell in it. My expression turns from one of shock to one of annoyance right away. Here he is, taking another chance to fuck with me.
“Did you copy my costume?” I don’t even need to ask the question, because I know he copied me.The Phantom of the Operawas the book I was holding when he was creeping on me while we were at Ezekiel’s house last weekend.
“Really, Vivian. You’re asking if I’ve copied your costume as if you are the only person who has ever enjoyedThe Phantom of the Opera?” The sarcasm dripping from his words causes me to grind my teeth.
This is a standoff that has beenmonthsin the making, and I’ve had it with Knight’s attitude. As if they can sense what’s about to come, Alek quietly murmurs something I don’t catch to Ezekiel before both of them head into the club.
Pulling the Phantom’s half mask down so that it sits at the base of my neck, I cross my arms and ready my stance for this little chat. “Why are you being such an asshole to me?”I know why, but I want you to say it.
“I don’t know what you mean. I don’t treat you any differently than how I treat everyone else.” There’s a shaky quality in his voice that tells me he doesn’t believe what he’s spewing, either. His arms cross in front of his chest, attempting to brace himself even as I watch his stoic expression fall with every passing second.
“Try again.” My voice deepens with the command as my eyes stay trained on him. I’m going to get the truth out of him tonight.
“I have nothing to say.” His voice is low between gritted teeth, chest rising with heavy breaths.
“Try.” I lean closer to him, raising my pointer finger to a spot between his chest and his throat. “Again,” I whisper. Being nearly a foot shorter than him leaves me looking up at him from below, yet I am the one who’s in control in this situation. I’m tired of him coasting around whatever this is between us.
I see his gulp, the way his Adam’s apple bobs in front of my eyes, and I feel it, too, as the large muscles underneath my fingertip strain against me.
“You are an everlasting thorn at my side, Vivian.” His harsh words should make me shrink, but I am glued to his front, relishing finally getting some truth out of him. “Do you believe I want to be thinking of you at all hours of the day and dreaming of only you at night? You are everywhere, and it makes me feel insane.”
My eyes widen at his confession. Before I can retort, I see Knight rip off his mask and toss it somewhere, and then those infuriating lips are on mine in an instant. It feels like he swallowed the yell I was about to unleash.
The anger I felt a moment before is entirely replaced by barely controlled lust with every swipe of his lips against mine. His kiss is firm and consuming but still surprisingly respectful as he waits to see how I respond.
Twisting my hands into the billowy fabric of his shirt, I pull him down and angle my mouth against his so I match his fever in this kiss. There isn’t anything gentle about how our lips crash into each other, like we are both pouring our frustration from the last few months into the explosion of a kiss.
Sucking his bottom lip between my teeth, I bite at his flesh, and he whines in response before I feel his arms wrap around my waist and his body mold against mine.Fuck me.The sheer bra I wore tonight is doing absolutely nothing to shield me from the heat radiating from Knight’s abdomen as the textured fabric teases my nipples.
It’s like the added sensation snaps me back to reality. “Knight, wait.” My lips barely part from his with my plea. Immediately, he stops and moves his head away from mine. The panic in his eyes as he searches for my expression is like a daggerto my heart. I can tell that he’s waiting for me to reject him. I’ve seen and felt that same look on myself.
“Hey.” I cup Knight’s jaw, and it feels like I’m taming a wild animal. I gently whisper, “I’m not mad.” My thumb brushes the corner of his lips. The deep sigh of relief that leaves his chest has me smiling up at him. “We’re just making out at the club’s entrance where anyone can see us.”
“Oh, shit.” Knight looks around as the situation clicks for him. I don’t blame him. I was almost completely lost in the moment, too.
“Knight, look at me.” Squeezing my fingers around his jaw, I turn his face so he looks me dead-on once again. He obeys, eyes so solely focused on me that the intensity scares me a little. “I don’t regret whatever the fuck this is, but I don’t think either of us are ready to have it out in the open, right?”
“Right,” he repeats and nods. His cheeks squeeze together, and his lips form a pout as he does it, making a face that has me breathing out a small laugh. And it’s like my laugh broke down a damn of tension as he joins me in this weird as fuck moment.
Letting go of his face, I smooth my hand down his throat, tucking my fingers into the deep V-neck of his unbuttoned shirt, almost translucent—honestly, the sluttiest thing a man can wear.
“So…” I bite my lip. My eyes dart back down to those lips I didn’t get enough of. “Let’s getoutof the open.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
KNIGHT
Masks off.
