Page 99 of Ruthless Knight

His expression dulls like an overcast sky before a downpour of torrential rain. “He has.”

“Let’s not kid ourselves. You know he wants more than that job he’s asking for.” I cut to the chase, also letting him know I’m keeping tabs on both of them.

“Yes. I know.”

“He’s not having your daughter.”

William searches my eyes as if he’s trying to see beyond the walls of my carefully placed barriers. “No?”

“No. If I don’t deserve her, neither does he. And for the record, if I were you, I wouldn’t hire him for anything. He might not be guilty of the same things as his father, but mark my word, he’s guilty of something. It’s just not on paper.”

He nods, understanding. “Message received, Knight Grayson.”

With another curt nod, he leaves, and I think about everything he said about Aurora.

She already has my respect, and I would never set out to intentionally hurt her, although as she once said, everything about me is wrong. Especially when it comes to Sunset Cove.

If I were a better man, I’d stop what I started last night in its tracks and never touch her again.

But I selfishly still want her for myself.

Chapter26

Aurora

Iinhale the cool night air, allowing it to whisper over my skin.

I’m heading back to the house now.

I went for a walk on the beach to think.

Think about everything, but mostly my fears for the future, and my marriage tomorrow.

By this time tomorrow night, I’ll be Mrs. Knight Grayson, and I haven’t seen my husband-to-be since the other night when we first slept together.

The next time I see him will be before the priest when we take our vows.

But that’s not even the part that worries me. It’s how he makes me feel.

My emotions were already mixed up, but now here I am, the night before our wedding, trying to work out what’s going on in my head.

I know I shouldn’t trust my attraction to Knight, but whenever he’s around, my guard slips. I haven’t been able to put it back up since the other night.

To say we were intense is a huge understatement. I’ve never given myself to anybody the way I did with him, and he unlocked something inside me I never knew I wanted.

When I woke up in his bed and saw he was gone, I expected it.

Sex, to men like him, no matter where they get it from, is just supposed to be fun.

It doesn’t mean anything. But I was still disappointed.

It wasn’t that I expected anything to change between us, but I felt a connection with him I thought he felt too.

I think I was just seeing what I wanted to see. Just like with Scott.

Scott screwed me over in the worst way possible because I couldn’t see him for the liar he was. I’m scared of ever being in that position again, where I play the fool who is so blinded by love they stop seeing what’s really in front of them.

Mom used to say that fear can be a person’s biggest downfall.