Page 8 of Dark Knight

“I know,” he growls. His jaw locks, and his eye ticks at the corner. The anger emanating from him is powerful as he brings his lips down to kiss me lightly, sliding his mouth along mine as he turns my head for deeper access. I swallow my gasp and block out the outrage from the three women on the porch of the house looking down on us.

“Gross,” Sawyer grumbles from beside us as I hear him shifting his feet in the gravel.

“That’s quite enough!” Flora yells. Nolan ignores her.

His arms wrap tighter around my body, holding me as close as he can before he draws back just a fraction and mutters against my lips, “It’ll be enough when I’m buried inside you for so long that we won’t know where I end and you begin.”

Flushing at his description, I struggle for the words to respond. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, Nolan traces my jaw with a finger before pulling my lip out of my mouth and sliding it along my tongue, groaning when my lips close around it.

“What is going on out here?” Hearing my father's voice, I jump and accidentally bite Nolan’s fingers. He grunts but doesn’t remove it.

“Not a fucking word,” he hisses when I’m about to apologize. His impressive erection pressing into my belly as he regains control of himself keeps my mind busy.

“Morris, nice to see you again.” It’s my turn to be surprised as Nolan stares up at my visibly shocked parent.

“You know him?” I ask. He nods his head, a coldness overtaking his body.

* * *

Nolan

I never would have fucking guessed.

Morris fucking Hastings has a third daughter. I had no idea. I doubt anyone in the family did. We’ve been doing business with this man for years. I’ve never met the rest of his family, so I wouldn’t know who they are, but learning he has a third daughter, Bea, and that he treats her so disposably really pisses me off.

“Nolan.” I raise a brow at his use of my first name. “Mr. Sutton.” Better. We’re not friendly enough for him to be so casual with me. The fact that my father and Uncle Atticus hate him will mean we never are. “Wh-what, uh, what are you doing here?”

“You know this man?” his wife hisses in his ear.

“Oh, he more than knows me,” I grunt. I’ve been lending money to Morris for the last three years. He’s made me a pretty penny off of interest, too.

“Bea is safe.” I look at him before sliding a glare at his wife. “She’ll be spending the rest of the weekend with us.” I leave no room for argument.

The wife tries, nonetheless. “Now, wait a minute. Just because she slutted–”

“Be wise in your next choice of words, Mrs. Hastings,” I warn, keeping the threat subtle.

“Nolan?” Bea pulls on my shirt, and I see the stress lining her face as she pales. It’s about to happen again.

Sliding a hand around her neck, I do the only thing I can think of to prevent her from losing it and slant my mouth over her lips. I dive in, sweeping my tongue across hers, licking the delicate flesh inside her cheek, wishing it were between her legs.

She tastes of her morning hot chocolate and something else. Something addicting that I want more of. Infinitely more of.

What started as a way to distract her from her family has quickly evolved. Desire thrashes through my veins with the elegance of a steam engine, and as I jerk her closer, disregarding everyone and everything around us, her body melts into mine. That’s when I know she’s with me, even though her mind is trying to run away on her. Protect her from a family that, frankly, doesn’t deserve to spend a second more in her presence.

Sawyer’s hand, pulling on mine at her waist, drags me back to a reality I’d rather forget if only I could remain lost in Bea’s sweet taste.

“Yeah, kid?” I respond, opening my eyes. Bea’s cheeks are flushed, and her lips are red and swollen, but it’s her eyes that capture me. Bright as the morning sky and clear as she smiles up at me, forgetting the people around her and the reason she was about to disappear.

“Can we go to the park now? I’m bored.” Biting back a grin at Sawyer's question, Bea presses her head into my chest against my thundering heart.

“Bea, run inside and pack what you need. We’ll be waiting right here.” She’s biting her lip as she looks up at me but, eventually, agrees and does as I ask.

“How do you know my daughter?” Morris asks, avoiding the glare from the woman at his side.

Cocking my head, I study the man. He’s not nearly as in control of his life as he presents to the world around him. He’s at the mercy of this tyrannical bitch next to him.

“I didn’t until last night when I found her wandering.” I don’t offer more.

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