“Please, all I used to do was train, read, fight, and train some more. These past few weeks are the most fun I’ve ever had!”
My admission brings big smiles to each of their faces and Knox gives me a squeeze on my thigh where his hand rests. Ryker walks back over and passes out new drinks to everyone. He hands me two bottles. One is the beer I liked, and the other he explains is a mixed berry hard cider. I try the cider first, and it’s fucking delicious.
“A drink in each hand already Bruiser, we’re corrupting you faster than I thought.”
I laugh and raise both bottles in salute.
“Toast!” Valen demands.
The guys heckle each other, and after a few shoulder punches, Bastien relents.
“Alright, alright I’ve got one…” Bastien announces. “To corrupting lost royalty, bumping and grinding on and off the dance floor, and to having the best time of our lives!”
He raises his bottle and shouts offuck yeah, drown out the clinking of glass and laughter as we all cheers and drink in solidarity. We all fall into easy shouted conversations about nothing and everything while we laugh, tease, and drink.
I feel eyes on me, and my gaze wanders from the table, looking for the source. I land on a pair of fixed brown eyes that belong to a large blond man, who stares for a beat longer before he looks away. I dismiss it, but something about him reminds me of Talon’s crew.
He always seemed to be surrounded by big Viking warrior types, and this man fits that description to a T. I shake myself out of my thoughts and tune back into what the guys are saying. I’m almost finished with my cider when Knox grabs my hand and starts pulling me from the booth.
He leads me back amongst the dancers. Knox expertly spins me away from him and then brings me back into his arms, my back to his chest. I laugh and press into his hands as they grip my hips. None of the other guys join us this time, it’s just me and Knox wrapped up in the tempo and each other.
He twines his fingers in mine raising our clasped hands above my head. I move with him, our bodies in sync, and I close my eyes and focus on the feel of him against me. His lips caress my neck and then settle next to my ear. He’s singing the lyrics of the song to me, and I smile and lean into his mouth and his sultry voice.
His hands skim down my sides and find their way back to my hips, and I reach back and run my fingers down the back of his black buzzed hair. I twist in Knox’s arms until we’re dancing chest to chest. I hook my index fingers in the belt loops of his jeans and take in his gorgeous face.
Knox brushes his thumb over my lips, and I smile against the pressure of his thumb on my mouth. He bends over, and our bodies slow against each other, as he presses his lips against mine. I open, wanting more from his kiss and he sweeps in and completely enthralls me.
He tastes faintly of the beer he was drinking, and even though I didn’t like it from the bottle, I like the taste of it on his tongue. His mouth moves against mine in a dance as perfect as the one our bodies are wrapped up in. His kiss is skillful, and I’m easily and happily lost in it.
Knox stops but doesn’t pull his face away. His lips barely graze mine, as he sings more lyrics of the song against my kiss-swollen, smiling lips. Fuck, Bastien was right. Knox really could sing any woman out of their panties. I’m sure as hell ready to throw mine at him.
Knox tilts my head and moves his mouth to the shell of my ear.
“Enoch Cleary is watching you.”
Knox pulls back, and it takes me a minute to connect what he’s saying.
“What? Where?” I stammer out.
Knox spins me again, giving me the ability to look around without being obvious.
“That was an epic super sneaky spy move," I confess, and I lean in for a soft kiss.
We dance and kiss for a couple more songs, and Knox’s gaze keeps flitting from me to the space behind me, where Enoch was standing with his coven. The feel of eyes on me and Knox’s distraction is starting to suck the fun out of this.
“Let’s go find the others," I prompt. “I don’t think the Cleary’s are fans of me, and I don’t want any problems.”
Knox scoffs. “He’s not looking at you like he has a problem with you, I’d say it’s more the exact opposite.”
Knox gives me a quick peck and starts to lead me out of the crowd. His comment baffles me, and my gaze wanders over to Enoch as I try to figure out what Knox is talking about. I stop suddenly, stupefied. Behind Enoch are a pair of familiar eyes set in a face I’d know anywhere.
What the fuck is Talon doing here? Frozen in place my hand pulls free from Knox’s grasp and he turns to find out why. Someone steps in front of me blocking my view, and I sidestep to get past them. When my line of sight is clear again, it’s not Talon standing behind Enoch but that same blonde guy I saw earlier. I shake my head to clear it, but when I look up and around, there’s no Talon to be found.
“What’s wrong?” Knox asks, tilting my chin in his direction.
I look in his eyes as I try to piece together what just happened. I felt sure of my recognition, but that doesn’t make sense. Talon wouldn’t be here.
“Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, but it was just my eyes playing tricks on me,” I tell him, and follow the tug of his hand back to the booth.
