The Knight (Endgame #2)(43)

“So good,” he says, dark and almost angry. “So fucking good.”

I feel when he breaks, the stark sound of loss he makes, the fail of his rhythm, the way he holds me to him instead of holding me down. His body empties into me—his come, his despair. His desperate weakness for a woman he shouldn’t want.





Chapter Twenty-Seven





The next day when I wake up, Gabriel is gone, but there’s a phone on the bedside table. I know it’s meant for me because the pawn sits on top of it. When I turn it on, there are three numbers already saved—Harper’s cell phone, the number to Mr. Stewart in the nursing home.

The last number says Asshole.

He answers after the first ring. “Good morning.”

“Where are you?”

“Downstairs. I have a few things to take care of in my office, but I’ll be done in time for lunch.”

“Am I allowed to wander?” There’s a hint of snark in my voice, but it’s also a serious question. I don’t know what the rules are for this new tenuous truce.

“Of course,” he says. “Just don’t get lost.”

His house is ridiculous with hallways that lead in circles, with bedrooms that lead into deeper rooms. I don’t know whether he bought it this way or had it built, but it suits him. “I thought you like the chase.”

A low laugh. “Don’t tease me, little virgin. I have all afternoon to make you regret it.”

I shiver, knowing he can accomplish it. My body still aches with all the ways he took me last night, waking me over and over, sometimes moving inside me before I was awake, time folding on itself. “Do I get clothes?”

“In the dresser. Top drawer.”

Crossing the room, I find the contents of my motel room neatly stacked. I nudge aside my clothes, a few books. “The chess set is missing.”

“In the library,” he says, voice velvet with promise. “I thought we might play.”

“Said the spider to the fly.”

He doesn’t deny it. “I’m looking forward to it.”

My fingers brush against the bottom of the drawer. That’s it. “Wait. Where’s the diary?”

“We still have a week left.”

The final week he won in the auction. “What does that have to do with this?”

“You can have it back when we’re done. Unless you find it on your own.”

Red flashes across my vision. “Why do you play games?”

“Why do you assume it’s a game?”

“Because you have no reason to keep it from me.”

“So you say.”

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. Does it matter? In the large scheme of things I’ve gone years without reading the diary. I can go a few more days. “One week.”

And like we’re signing a treaty: “One week.”

What will happen after that? Will he send me away or ask me to stay?

Is he even capable of asking something? All he knows how to do is purchase me. Once the escrow transfers to me, I won’t be for sale anymore—I won’t need money. I won’t need Gabriel.

After hanging up, I call Harper. She tells me that she returned to New York City with Christopher, that they’re locked in some kind of battle, neither willing to give in.

She’s fuming. “He’s doing this just to piss me off.”

“I know the feeling,” I say drily. “Except…”

“Except what?” she snaps, her voice rich with warning.

“As your friend I want the best for you. I want you to be happy.”

She sighs. “This is one of those tough love situations, isn’t it?”

“I’m just saying it seems like he’s trying to do right by you. And it kind of feels…” I clear my throat. “I mean, is it possible you’re spending more just to make him angry?”

“It’s my money!”

“Right, but he was tasked with managing your money.”

“My money, not managing me. He’s ridiculous. And horrible. And did I mention ridiculous?”

“Well, sure. Yes. But you know he takes his job seriously. It was in your dad’s will. It’s not like he can question what exactly the man’s intentions were. He looked up to your dad. He wouldn’t want to fail him in his last request.”

“Stop being reasonable,” she huffs. “He’s horrible.”

“Horrible,” I agree.

“I can’t believe you’re siding with him after what Landon Moore did to you. He trashed your trust fund! You lost your house because of him! He should be behind bars. He’s the one who should be bedridden. I’d kick his ass for you. If, you know, I weren’t five foot nothing.”

“I appreciate that, but Landon stole from me. You don’t think Christopher’s messing with your money, do you?”

She sounds more aggrieved than ever. “No, he actually made it bigger with his investments. And don’t you dare say that’s a good thing. Chicks before dicks. We agreed.”

“I’m pretty sure I never agreed to that, much less heard you say it. But for what it’s worth, I’d kick his ass for you. If, you know, I wasn’t stuck being the not-quite-virginal sex slave of a rich asshole.”