Chapter Three

Rhea

"What's his fucking name, Rhea?"

I stare at Knight in both shock and confusion. So maybe I told him a few lies just to make him a little jealous, but this . . . this is explosive.

To be honest, college is boring. It's nothing like I've seen in movies where everyone parties and has fun. I haven't been to a single party, and everyone I have met so far is already struggling to pay tuition, they don't have the time or money to do much beyond working and studying.

Oh, and that California boyfriend . . . Yeah, I made him up.

When I first started college, I was heartbroken that the man I was deeply and irrevocably in love with did not want me back, so I spent the first few weeks moping around my college dorm. I made friends fast, and once classes started, things got easier. A few guys hit on me, but it became blatantly clear that my heart belonged to another.

Pathetic, I know.

I have pined over this biker for years. I've never let any other man get close enough to touch me. The one time Priest came to see me at my school took care of the rest. The rumors that I am related to a dangerous biker, scared all the college boys away.

Even so, I don't want to admit to Knight that I have only ever loved and wanted him. That would make me sound pathetic, so I created a whole boyfriend hide the feelings I've tried so hard—and failed—to outrun.

"Tell me his fucking name, Rhea!"

I stare into those gray eyes, and I swear if my heart beats any faster than it already is, I might as well suffer a cardiac arrest. "Why do you care who I date?" I whisper shakily, licking my lips as my eyes drop to that firm mouth.

"I care!" he grinds out, his eyes darkening, and I can practically see the storm building and . . . it should scare me.

I have never seen Knight this angry before. The man is often a wall of blank expressions and sarcastic remarks, but he rarely ever shows what he is feeling on his face.

This new side of him should terrify me, Knight is arguably the most dangerous man in the MC after my brother, but all it does is send a tremble twisting through my body. The roughness of his voice sends my nipples pebbling behind my bra, and I have to bite my lip to stop the moan that threatens to break free as I feel my sex grow slick.

"My boyfriend is none of your business!"

A deep animalistic sound builds up in his throat, and I watch in fascination as a vein pulses in his forehead. He looks almost . . . dangerous. It's a fascinating look on him, one he's never let me see before this moment.

"I want to know the name of the man you're dating!" he growls roughly, sending goosebumps rising all over my body. Knight is the only man capable of making me feel this way with his voice alone. "Rhea!"

"Edward!" I blurt out the first name that comes to mind. "His name is Edward Cullen, not that it matters to you."

My cheeks flush a deep shade of red as I wait for him to call me out on my slip up, but he must not catch it, or he has no clue who the hell Edward Cullen is. To be fair, he is a biker through and through, very masculine, and wouldn't be caught dead watching a teen romcom with vampires and werewolves.

There is a beat of silence following my words and I experience a moment of doubt, thinking perhaps I read him wrong, and he's probably watched all installments of the Twilight saga. "Does Priest know about this Edward guy?" The relief could kill me.

"It's none of his business. Just like it's none of yours," I snap. You rejected me, remember?

He winces at my words, and I know it's not fair. Knight was nice to me when I showed up here two years ago. He treated me like his little sister even when I didn't want him to. He gave me my first ever present when I turned eighteen. I mentioned in passing that I loved photography but never had the chance—or the camera—to explore it, and a few weeks later, he surprised me with a brand-new camera. One that cost thousands of dollars too. Before him, no one had ever gifted me something expensive, and that he'd remembered cemented my feelings for him.

I admit that kissing Knight that evening or professing my undying love to the man while he stood stunned wasn't the brightest idea, but a naive part of me had expected him to sweep me into his arms and tell me he felt the same way.

Instead, he'd turned me down with a smile. The asshole. His voice had been soft and gentle as he'd reminded me that I'd just turned eighteen and I still had a lot of living to do. That I needed to go off to college, meet people, go on friendly dates, and other things I have since blocked from my mind.

So yeah, it's not fair for me to rage at him when he wants to know what I have been doing this past year, but I can't help myself. Being this close to him and smelling his woodsy aftershave and the leather of the vest on him reminds me that I will never have this man. Some lucky girl will have the pleasure of running their hands through his midnight black hair and feeling his firm lips on them.

Someone who is not me.

"Rhea," Knight whispers, his voice much softer than before. "I'm sorry I hurt you, sweetheart."

"You didn't hurt me," I say stubbornly, but I can't meet his eyes.

A tremor runs down my spine when he brushes my hair behind my ear, the back of his rough hands skimming my face. I fight back the need to lean into his caress like a touch-starved puppy, but dammit, I am touched-starved, and I only want Knight"s hands on me.

Will only ever want him.

"I don't want to ruin your trip." Knight grabs my chin and tugs gently, forcing me to meet his stormy gray eyes. "I don't want you to disappear for another year. What can I do to make you forgive me?"

Love me. Kiss me. My desperation is endless, but I say nothing, unwilling to risk opening my mouth and blurting something that will make things even more awkward between us.

I've learned the hard way that I can't always voice the words of my heart, but Knight is unwilling to take my silence for an answer so he inches closer to me, forcing me to back up.

"Knight," I gasp when my back hits a rough surface, and it takes me a second to realize it is a tree. This is not an ideal position to be in when I am trying to get over the man, but I cannot make myself move a muscle.

"I want to make it up to you, sweetheart," he says deeply, propping a hand over my head and caging me to the tree. We're nearly in the open, but none of that seems to matter with Knight so close to me. My stomach is filled with butterflies, my heart racing so fast, it threatens to pump its way out of my chest, and I am weak . . . this man does that to me.

"K-Knight," I whisper again, softly and slightly panicked, trying to find the words I need to stop this—whatever the hell is happening—but the second my eyes lock with his, I lose the ability to speak.

He's perfect, this man.

Long midnight black hair held back in a man bun, and eyes are so dark, they remind me of the ocean on a cold night. They're beautiful, and just like I did a year ago, I lose myself in them again.

"You're so fucking gorgeous," he breathes before his eyes drop to my lips. "I bet I can make you feel better than your little boyfriend. I can take better care of you, Rhea." My lips part in a gasp when I feel his right hand climb my thigh, dragging my little black dress along with it. I clench my fists by my side as his calloused palm slides up my skin, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. I have to bite my lips to stop a moan that threatens to slip out.

Control yourself, Rhea!

"Knight . . . I . . ." I whimper when he runs his middle finger over my sex, sending a rush of wetness spreading between my legs. A harsh grunt leaves his mouth when he finds my panties sodden, but of course they are. They have been since I saw him standing in his living room in only a towel, and for him to know how I'm feeling has my cheeks flashing with heat. I try to press my thighs together to hide, but the cruel man stops me.

A shudder shakes my body when he leans in and presses his lips to my cheek, kissing a path to my ear. "Let me show you, baby," he rasps against my skin. "I can give you pleasure unlike anything you'd ever get from anyone else. I want to make it up to you. Let me give you a better memory of me."

Oh, I am going to be recalling this moment when I am old and surrounded by a hundred cats because that's how it's going to end for me. There is no way I am ever going to let another man touch me after this moment, and . . . I should nip it in the bud.

I shouldn't let Knight ruin me for any other man, and yet, I find myself leaning into his touch when he kisses the shell of my ear.

"We shouldn't," I moan, tilting my head back for him when he trails his lips down my neck. Knight responds by pushing closer against me, pinning my body to the tree before pushing his hardness against my thigh.

"Feel how hard I am for you, baby? You have no fucking idea how many times I have thought of touching you . . . kissing you . . . fucking you in every corner of my house and outside it. I bet Edward will never make you feel as good as I can."

I suck in a shaky breath at his words, but he doesn't allow me a moment to think as he slides his thick digits under the waistband of my panties and tugs them down my thighs a second before he tears them completely off.

"Knight!" I cry out, but quickly slam my palm on my mouth when I realize we're still outside and in the open. Sure, there are a few trees around us, but it's not sufficient cover. Knight, however, doesn't seem too worried about the noises he's drawing out of me. He shoves my torn panties into his jeans pocket before his fingers are back between my legs. His hard eyes are on mine when he runs his middle finger over my sex, parting my folds. There is no prepping me for the pleasure that shoots up my spine when his thick digit grazes my sensitive nub. My hand drops from my mouth to grab his arm as a pulsing heat grows in my sex.

Oh!

Oh, God!

W-what is happening to me? I have played with myself before, the memory of this very man in my mind, but it's never felt anywhere remotely close to this explosion quickly building up in my core.

"You're soaked, baby. So fucking wet, you're practically dripping down my hand," he rasps with a strangled grunt, stroking the sensitive nub between my legs. "I'm going to make it so mine is the only touch you remember."

Without warning, he dips his head and seals our lips together in a kiss that sends my heart hammering in my chest. My lips part in a whimper, and he takes the opening to deepen the kiss. My head spins when he turns his and devours my lips like they contain the oxygen he needs to survive, and . . . I let him.

My first kiss.

Well, it's my second kiss if you count the fleeting press of lips that happened nearly a year ago but this one . . . God, this is so wild.

The way he slides our tongues together, groaning roughly as he twists his mouth hotly over mine in a wet hungry kiss that fuels me, and I forget that I am unskilled, focused only on his intoxicating scent and taste, opening more for him. The feelings are only heightened by the finger grinding over my pulsing sex, drawing me closer and closer to the edge.

"Ah!" I gasp against his lips when I feel the rough press of his finger pushing against my entrance and almost breaking through the barrier of my innocence. I lock my thighs around his hand before he can slide his middle finger into my pulsing sex, trapping his hand in place. The move sends Knight pulling back to look at me, but I avoid his eyes.

"You're a virgin." It's not a question.

"Knight—"

He lets out a harsh, strangled grunt, and he seals out lips back together in a hard, demanding kiss. One that sends my toes curling in pleasure, but he breaks it way too soon, dropping his lips to my neck and biting marks on my skin with gentle nips.

"I've never thought a man such as myself would be deserving of someone as precious as you, Rhea," he says deeply, dropping his free hand to my tit, pinching my aching nipple through the dress, I bite back another whimper. "None of those cocky college boys deserve you either. None of them are allowed to look at your perky tits, let alone touch them. This mouth . . . only I am allowed to kiss it. Only I can play with your pussy and corrupt you."

Moisture floods my sex and trickles down my inner thighs, his voice and words leaving me body hot and mind drowsy, eyes unfocused.

The hand strumming my clit tugs me closer and closer to the edge, but just as I feel like my world is about to explode, he withdraws his hand. I let out a needy whine, but it disappears when he falls to his knees.

"K-Knight . . . What . . ."

"Shh," he gestures with a finger to his lips. "We don't want to draw anyone"s attention to us, now do we?"

I shake my head, hair flinging everywhere as I watch the man intent on driving me to madness. I bite into my lower lip when he lifts my left knee to his shoulder, leaving me vulnerable and exposed to his dark eyes and to anyone else who decides to walk our way.

He doesn't give me time to worry about any of it as he leans in and kisses my thigh. Pleasure shoots up my spine when he licks a path up the valley of my trembling sex, lapping at my arousal.

I slap my palm over my mouth seconds before a scream can tear from my lungs.

Oh, God!

Oh!

What is this man doing to me?

The muscles between my legs clench and release as he drags his tongue hungrily over me, but it all comes crashing down when he closes his mouth hotly over my clit. My head falls back against the tree as my body explodes, and pleasure spears through me, threatening to wreck me.

I dig my fingers into his hair to anchor myself as harsh tremors rock my body. It's nothing I have felt before or thought I ever could. This is not my first orgasm, but it makes those moments when it was just me in my room feel like nothing. None of those solo ministrations left my head reeling or stars shooting behind my eyes. Hell, I lose a few seconds of my life because the next thing I notice is Knight hovering over me when I don't remember him getting up.

"You taste like the sweetest honey, Rhea," he rasps, licking at his lips, and I find my eyes dropping to them. My focus is only disrupted when I hear the sound of his zipper a second before his face drops to my neck. "Your pussy is so fucking slick, I'm close to sliding my cock into you and popping your cherry." His voice is rough as he jerks his cock, whispering sweet nothings into my ear, and it's not long before he comes with a deep grunt that sends goosebumps rocking my skin.

His breathing is harsh against my skin even as moisture lands on my inner thigh in quick spurts and I soak in his pleasured moans, afraid to let go of this moment and slip back into reality. His body falls limp against mine and I stop myself from wrapping my arms around him and soaking in his heat.

I want to make it up to you . . .

The memory of his words from earlier reminds me what a bad idea this was. In his twisted way, Knight was only trying to apologize, and this doesn't mean anything to him. If his goal was to make it harder for me or to have me fall for him deeper than I already have, then his mission was a success. Now it's my turn to deal with this matter in a way that I know how.

I run.