Chapter Five

Rhea

Knight brings me to Mount Bonnell, to a spot where I can see the city lights twinkling like a sea of fireflies below us; it's magical.

Tonight, let's run away together.

When he spoke those words earlier, I thought it was in a metaphorical way or something, but no, his words were literal. He really did intend for us to run away for the night, and for the third time in a single day, I find myself living another one of my fantasies.

I have dreamed of riding into the sunset on the back of Knight's Harley. When he slid a helmet over my head and had me climb behind him on his bike, I had to pinch my arm to ensure it was not a dream. The night was pitch black when we tore away from the clubhouse, the sun long set, but the absence of the sunset didn't make it less magical. It was just me and the first man I've ever loved.

A part of me thought we would ride all night or at the very least, fast enough to outrun my insecurities.

The man tore into the road at a neck-breaking pace, but unfortunately we can't outrun the deep-rooted insecurities that plague me when it comes to Knight.

I have no idea what I am doing getting involved with Knight, but I can't stop. This man has broken my heart before, and I know he is capable of doing it again if I let him. But the fire he lights in my body is unlike anything I ever thought I would experience. I am unwilling to lose that feeling just yet.

I know when he quits this dangerous game we're playing, it's going to wreck me.

You're mine, Rhea.

My heart aches at the memory of the words so I close my eyes and try to block them out of my head. I need to go into this clear-headed, so it hurts less when his words prove to be empty promises.

"What do you think?"

Knight snaps me back to the present and my eyes snap open to find him watching me. My gaze quickly shifts from him to our surroundings. There are no stars in the sky tonight, but that doesn't make the place any less magical. The moonlight bathes the landscape in a silvery hue, casting long shadows that dance beautifully across the rocky terrain.

There is a soft breeze that carries the scent of night-blooming wildflowers, adding a touch of sweetness to the crisp air. The distant sounds of the city fade into the background, taken over by the peaceful sounds of nature, and my lips can't help but stretch into a smile.

"It feels like a dream," I whisper in response. "I didn't know this spot existed."

Knight leans back against his bike as he stares into the river below us. "Most locals know about it, but there is an unspoken agreement to not show tourists this spot."

"Why not?"

"Tourists can be pretty destructive, so it's more a preservative measure, but also the spot can be dangerous and hard to navigate unless you're used to the terrain. It's to avoid accidents too."

"I see."

We stand in companionable silence, staring at the river and the massive city below us, and I am awed by the fact that out of millions of people, I somehow found my way to Knight. I can't help but wonder if I would have ever met him if I hadn't decided to escape from home that fateful day when my mother tried to pimp me out to her drug dealer.

If she and my father had been normal parents, working-class residents of the city and not drug addicts living in a trailer and surviving off government assistance, then I never would have run away in search of my long-lost half-brother. Priest is the kid my mother left behind to run off with another man—my father. I thought he would resent me for that but he never held our mother"s actions against me. He took me in with open arms and introduced me to his world.

Perhaps I never would have met Knight or fallen in love with him if my history wasn't as twisted as it is.

"Do you know the legend behind Mount Bonnell?" Knight's deep voice breaks me out of my thoughts and I turn around to face him, shaking my head.

"I didn't know the mountain had a legend attached to it," I say, searching my mind for a story when I remember my high school history teacher telling us something about the mountain. "Wait, are you talking about the myth that the mountain got its name from a commissioner buried up here?"

A shudder racks my body when a cold air blows against my cheeks, and the thought of a ghost lurking in these trees sends me inching closer to Knight, just in case. Surely, Knight wouldn't bring me to a haunted place, right?

"No, this is one is a story about a forbidden love."

I perk up at his words, suddenly invested. "Does it have a happy ending?"

"You know these things rarely do," he says with a chuckle, but his eyes stay on the river flowing below us. "The legend is about a wealthy heiress named Margaret who leaped to her death from a cliff on this mountain after the death of her forbidden lover when they tried to run away together."

"Oh, that's tragic."

"It is," he says, stripping out of his leather jacket and draping it over me, mistaking the shudder that shook me to be a result of cold, but in actuality, it's from the story. Even so, I don't correct him, discreetly leaning down to sniff the scent of leather and musk.

"I'd like to think that she got to be with her lover in another life. If they were soulmates, then maybe she found her way to him somehow."

Knight makes some noise at the back of his throat in agreement, and we both turn to look at the city and river below, mind reeling from the story. It's not until I feel something wet touch my face that I am brought back to the present. I brush my finger over the wetness, and that is all the warning I get before the skies open up and it starts raining.

"Fuck!" Knight curses, reaching for my helmet and slipping it over my head. He expertly snaps the ties into place before climbing onto the bike. "We need to get out of here before the dirt road turns to mud."

With my helmet secured, I climb behind him and wrap my arms tightly around his waist, feeling the beat of his heart as we speed down the mountain to escape the rain. The wind caresses my face, and I bury my face in his massive back, inhaling his comforting scent.

As we maneuver down the road, I can't help the smile that dances around my lips. The moment is perfect, and I can almost understand the girl who jumped off a cliff for love. It was a tad melodramatic, but I get her.

The ride lasts about five minutes before we pull up to a posh-looking hotel. Knight helps me to get off his motorcycle, then he drives off after giving me instructions to wait for him in the lobby.

It's pouring heavily, and I am soaked, but luckily for me, most of my upper body is dry thanks to Knight's heavy jacket. The same cannot be said about the people filtering into the hotel after me, fully drenched.

I don't have to wait in the lobby long before Knight joins me, and we both walk to the reception desk. My eyes bulge when I hear the price for a room for the night, but Knight doesn't blink as he reaches into the jacket I am wearing and takes out his wallet.

"Let's go," he says once he's paid and we've been given our room's keycard. Knight is soaked to the bone with his white t-shirt and dark jeans sticking to his body and highlighting his muscles. I catch a few women looking his way and find myself pressing into his side so they know he's taken.

Well, technically that is not true.

Knight and I are playing a dangerous game, but whatever it is we are to each other is more than what he has with any of the women throwing suggestive glances his way.

Snap out of it, Rhea!

We receive the same looks in the elevator, and I barely hold myself back from snapping at someone who blatantly stares at his pecs.

Christ, what is happening to me?

Since when I am this possessive of someone who does not even belong to me?

Thankfully, Knight is oblivious to all the stares he gets, or if he is noticing them, it seems he's simply ignoring the suggestive gazes thrown his way. He takes my hand when we exit the lift and walk to our room.

"Why didn't we go back to the clubhouse or Priest's?" I ask as he presses his keycard in the slot outside the door before letting us in.

"Too far," he tells me as we walk into the suite. "Besides, your brother got engaged today. You don't want to be in his house, trust me."

I wrinkle my nose at his words before nodding in agreement. I guess I see his point. I would hate to be stuck with those two love birds in the same house, but this presents a different challenge.

Being stuck in a room with Knight.

My hands are shaking as we walk into the room, and I try to think of something I can say to kill the tension when Knight suddenly strips his shirt off before tossing the wet cloth over his shoulder. He makes his way to the bathroom, and I find myself following him, eyes fixated on that massive, tattooed back.

It's not the first time I have seen Knight's naked torso. I have a clear view of the man's house from my bedroom, and for a full year, I watched him walk around shirtless in his house, but nothing beats seeing the real thing up close. It's the most incredible sight I have seen in my life, and moments ago, I just saw the entire city from atop a mountain.

He's perfect.

My eyes lock on the reflection of his chest when he stops in front of the sink. There is a large tattoo on his left pec, which I recognize as the club's symbol. It goes all the way to his arm. My eyes run over his body, drinking in every tattoo and muscle I have dreamed of seeing up close.

I trail my eyes down his six pack to the V-line that disappears into his jeans, sucking in a sharp breath when I follow the line to the straining zipper of his jeans.

Oh!

My eyes quickly shoot up to find Knight watching me, his eyes dark pits threatening to drown me, and I realize I've been caught ogling him. Heat travels up my neck to my cheeks, but I find that I can't look away from his eyes.

We're alone in a suite, miles away from everyone we know with heavy rain pouring outside and electric currents arcing between us.

"If you keep looking at me like that, you know what's going to happen, right?"

I swallow thickly at his words, my body trembling at the way he trails his eyes over me, and despite being covered with layers of clothes, I feel his stare burn into my skin.

It's almost as if his eyes can see what hides beneath, but it's not like he hasn't seen, touched, and kissed my most intimate parts.

That thought alone is enough to have my sex growing slick with arousal. My cheeks flare, and I bite my lip as I attempt to fight back the need building in me.

Knight curses under his breath, and without warning, he spins me around so my back is to the sink. He presses in tight against me, and his mouth is on mine before I can blink. He slides his hand to my nape and cups my head as he sinks his hungry tongue past my lips, kissing me like a starved animal.

A moan builds up in my throat when my hands slap on his solid chest as he deepens the kiss. The tight muscles move under my fingers, and all I can think is . . . finally.

I don't care about what happened in the past or what is going to happen tomorrow when I wake up tangled in this man's arms. No, all I can think about is this moment and his perfect body pressed hard against mine.

As he pushes the jacket off my shoulders and strips my clothes off me, leaving me naked and vulnerable, this moment is all I can think about.

"You're mine, Rhea," he breathes against my lips, grabbing my hips and lifting me onto the sink counter while he kisses me like a man drowning, and it's a sentiment I share. His lips feel like they hold the source of air, and he's the only thing keeping me alive.

My eyelids flutter when his mouth moves up my neck, biting my earlobe and kissing a trail down to my throat. His hands pull me to the edge of the counter, lining up his erection with my sex, and I wrap my legs around his hips for better access. I cry out when he rocks forward, the friction of the denim against my skin sending a white flash of pleasure shooting up my spine.

Knight's mouth is hot on my neck as he kisses, bites, and licks at the sensitive skin, all the while rolling his hips against my sex. He is like a possessed beast that can't get enough, and all I can do is grab onto his shoulders and hold on.

Oh.

Oh, God!

"Knight, oh . . ."

I'm half delirious when he moves his hand between us and strokes the sensitive nub with his middle finger. The position doesn't allow for much movement, but he makes it work somehow, and soon, I am writhing hard against him. The pad of his fingertips drives me to insanity with slow strokes first before moving faster and faster until I am practically sobbing for more.

He moves his free hand up my chest clamps his knuckles around my nipple and tugs gently, causing me to bulk against him. He kisses my neck, cheeks, and lips, leaving a fiery heat everywhere his lips brush.

"Going to fuck you tonight, baby," he grinds raggedly into my ear. "I am first going to eat you out and get you begging for my cock, and then we have all night for me to breed you."

"Oh, God, yes!"

His words should scare me. This man is talking about getting me pregnant for Christ's sake. At the very least, the dangerous glint in his eyes when he moves back to lock my gaze with his should tell me that what's about to happen tonight will change my life one way or another but . . .

I'm counting on that.

I'm counting on Knight wrecking me and marking me as his even if only for one night. I tell myself that once is enough with this man.

It's more than what the heiress who jumped off the cliff got.