A Midsummer Night's Scream (The Dulcie O'Neil Series Book 7) (4 page)

“I love you, Dulcie O’Neil,” Knight whispered.

“I love you, Knightley Vander,” I whispered back before running my hands up his arms.

I loved feeling the swells of his forearms and biceps. But as much as I appreciated Knight’s body, it was his face that always held me spellbound. Most specifically, his eyes. They were kind, loyal, strong, and determined. In the depths of his irises, though, there was something else. Something deep and something dark. Knight hadn’t exactly led an easy life. I could read the magnitude of his struggles in the depths of his eyes, as well as the fact that he was a survivor. Right now, however, the vastness of his love for me dominated his eyes and his expression in general.

“So are you going to kiss me, or what?” I demanded. It felt like I was on the precipice of losing myself in the awe-inspiring sapphire of his gaze. And that, although nice, wasn’t my main goal at the moment.

He chuckled and bent his head down before covering my lips with his very full ones. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer when his tongue invaded my mouth. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. A deep ache started to build from inside me. My tongue met his tongue with territorial fierceness. I wanted to taste him; I needed it badly. Our tongues mated while I wrapped my legs around his middle and pushed my abdomen onto his straining erection. He had to put both of his palms flat on the desk so we wouldn’t topple over. Once he did, I managed to pull myself against him even harder, conveying how badly I desired him.

Over the last two months, I’d imagined our reunion numerous times. And I’d always pictured Knight taking me slowly, gently making love to me. Now? The idea of going slow and gentle left everything to be desired. Now my need was almost frantic in its demand to be satiated. I couldn’t wait a second longer. I reached down and gripped his throbbing erection with both hands, rubbing it up and down on top of his pants. Knight didn’t stop kissing me, but leaned closer and his tongue delved inside my mouth more deeply.

I couldn’t wait to unzip his pants. As soon as I did, I slipped his hard penis through the hole in his boxers. He broke away from me and glanced down briefly. He was totally out in the open and such a completely glorious sight to behold.

“Dulcie,” he started in a disappointed tone. “Don’t rush. Let me taste you.”

“No,” I nearly interrupted him. “I need to feel you inside me. Right now.”

He studied me for a few seconds. Then his expression changed to one of sudden impatience, probably mirroring my own. Sliding off his pants, he dropped them to the floor; then his boxers followed. He snatched my ball cap and pulled it off my head, letting it fall onto the desk beside me. His eyes never strayed from mine as he expertly unbuttoned my jeans before unzipping them and pulling them down my thighs. I decided to help him out by pulling my shirt over my head until I was only clad in my bra and panties. But then remembering my sports bra wasn’t exactly the sexiest, I wasted no time in removing it, too.

Knight’s eyes immediately fastened onto my naked breasts. He leaned down and took my left nipple between his teeth. I dropped my head back and arched up against him when he rolled the sensitive nub against his tongue. When his fingers began rubbing the outside of my panties, I couldn’t help moaning loudly.

“Please, Knight,” I whispered, too eager to drag this out any longer than we needed to. I ached to have him thrusting inside me. I needed to feel him; I needed us to reunite as one.

His response was a chuckle as he slid my panties to the side and ran his index finger up and down my opening. I nearly jumped right out of my skin.

“Please,” I whispered again, thrusting my pelvis toward him for easier access, but he just pulled his erection away from me.

“Please what?” he asked as I opened my eyes and glared at him.

“Knight, I can’t wait any longer,” I pleaded, my voice sounding strained. “I need to feel you inside me right now.”

“I was expecting a fight,” he replied with a wide smile. “Didn’t you promise me one?”

“Really?” I asked, sarcastically. “How about this—if you don’t bury yourself inside me in two seconds, you’re going to have the fight of your life!”

He didn’t say anything but just continued to smile down at me, the look of seduction in his eyes. I met his gaze with as much impudence as I could muster. When he didn’t make any motion to comply with my demand, I spread my legs wider. Lifting my torso up to his, I practically performed a charade of what I wanted, and in no uncertain terms. He continued to stare down at me, although he positioned himself closer to my entrance. When I felt the head of his penis bobbing against me, I tried to push myself down against it, to force him inside me, but again, he retreated.

“Repeat after me,” he said. “You’re my boss and I answer to you.”

I opened my eyes and then narrowed them at him and replied, “Never.”

He cocked his head to the side and pulled away from me. The stark coldness of the air on my very hot lady parts was almost enough to bring tears to my eyes.

“Two can play this game, my dear,” he said in a victorious tone. “Now, repeat after me ‘I, Dulcie O’Neil, do fully submit to my boss, Knightley Vander, who, I now declare, has complete authority over me.’”

“You’re really going to force this issue right now?” I asked in disbelief. I hated knowing I would probably have to give in but there was no way I could wait any longer. My body was in a state of dire need and it was demanding instant gratification.

“In short, yes.”

“Oh my God,” I grumbled with a deep breath and readied myself to hand him the victory. “I, Dulcie O’Neil, do fully submit to Knightley …”

“No, you missed a part,” he interrupted with a shake of his head. “You’re supposed to say ‘to my boss, Knightley Vander,” he finished, giving me an expression that said I had better get it right.

“Ugh,” I muttered, shaking my head. “… Do fully submit to my boss, Knightley Vander, who, I now declare, has complete control …”

“Authority,” he corrected me.

“Authority over me,” I finished with a perturbed scowl. “There, you won! Satisfied?”

He pushed the head of his penis over my most sensitive place, causing me to arch back before a moan escaped my mouth. Any words of frustration or resistance were instantly forgotten.

“No, I’m not satisfied yet,” he announced before extracting himself from me again.

“What?” I scolded him, opening my eyes, and finding him smiling happily at me. “You’re unbelievable!”

“There’s more; I want to hear more from you,” he said with a shrug. “Repeat after me: ‘I, Dulcie O’Neil, recognize Knightley Vander as my boss, and from here on out, I will follow all of his orders without pause or question.’”

“I have half a mind to get my vibrator.”

“That would require a trip home, and I think we both known that isn’t going to happen,” he answered in a calm tone. He already knew he’d won. “So, get to it.”

I inhaled deeply, narrowing my eyes at him all the while. “I, Dulcie O’Neil,” I started before swallowing my breath as soon as I felt him rubbing his throbbing erection against my opening again.

“Go on,” he encouraged me.

“I,” I started again, trying to pay attention to what was coming out of my mouth. “I, Dulcie O’Neil, recognize Knightley Vander as my boss,” I quoted, spitting the words out. In response, Knight thrust the head of his erection inside me as I screamed out and arched against him. It was all I could do to moan the rest of the words.

Seconds later, he pulled out again. “Continue!” he commanded me.

“And I will follow all your orders!” I yelled out, arching against him again as soon as he pushed himself fully inside me. I gripped his back, digging my fingernails into his tan skin as he pumped inside me a few times.

“And?” he persisted in a deep, gravelly voice.

“Without pause or question!” I regurgitated as he gripped my waist with both of his hands. He lifted me so he could thrust inside me even more deeply. I threw my head back and wrapped my legs around his middle as tightly as I could. He pulled out and then pushed into me, each of us moaning in turn.

Without any warning, he suddenly pulled up. Our lower halves were still joined as he pushed me down against the desk, holding me there. When I looked up at him in question, his eyes were glowing.

“You are mine,” he announced as he stared down at me. He withdrew and then began pushing inside me gently.

“And you are mine,” I reiterated obediently. I loved seeing and hearing that possessive, brutal side of him; it was so primitive and bestial. This was the animal side of Knight that made me unable to catch my breath.

“I will always be yours,” he answered while lifting my legs above his shoulders and burying himself inside me as deeply as he could.

###

“So who is the guy now taking up one of our prison cells?” I asked Knight as I lay against him, naked in his bed.

After having sex in his office, we both hurriedly dressed and hightailed it back to his lavish townhouse. I wasn’t sure whether or not we’d spend the night together, owing to his duties in the Netherworld, so I was thrilled when we did.

“That charming example of a law-abiding citizen is Jax Rochefort,” Knight answered, his lips in a tight line.

“Jax Rochefort,” I repeated, shaking my head since the name meant nothing to me.

“He’s been a perpetual thorn in my side for at least the last seven years,” Knight added as he glanced down at me. He busily twirled a tendril of my hair between his fingers and pulled me closer so he could kiss me on the forehead. “And now he’s back to being a pain in my ass again.”

“If he’s behind bars,” I started, shaking my head, “how much of a pain in your ass can he really be?”

Knight raised his brows at me, suggesting,
you don’t know what you’re talking about
. “Behind bars or not, Jax was, and continues to be, a pain in my ass,” he ground out. “And he’s not the only one. All the competing factions of potions smugglers have been vying for power since we deposed your father.”

“What do you mean?”

Knight shrugged again. “Just because the ANC announced Caressa was the new Head of the Netherworld, doesn’t mean everyone likes it, or complies with it.” He cleared his throat. “In fact, there is plenty of opposition.”

Caressa Brandenburg was the highest ranking official in the ANC, aside from my father. When Knight and I removed my father from office, it only made sense that Caressa should replace him as Head of the Netherworld. I supported this approach because Caressa was honest and good and most of all, she was strong. But now, I had to wonder if she were strong enough.

“So these potions rings are trying to put their own guys in?” I asked for verification.

Knight nodded. “But they aren’t too smart about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“They rely on strength in numbers—there are so many of them, they nearly outnumber us. But the main problem for them is they can’t get their shit together long enough to unite forces against us.”

“Maybe it’s just a matter of time before they do?”

Knight cocked his head to the side as he nodded. “That’s what we’re worried about. The day that happens, we could have a serious fight on our hands.”

“So how does Jax figure into this? Was he trying to usurp power?”

“No,” Knight answered as he shook his head. He placed one of the pillows behind him so he could sit up against the headboard more comfortably. “I’m not sure how he fits in, to be honest.”

“Okay,” I said doubtfully, wondering whether or not he had anything more to add to his statement. “Soooo, how did you catch him?”

“I wouldn’t say we caught him.”

I leaned up onto one elbow and studied him quizzically. “Well, he’s in one of our jail cells at this very moment, so I’d say you caught him.”

“It’s more correct to say that Jax caught us,” Knight amended. “He turned himself in.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Exactly,” Knight answered before tapping his index finger on the tip of my nose, as if to say I’d hit it right on the nose. “That’s the exact question I’ve been asking myself and, more importantly, Jax.”

“And?”

“And nothing,” he replied with a sigh, shaking his head. In general, Knight didn’t like it when his questions outnumbered his answers.

“He hasn’t told you anything?”

“Well, he hasn’t told me anything I believe, anyway,” Knight admitted with a shrug.

Why do
you
think he turned himself in?”

“He said he wanted to leave the thug life and start a new life and needed protection, yadda yadda yadda.”

“And you don’t believe that?”

“Of course not!” he responded with snort of disbelief. “Why should I?”

It was my turn to shrug. “Maybe he’s telling the truth? Is it so inconceivable to believe some of these guys might want to start over and leave their old lives behind them?”

Knight shook his head. “With someone else, I might buy it, but as it pertains to Jax Rochefort, I can’t and I won’t.”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure what to make of it. “So why did you come all the way to Splendor to lock him up? The Netherworld prisons weren’t secure enough?”