by Violet Paige
Heartless Knight
Sins of Knight Mafia Trilogy
Violet Paige
Copyright © 2020 by Violet Paige
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Also by Violet Paige
Previously in Soulless Knight
1. Kennedy
2. Knight
3. Kennedy
4. Knight
5. Kennedy
6. Knight
7. Kennedy
8. Knight
9. Kennedy
10. Knight
11. Kennedy
12. Knight
13. Kennedy
14. Knight
15. Kennedy
16. Knight
Keep in touch with Violet
Also by Violet Paige
Hart Pursuit Trilogy
Damaged Hart
Shattered Hart
Stolen Hart
Cold Love Hockey Series
Cold As Puck
Cold As Hell
Cold As Ice
Football Romance
Turn Over
Sidelined
Dirty Play
Double Score
Royal Romance
Tempting the Crown
Risking the Crown
Loving the Crown
Billionaire Romance
Don’t Go
Not Husband Material
Not Daddy Material
The Dirtiest Deal
The Hottest Deal
Military Romance
Don’t Tell
Don’t Lie
Don’t Promise
Ranger’s Baby Surprise
Delta’s Baby Surprise
Sweet Satisfaction
Suspense
Resist
Surrender
Previously in Soulless Knight
Knight
I used to sleep in. Those were the mornings that followed nights of endless drinking and partying. Now I set my alarm for 5:30, so I could run or fit in a trip to the gym before going to the office. It was my new routine in Paris. One I adopted after turning thirty. It seemed more significant than New Year’s resolutions or bucket lists. Just get up and fucking run.
This morning I made an exception. I awakened with Kennedy in my arms. Her skin was warm. Her lips were pink. Her body was fucking incredible. After last night, it was mine. She was mine. She always should have been. I was too scared and stupid five years ago to do what I should have done.
We’d be ruling the city together now. She’d be my queen. Mine.
I grinned, thinking of what we had forged in this bed. We were bonded. Bound together. We had fused our bodies into one, and it was not like anything I’d known. Kennedy wasn’t like other women I’d known.
She stirred, sliding her torso over my chest. God damn when her nipples brushed over my ribs, my cock ached. It was hard in five seconds, growing longer. Screaming at me to take her. She smiled lazily when she realized I was watching her.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.” I gripped her hips, drawing the rest of her on top of me. I wanted her to know just how damn wild her body drove me.
“Ohh,” she whispered, sliding over my dick.
I hissed as her hips moved back and forth. She was wet. My fingers dug into her waist, urging her to move back and forth. Farther until I was inside her. I wanted her sweet pussy, bare. Just a taste. Just a second.
Kennedy pressed off my chest, tilting her hips and I thrust upward. We both groaned at the intensity. Skin on skin. She plucked her nipples as the sunlight streamed through the windows. I hadn’t bothered to close the blackout drapes last night.
“Fuck me,” I commanded as she began to ride faster. Her mouth parting with pants and coos. “That’s it.”
But I didn’t know how long I could last watching her fuck me this way. I wrapped my hands around her waist, and with a quick maneuver, planted her on her stomach.
“Knight,” she hissed at me. I had ruined her perfect rhythm. I’d reward her in time for making the sacrifice.
I kissed behind her ear, as I caressed and massaged her ass. She began to wiggle and shake her hips as I raised her ass higher in the air. I groped her cheeks, squeezing them roughly.
“Shit,” she murmured. “That feels good.”
I grinned as I positioned myself behind her. Her head whipped to the side.
“I love fucking you, Kennedy,” I growled.
My cock slammed into her with a powerful thrust and Kennedy yelped. Her hands quickly reaching for the headboard. There was no holding back. I pounded against her flesh. I pumped in and out. She threw her hips back, matching each thrust with one of her own.
“Yes,” she cried as we lost our damn minds. “Don’t. You. Stop,” she demanded as I watched her disappear into an orgasm. The way her body succumbed to her ecstasy was something to watch. The trembling began to take over. I was going to come like this if I didn’t slow down. The condoms were in my pocket on the floor. Shit. I couldn’t pull away. Not while she was coming on my cock. Squeezing it. Coating it with heat and pleasure.
I pumped in and out. Sliding against her tight pussy walls. Fuck. Me.
She glanced over her shoulder, sucking on her lip, watching me take her from behind. My chest tightened at the same time the base of my spine began to sing with electrical pulses. The instinct to bury everything I had inside her was hard to fight.
One gush before I was able to pull out. I groaned, fisting my shaft as I came on her back. Kennedy panted, slowing from the orgasm. Our bodies stilled. Our breathing was heavy.
“Don’t move. I’ll grab a towel.” I hopped off the side of the bed and returned. She hadn’t changed positions.
“Thanks,” she whispered as I cleaned her back. I followed the lines of her hips. I cupped her gorgeous ass.
“Damn, Kennedy. Your body…” I didn’t even know how to finish that sentence.
She rolled on her back, rolling her wrists back and forth. “Thank you?”
I chuckled, tossing the towel across the room.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. Early? Who the hell knows?” I wanted to pounce on her again. I felt giddy like I was seventeen.
She pushed forward. “I need to check my voicemails. I had messages last night I ignored. I have a legal meeting today. I can’t stay in bed. Renee’s expecting me.”
“What kind of legal meetings?” I pried.
“It’s about a casino I’m building. I’ve run into legislative issues.”
The giddy feeling sank into a pit. Fuck. I wasn’t going to admit what I had done. It was business. I had to rebuild everything my father lost. I had to restore the fortune. Reclaim our name. We were New Orleans royalty. Everything I did for the organization was to protect the Corban legacy. For now, that secret was safe. I was sorry that she wasn’t going to get what she wanted this time. I couldn’t let the Crescent Towers project happen.
“Let’s skip everything we planned. Order room service. Drive to the beach. Whatever we can do to ignore real life.”
She laughed. “Funny. I run a multi-billion-dollar organization. I don’t have days off. Hand me my phone? If I don’t check in with Kimble in the next few minutes he will freak out and show up with a gun pointed at your face.”
“He always points a gun at my face.”
&n
bsp; She shrugged. “True. It’s his job.”
I strolled to the foyer table and walked back through the suite with her phone.
“We are going to have breakfast.” I eyed her.
“I need my phone.”
“Breakfast?”
She sighed. “Yes, breakfast.” She smiled slyly.
I handed her her purse and walked to the bathroom while she checked in with her bodyguard. I brushed my teeth and started the shower.
I cracked the door. “Join me?”
She nodded. The phone was pressed to her ear. “Just a few more minutes,” she mouthed.
“I’ll start without you.” I winked, closing the door so the steam could collect inside.
I stepped inside the shower. The water felt good. So did the bath last night. We had talked for hours. Had tub sex. More sex. Talked again until we fell asleep.
I lathered the soap between my palms. I kept watching the door, waiting for Kennedy. I thought I heard the outside door slam. I turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
I stepped from the glass enclosure and wrapped the towel around my waist. “Kennedy, what’s taking so long?”
I stared at the bed. It was empty. I wandered to the kitchen. She wasn’t in the suite. I spotted the brass key on the table by the front door. Next to it was the necklace. I lifted it in the air. The diamonds sparkled around the pearl. The inscription swung back and forth. Carpe Noctem. We had done that last night. More than once.
There was a note scribbled on the hotel stationery, pinned to the hotel latch on the door. What was going on? I yanked it off the lock.
I know it’s you. You’re BONO.
That was all it said. I clasped the pearl in my hand. Shit. How did she find out? Paul had combined a shell company on top of shell company to protect the PAC’s identity.
The water from the shower puddled at my feet. I closed my eyes. She wasn’t coming back to the suite. That note might as well have been a death threat. She was going to come after me with everything she had.
I had to be ready.
I needed a plan to get her back.
1
Kennedy
Five Years Earlier
“Again.” My father nodded. He should have been a ballet instructor. His voice was terse and the way he tapped the table it was if he was rapping a walking cane on the barre. Whack. Tap. Whack. Tap. It was an analogy he would have hated, no matter how accurate it was.
“We’ve been doing this for hours.” I winced as soon as I realized how whiny the statement was. He didn’t tolerate objections. Especially, not in the form of weakness. I was his daughter, which meant I had to work twice as hard as if I had been his son. I had to prove my worthiness. Demonstrate my critical thinking. Outsmart the other men in the room. Still be beautiful, feminine and graceful. I had to have only wins on the scoreboard. I couldn’t afford to screw up even once. It was never going to be simple to gain his trust.
Tammy, the housekeeper, had just entered my father’s office with a tray for lunch. I was supposed to be grateful for the salad. Yet, another part of the burden no son would have to deal with. I had to fit in the tiniest of cocktail dresses.
“Afraid your tan is fading?” His eyes narrowed. I hated that scowl as much as I hated the contempt in his voice. I didn’t have time to lounge by the pool anymore. All I did was study reports and map out strategy. The latest, of course, was how best to use the tunnels beneath the Vieux Carre to our benefit.
Before I could snap at the insult, he began coughing.
“Dad, are you okay?” I was slow to ask. He hated it whenever I did.
He waved me off. “Fine. Fine. Just need more water.” We both searched for a pitcher and glasses. Tammy had brought food without beverages. He continued to struggle with the cough. He face was turning red.
“I’ll run to the kitchen,” I offered. “I’ll be right back.” I left him doubled over while I raced through the house. Where in the hell was everyone?
Some days were better than others. I didn’t see how his medication helped, although I wasn’t allowed to know what was in the brown pill bottles. He didn’t share with me what his diagnosis was. I was denied access to his doctor. For now, I was the fledging business protégé. That was all. He didn’t consider that as his daughter I should know what was wrong with him. He kept me in the dark.
I couldn’t believe it when I walked into an empty kitchen. I grumbled. I retrieved a bottle of water from the beverage fridge and sprinted back to his office.
“Here, take this.” I twisted off the cap and shoved it in his hands. “It’s not too cold.” I knew he would find something to disagree about.
My father didn’t say thank you, but he drank. After a few minutes, the coughing subsided.
“Where were we?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. I thought he might be trying to stretch to get more air in his lungs. Why wouldn’t he just tell me what was going on?
“Maybe we should take a break,” I suggested. I stopped short of telling him to go to his room to lie down.
His eyebrows furled again. “Why?”
“Dad—” I started to push him, but his glare was icy. I exhaled. “I think I’m going to take a field trip. I’ll get a lot farther in this process if I’m out of the house for a while. I’m not getting anywhere here.”
“Where are you going?” he barked.
“How am I supposed to develop a plan for something I’ve never actually seen in person? I’ll understand the Vieux Carre’s tunnel system if I see it first-hand. I’m going to the hotel. This will be easier there.”
“I see.” His voice quieted.
“Does that mean you want to go with me?” I stood next to the table. It was scattered with blueprints. There was a short checklist I had made of possible ways to increase revenue through use of the tunnels. I knew I hadn’t covered half of our options.
He shook his head. “You go. I want your report when you get back. Take Kimble with you.”
I sighed. “I always do.” I plastered a fake smile on my face. “And you’ll rest while I’m gone?”
He huffed. I didn’t have the ability to force him to do anything, but if I was the one to break up the meeting, maybe he’d head upstairs for a couple of hours.
“I’ll see you at dinner, then.” I strolled out of his office. He didn’t argue. It was the only indication he was okay with my abrupt interruption. Only, he was too stubborn to admit it.
Kimble parked in front of the hotel. He made me wait until he cleared the lobby before I was allowed inside.
“There’s no one here.” I strolled in behind him. “We haven’t started renovations.” The lobby was dark. It had only been a few weeks since we had won the bank auction. Weeks that the Martins had captured the most valuable piece of real estate in the city. The ripple effect was still being felt.
Absently, I stroked the necklace, hanging around my neck. I didn’t know how many times a day I touched it. I knew that when I did, I felt an easiness, as if it was a fresh wound all over again. It was the only connection to Knight I had. It was proof that there was something tangible between us. Although, the more days that passed between the last time I saw him, I began to doubt myself. Doubt the memories. Sometimes at night I would turn the pearl over and read the inscription Knight had chosen: carpe noctem.
When I stepped inside the hotel, I worried the landmark would be a more permanent reminder. One that highlighted the pain. The deep fracture created by our fathers. The mistakes and the sins we had committed. My decision to bid on the building. It was our ultimate undoing, one I was complicit in.
“Do you know how to access the tunnels?” I asked Kimble. I wanted a minute alone. I felt his eyes on me constantly. I needed a second to breathe.
“The only way down there is by elevator,” he replied.
My fingers curled by my sides. “Right, do you know if that elevator is operating?”
“I’m familiar with the elevator system.”
“That�
�s something,” I snapped. I closed my eyes. It was becoming easier to bark orders. “I’m sorry. Can you make sure we can walk the tunnels?”
He nodded, unfazed by my demeanor. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back after I check out the settings in the electrical room. I think I can get it running.”
“Thank you.”
I knew there was no other way to the lowest level of the hotel. Not a safe one at least. I waited while Kimble fumbled with the controls down the hall.
I glanced up at the chandelier overhead. The crystals were caked in dust. They barely glimmered. I rubbed my shoulders. The hotel felt haunted, but I knew it wasn’t a ghost that made me shiver. It was the chill of what this meant. My training. My acceptance of this life. Becoming my father’s protégé. Turning down Knight.
I trembled. It was too late to go back now. He was gone. He had become untouchable. As haunting as this damn hotel. There was no way for him to know I couldn’t sleep. I drank at Marguerite’s during the day. Huge goblets of red wine. I couldn’t tell him how big my regret was for not taking the first plane ticket he offered to Bali. I should have accepted all the tickets. Did it really matter if we ended up in Scottsdale, Arizona or Portland, Maine? We would have been together. We could have left this behind us.
I couldn’t rewrite history, but I learned there was something I could do. Something that pushed Knight into the farthest corner of my mind, only released when I felt the pearl between my fingers. I could work. I could study under the mob boss. I could take advantage of my front-row access. Soak up his knowledge. Charm his contacts. I could become the smartest, richest, and most admired woman in New Orleans.
I would be the one to make the acquisition of the Vieux Carre worth the suffering it caused Knight.
