Knight Moves Book 1 Read online

  Everlie, however, was the exact opposite. And she was frustrating as hell.

  “Your girl is a tough nut to crack,” I said to Tori, who was still topless, clinging to Bennett.

  She laughed. “Trust me, she wants you. Just give it some more time. I’m sure she’ll be worth it.”

  Her statement hit me like a glass of ice water to the face. It was such an odd thing for a friend to say. I had more experience with girlfriends who tried to swoop in and get their friend away from me, knowing I was up to no good. I’d never had one push so hard for her friend to go home with me. Tori was definitely a different kind of girl. As I considered her—it seemed odd to me that her best friend was such the opposite of her.

  I’d just walked in on her giving a full-on fucking blow job to my best friend, she was still standing in front of me half naked and girlfriend didn’t even bat an eye.

  Everlie, on the other hand, would likely be blushing on behalf of her friend, and try to get her to cover up. How was it they could be best friends and roommates and not drive each other crazy? I thought about asking Tori, but Bennett was still shooting me daggers for interrupting his fun, so I excused myself with a wave. “I’m gonna go get a drink downstairs. So if y’all could wrap it up—or at least go to your own room before I get back—that’d be great.”

  Bennett flipped me the bird as I walked out but I knew my message had been received. He’d clear out before I got back. We’d rented a suite at the hotel, with two rooms that joined to a central living room. I had no idea why he’d have Tori blow him right there in the middle of the living room when his bed was just a few feet away, but it was Bennett. Under normal circumstances, he was the most laid back, chill guy I knew, but he became impatient when is dick was doing the thinking.

  I nodded my head to myself as I walked to the hotel’s bank of elevators that took me downstairs. I crossed through the crowded lobby to the hotel bar, ordered a beer and turned my attention to people watching the others in the room. The hotel we were staying at was on the upper end of hotels and the bar had been given the same posh look as the rest of the place. The other guests weren’t necessarily dressed up, but there was an air of classiness to the crowd that I hadn’t noticed in the other bars we’d been to since we’d arrived in Vegas. This place was more my style and I started to relax a little while nursing my beer.

  “Hey there handsome, you lonely tonight?”

  I turned at the sound of the purring voice to my left, and found myself inches away from a stacked brunette, in a low-cut dress, sipping on a martini. As our eyes met, she licked her lips. I smiled at her, but couldn’t help compare her to Everlie, and while I admitted she was a gorgeous woman, I couldn’t muster up any interest. I found myself wishing it was Everlie seated next to me—or, better yet—upstairs with her lips on my cock, as Tori’s had been on Bennett.

  “No, actually I’m not, but thanks anyway,” I answered, flicking a polite but cold, smile at her, before turning away, staring out over the room again.

  The woman’s hand slithered its way onto my thigh, and climbed higher. “Come on, what, are you married?” She whispered against my ear, pressing in so close that her tits were resting against my arm. They were soft—natural—and my hands were itching to get a hold of them, to stroke her hardened nipples, make her moan. She wasn’t the woman I wanted, the one I had on my mind, but she was there, and she was available, willing. Everlie would likely take another two or three wine and dine sessions before she’d be this eager. If she ever got this forward. Somehow, I doubted it.

  I turned to the woman and she smiled, her full lips parting to reveal perfect, white teeth. It was a great smile. “I’m Heather,” she said.

  “Heather, it’s been a pleasure, but I’m afraid my mind is elsewhere tonight.” I peeled myself from her grip, threw a twenty on the bar behind me to cover my drink and hers and left without another word.

  She would’ve been an easy score. I would’ve had her screaming my name within minutes, but it wouldn’t have felt good. At least not afterward.

  My body and my mind were still set on Everlie. She was the one who’d satisfy me. Anything else would be second rate. A temporary distraction from the real prize.

  As I went back upstairs, I imagined the dance she’d performed for me, and the way her body had moved through each line of the solemn music. It hadn’t been a sensual dance, but the result of it had been highly erotic, sending my brain on a wild ride as I mentally planned all of the things we could do together. But, halfway through her dance, my thoughts had changed, staggered by her grace and beauty for a whole new reason. She was the first woman I’d ever met, or at least could remember meeting, that I couldn’t figure out within the first few minutes of meeting her. She was beautiful, sweet, perhaps a little too naive, but it all contrasted with her sexy, little body, and the graceful movements she made that made my body ache to get inside her.

  When I got back upstairs, Bennett and Tori were gone. As I passed the door of Bennett’s room, I heard Tori moaning, and quickly ducked into my room, thankful there was a bathroom separating the two rooms so I wouldn’t have to listen to their fuck session. As I sulked down onto my bed, I realized that the ugly truth was that I was jealous. Bennett had met Tori, and had fucked her that same night, and every waking minute since then. I turned on the TV to drown out my stewing,

  Before I went to sleep, I took a long, hot shower, and jerked off to the memory of Everlie’s body, and the fantasy that quickly followed—her long, slim legs wrapped around my waist, my cock buried deep inside her, making her scream and claw at me. When I released into the stream of water, I was grinning like a madman, knowing just how sweet it was going to be to turn her from a demure, Southern Bell, into a hot, sweaty, wildcat.

  It would be a pleasure worth waiting for.

  Chapter Eight

  Everlie

  I woke up on Sunday morning feeling more nervous than I could ever remember feeling in my whole entire life. The thought of my impending date with Ryker overwhelmed all other thoughts as I went through my morning routine. I saw Tori briefly, on my way out of the house, and while she gave me her signature cheeky grin, she didn’t say anything about Ryker. However, I knew she’d been out late with Bennett the night before, and likely knew all about my date with Ryker. But as I said goodbye, and flew out the front door, I was grateful she’d chosen not to say anything about it. I was nervous enough without her help.

  While driving to the ballet studio, I was so distracted I ended up taking a wrong turn, a mistake that made me ten minutes late by the time I arrived. Luckily, I had been well trained to always arrive for things early, and other than a strange white van, there wasn’t anyone else waiting in the parking lot. I parked on the other side of the small lot from the van, watching it curiously, as I got out of my car. The driver got out of the van seconds after I’d left my own, and as I crossed the lot, towards the front doors of the studio, I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder.

  “Excuse me, Miss, but are you Everlie Harmon?” The man asked, a few yards away.

  “Yes, I am,” I replied, hesitating with my key in the lock on the front door.

  “Great! I have a delivery for you. Let me go get it from the van.” I watched as he jogged back across the parking lot, opened the back door of the van and retrieved a large flower arrangement in a huge, ceramic vase. As he came back over to me, I couldn’t see his face among all the flowers.

  “These are for you.” He hoisted the jumbo arrangement towards me. “You want me to take them inside?”

  “Yeah, that’d be great.” I finished opening the studio door and led the way inside. He set the enormous bouquet on my desk. I dug through my purse for my wallet in order to give him a small tip, but the man stopped me, holding up his hand. “No need ma’am, that’s already been taking care of. You just enjoy.” He smiled and left the studio before I could say anything else.

  He’d only been gone a moment before I dug through the overflowing bouquet t
o find a card attached to the plastic stick in the center the name of the sender wasn’t on the card but it was obvious who they were from as it said, “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady.”

  My heart fluttered as I set the card down on my desk. I’d never been sent flowers before, and the arrangement before me was nicer than any arrangement I’ve ever seen, with sprays of soft pink tones and creamy off-whites. It looked more like a wedding centerpiece, than a bouquet of flowers before a date. “Laying it on pretty thick Mr. Newman,” I said to myself, still smiling like a fool. It might have been way over the top, but I couldn’t help but appreciate the thought that he put into it, and what had to have been a huge floral bill.

  I remembered the sweet way he’d been the night before, so different than he’d been on our first meeting. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

  I was halfway through my first class of the day, and busy trying not to tear my hair out while teaching cranky two-year-olds how to plié while they were more interested in chasing each other and tearing off their leotards, when a second delivery van pulled into the parking lot. I saw another uniformed man, just like the flower delivery man from that morning, emerge with a red box that was about the size of a shoe box. I left the screaming toddlers, and stepped closer to the floor to ceiling windows, trying to see what logo was on the side of his delivery van. The man entered the studio and we went through the same routine as I had with the flower delivery man that morning. Once he’d confirmed my identity, he handed me the box and left, saying there was no tip needed. I put the box on my desk, and forced my attention back to wrangling my pack of rowdy students, doing my best to ignore the intense curiosity eating a hole through my brain.

  When all of the students had left, I had about ten minutes before my next class started. I rushed over to my desk and pulled the lid off the box. Inside, three stacked layers of paper cups were nestled, each with a different assortment of chocolate truffles. I giggled and popped one into my mouth, my laugh dissolving into a moan of pleasure as the delicious chocolate melted on my tongue. The center was filled with caramel and I was pretty sure I’d never had anything so delicious in my life. There wasn’t a name or logo on the box, but I didn’t have to know where they were from to know they were very expensive, very gourmet chocolates. I was about to close the box—after eating two more bites—when I saw another note, similar to the one from the flowers, taped on the inside of the lid. This one said, “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

  I smiled and ran my eyes over the note again, my constant loop of questions about Ryker swirling back to the surface of my mind. He was obviously very persistent, and I couldn’t help but start to wonder why. He’d said he was in Vegas for a celebration after returning home from overseas with the military. However, over the course of our double date with Tori and Bennett, neither of them had been very specific on how long they’d be in town and neither one had breathed a word about the mission they just returned from. At the time, I hadn’t wanted to ask, out of respect for their mission and privacy, but as Ryker got closer, I couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on. Perhaps most importantly, why, of all the girls in Vegas, did he have his eyes so intensely focused on me? Was it simply the thrill of the chase? My mom had taught me that a lady was to have an air of mystery and elusiveness. Was that it though? Curiosity? Was Ryker simply being so sweet in his pursuit because I was hard to catch?

  I shook my head, deciding against that theory. It didn’t seem to fit. But before I could cook up a new theory, my next group of students arrived and I had to turn my attention back towards teaching. The rest of the morning passed quickly, and just as I dismissed my last morning class, half past noon, another delivery arrived. This time it was a delicious meal from a very trendy café. I gave a halfway shocked burst of laughter thinking about how much of a fortune Ryker must’ve spent on the delivery fee getting the meal all the way from the heart of Vegas out to the boonies where I taught. This time the card said, “I’m planning on a late dinner tonight and don’t want you to be hungry. Enjoy.”

  I unpacked the meal one box at a time and was startled to find that somehow he’d included all of my favorite foods. It was almost unnerving to see the attention to detail he’d paid, and left me wondering when I’d mentioned all of my favorite foods. There was a Cobb salad, a mozzarella sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil pesto and a miniature raspberry custard tart for dessert. I ate greedily, savoring every little morsel, and when I had polished off every bite, I leaned back in my chair and rested a hand on my full stomach. At this rate, between the huge box of chocolates, and the fancy lunch, I was going to need a new wardrobe.

  The final delivery came at the end of my day, just as I was about to lock the front door, and go into the back to change into the jersey dress I’d packed along to change into before Ryker would arrive. I flicked off the main studio lights, leaving only the can lights in the hallway to the bathroom and storage room turned on, when I saw a woman in a pantsuit, carrying a box, coming up the path to the front doors. I squinted at her profile, trying to see if I recognized her as one of the parents. I swung the door open for her and she came inside with a bright smile.

  “Everlie Harmon?”

  “That’s me,” I replied, glancing down at what was actually two large, black boxes, stacked together in her hands.

  “My name is Shannon. I’m from Lacey’s Boutique, and I have a package for you.”

  Oh my God, he sent me lingerie. I internally panicked, while trying not to look upset. I had never heard of the boutique she’d named, but it sounded like a place you’d buy panties, and the boxes were flat, and thin.

  “Mr. Newman selected these two options for you to try, and whichever you like best, is yours to keep,” Shannon explained, still smiling brightly at me.

  “Thank you,” I said, reaching for the boxes.

  “Would you like me to wait while you try them on? If not, you can drop the extra outfit off at the boutique, or send for a courier to collect it.”

  I took the boxes from her, surprised by the weight. “I can try them on now. If you have time. I don’t want to inconvenience you…”

  “Of course not. I’ll be out here, take as much time as you need.”

  Shannon took a seat as I went to the bathroom. I got inside and opened the top box to find a long, black gown. The material was thin, but elegant, and before I even slipped it on, I knew it would drape beautifully on my figure. Before trying on the black dress, I opened the second box. The dress inside was short, and a metallic gold with sparkling appliques. They were both beautiful, but it was hard to imagine that they were both appropriate for the same occasion. Ryker had never told me where we were going, and I’d assumed we would be going to dinner, or a bar. However, the two dresses had me wondering if he had something altogether different up his sleeve.

  It was an easy decision, and Shannon smiled as I handed her the box containing the short, gold dress. “Excellent choice. This is also for you,” she added, producing a small, black velvet box from the pocket of her jacket.

  I arched a brow as I took the small box, and she smiled even wider. I opened the lid and gasped at the pair of drop, diamond earrings nestled on a piece of black velvet. “Oh my God!”

  “I know! They’re stunning.” Shannon nodded at me as I put them on. “They look amazing. Have a wonderful evening!”

  She left and I looked up at the clock, suddenly frantic that Ryker would be arriving within ten minutes. I ran to the bathroom, hurried to apply my makeup. I took my hair out of its tight bun, fluffed out the gentle waves, and then slipped back into the black dress. I spun in the mirror, looking at the way the dress hugged my curves, and smiled. I felt like I was about to go to the Academy Awards.

  I was still admiring myself, preening and fussing with my hair, when I heard a strong, masculine voice call out from the studio, “Everlie?”

  My hands froze in place, framing my face, and my stomach dropped out the bottom as though I’d just
plummeted from the top of a theme park ride.

  I took a deep breath and left the bathroom, rounding the corner to find Ryker standing in the middle of the studio, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, a crisp white shirt and a smile that sucked the breath right out of my lungs.

  “Oh my God, Everlie, you’re beautiful!” He said, his eyes taking a slow, appreciative tour of my body.

  My cheeks warmed and I ducked my chin. “Thank you, Ryker. This dress is amazing…”

  Ryker nodded and stepped closer. His dark eyes were fixed on mine, a dangerous smile formed on his enticing lips. “You ready?” He asked, reaching out his hand.

  My heart faltered at his question. Was I?

  A moment stretched out, suspending us for a beat, before I took his hand and replied, “Yes.”

  Chapter Nine

  Everlie

  My heart was still thundering as Ryker led me out to his waiting car. He held open my door, making sure not to crush the edges of the dress, as he tucked me inside, and went around to the driver’s side. As soon as he turned over the engine, I couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going?”

  He smiled at me. “It’s a surprise. But you’ll like it, trust me.”

  He pulled out of the lot and we set off back in the direction of the city. A few minutes of silence passed, before I said, “Thank you for all of the gifts today. You didn’t have to do all that, you know.”

  Ryker glanced at me. “I wanted to. I’m glad you enjoyed.”

  “I did,” I replied, looking out of the corner of my eye at the handsome man beside me. The entire day had been like a storybook romance. Gifts and flowers, a special dress and exquisite jewelry. It was all surreal and looking at the man who had orchestrated it all felt even more pinch-me-I’m-dreaming perfect.

  “How were your classes today?” Ryker asked.

  We chatted about that as we drove into the city. He asked questions about different ballet words, laughed at the stories of the wild two-year-olds, and smiled when I told him about my reaction to all the gifts as they arrived throughout the day. The conversation wound down just as we pulled into a parking garage. I still had no idea what he was up to, and with the central location, we could be going anywhere.