First published in Great Britain in year of 2013 by
Quercus Editions Ltd
55 Baker Street
7th Floor, South Block
London
W1U 8EW
Copyright © 2013 by C C Gibbs
The moral right of C C Gibbs to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Print ISBN 978 1 78206 295 0
Ebook ISBN 978 1 78206 296 7
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
You can find this and many other great books at:
www.quercusbooks.co.uk
Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
EPILOGUE
The Heat of the Night
CC Gibbs was born and lives in the USA. Knight Takes Queen is the third book in the Knight Trilogy.
ALSO BY CC GIBBS
AVAILABLE IN EBOOK
Hidden Fantasies
French Caress
Insatiable Desire
The Heat of the Night
Lovers and Rivals
Alone with You
Illicit Embrace
Indecent Attraction
Touch of Sin
At Your Mercy
At Her Command
Surrender to You
To Please a Lady
Our Bodies Entwined
CHAPTER 1
London, May
Kate set the last tiny newborn outfit on the pile of baby clothes that sat beside her on the antique Anatolian carpet, and looked across the tumble of torn wrapping and empty boxes at a man known for the brevity of his relationships.
‘Are you really excited about the baby, Dominic? Or are you just being polite? I’d completely understand if this isn’t your thing … I mean … well – all these lovely gifts aside, you and babies … with your lifestyle.’ Kate shrugged. ‘It’s not necessarily a good fit.’
‘I like kids.’
Dominic’s bland disclaimer brought to mind his easy rapport with his nieces and nephews in San Francisco. ‘Still,’ she pressed because she had a tendency to overanalyse everything and Dominic Knight, billionaire and world-class playboy, was the least likely candidate for fatherhood, ‘have you considered that raising a child is a serious commitment for at least eighteen years, probably more with college and maybe graduate school and—’
‘I know what I’m doing, Katherine.’ Seated on the floor on the other side of the mass of crumpled wrappings and discarded boxes, Dominic Knight suppressed a smile at the notion that he might be accepting this child out of either some benighted courtesy or ignorance. ‘And I don’t make a practice of being polite,’ he added, his blue-eyed gaze on the beautiful redhead wearing kitten print pyjamas who’d casually turned his life upside down. ‘Particularly when it involves marriage and fatherhood. So to answer your question, I’m beyond excited about our baby. I hope that’s clear, now, and whenever you begin to question my motives.’ Then his smile broke through. ‘And knowing you, I’ll hear this again five minutes from now.’
She sniffed. ‘We can’t all be totally confident twenty-four/seven.’
His smiled widened. ‘Please. The lady who’s always right.’
‘I am brilliant, aren’t I?’ she said with a grin
‘Definitely, baby. You’re my genius hacker.’ He winked. ‘And you’ve made my life a helluva lot more interesting.’
She laughed. ‘How diplomatic. When you actually mean you like a fight now and then.’
His eyelids drifted lower, the teasing gleam in his eyes filtered by his absurdly long dark lashes. ‘Anytime, baby. Marquess of Queensberry Rules or not. You decide.’ He glanced at his vintage Cartier Santos Dumont watch. ‘I don’t have any appointments till noon tomorrow so we have plenty of time. And my appointments can be cancelled if necessary.’
‘How very accommodating of you,’ Kate said softly.
Dominic smiled faintly. ‘We try.’
Suddenly the image of countless females being accommodated by the incredibly beautiful, sexually talented Knight Enterprises CEO brought the teasing game to a screeching halt. ‘But you’re only accommodating me from now on,’ she said with an obstinate jut of her chin.
‘Only you,’ he readily agreed, when he would have found such limitations incomprehensible a few brief months ago.
Leaning back against the flax-coloured sofa, her green gaze shimmering with delight, she smiled at the man she loved. ‘So,’ she murmured, with delicate impertinence and a little dip of her head. ‘Have I really tamed the premier playboy of the Western World?’
A lazy flicker of a smile. ‘I didn’t think you liked it tame?’
His words hovered palpably in the sudden silence.
Spiked through her body, flame-hot and riveting.
Pooled in seething delirium deep down inside her.
‘Meaning?’ she whispered, finding it hard to breathe.
‘Meaning, why don’t we find out what you do like?’ he gently said, coming to his feet in a graceful flow of toned muscle, having politely waited through the unwrapping of countless boxes for her to finally read his mind. He held out his strong hand with its dusting of dark hair, his long fingers faintly splayed.
A shiver of pleasure raced through her. Broad-shouldered, lean hipped, in jeans and a faded blue Peace T-shirt, Dominic’s dark, brooding beauty was breathtaking: the overlong silky black hair, the bad-boy scorching blue eyes, the high cheekbones and fine bone structure, the arrow-straight nose, the mouth saved from outright sensuality by the contradictory don’t-mess-with-me firmness. The whole package – transcendent male perfection.
And when he leaned down and his hand closed around hers, she trembled at the glut of prodigal sensation, at the feverish need coiling in the pit of her stomach, at the blazing hot desire streaking up her spine. Agitated and restless, she said on a suffocated breath, ‘I’m sorry. But it’s been so long I’m not going to last.’
Drawing her to her feet, he slid his hands under her arms, lifted her over the pile of boxes and set her down. ‘Then let’s go take care of you.’
‘You don’t have much time.’ Her voice was shaky. ‘Just so you know.’
He shot her a grin. ‘Do we have time to get into bed? Otherwise,’ he glanced down at his erection straining his jeans, ‘he’s good anywhere. Just say the word.’
‘Jesus, don’t ask me to make a decision now!’
He smiled at her familiar breathless rush to orgasm and swinging her up into his arms, swiftly strode from the reception room an
d down the hallway. Moments later, walking into her bedroom, he covered the distance to the bed in four long strides and lowered her to the white quilted coverlet. Quickly unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans as she frantically squirmed out of her pyjama bottoms, he dropped, fully clothed, between her pale legs and, on easy terms with expeditious sex, deftly guided the head of his dick to her slick sex.
‘Oh, God … hurry, hurry …’
He heard her sharp intake of breath as he plunged into her succulent body, but his erection was only partially submerged when she suddenly climaxed with a smothered, fretful cry.
Dipping his head, Dominic inhaled her sulky groan. ‘I’m sorry, baby,’ he whispered, his breath warm on her pouty mouth. ‘We’ll make it better next time – and the time after that because I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying’, he gently flexed his hips, ‘right here for as long as you need me.’
She softly moaned as his rigid length slid deeper, raised her hips into the heavenly sensation, and when he responded with well-bred grace, forcing himself deeper still, she uttered a low languorous purr of contentment
He smiled. ‘Good?’
Another weightless, dreamy pleasure sound, a faint wiggle.
‘Not quite enough? More?’ Moving with masterful finesse, he drove into her soft yielding flesh, the pressure like silk on silk; smooth, fluid, exquisitely sensual.
‘How’s that?’
‘Ummm …’
He knew that lush, primitive utterance, had missed hearing it the last ten weeks, smiled at the thought of fucking himself to death to keep that velvety growl humming in his ears. The audacious thought had no more than crossed his mind than it was quickly scotched by his reproachful intellect. New ball game, dude. No fucking violence. Dragging a breath of restraint, giving himself a mental shake for good measure, Dominic absorbed the new reality. But he needed some guidelines. ‘Baby, look at me,’ he quietly said, touching her cheek.
Kate lifted her green gaze, a tiny flicker of moodiness visible. ‘No orders, Dominic,’ she sulkily murmured. ‘I want to really come this time. I hate those half-climaxes.’
As if that was his fault. But on his best behaviour since she’d only just allowed him back into her life, he didn’t contradict her. ‘Give me a few minutes and we’ll make you happy. But first you have to tell me if,’ he hesitated, took a small breath. ‘I don’t want to hurt anything … the baby, you, whatever might get hurt. This is all new to me … so you’re the one who has to say no. Tame is fine if that’s what you need. Understand?’
‘Everything’s normal. Nothing’s changed.’ At his lifted brow, she held his gaze just long enough to emphasize her certainty. ‘Really, I’m perfectly fine.’ Some morning sickness aside, but it wasn’t morning. ‘So don’t worry about it.’
Long past intimidation of any kind, even from the wilful mother of his child, he politely smiled. ‘Just in case, that’s all I’m saying. You tell me. I’ll listen.’
‘How about I tell you to move a little?’ she pertly said.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or be pissed. She constantly shook up the established role of women in his life. Not to mention his life in general. On the other hand, he’d been in command of a large part of the world too long to accept orders from her or anyone. ‘Ask me nicely and I’ll be happy to move.’
She scowled.
He moved just enough to make his point.
After she stopped shuddering, she gave him a squinty-eyed look.
‘Come on, baby, compromise. Neither of us likes orders.’ He grinned. ‘Just ask me even semi-nicely. We both want this, OK?’
She rolled her eyes, but every sentient nerve in her body was zeroed in on the immensity of Dominic’s gorgeous dick filling her to excess, his pulse throbbing through the compressed network of veins in his engorged erection, matching her own hectic heartbeat. And damn him, he could outlast her by a week or more, so really … what were a few words in exchange for a mind-blowing climax? ‘Please move, semi-nicely. Is that enough of a compromise?’
‘Absolutely,’ he whispered, kissing her tenderly, withdrawing slightly, and seeing the petulance return to her gaze, quickly added, ‘We’re here, baby. This is for you.’ But he drove back into her slick, yielding body, slowly, carefully, because one of them had to be sensible and that usually meant him. When he reached the ultimate depth and ever so gently nudged her taut flesh, her lashes drifted lower, the petulance faded from her eyes and she softly sighed in blissful satisfaction.
He smiled. There. That was the sound he was waiting for.
She was happy, gratified. Without roughness or violence.
But these next few months were going to be an exercise in self-denial and prudence. Not that having Katherine back wasn’t an awesome trade-off. And what the hell, vanilla sex was the norm for most people. Maybe he’d even get used to it.
His priorities established, he ushered in the new construct of making love, a strange, radical concept for him, separate from fucking, unique to this small, voluptuous woman beneath him, enveloping him, warming his dick and his heart. Unselfish, super indulgent, calling on all his considerable skills, he smoothly slid in and out of her as she grew wetter and wetter, told her what they were going to do later after she’d climaxed properly, how he was going to keep her up all night, how he was going to fill her with cum because he could and she was always a willing recipient. ‘Aren’t you?’ he murmured, nibbling her earlobe, relishing the taste of her.
His deep, commanding voice warmed her senses, his nipping teeth made her shiver, made her breathless with longing, his massive dick – her fatal addiction, her greedy pleasure. And as he skilfully penetrated and withdrew, mindful of pleasing both her clit and her G-spot, she clung to him, rose to meet each exquisitely placed stroke until increasingly frantic she forced the rhythm.
He smoothly altered his pace, intent on indulging her, fully capable, not to mention accomplished at pleasing women should he choose.
And with Katherine, he did – wholeheartedly.
How had she ever thought she could live without him, without this sweeping pleasure that was rich with lust, soft with the magic of love, the quintessential metaphor for having her cake and eating it too. ‘Don’t ever stop,’ she panted, lifting into his down stroke, sliding her hands lower, under his loosened jeans, splaying her fingers over his taut ass and holding on tight. ‘Not ever, not …’ she squeaked as he broke her grip.
‘Pay attention, baby.’ His deep voice was teasing. ‘This means I’m not stopping.’ And having withdrawn, he pushed in again, all the way into that sweet spot that always made her gasp.
‘Oh God …’ She could feel her bones melting, her brain turning to mush, her body liquefying into a puddle of hot passion and need. ‘More, more.’ She ground her hips into his erection, reaching for the next wave of feverish rapture. ‘More!’
Her panting, frenzied demand struck a hypercritical nerve, one he’d not known existed until recently. The one that dealt with jealousy and possession, two unknown concepts until Katherine had entered his life. He suddenly went motionless inside her. ‘Baby, who’s fucking you?’ His voice had a bite to it, a pissy edge. ‘Do you even know who’s fucking you?’
She whimpered, tried to move.
He held her down, his hand on her hip. ‘Open your goddamn eyes. Answer me.’
She finally heard him, or rather his low, husky growl registered, his harsh authority registered and every twitching carnal receptor, every libidinous switch in her body flipped on, triggered and provoked by lustful memory. She struggled to open her eyes, but distracted by flame-hot sensation, by tremulous pre-orgasmic ripples goading her brain, she focused instead on the spiking delirium.
‘Katherine.’ Razor-sharp and exacting.
But so near to climax now, she didn’t hear him.
Forcing himself to behave, reminding himself why he had to take it easy, he tamped down his temper, and gently touched her bottom lip. ‘That’s OK, baby, maybe next time.’ And ap
ologetic and conciliatory, he began to move inside her again.
‘Oh God, thank you,’ she panted, not in response to his unheard statement but in abject gratitude because her climax had immediately ignited, all flash and violence as he touched her quivering pussy to the core.
He swallowed the classic response to Oh God, smiled, whispered, ‘Here we go, baby,’ and plunged in again, deeper, gloriously, delectably deeper.
Surging upward, needy, ravenous, so close, she made lurid contact with his down thrust and suddenly the building hysteria broke, and her orgasm began to sweep hot and seething through her body. The raging ecstasy slid red hot up her spine, coloured the entire world in glowing bliss, electrified her brain and just as she was about to explode, she momentarily tensed. Then her wild scream rose into the high-ceiling room, bounced off the pale, buttercream walls, gave potent, gloating voice to ten long weeks of sexual deprivation while she came and came and came …
Already pouring into her sleek, drenched sex, Dominic was deaf to her cry, too intent on pumping jolt after shuddering jolt into her welcoming body, focused solely on ejaculating a flood of white-hot cum into the woman he was reclaiming as his personal property.
After a prolonged, rampaging tidal wave of mutual bliss, his guttural grunts and her screams slowly faded, the silence punctuated only by laboured breathing. Until, at last, a hush descended.
Lengthened.
The two people on the bed still cushioned in a velvety euphoria.
Finally, half dazed and warmly aglow, still inexplicably overwhelmed with desire, Kate whispered, ‘I warn you, Dominic, I may never get enough of you.’
It took him a fraction of a second to lift his head from the mattress near her shoulder. And another second to normalize his breathing. Then resting on his forearms, an ingrained, habitual position for a man his size, he smiled down at Kate. ‘We’re here anytime, baby.’ Still resting inside her, his dick only nominally diminished, he shifted his hips in confirmation. ‘Just ask.’
Reaching up, she slid his dark, tumbled hair behind his ears and grinned. ‘Perfect. Because you’re mine,’ she said. ‘Don’t forget it.’