Wicked Kingpin Read online

  Chapter Four

  Knox stood up from the table and walked to the edge of the pool. He considered his next words very carefully. Truth was, he didn’t know how to answer her. He had never allowed anyone to get under his skin until Leah. She infuriated him on so many levels, but she had a point. Knox didn’t date or cook for anyone else. Relationships took too much work, so he stayed away from them.

  “Knox? Please say something,” she whispered.

  Leah joined him by the pool. His jacket looked far too big on her, but it pleased him to see her wearing something of his. Knox imagined her dressed in nothing but one of his t-shirts, how the thin material would make her gorgeous tits and curves stick out. Knox wouldn’t allow her to wear any underwear so he could have complete access to her.

  Turning to her, Knox cupped her cheek. Her breathing hitched. Her skin felt like silk under his fingers. So soft and malleable. Breakable. Knox had to be very careful with her. Leah still harbored the illusion that there was still some good left in him. There wasn’t. If she truly knew how much blood was on his hands, would she still want him?

  Knox was raised by his father to believe the strong ate the weak. Leah could make him weak, he understood that on a fundamental level. If he allowed her to become something more than a toy, a fling to him, she’d be a liability. His enemies could use her against him. Knox decided it would be a risk he had to take.

  “Knox?” she asked again.

  Leah asked him earlier why he went through all this trouble for her tonight. Knox gave her his answer in the form of a kiss. He took her mouth, plundered it without care. She gripped his shoulders, didn’t fight him at all. They both needed, no wanted this.

  Knox thrust his tongue down her throat only for her to suck down on it. The way her heavy breasts rubbed against his chest drove him mad. Their clothes got in the way of skin touching. He slipped his hands under the jacket and past her sweater to touch her heated skin. She moaned when Knox released her mouth. Knox left a trail of hot kisses down the line of her neck.

  Leah tensed when he closed his teeth right over her pulse point. Knox bit down. At the same time, he slipped one hand past the cup of her bra. He rolled the bud of her nipple between two fingers and gave it a pinch. His dick rubbed painfully against the zipper of his jeans.

  Fuck, but the moan that escaped her lips sounded like an invitation. He wanted to strip her out of her clothes right there and then. See her completely bared for him. Then Knox remembered where they were. They’d freeze their asses off out here if they lingered. He released her.

  “Let’s head back inside,” Knox whispered in her ear.

  “Okay. Wait. What about our plates?” she asked.

  “Leave them. Someone will take care of them in the morning.”

  “Knox, the reason I asked earlier,” she began in a halting voice.

  His patience had reached its limits, but he waited because Leah looked like she needed to get something off her chest. She leaned against him, not bothering to put any distance between them. That was something.

  “Tell me, kitten,” he urged.

  Her body, her virginity was his to claim but Knox didn’t just want to stop at owning her body. Knox was a greedy bastard for wanting it all—her heart and soul included. Leah had intrigued and captivated him from the moment he’d spied her sitting behind her brother in the gambling den. One look and Knox was hooked.

  Knox wanted to know what made his woman tick. Her fears. Her delights.

  Knox wrapped his arms around her shivering body, and she melted into his embrace like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

  “An ex hurt me before,” she finally admitted.

  Jealousy rammed into him. Imagining Leah with someone else made Knox see red but he culled his anger and mulled over her words. Whoever hurt his woman deserved to die. Painfully.

  Gone were the days Knox had to wring answers out of his enemies. His men did it for him now but this fucker who hurt Leah warranted Knox’s special attention.

  “Who?” he asked, point-blank.

  “Brody. We went for almost a year. He eventually got tired of waiting for me. He called me stuck up for not wanting to have sex with him,” she admitted. “Later on, I realized I was only going out with him because I didn’t want to be alone. He was never good for me.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Knox asked in a careful tone.

  “Not physically. It was more like he was emotionally abusive. He kept making remarks about my weight. Always told me I was lucky that a guy like him settled for a broke waitress like me.”

  What the fuck?

  This Brody was a walking dead man. Knox had already formulated a plan in his head. Once Knox obtained a last name from Leah, he’d have his men track this fucker down.

  Once Brody was tucked away in one of Knox’s shipping containers, Knox would work on him. Knox would make Brody regret ever laying his eyes on what rightfully belonged to him.

  “His last name? His social security number would be very helpful,” Knox said.

  She blinked at him then playfully punched his arm. “You can’t kill him.”

  “No?” Knox pressed a kiss to the hickey he’d left on her neck earlier. “You forget who you’re talking to.”

  She shuddered. Tucked against his body like this, Leah felt so tiny against him. Another wave of possessiveness took root inside him.

  “Kitten, don’t you realize what a treasure you are?” he murmured. “Any man would be lucky to have you. Too bad they can’t, because you’re mine now.”

  Leah fell silent for a few moments. She eventually spoke up. “Knox, all men cheat. A week later, I found out Brody was sleeping with someone else. He’d been cheating on me weeks even before we broke up.”

  “I’m not Brody,” Knox reminded her. “I’ll never hurt you, Leah. You’re mine to own and protect. You don’t have to worry either, because I won’t be able to look at another woman. Why would I, when I have you?”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Knox.”

  “I keep all my promises.” Knox would end his own fucking life before he harmed a single hair on her head. It was crazy how obsessed he was with her. They’d only met today, and Leah had already sunk her hooks deep in his skin.

  “I’ll hold you to your word,” she said.

  Knox ushered her back inside where it was a lot warmer. He peeled the jacket off her shoulders, nudged her toward the direction of his bedroom.

  She reminded him of a little lost lamb being led to the slaughter by the big bad wolf but Leah wasn’t just going with the flow against her will. Excitement shone in her eyes. She gripped his fingers hard, almost as if she didn’t want to let go.

  A frightened prey animal would run out Knox’s front door, screaming. This wasn’t the same woman he’d met hours ago who’d told him she’d fight him with every breath.

  They ended up in his bedroom. His cock felt like a steel pipe between his legs, but Knox decided tonight wasn’t the right time to take her cherry.

  Leah had trust issues, that much was clear. Her ex did a fucking number on her, but she was in Knox’s hands now. Knox didn’t need to rush. He had all the damn time in the world.

  “Knox, before we do this, I need to make a quick trip to the bathroom,” she said.

  “It’s right through there,” he said, nodding to the door on his left.

  “I’ll be quick,” Leah promised, disappearing inside.

  For a second, he became worried she’d attempt some kind of escape. Illogical thought. A child wouldn’t be able to escape through the small window and they were twenty-two floors up. She was probably just nervous.

  Knox’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket. It had been doing that since they entered his apartment. Knox fished it out, unsurprised to see several messages from his business associates. Knox texted them back and told them they’d have their meeting in a few days.

  Knox looked back at the bathroom door.

  When was Leah going to come ou
t?

  Chapter Five

  Leah splashed more water on her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The same unremarkable woman stared back at her. She wasn’t a knock-out. Leah didn’t see herself as beautiful.

  She could’ve passed for pretty maybe but beautiful?

  She must be the most unattractive woman Knox had ever been with and Knox Carter could have any woman he desired.

  Wait. It shouldn’t matter. She couldn’t want him.

  Knox had taken her against her will—except there was something wrong with that statement. Knox didn’t do anything. Leah came along for the ride. A captive would’ve fought her captor tooth and nail. All Knox had done so far was feed her a very good dinner.

  She studied her reflection. There were dark shadows under her eyes. Leah looked far too pale and she had been working double shifts lately.

  “He called me a treasure,” Leah whispered to the empty bathroom.

  He couldn’t hear her, not with the water running.

  Knox wasn’t trying to charm her. He didn’t need to bother, not when Leah was technically his to do with as he pleased. Leah turned the water off and finally took a good look at the bathroom.

  It felt like being in a fancy five-star hotel. He had two sinks for some reason. A damn jacuzzi alongside a shower that could probably fit four people.

  “Why would anyone need a jacuzzi in their bathroom?” Leah wondered out loud.

  The knock on the door made her jump.

  “Leah, you okay in there?” Knox asked.

  She opened the door. “Yup, sorry for making you wait. I was just admiring your giant tub.”

  “I don’t use it often. A friend of mine persuaded me to get it.” Knox paused. “You were in there for a long time. Getting nervous?”

  “Not at all. Where were we?” Leah demanded with a confidence she didn’t quite feel.

  She only caught a glimpse of Knox’s bedroom before making a hasty retreat to the bed. Like everything else, his bed was enormous. King-sized. Knox could fit an orgy in that bed.

  Jealousy sparked inside her, then she remembered Knox telling her that he’d never invited women to his apartment. She was the first and if she allowed it, he’d be her first as well. The man she’d give her virginity to.

  Leah thought she had been saving herself for the right man to come along. Maybe there was no time like the present.

  “Scared, kitten?” Knox teased.

  “Not at all.”

  “Lie down on the bed,” Knox ordered.

  Heart thudding, Leah willingly crawled onto the sheets.

  “Scoot down a little. There. Perfect,” Knox said.

  Leah lay there, unsure of what to do. He neared the bed, lifted her left leg, and took her sneaker off. He did the same with her right foot.

  “Knox, what—” Leah began.

  “Hush, kitten. Relax. Tonight is all about you and you alone.”

  Her socks came next. To Leah’s embarrassment, she noticed they were mismatched. Knox didn’t seem to care. She began to wonder what he meant by his words.

  Knox hooked his fingers into the belt loop of her jeans and tugged them down, exposing her legs and her fiery red lace underwear. It had a white bow over the crotch area.

  Knox whistled, briefly admiring Leah’s choice of undergarments. She blushed.

  “I appreciate a woman who loves lingerie.”

  “It’s laundry day. I didn’t have anything else to wear,” Leah said.

  “You can try going commando sometimes,” he said with a wicked laugh that made her nipples harden.

  Knox traced the shape of her pussy lips with two fingers, making Leah squirm. She suddenly imagined him ripping off her panties. To have no barriers between them.

  He took them off, slowly and carefully like he had all the time in the world. Leah thought a man like Knox would lack patience. She assumed he wouldn’t bother with any foreplay. That he’d just rip off all her clothes and get what he wanted. She was so wrong on many levels.

  This man was a puzzle. A complication. No wonder people were scared to cross him. Leah wouldn’t want Knox as her enemy.

  Cool air kissed her thighs and pussy. With a single searing glance from Knox, Leah became embarrassingly wet for him. There was something erotic about the way he remained completely clothed while she was half-dressed.

  “I’ve been dreaming of doing this since I saw you at the poker table,” he said.

  “Doing what?” she whispered.

  The urge to close her legs arose but Knox settled himself between her thighs.

  “Taste how sweet you are.” Knox lowered his head and looked at her cunt for a few moments, smiling all the while. “Look at that pretty pink pussy. Tell me, Leah. Have you recently touched yourself?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Two nights ago.”

  “From now on, this sweet pussy of yours belongs to me. You can’t play with yourself without my permission. Remember who owns you,” Knox said in a soft but firm voice.

  She was too drunk on him, on the moment, to argue.

  He pushed out his tongue and licked her slick folds. A loud moan spilled from Leah’s lips. She fisted the sheets above her as Knox went to work. He lapped at her pussy like a cat with a bowl of milk.

  God, but no man should be this talented with his mouth. Knox nipped, sucked, even used a bit of teeth. He slid two fingers inside her pussy and began to massage her inner walls. Knox didn’t push all the way in, didn’t break the thin layer of her virginity.

  The moment Knox set his teeth on her clit, Leah unraveled. With a hoarse cry, she came. Her mind flew skyward. Knox’s bedroom disappeared from her line of sight. He crawled next to Leah, gathered her close. Knox’s mouth descended on hers, making Leah taste herself on him.

  “Did you enjoy yourself, kitten?” he asked after pulling away.

  “Yes.” Leah moved her gaze to the bulge in his pants. “What about you?”

  Knox kissed the top of her head. She felt like a child next to him. “Next time. You’re not ready for me yet.”

  Her mind wasn’t working properly yet. She let him hold her because it felt so good. Like this, Leah could pretend Knox was simply a tender and loving boyfriend. That she just had a strange but mind-blowing evening. In this warped reality, Leah’s asshole brother didn’t risk her in a game of cards.

  It was nice to dream. Tucked against Knox’s warm and big chest, Leah almost felt safe. What a strange adjective to use.

  She was never safe. Growing up in the bad part of the city with a brother who was often absent had taught Leah she could only rely on herself. No one else.

  Leah should rise, demand that Knox take her back home. Show a little resistance. He wouldn’t bite. In Knox’s mind, Leah was already his property.

  Was that really a bad thing?

  Knox wasn’t the monster Leah thought he was. He’d made her dinner. He could’ve taken her against her will, but he hadn’t. He went down on her, showed her new heights of pleasure—something Brody had never done.

  Did she really want to return to the grimy and cramped apartment she and Larry shared?

  That place had ceased to be home when Larry showed her his true colors. When Larry gambled her away without guilt or remorse.

  Besides, Knox’s sheets felt so silky, so soft against her body. She bet his sheet had a thousand-thread count or something. Exhaustion hit her deep. It had been a very long night.

  “Where are you going?” she asked when Knox slipped out of bed.

  “I need to take care of something. Rest, kitten. I’ll join you in bed soon enough.” Knox leaned over her and gave her a sharp but quick kiss on the mouth.

  He slipped his hand under her sweater and gave her breast a squeeze. Leah moaned, feeling hot all over again when she imagined him between her legs, grinning like a wolf.

  “Stay,” he repeated, as if he wasn’t sure she’d still be here once he returned.

  Too tired to argue, she murmured, “I’m not going a
nywhere.”

  Then Leah closed her eyes. Maybe this was all a nightmare or a very good dream. Sleep took her under.

  Chapter Six

  Knox pictured Leah on his bed, her rich, dark chestnut hair spread across the pillows, her legs splayed open in front of him.

  He groaned, resting one palm against the tiled wall while he used the other to work his cock. This was the business he’d told her he needed to tend to.

  She tasted so fucking sweet and Knox wanted to do it all over again. Make her come all over his face. Her languid expression afterward looked so exquisite that Knox branded it in his memory forever.

  Knox’s balls drew tight against his body. Every muscle felt locked in place. He worked his dick faster. His breaths came short. One last tug and Knox let out a groan, spilling his seed all over the shower walls. Knox rested his forehead against the cool wall.

  Fuck. He was a saint for reeling in his control. She looked so fuckable, so eager on his bed. Knox bet she wouldn’t resist him one bit if he chose to take her cherry tonight and he didn’t understand why he’d held back.

  He was Knox Carter. Once he saw something he liked, he took it without apology.

  This woman was doing strange things to him.

  She’s going to make you soft, said a nasty voice in his head. His father’s disapproving voice.

  Knox saw his old man sitting him down in the funeral home all those years ago, telling Knox not to make the same mistake as he did. His old man fell for someone so hard, he crumbled once his soul mate was gone.

  “I’m fucked,” Knox said, turning the shower on.

  He stood there longer than usual, letting the water drench his hair and body until his skin started to turn wrinkly.

  Knox stepped out fifteen minutes later. He thought a shower would cool him off. Make him see reason again, but it didn’t. If his father was still alive today, Knox’s old man would remind him to let go of liabilities.