Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 85(@200wpm)___ 68(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 85(@200wpm)___ 68(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
I gulp down. This is slipping out of my control. He’s pushed me so far out of my comfort zone that my mind goes blank, and the sound of my pounding heart in my eardrums is all I can focus on.
“Wh—” I can’t even form a word, let alone the rest of that question.
“You want something, I want something. It’s quid pro quo,” Professor Callahan says, leading me down a road I hoped he’d never stoop to. “It wouldn’t be the first time one of the brightest students at Winchester University had a sudden fall from grace.”
Screaming for help is the smart thing to do, but my lungs won’t allow it. The air is trapped inside. Choked down by his looming presence. Shallow breaths aren’t helping me find the courage, either. They’re making me lightheaded, on the verge of collapse, and I’m doing everything in my power to stop myself from falling into his arms.
“You can’t—”
“I can, and I will,” he cuts me off. “No sweat off my brow.”
He slams a flat palm against the wall next to my head, and I jump at the loud bang it makes. His face twists from narrow-eyed aggression into a twisted, devilish grin. “You’re just another nobody in an endless stream of faces as far as they’re concerned. One bad word from me, and you’ll fall far into the deepest pits of obscurity. So, I'll give you a choice.”
He pauses, expecting me to ask what it is. Wanting me to play into his hand and relinquish control in full. But if being frozen in fear wasn’t enough reason to stay completely still, my urge to fight this prick tooth and nail until the end will be.
Noticing I’m not going to give in, his grin twists into a sneer. “Either give me a shot,” he starts, and I’m sure it doesn’t mean go out on a nice date and see how things play out, “or I’m going to make your life hell.”
A long, dark shadow engulfs us as his ultimatum is delivered, as though the lights themselves dimmed to reflect my darkening mood. Professor Callahan pulls his hand away, and the annoyance on his face washes away to an emotion I can’t quite place.
But it’s with his newfound terror that I realize the shadow can’t be some figment of my imagination. And try as he might to get away from me, Professor Callahan is as trapped in the corner as I am now.
“You picked the wrong girl to fuck with.” My man’s voice pierces through the thumping in my ears. “And I’m gonna make you regret it.”
Before I can fully realize what’s happening, Knight has Professor Callahan by the scruff of the neck. He lifts him into the air effortlessly before yanking his arm backward and sending the professor flying into a snack shelf behind. The sound of chip packets pop open like gunshots as Callahan’s body smashes into them.
My Knight in shining armor, swooping in to save the day - again. With it, my fears melt away, and my heart’s quick to follow.
Deeper in lust and love.
9
KNIGHT
I’ll fucking kill him.
Make it slow, torturous, and painful. Have the thrill of watching him squirm beneath me. Listen to his vain attempts to beg and plead for mercy while I exact revenge.
Taking a moment to scan Lora for any obvious signs of physical harm, none present themselves. Dazed but unscathed, I would’ve released a heavy sigh of relief if my blood wasn’t boiling. Without thinking, or maybe because I have no idea how to handle this other than with my fists, I spin on my heels and direct my attention to the professor.
“I warned you, didn’t I?” I storm toward Callahan, who’s wheezing and attempting to shuffle through the crushed chips back to his feet. “Now, I’m gonna have to show you what happens when you fuck with the Knight Riders.”
Grabbing the front of his shirt in a white-knuckled fist, I deliver the first blow square against his jaw. The second follows shortly behind, but I’m caught off guard by Trent calling out from the front of the store.
“Mr. Knight, what’s going on back there?” I catch my next jab just in time, knuckles brushing against Callahan’s cheek.
Glistening tears flood the professor’s eyes as he stares back at me. A silently weeping man who can never know how lucky he got tonight. Had we not been in this convenience store, Trent watching on, and fears of what Lora might think of me for tearing his head clean off his shoulders, I’d have done it already. Taught him a final lesson all his years of book smarts never could.
Releasing his limp, weak body, Callahan crumbles into the mess I’ve left across the aisle. I lean in close, so only he’ll hear me, and whisper in his ear. “Let this be your final warning. If I see your smug fucking face in this town again, I’ll rip it off.”