Chapter Eleven
QUINN
S ilence echoed around me, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit there and bask in it. I scanned the room for my clutch as I climbed off the bed. Scooping it up off the floor, I grabbed my rescue inhaler and took a puff.
Breathing easier, I raced from the room to the door with the blue coat of arms. I retraced the path I’d taken in, searching for landmarks I recognized until I found my way back to the dressing room. The door slammed shut behind me, and once again, I was alone.
But it didn’t stay that way for long.
Midway through pulling on my dress, the door opened. My head snapped toward my intruder, expecting to find Max, or maybe Landon. But to my surprise—and my relief—it wasn’t either of them.
Kingston D’Arthur stood in the doorway.
The sight of him there was somehow both alarming and oddly disarming. No doubt he’d been notified of my failure to please and had come to find me so he could send me on my way. But at the same time, my indignation over having my neck on the chopping block suddenly fizzled out.
He didn’t stare at me like a King ready to toss out an unwanted Maiden.
No, he stared at me like a man starved—hungry for a delicacy he’d always wanted but never dreamed of tasting.
I didn’t fully understand it, but I liked it.
Clapping my hand over my chest, I spun around. I grabbed the neckline of my dress, pulling it over my hips.
He expelled a breath. “I heard your evening didn’t go as planned.”
I snorted. “Yeah. You can say that again.”
“What are you doing in here?”
“Just packing up so I can leave with my dignity still intact. Before you assholes kick me out.”
Peeking over my shoulder, I found his eyes locked on a wall and not my half-dressed body. I quickly slipped my arms through the straps of my dress and covered myself. Then, I cleared my throat to let him know I was done, planting my hands on my hips and bracing for the inevitable blow.
His eyes lingered on my hips before jumping to my face. I arched a brow, both to let him know I’d seen that and that I expected a response.
He didn’t give me one.
Instead, he ran his gaze over the rest of my body, but it didn’t come off as seductive or sleazy. He was just…admiring me, the hint of an appreciative smile tipping up the corner of his mouth as he made his slow perusal.
When his sparkling blue-gray eyes finally returned to my face, it took me a minute to remember this wasn’t a chance sensual encounter with a sexy stranger like it had been earlier tonight. This was an expulsion from The Quest courtesy of The King.
Which is why his next question surprised me.
“Who said anything about us kicking you out?”
“Max Dread,” I spat, mentally cursing myself for using his full name.
“Ah, I see.” He nodded, another grin tugging at his lips—this one amused and at my expense. “Told you you’d want to be careful with that one.”
I huffed, throwing my hands up and turning back to the mirror. “Yeah, well. You should’ve given me a heads up about my so-called Knight. If I’d needed a warning about anyone, it was him.”
“Would you have ignored that warning, too?”
My eyes snapped to his. “Probably. But that’s not the point.”
He stared back pointedly. “No, I’d say the point is whether you’re going to let one moment define a person…Or your future.”
I frowned, thrown off by his rational question and forced to consider it. He made it sound like I was the one running, not the one being kicked out. He asked as if it was my choice to stay or run for the hills.
And if it was, what was I going to do?
Was I just supposed to forget how Landon accused me of lying and restrained me like a criminal? Was I supposed to ignore the way Max flickered between hot and cold like a fucking faulty pilot light?
Could I get past those moments to get to the end?
I rolled my eyes. “So, the team motto here isn’t to make every moment count?”
He laughed, the sound bursting out of him like it had taken him by surprise. I liked that. It seemed…messy and free.
Real.
“No, the team motto is a bit wordier than that.”
“Tell me.”
His eyebrows rose at my sudden demand, and it surprised me, too. Given that he hadn’t kicked me out yet, I begrudgingly tacked on some manners before he changed his mind.
“Please,” I added.
He stalked toward me, his voice low and smooth as he shared their code with me for the first time.
“Arthur believed we should live with honor.”
My lips parted as he approached, my breathing growing more erratic with each step.
“Fight with courage…”
He came to stand in front of me, and brought his hand up to my face, cupping my jaw and tilting my chin up towards his.
“Protect with nobility…”
His soft breath warmed my skin as he delivered the last line, and my eyelids grew heavy under the hypnotic sound of his voice.
“And love with all our hearts.”
My voice came out softer than it had been before. “Does everyone in Camelot follow the code?”
He nodded.
“Even you?”
“Yes. Everything I am—My whole life has been shaped by the Knights’ Code. And I believe in it. We pledge our loyalty with trust to Camelot Court, vowing to abide by the code above all else.” His thumb brushed back and forth over my skin, tracing the hollow of my cheek. “Though, I have to admit. Right now, the things I want to do to you…” He threaded his fingers into the strands of my hair and tilted my head back farther. “They’re far from honorable.”
I closed my eyes as my neck arched back, moaning when his grip on my hair tightened. “Isn’t that against the rules?”
“Maybe. Some say the King is supposed to make the rules. Others disagree.”
“And which ones does the King listen to?”
He nuzzled my cheek with his nose, his lips hovering over my jaw line before pulling back. “A wise king leads from the front, Quinn. He sets the example.”
My eyes opened to find his filled with regret. “So, do it then,” I taunted. “Get rid of me if that’s what they want you to do.”
He smiled, his eyes lighting up like crystals in the sun. “Oh, much to their disappointment, I won’t be taking anyone’s advice when it comes to you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know who you are, Quinn Everly. And I know what you can be if you see this through to the end.”
I bit my lip, my heart warring with my mind in more ways than one. “But Landon…He?—”
“Made a mistake.” He implored me with his gaze, asking for forgiveness. “He acted based on information he had, missing details I wasn’t able to share with him. But he wasn’t just protecting me tonight. Because the only thing greater than his loyalty is the goodness in his heart.”
“But why?—”
“Stay, Quinn. Trust me and stay. See this through and win. He’ll be by your side…” He traced his thumb over my lips. “And I’ll be waiting for you at the end of it.”
His eyes locked on my parted mouth, and I almost gave in completely. But if he couldn’t answer my question with more than that, I had to stay focused on why I’d come here.
“I didn’t come here for that, Kingston. It’s not in my nature to belong to anyone. Not a Knight. Not even a King.”
“I didn’t pick up those files expecting to find you, either. But here we are.”
He pressed his lips to mine, swiftly and almost urgently, the feel of his lips softening the edges inside me that I’d sharpened to protect myself. My hands curled into the fabric of his shirt, and just as I was about to cave, he pulled away. Walking back toward the door, he smiled.
“I knew I was right about you.”
I shook my head, letting out an exasperated laugh. “So, you keep saying. But what does that mean?”
He winked as he walked out the door. “You’ll see.”