The Knight
Taylor K Scott
Lily
I never wanted to fall in love.
Love, from experience, is a toxic emotion that leads people to say and do the most awful things to one another. I should know; I grew up witnessing a kind of love that had left me hollow and too afraid to be seen out loud
I decided it would be better to walk on the safe side; to avoid love and intimacy.
However, my best friend decided enough was enough and locked me in a room with Cameron Carter, the seemingly perfect hero who is now determined to make me his.
But when he comes to learn that I am no perfect princess, that I am deeply flawed, will he fight for me, or run?
Cameron
Being the oldest Carter is a privilege; I’ve always been proud of who I am.
But when it comes to love, the Carters have always put on a brave face and pretended not to see the deception, the pain, or the truth.
It is an emotion I have tried to avoid; it’s easier that way. I can be who I need to be for my family and live life without complications.
That is until my brother decided to lock me in a room with a girl I had once tried to save. My efforts had only put her in harm’s way. Now, however, she is older, and everything I’m finding hard to resist.
But when she comes to learn that I’ve kept things from her, that I am the flawed hero, will she still see me as the man who was worth trusting her heart to?
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Sample:
Lily
As Callie stands before me with a smug smile on her face, I frown over the satiny piece of fabric now stretched out between her hands. Having never heard of this game before, I agreed to tag along with all the others in Nate’s group of college friends. However, now that I’m here and have been informed of the specifics of ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ I am not at all convinced I want to be here.
“Why am I wearing one of these again?” I ask as she lifts it over my head and pulls the blindfold into place. “And should I be worried that you just so happened to have one of these to hand?”
“It makes it more fun, and helps to lower your inhibitions,” she tries to sell it to me. “If you don’t know who each other are, and have no worries about running into each other afterward, you’ll feel more able to let yourself go. It’s like being someone else for seven minutes.”
“I just…how is this safe? The guy could try and do anything, and I’ll be locked in there with him!”
“First of all, we’re all outside, so if he did, which he won’t, all you would need to do is yell and we’d have you out so fast, he wouldn’t even have the chance to touch you. Secondly, I have handpicked your guy, so I know for certain he is safe. The safest in fact. I trust him more than I trust me.”
I feel her take hold of my shoulders and I gasp with a sudden influx of nerves. This is why casual sex will never be on the cards for me; I can’t even imagine talking to a complete stranger, let alone bumping uglies with them. When I hear the creak of a door open, my heart begins thudding so fast, I feel a little dizzy.
“Lils, relax,” Callie whispers inside of my ear, “nothing has to happen, and if you really hate it in there, just shout for me, yeah? You know I would never ever put you in a dangerous position. I just think it would do you good to try and talk to a guy without the fear of having to see him afterward.”
I can’t reply, I’m too nervous, so just nod instead. I then walk inside with my hands held out in front of me, brushing up against what feels like coats on either side of the walk-in closet. I hold my breath, waiting to walk into a stranger, but I guess I’m the first in here. I let out my breath but gasp when I hear cheering and wolf-whistling coming from outside the door. Oh, God, he must be coming in!
Just when I feel like I’m about to yell for Callie, the door creaks open and I feel the presence of someone walking toward me. I take a sharp inhale when the door clicks closed and the cheering from outside finally ceases. I reach out my hands in front of me, a defense mechanism, but still only feel the fabric of various coats on either side of me.
“Hey,” a low, husky sound of a man calls out.
“Hello,” I say nervously with my English accent sounding stark against his American one. I don’t usually notice it, not after having lived here for a few years, but in this weird situation, I do.
“What’s your name?” he asks as his hand reaches for mine. It’s warm and much larger – a man’s hand.
“L-lily,” I reply on another intake of breath.
“I’m Mark,” he says, “where’ve you been tonight?”
“Huh?” I ask gormlessly.
“You’re all dressed up,” he explains as he pulls a strand of my curled hair. “You look very beautiful.”
“Oh, er, prom.” I fluster over the contact, noticing that his hand is still covering mine.
Cameron
I stand still for a moment or two, just looking at her in awe. She’s one of the most beautiful girls I’ve seen in real life. She’s not Hollywood starlet or supermodel fit, she’s like the girl next door who doesn’t need any make-up to look stunning; she just is, and always will be. I never really saw her properly before, she was always covered up by a hoody or running away from me, but now that I can see her, all of her, bar the mask, I can’t help feeling an overwhelming urge to kiss her. Just a taste, a moment, to see if she is as sweet as she looks.
“Are you still there, Mark?” I close my eyes, feeling a strange frustration over the fact she isn’t using my real name. I can’t even explain why.
“Sorry, yes,” I answer her softly, “I just…how do you not have a boyfriend?”
“I don’t know,” she laughs anxiously, “just haven’t found anyone, I guess.”
“That’s a shame,” I reply as I run the backs of my fingers over her cheek because they’re just begging to be touched.
“Are you wearing a mask?” she asks with a frown of confusion between her brows.
“No,” I tell her truthfully. I already feel like shit for lying to her.
“Well, that’s a little unfair,” she giggles, “you can see what I look like, but how do I know what you look like?”
“Callie gave me strict instructions to not let you see me,” I explain. “But I could show you.”
“How?“
Lily
He takes my hands inside of his and lifts them in front of me, then pulls them onto his hips. He takes a deep breath before moving them up toward his abs, showing me without words or sight that he is physically fit, muscular, and tall. His grip eventually loosens and leaves me to explore his torso, which feels hard, smooth, and like he must frequently visit the gym. As I spread my hands out over his pecs, I feel self-conscious but also unable to stop myself due to booze, anticipation, excitement, and the fact that this situation is allowing me to explore without fear.
“Is that ok?” I ask quietly. “Do you mind me…?”
“Lily, no man would mind you doing this to them,” he laughs nervously. “You’re really beautiful, Lily, and if you’re anything like Callie tells me you are, then I’m not just talking about on the outside.”
I pause for a moment over his words, my cheeks heating in the aftermath, but I also feel encouraged to move my hands up to his broad shoulders. I imagine myself clinging to them as he kisses me, and I smile to myself. Eventually, I reach up to his face and begin to move my fingers around, noticing the stubble on his chin, his sculpted cheeks, and his soft hair. He feels like he looks stunning, perhaps even more so than Nate Carter.
“Why were you smiling just now?” he asks as he leans into one of my hands with a long and slow sigh of contentment.
“You’re so much taller than me,” I lie, “and…”
“And?” he whispers as he lifts his hand and cups my cheek inside of it. My breath hitches with expectation, with a need to feel someone like this kiss me; someone who makes me feel lustful but safe. My hands drop to those broad shoulders, and I feel the heat of him as he leans down toward me.
“Lily?” He says my name like a question asking for so much more, and, on instinct, I nod just once.
His lips feel soft against mine, slow and sensual, giving me the time to get used to him, a perfect stranger. His free hand covers the other side of my face as he moves in closer and begins to kiss me harder. I want it though; the hardness, the urgency, the letting go of my fears. Sharing the load of them with this man who I’ve never seen before, neither am I likely to. I stand on my tiptoes to try and get closer, wrapping my arms around his neck and losing myself to his open-mouthed kisses. His hands simultaneously move to my waist as he pulls in even closer and moves his tongue between my lips. At first, I feel worried about whether I’m doing it right, but when he moans against me, I let go of the very thing I’ve been trying to escape for years – my anxiety.
It isn’t until someone thumps on the door that we break apart and I try to rip away the blindfold. He stops me with one of his hands and I freeze in submission.
“Thirty seconds, guys!” someone shouts.
“I have to go,” he says, sounding strange, almost sad.
“Oh…ok.”
“If things were different,” he says to himself.
“Can I… I mean, can we-“
“I hope to see you again, one day, Lily,” he whispers close to my ear and kisses my lips one more time before racing out the door.
“Oh my God, Lils,” Callie cries out as she comes running in with a beaming smile after I just ripped away the blindfold. “What the hell happened?”
“I…I mean, we…” I cannot even find the words. “Who was that?”
“I can’t tell you, I promised,” she says, and I frown with both curiosity and frustration. “But I have a feeling he’s your future.”
Cameron
I race upstairs, away from the idiots jeering at me for going into that cupboard. Once inside my room, I begin to pace, feeling a multitude of different emotions. I cover my lips which are still swollen from our kiss. Shit, that kiss!
“Cameron, you ok?” I hear Nate’s voice as he enters my room and closes the door behind him.
“Apart from feeling like a complete perv, sure,” I snap. “I’m such a fucking idiot for agreeing to go into that cupboard!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I made you invite her to that party, Nate,” I cry out with shame. “I left her, knowing she was already feeling vulnerable, and he forced himself on her. I’m the reason she doesn’t have a boyfriend, the reason she hides away, and then I go and kiss her! What the fuck does that make me?”
“Did you like it?” he says as he folds his arms casually, to which I growl in frustration over his laid-back stance, as well as his stupid question.
“What?!” I snap, screwing my face up at him.
“Did you like the kiss with Lily?” He shrugs. “She’s a beautiful girl, and just your type too.”
“What do you mean my type?”
“The forever type,” he replies. “The type you would enjoy being with, the type you would choose to spend on the couch instead of going out on the town.”
“Will you look out for her, Nate?” I ask. “Keep her safe and away from idiots who would bring her down further. I gotta get out of here; I can’t think straight.”
He nods his head as I begin to gather a few things I was going to take back with me anyway.
“If she asks, my name is Mark, a college buddy or something,” I tell him as I get ready to go. “I’ll see you next week.”
“Sure,” he answers with a nod, just as I begin to walk out the door with my keys ready. “Cameron?”
I pause, then turn back to face him.
“Did you like it?”
I close my eyes and nod, feeling ashamed for it because of what happened. Before he can say anything else, I get the hell out of there.
Taylor K. Scott 