Black Knight (Royal Elite 4)

“Now, you’re being cynical.”

He hugs me by my waist and connects his forehead against mine. “I just want to be with you, Green. Not them. I hate anything that distracts me from you.”

Damn.

How can I stay mad after he says things like that? Besides, it was just an excuse. A huge part of me wants to spend alone time with him, too.

He grins. “You just forgave me, didn’t you?”

“Don’t be so full of yourself.”

“Only if I get to fill you.” He brushes his nose against mine. “Told you, I’m not hard to satisfy.”

“You’re just so persistent and annoying about it.”

“Annoying, yes. Why is that news? You always called me annoying when we were kids. But” — he lifts a finger — “you always came back to my side.”

“That I did.”

“Because you can’t resist me.”

“Stop being so arrogant or I’ll kick you.”

“Come on, Green. Arrogance is kind of my image.”

“Even with me?”

“Especially with you. What if you leave me after I shed the image?”

“Not going to happen. Besides, you were always an arrogant, proud arsehole.” And it’s probably why he’s refusing Lewis’s help about the addiction. He doesn’t want to appear weak in front of someone he believes ruined his life years ago.

“Proud arsehole, you say?”

“The worst,” I joke.

“Have you seen my friends? I’m sure I score low on the arsehole scale compared to them.”

“Ro does.”

“Ronan. His name is Ronan. And believe me, he’s not what he seems. He likes to think he’s Switzerland when he’s in fact an imperialist power.”

“Really?”

“He’s Death, after all.”

“And you’re War.”

“Easy to start and hard to end.” He grins. “Remember that, Green. Actually, make it impossible to end.”

For some reason, my heart thumps so loudly, I actually stop breathing for a second to come to terms with what he’s said.

Impossible to end.

He doesn’t want

it to end.

“You weren’t easy to start, Xan.”