A STRIPPER FOR TWO BROTHERS

THE KNIGHT IN SHINING AMOUR

CHAPTER THREE

Paris ran out of the room, clutching Axel’s shirt as she ran through the hallway. The bass was still thumping behind her, the whole place reeking of cheap perfume.

She held his shirt tighter, letting his scent cloud her mind, taking her attention away from the club.

Even as she walked, her thighs ached. She could still feel him inside her. Each step was a mixture of pain and pleasure. She hated how her body betrayed her completely. She knew she had failed Daniel. The thought alone made bile rise up in her throat.

She spotted Lena at the end of the hallway, her arms crossed, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

She spotted Paris from a distance, her eyes flickering to the oversized shirt, then to her face.

“Are you okay?” Lena asked, her voice low.

Paris forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

Lena didn’t buy it. She crushed the cigarette under her feet as she walked closer to Paris.

“You let one of them touch you,” she whispered.

Paris turned away, the guilt clawing her throat.

“Which one?” Lena pressed.

“The Scarred one. Russo,” she whispered.

Lena swallowed hard, covering her mouth with both hands. “Jesus, Paris. You don’t know what you just stepped into.”

“What?” Paris asked, fear replacing the guilt.

Before Lena could open her mouth to speak, a shadow detached from the wall near the exit.

Cruz.

He stood there, his back pressed against the wall, his jacket open, his tie loosened, his hands in his pocket. His eyes were locked on her like she was the only thing in the room.

Lena’s whole body stiffened. “Go home now, Paris,” she whispered.

Paris didn’t move, instead she turned to hold his gaze.

He moved closer, his hand still in his pocket. “I’ll drive you,” his voice was softer than Axel’s, but carried the same weight.

Paris shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ll get a cab.”

“You’re shaking,” he said, his eyes flickering to her bare legs under Axel’s shirt, then to the faint red mark on her neck. “And you’re not leaving here alone at this hour.” He glanced at his watch.

Lena stepped between them. “She’s going with me,” she said, her hand trembling behind her.

Cruz didn’t even spare Lena a glance. His gaze was fixed on Paris. “You really want to stand out there in nothing but my brother’s shirt, waiting for one asshole to think you’re a hooker?”

Paris looked away. He wasn’t totally wrong. The thought of standing on the street like this, marked and bruised made her stomach churn.

Lena cursed under her breath. “Don’t go, Paris.”

But Paris was already moving towards him.

He led her outside, to the black SUV waiting outside.

He held out the door of the passenger seat without a word, letting her slide in.

He got into the passenger seat, no small talk, no music, just their breathing and the low rumble of the engine.

Paris kept her eyes fixed on the window throughout the whole drive, clutching the hem of Axel’s shirt.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” she muttered.

“I know,” was his only response, then silence filled the air again.

She risked a glance at him. He was handsome and could pass as pretty too—sharp jawline, straight nose, well-trimmed brows.

“Paris,” he murmured.

“How do you know my name?” she asked nervously. That question had been on her mind all night, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

He smiled. “That should be the least of your worries.”he smiled. Not in a way that made her feel at ease.

Two strangers knowing her name shouldn’t be the least of your worries. She tapped on the window endlessly, trying to calm her anxious heart.

“Why Axel?” he exhaled, his gaze finally turning to her.

“What?” she furrowed her brows in confusion.

“Why my brother? Why Axel,” he asked again, veins appearing on his wrist.

Axel.

The question threw her off. She didn’t even know that man yet she let him make her c*m twice. She couldn’t respond.

She turned her eyes to the window again, staring at the city’s illuminating lights.

His hand dropped slowly on her thigh, circling possessively, his index finger grazing her inner thigh.

She closed her thigh, preventing the heat from radiating to her core.

The silence was long, begging to be broken and all of a sudden, he pulled over, the rain still streaking the windshield.

He exhaled. “You don’t want to get involved with Axel,” he advised.

“Why?” her curious mind couldn’t help but ask.

“Listen,” his voice was soft, his hand cupping her cheeks. “Axel… is unsafe. There are always other girls there, ready and willing to let him f**k them. You’re not special to him. You’re just an easy f**k,” he said, staring at her like he was waiting for her to react.

She stayed calm. Reacting was of no use. Deep down she wanted to tell him Axel was just a careless one-night stand and she doubted they would ever cross paths again.

But she knew she was lying to herself. Not with the kind of fire she saw in his eyes.

Cruz searched her face for answers.

Axel was just her little form of distraction. She had done everything to clear her head—therapy, drinking late nights, meditating, everything, but instead she returned worse.

Looking at Axel you could tell he wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. But Cruz? He was here playing savior while his brother’s c*m was somewhere deep, buried inside of her.

“You don’t know me,” she shot back.

“Why do you think I care?” his jaw tightened. “I know there’s more to velvet. To this,” he gestured to what she was wearing.

“I could see the sadness in your eyes on that stage.”

Somehow, his words managed to spark something inside of her. The only person who actually looked out for her was Daniel.

She looked at him, his thumbs brushing the tears she didn’t know were on her face.

Suddenly a wave of awareness hit her. She could feel that she was being watched, but she couldn’t tell him that.

A black Mercedes drove past them—the same car that someone tried to shoot her from.

A message came into Cruz’s phone almost immediately, causing a shift in his posture. He pressed on the steering wheel harder, his eyes turning red almost immediately.

“Let’s get you home,” he muttered, his voice now raspy.