Cruel Shame (Knights of Templar Academy #3) - Sofia Daniel Page 0,35

outlandish. Not because of the girl-on-girl part, or the potential danger, but I couldn’t look at Elizabeth without wanting to cave in her face with my fist.

“Think about it.” He picked up his water glass and gazed at me with a twinkle in his eye.

I leaned forward and grinned. “Admit it. The thought of her and me together gets you hot.”

He huffed a laugh and took another sip. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You can’t hide from me.” I pulled my foot out of my shoe and trailed my toes up his muscular calf.

“Lilah Hancock,” he said through clenched teeth. “Restrain yourself.”

I dropped my foot and leaned back in my seat. Maybe things weren’t so bad, after all. Even if Mother didn’t turn up at the hotel, I had an entire plane ride to tease Kendrick to make up for the disappointment. If I could drape a blanket over his lap, I might work him into a frenzy.

Kendrick dropped his gaze from mine and focused on his salmon. I suppressed a smile. If this had been Orlando or Maxwell, they would relish the chance of an under-the-table footjob.

Later, as we ate a main course of roasted pheasant with celeriac mash, glazed parsnips, and Brussels sprouts, Kendrick put down his knife and fork. “About that police raid. Were you terrified?”

I finished my mouthful of food and swallowed. “No right-minded person could take something like that in their stride.”

“But they brought dogs.”

I set down my knife and fork and gazed into his eyes. The old me might have made a joke about it, but my family had been through too many machinations to brush off the ordeal. “It was a living, humiliating, and terrifying nightmare.”

“We didn’t know you had a phobia.”

Nodding, I dropped my gaze to my plate and tried not to think of the German shepherd that jumped on my chest. The chef had arranged the food Michelin style—placed into a pretty pile at the center like a work of art with swirls of a rich sauce to provide both color and taste.

“Lilah.” He reached across the table and placed his hand on mine. “We would never have subjected you to something so horrific if we had known.”

“Why did you agree to something so shitty?” I asked.

“Revenge.” He brushed his thumb over my knuckles. “At the time, I thought you had lured my best friend and brother into a trap and uploaded incriminating videos of them in a compromising position. Max was almost disinherited.”

I pulled back my hand and placed it on my lap. “How much about the raid did you know?”

“Elizabeth told me you were dealing cocaine and needed Max to go undercover and gain your trust.” He exhaled a weary breath.“So, while I took Max’s punishment, he was supposed to gather information and get you in place for the raid.”

“That’s why she was so outraged when she discovered we’d had sex.”

“It was a surprise to us all,” Kendrick said with a half-smile. “You were supposed to be a dangerous element bringing the academy to ruin.”

“Right.” I rolled my eyes.

“I want to tell you how sorry I am for my role in that horrible injustice.”

I leaned forward and nodded. “Go on, then.”

He frowned as though not understanding my words.

“You said you wanted to apologize. Now’s your chance.” I picked up my knife and fork and cut myself a healthy slice of pheasant.

Kendrick sucked in a deep breath, his shoulders rising to his ears. “Lilah Hancock, I apologize wholeheartedly and unreservedly for the pain and suffering I caused you in your first term. I placed my faith in the wrong person and ended up hurting an innocent girl. If there is anything I can offer in penance, name it.”

My tongue darted out to lick my lips. As far as apologies went, this one was more formal and direct than his brothers. It even came with an offer of servitude. I pressed my legs together at the thought of having Kendrick at my command.

“You want to make it up to me?” I asked.

He nodded, his eyes bright.

I leaned back and smirked. “That thing we did this morning.”

Kendrick’s lips parted to exhale an excited breath. “Yes?”

“I want you to return the favor.”

He inclined his head and offered me the tiniest of smiles. “I may be amenable to your suggestion.”

Chapter Sixteen

We skipped dessert and booked a room upstairs, filled with the scent of burning pine from a crackling fireplace. A mahogany, four-poster bed took up pride of place on the left wall, adorned with a purple comforter