Knaves Read Free

and two buttons on her blouse had popped, semi-revealing a breast that was firm and soft against the muscles of his chest. That sensation distracted Hayden for a second, allowing Karla the opportunity to fling herself up and catch him with a head butt. The pain of this stopped him being aware that his trousers were becoming incredibly tight.
    For the next two minutes they wrestled on the sofa until, with a surprise knee to his groin, Karla made him fall off. Still he clasped onto her, however, genuinely worried that she would attempt to cause him more serious harm as he dragged her down to the floor. He was also aware that the feeling of Karla ’s small, compact body beneath his had resulted in a serious disconnect between his loins and his brain: indeed, his erection was so large now and his balls contracted so tightly against his body that her lucky blow between his legs hadn’t hurt him anywhere as near as much as he would have expected.
    Karla seemed to have realised this as well. For a few seconds she hung above him, her face flushed red and her eyes blazing with something more than hate as she glared down at him.
    “You’re a bloody bastard, Hayden Carter!” she hissed.
    And then she kissed him.

 
Chapter Two : Karla
     
    Karla was barely able to contain her fury as she entered their apartment, light streaming from the windows and filling the room with a warmth that did not match the ice in her heart. How could he have been so irresponsible—so stupid ? She didn’t look back as she marched ahead of him, leaving him to close the door behind them. Certainly his latest character, Sebastian Rider, was meant to have something of the bumbling Englishman about him, but they’d never agreed to that kind of idiocy. A hundred thousand!
    “ Darling,” she heard him say. There was something so smug about his voice. Goddamit! He was pleased with what he’d done! Karla felt something snap inside and her hand reached across a nearby table, fingers clasping around a hard, cold object. “Jeanne. About last night, there’s something I need to tell you.”
    As Hayden came into view she yelled: “You’re damn right you need to tell me!” There was no need for the pretence of Jeanne Duval now, and as she gave full vent to the anger in her lungs, so she flung the lamp she had grabbed hold of, scowling as he ducked and the bulb shattered against the wall.
    “ Karla! For God’s sake! Stop! Listen! I can explain!”
    She was in no mood for reconciliation, instead launching herself forward with a punch aimed at the side of his head. At least she had the satisfaction this time of connecting and heard him yell and stagger back slightly. Following through immediately she registered a moment ’s surprise as one of his hands flew up and caught her wrist—he’d always been fast, thinking instinctively. Now Karla was barely thinking at all. Instead she tried to throw blow after blow, her frustration increasing all the time as Hayden towered above her, a look of panic on his face as he struggled to hold her.
    “ A hundred thousand, Hayden! How could you? Don’t you know, we’re down to our last million?”
    “ Great!” she heard him mutter sarcastically. “If I knew I’d be living with an accountant, I wouldn’t have bothered!”
    That was when Karla really saw red.
    “You pig!” she screamed and lashed out with a foot, jabbing a heel into his leg and enjoying watching him semi-collapse. His own grip weakened and she managed to hit him again before, with a dumb, almost goofy expression on his face, he lost his balance and fell forward, collapsing on top of her and knocking her over onto a sofa.
    Karla continued to try and rain blows against him, but she was unable to hit him with full force in this position. Instead her fists thudded as dull drops against the solid muscle of his chest. She tried to bite him, yanking and pulling at the fabric of his jacket, searching out some vulnerable spot where she could do him real