Pride & Pleasure (The KNIGHT Brothers Book 1) by Rhonda Lee Carver Page B

you call me Mr. Knight I have an urge to look for my father.” He realized his words came out a little too harshly.
    “That must bring up painful memories.”
    He shrugged. “No, not at this point.”
    “Okay, but only on one tiny condition will I call you Victor. You must call me Avary. Right, Victor?”
    He watched her mouth, liking how her tongue had caressed his name as it left her lips. He could barely catch his breath and what he didn’t like was how she managed to control his physical reactions. He’d never been a man who allowed anyone power when it came to his head or his heart, outside of Theobald Knight who’d played everyone around him like puppets on a string. “Yes, fine, Miss…I mean, Avary.” There was something about her that tweaked his curiosity and attention.
    Max entered through the door from the kitchen. “Shall I bring your plates, sir?”
    “Yes, we’re ready,” Victor answered, keeping his gaze steady on the woman who sat at the other end of the too long table. “What would you like to drink, Miss Pine?”
    “Water, please, Max.” The door closed and Avary cleared her throat. “Is he always here?” she asked.
    “Most of the time. He does live here at the estate.” He noticed how the area between her brows scrunched ever so slightly.
    “Is he your butler? Assistant?”
    “He tends to ride the fence between both. Once father passed, I got rid of the majority of the house staff. Seemed rather useless to have so many working for one man. Max stayed, of course.” Her tongue came out to glide along the swell of her bottom lip and Victor clenched his teeth. It wasn’t as if he’d never seen the act before, but with Avary it was quite different. She didn’t have any ulterior motive of seduction, which made him hard in areas that shouldn’t be rising to the occasion.
    Max brought them their plates, Avary’s water, and poured Victor a glass of wine. “I’ll take my dinner at the other end of the table, Max.”
    “Sir?” Max lifted a wiry brow.
    “Come now, my friend. You understand perfectly well what I’m asking.” Victor chuckled. Considering he’d never eaten at the table alone with a woman, Max might be stunned by the request. Victor pulled out the chair next to Avary, realizing she watched him with piercing blue eyes. “Is this okay?”
    She shrugged and the top drifted down her arm again. His fingers ached to tug it back into place, but instead he tightened his grip on the chair’s arm. “It’s your table. Sit where you’d like.”
    He laughed. For a woman who came off as mild-mannered, she certainly did have a bit of salt in her sugar container. Reaching over, he removed the silver lid to her plate. “Dig in.”
    “What is it?”
    He removed the lid to his own. “Dill crepes with smoked salmon.” She continued to stare. “You don’t like salmon? I can have the cook prepare something else.”
    She gave her head a quick shake and a tendril of misbehaving hair curled around her mouth. He watched her push it back into the silken mass of waves. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’d like to try it.”
    He stared, couldn’t have turned away if his life depended on it. She tackled the concoction with gentle curiosity, cutting into it delicately and bringing a small bit to her mouth. Her perfectly bowed lips wrapped around the tines of the fork, much like they would for a kiss. A smile played at the corner of her mouth and her cheeks turned a light shade of red. “Well?” he asked.
    “Good. Very good.” She cut into the delicacy again. “It’s certainly not Nutella and bananas on bread.”
    “Pardon me?”
    “You haven’t tried Nutella?” He gave his head a shake. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on. It’s a comfort food. But this is good too.” She popped a bite of the crepe into her mouth.
    Smiling, he followed suit. “No one ever turns away my cook’s food. The chef used to work for a Michelin starred restaurant.” Wiping his mouth