Shuddering one last time, I pulled out of her and rolled onto my side, taking her with me. Closing my eyes, I didn’t look at her as she curled up against my side. I needed a minute. I was torn. Part of me wanted to do it again. The other part…well, it was dealing with guilt. Not an emotion I felt often. If ever.

  At least not since Rumor had walked into my life.

  I’d been ordered to fuck her. Make her stay. Use sex as a tool. And it had taken me what…three hours to do it? I was a selfish motherfucker. I’d been given the green light on what I’d been wanting since I’d laid eyes on her picture almost a month ago, and I had taken it. And I was going to take it again.

  “King.”

  Her soft voice snapped me out of my inner turmoil, and I opened my eyes to look at her.

  She was watching me closely. I had to reassure her. Take that worry out of her eyes. I was lying to her and manipulating her. The least I could do was make sure she knew how incredible she was. Her insecurities ran deep.

  “Yeah, sweets?” I replied, picking up her hand and kissing her fingers.

  Her body instantly relaxed. That was all it took. Something that simple, and she was okay.

  “That was…” She stopped and dropped her gaze from mine.

  “That was amazing,” I finished for her.

  Her eyes shot back up to mine.

  Unable not to smile at her expressive face, I asked, “Wasn’t it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it…was.”

  I rolled over to face her and continued pressing my lips to each of her fingers. “Are you trying to make me insecure, sweets?” I teased.

  The blush on her cheeks was adorable. “No. It was…I never…I didn’t know it could be like that.”

  Fuck. The guilt was back. Dammit. I had to get control over that pesky emotion. This was a job. I had to keep myself from making it more.

  “You’ve been fucking the wrong men,” I told her, then kissed her hand one more time before letting it go. I had to get some distance. Get my head straight. I sat up and discarded the condom before glancing back at her. “I’ll go get a shower, then run you a bubble bath,” I told her, then winked before leaving her there, curled up on my bed, naked and tempting as hell.

  I was so screwed.

  • thirty •

  “You in a hurry to get away from me, sweets?”

  Rumor

  I wasn’t sure how long I should lie in this bed alone. There were no windows, so the room was pitch-black, except for the clock beside the bed that said it was 9:32 in the morning. Sitting up, I held the covers up to my neck since I was naked underneath. I’d opened my eyes sixteen minutes ago, and I was still debating if I should go get dressed and leave. I knew the way back to the cottage.

  Closing my eyes, I tried not to think about what I had done last night. At least not right now. I would think about it later. When I was gone. Not while I was still naked in King’s room. I wanted to remember it. I would remember it often. Just not at the moment. This was not the place.

  Especially since he had left me here without a word. Granted, it was late, and it was a Saturday. Maybe he had gone to Maeme’s for breakfast. Wouldn’t he have woken me up to go there?

  Dropping the blankets, I tossed them aside and slid over to get out of the bed. Staying here in the dark was silly. I should go. What we had done was just sex. We’d had a weird night. It was over.

  My reality was back. Although my reality was going to suck even more than it had already. Now that I’d experienced a night in King’s arms and in his bed, knowing what it was like to orgasm while having sex and not just once, being held and treated as if I was special…yeah, that had ruined me. Life would be easier if I’d never known what that was like.

  I felt my way to the en suite and flicked on the lights, then squinted against the brightness in the luxurious white bathroom. My eyes went to the massive tub with its fancy jets. I’d taken a bath in there last night. When I had gotten out, King had wrapped me in a fluffy towel, then carried me to bed and held me until I fell asleep. Yes, I was in fact ruined.

  Trying to not think about King, I took a white robe from the hook by the door and slipped it on. I still wasn’t sure where my clothes were. After I had it tied on at the waist, I used the bathroom, worked my fingers through my curls the best I could without my conditioning spray and comb, then put some toothpaste on my finger and did the best I could with my teeth.

  The sound of the bedroom door opening caused me to freeze and stare at myself in the mirror, trying to decide what to do. It was King. It had to be King. But…did I thank him? Ask for a ride to the house? Apologize for sleeping late?

  Before I could think of what to do, his large form filled the doorway. My gaze swung to his, and the smile on his chiseled face instantly eased my anxiety that had been about to spin out of control.

  “I brought breakfast,” he said, then nodded his head back toward the bedroom. “Come eat.”

  “I didn’t mean to sleep so late,” I said.

  He shrugged. “You were tired. I had worn you out. Maeme sent you waffles to recover. She never makes them on Saturdays. You’re special.”

  My eyes flew open wide, and I covered my mouth in horror. Had he told her what we had done? Oh God, what did Maeme think of me?

  The deep chuckle that came from him had me gaping at him. Why was he laughing?

  “Relax, sweets. She doesn’t know. I was teasing you.”

  I narrowed my eyes as I dropped my hand from my face. “That wasn’t funny,” I accused.

  He took a step toward me and tilted his head. “Yeah, it was.” The twinkle in his blue eyes made it hard to stay mad at him. “Come eat with me.” He held out his hand.

  “You didn’t eat already?” I asked.

  “I wanted to eat with you,” he replied.

  Giving in, I slipped my hand into his and watched as his fingers closed over mine before walking toward him.

  “Are you naked under that robe?” he asked me as I reached his side.

  I glanced down at it, then back at him. “I didn’t know where my clothes were.”

  His eyes dropped to the gaping neckline. “I know what I want for dessert.”

  I tensed up as he pulled me into the bedroom and toward the sofa, where a large, covered tray sat on the coffee table in front of it.

  “I need to go downstairs and get drinks. You want coffee? Juice?” he asked.

  “Coffee,” I replied, “but I can go get it.”

  He shook his head. “You’re not going downstairs like that. I’ll get it. Cream and sugar?”

  I didn’t bother asking about Splenda and almond milk, so I nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

  He took the cover off the tray, revealing two plates sitting there, full of Maeme’s biscuits, bacon, cheese grits, and tomato gravy. On the third plate was four of her thick, fluffy waffles stacked on it.

  “Go ahead and get started. I’ll be right back,” he told me before turning and heading for the door.

  I watched him go, wondering if any man alive had ever looked that good in jeans. He wore them so well. I’d had sex with him. That gorgeous man…I’d straddled his face. I still couldn’t believe I had done it, but oh wow. That experience had been life-altering. Taking a deep breath, I tried to stop thinking about it. I didn’t want him returning to me looking hot and bothered. He was acting so normal. As if the fact that we had slept together was no big deal. He knew the Mafia had possibly killed Hill and could be after me. He knew I was being hunted, but he was acting as if that wasn’t a fact. Like what we had done was okay.

  But then he was a man. He was King. He had sex a lot. I’d seen the lifetime supply of condoms beside his bed. My mood soured as I stared at the bed. How many women had he done those things to in that bed? Or did he tie them up and spank them first? Did he use a belt? A whip? Those things that Christian Grey used? I shook my head. I had to stop this.

  I heard his footsteps outside the door, and I reached to pick up a slice of bacon and took a bite before he walked back inside. I was actively chewing when his gaze met mine. God, he had the best eyes.

  “Hungry?” he asked as he made his way over to me with two coffee cups in his hands.

  I nodded, although that wasn’t true. Not anymore at least.

  He set a cup in front of me, then went to take the spot beside me. “We should enjoy this. Tomorrow might be a good Sunday breakfast to miss. Jupiter, my stepmom, is going to be there. She’s annoying as fuck.”

  I glanced over at him. “What did you tell Maeme about my staying here?”

  He took a waffle and put it on his plate. “That you slept in the bed and I slept on the sofa.”

  Maeme wasn’t a stupid woman. What if she knew the truth? Would she ask me to leave?

  “I should probably get dressed and walk back to the house once I’m done,” I told him.

  He took a bite of the waffle and chewed while looking at me. I tried not to watch the way his jaw worked or the way the muscles in his neck stood out. I had sat on that face. Ugh! I wasn’t going to think about that anymore. I jerked my gaze off his and stared down at the food.

  “You in a hurry to get away from me, sweets?”

  I reached for my fork and shook my head. “No. It’s not that. I know you have things to do, and I need to get out of the way.” I jabbed at the scrambled eggs nervously.

  “I was hoping you’d go for a ride with me. You can ride on Malta. She’s old and slow.”

  I stopped attacking the eggs and looked back at him. “She’s a horse.”

  He nodded, smirking at me.

  “You want to take me horseback riding?”

  He stuck a forkful of cheese grits in his mouth and nodded again.

  Okay. He didn’t want me to leave. He wanted to spend time with me. Why? I didn’t understand this. What were we doing?

  “I have to leave soon,” I told him.

  He swallowed. “Not technically. You can sleep in my bed as long as you want.”

  I shook my head. “I mean, leave. As in leave the cottage. Figure out where I am going to start over. We”—I waved a finger between the two of us—“shouldn’t be doing this…what we did.”

  “We shouldn’t be fucking?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  He licked his lips, and I found myself watching it as if it were porn. “Why can’t we fuck, sweets? You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you? You liked having my mouth on your pussy? The way you came on my cock said you were having a real good time.”

  Why did he have to talk like that? I was hot again. I needed some air. A fan. A freezer to perhaps stick my head inside.

  “It’s not…” I began and took a deep breath. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it. You know I did. But…it confuses things. Makes it complicated.”

  King reached over and wrapped one of my curls around his finger. “It doesn’t have to. I can make you feel good. We can enjoy the hell out of it. No need to make it complicated. When it’s time for you to go, I’ll make sure you have everything you need. Sex isn’t a bad thing. It’s fun, sweets. It’s two people bringing each other pleasure.”

  Why was it that when he explained it, things seemed normal? In my head, it wasn’t so simple, but he made it sound like it was easy. Could it be? Was this just my inexperience with men and relationships?

  “We’re friends, aren’t we?” he asked.

  I nodded. He was possibly my only friend. There was Maeme, but I didn’t really talk to her about things the way I did King. I trusted her, but not as much as I did him.

  “Stop overthinking it. This is just another step in our friendship.”

  I stared at him. I might not know a lot, but friends didn’t do what we had done. I’d read books. That got messed up real fast.

  “I don’t know.”

  His hand went to my leg, and he slid it up my thigh before pulling my left leg toward him, causing the robe to open up. “So, if I get on my knees and start eating that pussy, you’re gonna tell me no?”

  I tried to pull the robe back over my exposed vagina, but he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

  “No. I like looking at it. I like smelling it. I fucking love tasting it.”

  This was unfair. I had to get some kind of grip on the way he controlled me so easily with his words.

  “You will get bored with me!” I blurted the fear I hadn’t been able to admit to myself.

  I was never going to let him tie me up and hit me. He wanted that, and I just couldn’t do it.

  The way his turquoise eyes turned to an ice blue as he stood up, still holding my arm, and pulled me up with him caused a slight twinge of panic, laced with excitement. I should be pushing him away. Not standing here, waiting on him to tell me what we were doing.

  “Take off the robe and go put your hands on the edge of the bed with your ass up,” he ordered.

  “Wh-what?” I stammered.

  He took the tie around my waist and tugged it free, dropping it to the floor. “Don’t make me tell you again, Rumor.”

  I should run. Scream for help. Get away.

  But I didn’t want to.

  This was King. I trusted King. I wanted King. The way I was tingling between my legs meant my body was in complete accord on doing what he said. When I shrugged my shoulders, the robe slid down them, and I dropped my arms so that it would fall off my body.

  King’s jaw tensed. “Good girl,” he whispered huskily.

  I’d never been praised before. Never. Not until last night. Maybe it was twisted and because I was broken inside, but hearing him tell me I was a good girl made me want to do whatever he asked. Just to hear him tell me I had done something right. That I hadn’t messed up. That I hadn’t disappointed him. That I was enough.

  Turning, I walked over to the bed and took a long, steady breath before I bent over and placed my hands on the edge of it. Feeling completely exposed to King and not feeling embarrassment at all.

  “Fuck,” he swore.

  I looked back over my shoulder to see him pulling his shirt off and then making quick work of his jeans. His eyes were locked on my ass. Wanting to be good for him, I opened my legs a little wider so he could see between them. The way his eyes lit up and his nostrils flared made me ache. He was looking at me like that. Me.

  With four long strides, he was behind me, leaning over and opening the condom supply drawer. I wasn’t going to think about the other women now. He was with me at the moment. Not someone else. This was just us. I was the one he was praising.

  I listened to the sound of the wrapper opening, and I sucked in a breath, anticipating what was coming next. His hand slipping between my legs wasn’t it. I shivered from his gentle touch.

  “I’ll get checked, make sure I’m clean, and then I want to fill this pussy up. Let you stand over me as I watch my cum leak out of you.”

  I let out a moan, unable to help myself. The way he said the dirtiest things and made my entire body tremble with need should be embarrassing. But it wasn’t. I wanted it. All of it.

  “Will you let me do that?” he asked, still touching me. “Can I fuck you raw?”

  I gulped and nodded. “I’m on birth control.”

  “I know,” he said huskily as he ran his finger up inside of me, then eased it out slowly before sliding it up my bottom. I tensed, and he chuckled. “I love your ass.” His hand slapped it, but not hard enough for it to even sting. “Fuck, it bounces pretty.”

  He was going to make me get off from his words alone. I fisted the covers and closed my eyes as my body trembled. He slapped it again and groaned.

  “Such a good girl,” he said in a husky tone. “Letting me spank your sweet ass.”

  His hand hit me again, and I found myself pressing back against him. Each time he touched me, my body hummed with a promise of release.

  “You want more?” His voice took on a deeper timbre as he caressed where he had just popped. “You like having me spank you, sweets? Does it make your pussy feel good?”

  “Yes!” I panted, so close to something. I just needed more. A little more.

  When his hand connected with my bottom this time, it was harder, and I cried out, shoving back against him as a sharp ache throbbed between my legs. That was different. I wanted more of it.

  “Please,” I moaned, desperate for it. Whatever it was building inside me.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he cooed, running his hand over my bottom, then sliding it between my legs. “Dripping wet. You’re close, aren’t you?” he asked with excitement in his tone.

  I nodded frantically. “Yes. Please, King. Please,” I begged, pressing back and wiggling.

  “Jesus,” he whispered.

  Then, his hand landed harder on my butt. The smack echoed in the room, and I jerked as his name tore from my lips. It felt like an explosion went off inside of me, and a wet gush ran down my legs, startling me as I continued to shake and let out moans and cries mixed together.

  “Fuckin’ hell!” King growled, then slammed inside of me, sending me spiraling further into this blissful realm he’d sent me to.

  “Hottest damn pussy,” he grunted as he began to drive into me. “FUCK, RUMOR!”

  I clawed at the sheets and met his thrusts, pleading with each wonderful stretch and bite of pain. Beautiful pain. I’d never believed those two words went together, but in this moment, I understood. I’d do anything to feel this with him.

  “I want my cum inside you,” he said hoarsely. His fingers dug into my hips as he slammed me back against him. “Fuck, that’s it. Fuck me hard like the good girl you are.”

  Those two words. I was sent shooting off into another orgasm. My knees buckled, and I no longer recognized my own voice as King’s name tore from my chest.

  “GAAAAH!” he roared as his body jerked behind me.