HARD LEX: A Billionaire Romance (NIGHT OF THE KINGS SERIES Book 5)
Page 15
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Once upon a time, his beautiful wife was nothing but an innocent girl who wanted a special man. Someone like no other. She found the man. And he is the ultimate prize. But besides that, he has two best friends––the two men at his side. They are as handsome and as wealthy as he is. The rumor is, they all wanted her,” she says, and my heart sinks.
She smiles as if she relives the memory.
“And one of them had her... Besides her future husband,” she murmurs and takes another drag off her cigarette.
“Although if I am to believe the rumors it was way more than that,” she says and slowly shakes her head. “You never know... You just never know,” she mutters, flashing a bitter smile.
“What’s way more than that?” I ask with a broken voice.
She looks at me, smiling.
“The Night of the Kings, sweetheart... As the story goes, they all had her one night on a remote island. And one of the kings might’ve lost his heart because of her. Aside from her future husband,” she says, just as her phone rings.
She fishes it out of her purse and takes the call. Smoothly, she spins away while mouthing a goodbye to me.
DAHLIA
Moments later, the woman is gone, and my mouth is still open. Despite the warm evening outside, my skin is frosted.
I sneak inside.
Pressing my back against the wall, I clutch my bag and phone, the air barely flowing into my lungs.
The woman’s words float in my head.
The Kings... having her... and losing their hearts... over her. My mouth opens and closes a few times, my lips trembling as my blood barely crawls through my veins.
Dumbstruck, I take them in.
The woman.
Them.
James.
And then Lex.
His eyes always concealed something. Even now. I can tell. His gaze shifts quickly from James to the crowd and then back to James and... Rain.
Ed’s back is turned to me as he keeps talking to Eve. A mellow tune comes on, and he invites her to dance. Hand in hand they walk away and start twirling not far from me.
I take a few steps in their direction and hide in a darker corner.
Edward Preston is the usual flirt-self while preying on Eve. She doesn’t mind at all.
One of the bodyguards approaches Sexton and whispers something in his ear. He quickly strides away.
Lex and Rain fill my view.
And then I feel it in my gut, a visceral reaction coursing through me as I absorb the truth. It feels like a giant hand smacking me upside the head.
My nails sink into the wall behind my back as I see Lex erasing the space and curling his arm around Rain, taking her to the dance floor.
The whole Universe starts cracking.
What the fuck?
I may have whispered that out loud. Luckily, there’s no one nearby to hear me.
It can’t be, I tell myself, but eyes don’t lie. Besides, I feel it in my heart.
He no longer conceals what he was trying to hide so hard a few moments ago. It’s right there in his eyes.
Something I never got to see. Something I never knew he had in him.
Something I always questioned.
Because he never showed it to me.
He presses her into his chest, and my knees almost give in. She smiles at him as they lock eyes, and all I see is her affection for him.
Their bond.
And as innocent as it is right now, it’s real. And it’s more than friendship. It’s chemistry. They care for each other. The warmth in her gaze tells me everything about their past. The sultry look in his eyes gives the answers to my questions.
And now I know.
She is the woman he can never have.
The only one he ever loved.
To be continued.
End of HARD LEX (Night of the Kings #5)
This is the second Book of Lex’s story. The last book and conclusion of this tale will be published shortly.
Also by Shayne Ford
LOVE IS WAR SERIES
A Dark Mystery Romance
FALLEN (Love is War Series #1)
BROKEN (Love is War Series #2)
TAKEN (Love is War Series #3)
OWNED (Love is War Series #4)
NIGHT OF THE KINGS SERIES
A Billionaire Romance
JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #1)
DARK JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #2)
TAMING JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #3)
ALEXANDER (Night of the Kings Series #4)
HARD LEX (Night of the Kings Series #5)
LOVING LEX (Night of the Kings Series #6)
EDWARD (Night of the Kings #7)
WILD ED (Night of the Kings #8)
TAMING ED (Night of the Kings #9)
FIGHTING ED (Night of the Kings#10)
LOVING ED (Night of the Kings #11)
DARK HEART SERIES
A Dark Romance
JADEN (Dark Heart Series #1)
WILD JADEN (Dark Heart Series #2)
JADEN’S HEART (Dark Heart Series #3)
SHADES OF LOVE
A Billionaire Dark Romance
DARK MCKENNA (Shades of Love #1)
REAL MCKENNA (Shades of Love #2)
MCKENNA (Shades of Love #3)
GOLDEN HEIR SERIES
A Billionaire Romance
SHADE (Golden Heir Series #1)
LOVING SHADE (Golden Heir Series #2)
FOREVER SHADE (Golden Heir Series #3)
WILD HEART SERIES, A Menage (MMF) Romance
JAGGER (Wild Heart Series #1)
LOVING JAGGER (Wild Heart Series #2)
LOVING BRAXTON (Wild Heart Series #3)
WILD NIGHTS (Wild Heart Series #4)
FINDING HOME (Wild Heart Series #5)
STEEL SERIES (A Rock Star Romance)
A Rock Star Romance
Layla’s Story
River Steel (Steel Series #1)
Loving River (Steel Series #2)
River’s Story (Companion Books to Layla’s Books)
River (Steel Series #3)
River’s Heart (Steel Series #4)
About the Author
Shayne Ford writes epic novels. Her stories feature hot-blooded men and adventurous, soulful women. She likes to write Series that are epic, layered, character-driven, have a dash of mystery and a lot of depth. She writes what she likes to read, and people who share her taste, devour her books. Her stories are not the typical romance, nor are they formulaic or fit a mold.
She likes her lead men hot, smart, and honest.
She's a fan of muscle cars, dogs, chocolate, flowers and quiet, starry nights filled with love.
Contact: shayne@shayneford.com
Website: www.shayneford.com
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www.shayneford.com
shayne@shayneford.com