Notorious King

by Hilary Storm

  “Can you be serious for just a second.” I drop my head and stare into his eyes. “I’m worried about you.”

  “I am very serious. I just want to feel you against me. Everything else can wait.” I have so many questions to ask him, but I know he won’t answer any of them and we’ll do this forever if that’s how long I keep it up. I give up trying to get anything out of him for now, knowing I’ll have more time after he gets his mind out of the gutter… not that I want that to be anytime soon.

  I love the way he’s making me feel as though there’s nothing else in the world that’s more important than being here with me. I splay my palms out on his bare chest and sit up straight, allowing myself to shift lower. He’s still wearing his underwear, but they’re not hiding how excited he is to be in this position.

  My eyes fall on his and the smirk on his face makes me smile. How could it not? He’s sexy as ever right this very moment with one arm behind his head as if he’s as relaxed as ever with me taking control. And although the other one is wrapped up… the way he’s at peace right here in the now makes me fall for him even more.

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  “What?” His question confuses me just as I’m about to lift my shirt over my head.

  “I want to know if I have any competition.” He still hasn’t moved a muscle, but his eyes have caught my every move.

  “Not at the moment. What about you?”

  “Just you.” How do I not smile at that response? I can’t help it. “Keep that on. It looks sexy on you.” He touches my lips with a single fingertip.

  “What?”

  “Your smile.” He slides his hand down my neck and guides me toward him until I’m face to face with him.

  “When did you get so soft, King?” I let him kiss me as I wait for the smart-ass response I know is coming.

  “Do you feel anything soft?” He thrusts upward just to prove his point. But the answer is no. His entire body is hard… and perfect. And the worst part of that is he knows how perfect he looks. His confidence has never been lacking.

  I sit up once again, this time putting my feet on the bed so I can stand over him and remove my shorts. I purposely give him a show as I drag them down my legs and toss the skimpy material across the room before I take my spot straddling him once again. “You can pretend with everyone else in the world. But I know how soft this is.” I point to his heart.

  He grabs my hand and pulls my fingers to his lips. “Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation that says otherwise.” I think about how sweet he is in this moment and try to separate it all from the past and everything he’s ever said to me. But before I have a chance to truly figure this man out, he continues and reminds me just how notoriously mouthy he is. “Now take out my dick and get the hell on this ride. You’re making me damn crazy sliding all over it.”

  “There’s the guy I remember.”

  “You know you’ve secretly wanted this for years.” He pulls me down on top of him, taking over control and kissing me like he’s starved for it. With a quick shift of his boxers, he positions himself at my entrance before I sit back up so I can enjoy the friction of the slide down. The feeling sends my head back and my eyes closed the further he pushes inside me.

  “I love watching you like this. You move on me.” And that’s what I do. I move up and down on Gabriel King, never taking my eyes away from his until I can’t hold back any longer. The rush of my release taking over my entire body, sending a quiver to my lips and my toes curling up all at once.

  Before I have a chance to fully recover, he’s using his single-handed grip on my hip to move me on to the next orgasm. “Keep going. I’ve got all damn day to watch you like this.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gabriel

  One Week Later

  I spent the day like I have the past week, flirting with Brie and making her smile. She’s a contagious phenomenon that I can’t get enough of and I’m not sure I’ll get over that any time soon.

  I love spending time with her both mind and body… but that sexy body of hers keeps me on alert continuously. I can’t seem to get enough of her and that’s something rare for me to say. I’ve never wanted to spend my entire day with anyone, let alone a full week.

  I could tell she’s been waiting for the ball to drop as if I’m going to get tired of her or something. Doing anything without her hasn’t even crossed my mind.

  If we weren’t fucking… we were together walking on the beach, at the park, or somewhere else trying to stay away from places people we knew wouldn’t go to. Doing all that normal people shit I never get to do because I’m usually working. I guess this is a perk of being injured on the job.

  “Do you really think we should tell him? He’s going to be livid.”

  “Yes. I’m tired of hiding this.” I sit on the edge of the bed and look back at the beautiful woman behind me. “I only have a few weeks before I have to leave for a mission and I don’t want to waste time working around people seeing us. He’s my best friend. He’ll forgive me.”

  “Alright. I’ll let you do the honors. I told him I was making dinner tonight, so he’ll be home soon.” I should be nervous about how he’ll react, but the truth is I don’t care. Aubrie means the world to me and I want to see where we go from here. He’ll understand that even though we had an agreement.

  We made that agreement when we were teenagers, thirteen years ago. Hell, that’s half my life ago. Things have changed and it’s time we embrace it all and live life with no regrets.

  “Shit he’s home.” Before I have a chance to think about what I’ll say to him, she’s rushing around the room in a hurry. The sound of him pulling into the garage is the reason for her urgency.

  But I haven’t moved from my position. “What are you doing. Get dressed.”

  “I think it’s best this way. Let him just figure it out on his own when we both walk out looking freshly fucked.”

  “Are you crazy? I don’t want him mad at us. He’s the only real family I have and I can’t risk it with him. Be normal and approach this like a man.”

  “Like a man? I’ll show you man.”

  “You already did. Now get dressed and do this right before I have a panic attack.” She whispers the last part as she slips into the bathroom to turn the shower on. She can pretend all she wants that this isn’t happening while he walks in the door, but the friend I know isn’t an idiot. I’m sure he’s already had some clue that let him know what I’ve been up to. After all, he knows me better than I know myself sometimes.

  I choose this exact moment to come clean and let him know how I feel about Brie. Walking out in my underwear may not have been the best decision, but it’s how I decide to go. My sister is in the kitchen with Alex, both of them looking in my direction as if I’ve lost my damn mind.

  “Jesus. How many times do I have to tell you to put pants on, Gabe.” My sister yells in my direction, but I don’t let it stop me from freely walking through my own damn house.

  “You knew the risk when you opened the door.” I lean down to get a beer out of the refrigerator before I turn to talk to both of them. “What are you doing here?” I tip my bottle toward Victoria.

  “She pulled in the driveway behind me. Says she needs to talk to you.”

  “I’m leaving in the morning. Can’t a girl get a hug from her brother before she saves the damn world?” I hold my arms out, teasing her about the hug even though I know she’ll pass since I’m standing in my underwear.

  “Where’s Brie?”

  “In the shower.” I knock back the bottle and let the cool foam hit my throat before the refreshing taste of beer fills my mouth.

  “Good. I need to talk to you.” Alex starts talking before I have the chance to. He looks pissed off.

  “What about?” I prepare myself for his attacks about me sleeping with his sister, even though I don’t want to care what he thinks.

  “Are you fucking my sister?”

  “It’s not like t
hat.” I instantly regret not telling him about us earlier. I guess being too preoccupied sounded like a good reason before, but I can’t tell him that part. He will cut me open in my sleep if I start to tell him anything that will reveal that I’ve been inside his sister more times than I can count this week.

  Before he has a chance to say another word, Victoria steps between us and makes an attempt to calm the air between us. “I’m about to leave on a mission and I don’t want a shitty night before I go. I heard you were making steaks.”

  “What’s it like then?” There’s no doubt he thinks I’ve betrayed him and I hate that more than I’d like to admit.

  “I care about her. She seems to feel the same. We’re going to give it a go and see what comes of it.” I awkwardly tip back my bottle once again, never taking my eyes off of his as I do.

  “I knew it. Don’t fuck her over or I’ll fucking kill you.” Victoria busts out laughing at Alex’s threats before I can respond.

  “You don’t get to act all macho about the sister thing. You broke that deal years ago.” I feel my beer nearly choke me on the way back up as I try not to lose my shit. I try real hard not to scream and yell and let him know just how raging pissed I am… but I fail. Miserably.

  “You’ve been fucking my sister for years?” Before I can stop myself, I’m shoving off the counter and charging for Alex.

  “It wasn’t like that either.” He comes at me with equal anger until we’re both stopped in our tracks, each of us with a palm in the chest from my sister as she stands between us.

  “Stop with the bullshit. Brie and I aren’t sensitive fucking flowers that can’t handle you guys. She knows what she’s getting into if she wants to start something with you.” She points in my direction before she turns to point that same finger at Alex. “I knew what not to get into with you. It is what it is. Now kiss and make up. That shit was a dumb deal to make anyway.”

  “What did you do to her?” I can hear it in my sisters tone when she tells him she knew what not to get into with him.

  “Nothing.” I can barely hear Alex before Victoria starts in again.

  “Do you want to know? He fucked me so good that I could barely stand. He had me moaning and coming for hours every time we met up. Is that what you want to hear?”

  “Fuck, I don’t want to hear this shit. Stop talking. But it sounds like you’re dumb for walking away from that.” I take Alex’s shocked face as the perfect time to walk away from my sister, who is obviously trying to kill one of us with her damn mouth. “We’ll go out for dinner. Let me take a shower and wash off all the sex before we go.”

  I say that last bit as a jab to get back at Alex. I know he’s just as relieved as I am that the secrets are out and I can only imagine he’s equally pissed about the news too. In the end I’d never want my sister with a guy like we used to be. But we’ve changed over the years. I’d never do anything to hurt Brie intentionally and I know Alex knows that.

  Just like I know he’d never hurt Victoria. I’d trust him with her life every day of the week and he knows he can expect the same from me.

  I manage to shower and put my clothes on quickly since Brie is out of here. I can’t stand the way I left things with Alex, so I decide to approach him about all of it once again. This time he’s standing on the back deck, drinking his own beer and talking to Victoria.

  She goes back inside, leaving us alone as soon as I step outside.

  “I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise.” I don’t know what to say to make him understand what this is for me.

  “No more secrets.” I nod and let him know I’ll be open and honest with him. Not that I’m not usually, I just have to keep business out of my mouth unless I’m talking to the team.

  “It was you wasn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “Five million dollars.” I swallow hard before I answer.

  “Yes. And we took down the ring a week ago.”

  “You’re injured?”

  “Yeah. A fucker got a shot in before I could take him out.” He downs the last half of his beer before he starts walking toward the door.

  “Take care of her and you’ll never have a problem with me.”

  “You do the same with V.” I throw him back the same courtesy he’s tossing my direction.

  “She’ll never let that happen.” I watch his defeated look get deeper and almost ask him what’s the deal with the two of them, but decide to leave it alone when I see Brie walk out the door.

  “You’ve been shacking up with that asshole, huh?” He pulls her against him for a hug and I watch for her reaction.

  “I am.” He pulls away from her and studies her face before he says another word.

  “I like that smile on you.”

  “Thank you. He does that for me. I really like him, Alex.”

  “I can tell. Be good to him. I told him the same. Don’t put me in the middle of any bullshit because two of the most important people to me are involved and I won’t choose between you two.”

  “We won’t.”

  “Let’s go eat. I’m fucking starving.”

  Brie walks straight for me and wraps her arms around my waist like she’s done so many other times this week. The smell of her shampoo potent in the air and another reminder of how sexy she looks in the shower.

  For the first time in a long time I take a deep breath and realize I’m living the life. This moment right here will forever be an important day to me. It’s the day I allowed myself to truly open up about how I feel about Brie. The darkness from trying to pretend it wasn’t there is behind me and I’ll never have to hide the way I feel again.

  Chapter Twenty

  Aubrie

  Three Months Later

  My life has changed dramatically over the past few months. Spending it with Gabriel has been amazing and I’ve had the best time of my life. He took a few months off so he could heal and we could go away together. He just got back from his first mission since his injury, but otherwise he’s been focused on me. And I love it. I love him.

  Knowing that another girl from that night is now safe makes me feel more relief. I’ve been counting them as the Kings have found them. Thirty-eight are still lost, but I have faith that they’ll all come home. They have to. His family won’t stop until they’re all found.

  Mr. King has allowed me in on the details of the overall case and has even given me the chance to attend the team meetings when they all get together to talk specifics. It’s something I’ve began to obsess about at times, but it keeps me close to Gabriel when he’s away. At least I know what’s going on and when he’s free and clear to come home.

  “You do know you can just buy new shit if you need it.” He brings the last arm full to the truck before he leans over to kiss me.

  “No. This stuff is important to me.” We’ve officially moved all of my stuff out of my house now. This is the last load and even though he’s giving me hell… he’s doing it with a giant smile on his face. He’s just as excited as I am about our future.

  My brother moved out last weekend. He said he wanted to give us the space we need. And something about cringing at the sound of me yelling every night… but I refused to let him make me feel awkward. I guess happiness will do that to you.

  His phone rings and I watch him as he interacts with his mother.

  “Hey Mom!”

  “Sure. We’ll be over tonight. You just saved us from making a stop at the store.” His family is much closer than mine has ever been. Every time someone comes home there’s a family cookout that we all attend. Laughter and joking fill the air all the while it’s obvious how important they all are to each other.

  “Do I need to pick her up from the airport?” He continues to talk and make plans for our night.

  For the first time in my life I feel like I’m part of a family. Being the daughter of a politician isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Separating myself from it all has been the breath of fresh air that I’ve needed more than a
nything.

  He ends the call with his mother before he turns to open the door of the truck, gesturing for me to step in on the driver’s side. “She wants us all over tonight. I knew you wouldn’t care, so I just told her we’d be there.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  “She said Victoria will land in about thirty minutes, so we can get there as soon as we want to.”

  “We don’t need to pick her up?”

  “No. V told Mom she had a ride.” I smile more than I should, because I know who’s giving her that ride. Alex has been acting ridiculous about her. I can read him like a book and even though he acts annoyed with some of the stuff she’s been saying and doing, I know he’s hung up on her. I just hope she sees him for what he’s worth one day, but then again, he’s made his own bed when it comes to women in this town.

  There’s a past there and I’m sure there’s a reason she’s hesitating. But allowing him to pick her up is a start.

  We don’t bother taking the last load of stuff back to the house and make our way directly to the King home. They have the money to live extravagantly… but they don’t. They don’t flaunt it or pretend to be better than anyone else. That’s completely different than what I grew up knowing. Completely different than what I’d expect from a man who paid five million dollars to save my life.

  “If you and Max pair up again, I’m bringing in the big guns.” Gabe is already talking about our traditional horse shoe challenge before he puts the truck in park.

  “Oh yeah? Who’s that?”

  “My Mom. She’s ridiculous and can whip all of our asses.” He takes my hand as we start to walk around to the back of the house and into the patio area where they all congregate. We’re the first to arrive and his parents must still be inside.

  “I can’t wait to watch our kids run across this yard.” He stops walking before he slowly turns toward me. Looking for a reaction while he attempts to stay neutral in his own.