Neither of us pulls away, but eventually the kiss ends, and we stare at each other, trying to make sense of what just happened.
“I know we shouldn’t,” he says, running his fingers through his hair. “And I’m trying, Piper. I really am. But I can’t help feeling something with you. That’s not something I know how to handle, but I can’t treat you like you’re a one-time thing. I don’t want you to be.”
“But, Jack—”
“I know!” he growls, hands clenched into fists. His voice is softer when he says it again. “I know.” He sighs. “But we opened this can of worms, and I don’t think I can put them back in there. I’ve always liked you and cared about you—you’re my best friend’s little sister; of course, I do—but working with you, spending all this time with you… It’s like I’m seeing everything with fresh eyes.”
There are a lot of things King could do that wouldn’t surprise me in the least, but baring his heart like this? Not on the list.
I don’t know if I should take him seriously, though. Is this what he does? Is this how he sleeps with all the women he does? By making them feel special?
“I thought you never saw the same girl twice?”
“I never wanted to,” he answers.
It still feels like a line. But it’s a good line. I know he’s trouble. I know I need to say no. To walk away from this. Jack will kill us both if he ever finds out.
As rational as that all is, somehow, I’m still losing the internal argument. I still want to fall into his arms.
“I’ve been screwed over before. I don’t have any interest in joining your collection of forgettable flings,” I say, trying to push away the lump in my throat. Damn it, I thought I was over that cheating prick. It’s the thought of King doing that to me…
And he will. Who am I kidding? I’d be delusional to believe I’m somehow special.
“I’m not going to deny the way I’ve treated other women, but I wouldn’t do that to you. I couldn’t. I know you. You’re a part of my life, Piper. You mean more to me than that. Than any of them.”
Call me delusional, I guess.
“So what are you proposing here?” I ask, folding my arms in front of me, just to feel like there’s some space between us to think.
“Not proposing,” he says, grinning. “Just suggesting we stop fighting the obvious thing that’s going on here.”
I don’t want to fall for this. I don’t want his stupid lines and irresistible charm to work on me. I’m better than this.
“You are not going to breathe a single word of this to Jack,” I say, wagging a finger at him. So much for being better than this.
“Hey, I don’t have a death wish either. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Jack’s too wrapped up with his little fling to notice anything else that’s happening.”
Slowly, he reaches out, puts a hand on my hip, and pulls me a little closer.
I’m done fighting it. He’s right; Jack has been preoccupied since finding Ellie. As long as I make sure she’s not working when King and I want to be together, Jack will be way too busy to suspect anything.
“Now,” King purrs, leaning in to kiss the side of my neck. “Are you through pretending you can't resist me?”
The warmth of his breath sends shivers through my whole body, and the grip he has on my body is possessive, unrelenting.
I unbutton my shirt.
“All this talking is an awful waste of that tongue,” I say, sitting on the edge of the desk and pulling my skirt up over my hips.
King grins, kneeling in front of me without another word. He spreads my knees further apart, kissing up the inside of my thighs, one, then the other, kissing and biting, just enough to make me gasp.
By the time he makes it to the top of my thighs, I’m ready to boil over. I’m wound so tight I might just launch to the moon when I snap.
And just when I’m about to die of anticipation, he backs off, sliding his hands up my smooth legs, only stopping when he gets to the tapered fabric of my thong. He pulls them off in one quick move, so fast I don’t even feel it, like those guys who can whip away a tablecloth without disturbing the stemware.
He’s clearly had plenty of practice, but instead of upsetting me, that thought makes me hotter. Practice makes perfect, right? His skills come from experience, and the moment his incredible tongue touches me, I’m grateful for every bit of his experience.
“Oh God,” I breathe. “That’s better than I remember.” His tongue circles my clit, then presses against it, flicking fast and hard, then softer, slower, working me into an unbearable frenzy.
He’s teasing me to madness, and I can’t take it. I grab the back of his head and grind against his tongue, harder, faster, lost in the pleasure and danger. He wraps his lips around my clit and sucks, and my entire body bows from the intensity. My legs clamp around his head, and an endless stream of pure bliss runs through me. His tongue never stops, and my legs are still trembling long after the orgasm subsides.
When he looks up from between my legs, his face is shiny, and he licks his lips, grinning from ear to ear.
“Want me to keep going? I could do this all day,” he says, glancing between my legs with a hungry look.
“Nope. Now you’re going to fuck me,” I say, tugging on his shirt to pull him up.
“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles, dropping his pants as he stands.
Sex with King is everything I remember: it’s hot, intense, and it definitely has the potential to be addicting.
But it’s also nerve-wracking. As good as it feels in the moment, as much as I’m always convinced how right it is when he’s inside me, the second we’re done, the doubts start creeping back in.
Not just about Jack, but about me too. I’ve been crushing on King for so long that I’m worried I have blinders on. What if I’m missing a ton of red flags and setting myself up for another heartbreak?
I don’t know if I can take another heartbreak.
But now that I know what sleeping with King is like, I don’t think I can go back to not having that either.
We’re just going to have to keep this casual. No strings attached. Just two people enjoying an activity that they’re very good at together.
I know it’s a disaster waiting to happen, and I’m going to wind up burned, but I can’t stop myself from walking into the fire.
Chapter 6
King
The Grandiose is a massive, sprawling resort that anyone could get lost in, so spotting a familiar face is like seeing an oasis in the desert.
I wish that familiar face was someone other than Jack’s girlfriend, but I’ll take what I can get right now.
“Hey, Ellie,” I start casually when I approach. She looks like she’s on her way to the Blackjack tables where she’s usually dealing, in the same uniform as the other dealers, her hair pulled up into a high ponytail.
“Oh, hey,” she answers, surprised to see me. “Are you looking for Jack?”
“His sister, actually,” I say, trying to keep it casual. “She’s managing my show here, and there were some things I wanted to discuss with her.”
“I saw her in the third-floor breakroom a few minutes ago. That cappuccino machine is the slowest, so you might still be able to catch her,” she says with a twinkle in her eyes.
I don’t like that twinkle. I don’t like the idea of anyone knowing what’s going on between me and Piper right now, but especially not someone so close to Jack.
“Thanks. I’ll just e-mail her if I don’t find her,” I add with a nonchalant shrug. Atta boy, keep it cool.
I’m not sure Ellie’s buying it, but I don’t stick around long enough to let anything else slip.
Piper’s not in the breakroom when I get there, but I hear her around the corner. She’s chatting with another uniformed employee, laughing about something, relaxed and charming.
She’s really only the dragon lady when it comes to me, it seems.
Why does that make me smile?
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I clear my throat when the other employee spots me, and Piper spins on her heel, brows arched.
“Faye, could you excuse us?” she says sweetly, even though she’s white knuckling her coffee mug.
“Of course. I have a team meeting to doodle through anyway,” the other woman chuckles.
“Hey,” I say, suddenly nervous. “Are you busy today?”
“I’m always busy,” she answers, every word tight and clipped. “What do you need?”
“More time with you,” I answer, stepping closer.
She steps back.
“King…” she hisses under her breath, eyes darting around. But there’s no one to see us here. Anyone walking by wouldn’t think anything about us having a conversation. She’s paranoid.
“When’s the last time you took a day off?” I ask, standing my ground.
She looks down at her mug, then shifts on her feet. “I don’t get to do that.”
“You don’t, or you won’t?”
Her answer is a sigh and an exasperated look.
“Come on. You can afford half a day. I’ll have you back by two,” I promise.
“What are you suggesting?”
“Getting out of here. Can’t it be a surprise?”
“I don’t like surprises. I like detailed plans and knowing what to expect,” she retorts.
“Too bad. You’re just going to have to be spontaneous.”
She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “Actually, I don’t. What if I said no?”
“You’re not going to.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because if you were, you would’ve already. So stop pretending you aren’t going to give in and save us both some time.”
She sighs. “You are such a pain in the ass; you know that?”
I grin. “So I’ve been told. Meet me in the south parking garage, level four.” I turn to leave, but Piper can’t help but get the last word in.
“I’ve seen the parking garage before; that’s not much of a surprise.”
I shake my head, chuckling. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
Thankfully, despite all her protesting and playing hard to get, she doesn’t keep me waiting. She’s only a few minutes behind me, just enough of a buffer to erase any suspicions and keep people from seeing us leaving together.
“Now will you tell me where we’re going?” she asks with a huff, clicking the seat belt forcefully.
“To one of my favorite places in the city,” I answer, slipping on sunglasses as we leave the garage.
“So help me, King, if you’re taking me to the Lion’s Den…”
Laughing, I shake my head. “As much as I’d love to take you to a sex shop and buy you every piece of lingerie they have for our own private fashion show… Maybe we’ll save that for the second date.”
Her eyebrows go up, a slow smile spreading. “This is a date, huh?”
“That’s the intention, yeah. Not exactly my area of expertise, but…”
“Well, pro tip for the future: typically the girl knows she’s going on a date and isn’t browbeaten into leaving work early for it.”
“Uh huh,” I mutter. “You know, judging from what Jack’s told me, this isn’t something you have a ton of experience with either.”
She gives me a hard look. “My brother doesn’t know everything that goes on in my life.”
“Obviously.”
Piper might seem unflappable, but I see the flush in her cheeks and the way her hips subtly move in her seat.
“It’s not on the strip?” she asks when I hop on the interstate heading south.
“Nope.”
“Come on, King. Just tell me where we’re going.”
“Come on, Piper. Let me surprise you,” I answer, mimicking her tone and cadence.
She groans, defeated, and slumps back, pouting.
“You’ll like it, I promise.”
She grunts again but doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the drive. It’s almost a half hour from her brother’s casino, and after the first fifteen minutes, she’s on her phone, probably dealing with work stuff if I know her.
She finally comes up for air when the car stops.
“You brought me to school?” she asks, eyeing the sign for the college.
I roll my eyes, shaking my head as I climb out and lead the way. She’s impossible. I never thought ‘wait and see’ was a difficult concept, but Piper sure struggles with it.
“It’s a nice campus, though,” she says, admiring the landscaping and architecture. I’ve been here so many times I don’t even notice it anymore.
There aren’t many dark, quiet places in this city where I can be in public and not be bothered for autographs and selfies. I have to time my arrival just right, but generally I can get in and out of this place without incident.
Piper waits until I’ve bought her ticket—I have an annual pass—and we’re seated in the theater to finally lean over.
“This is one of your favorite places in the city?” she asks.
I take my sunglasses off before answering, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.
“What’s wrong with that?”
She shakes her head, the smell of citrusy shampoo wafting my way when she does. “Nothing. It’s just … unexpected.”
“I like the anonymity,” I answer, shrugging. “It’s dark and quiet and everyone’s, too busy looking up to notice me. Plus, they have some of the best air conditioning ever. Nothing better than coming in here and looking at the stars while it’s 120 and sunny out.”
My eyes have adjusted enough to see her smile before she tilts her head back.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve been to a planetarium since I was a kid. I didn’t even know we had one nearby anymore.”
“You’re in for a treat,” I tell her. “Sometimes I get over people treating me like I’m such a big deal. It’s nice to feel small and insignificant again.”
Piper nods, though she doesn’t look away from the domed screen. The real show hasn’t even started yet, but there’s a projection of the constellations up until then, and that’s fascinating enough in its own right.
“I think I know what you mean. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of these stars.”
“You need to leave the city for that. Go out into the middle of the desert, and you won’t believe how many stars there are.”
“This many?” she asks, full of wide-eyed wonder. If I had a photographic memory, this is a moment I’d keep forever.
“More,” I answer. “So many that they can light up the whole sky.” I’ve been lucky enough to see the Milky Way a number of times on my travels, and it never fails to impress.
“I’d like to see that,” she says, her head falling on my shoulder. Our hands are right next to each other on the armrest and I feel daring, so I reach for hers, lacing our fingers together.
“Maybe I can show you,” I say just before the narration starts.
It’s the first show of the day, early enough that only elementary school groups are normally here, but today, we have the theater to ourselves. We watch the show in complete silence, hands still locked together. I know the script by heart, but it all hits different with Piper next to me.
I don’t feel as small as usual.
Near the end of the hour-long show, Piper’s phone rings. She takes her time fishing it out of her purse, but then I see her whole body stiffen.
“Shit, it’s Jack,” she hisses, scrambling to get up. “I gotta—”
But I’m already up and following her out of the theater, standing close enough in the quiet lobby that I can hear him on the other end of the line.
“Where are you? I went to your office, and you weren’t there,” he says.
She gives me a look. “I had an errand. What’s up?”
“King’s sold out. In under an hour. We gotta put him on the bigger stage, move the showgirls to his stage, get the tech guys all on board—I know they’ll be annoyed, but they like you
.” He’s talking fast, over-excited. “I knew King was big, but I didn’t realize… We’re really lucky we got him. I’m gonna call him and tell him the good news.”
Panic crosses Piper’s face. The next second, my phone is ringing. I back away quickly, but it’s too late. My phone stops, and Piper looks like she wants to murder me.
“We’re at some animal rescue. He’s trying to convince me he needs a tiger,” she says quickly, throwing up her arms in a desperate shrug when I tilt my head to the side. “Yeah, that’s what I told him. Tigers in Vegas are over. No one’s paying to see a mauling— Yep, I’ll be sure to point that out to him. Okay, he’s about to pet the damn thing, so I gotta go,” she says, hanging up the phone before she shoves it into her purse like it’s dripping with acid.
“Out of all the lies you could come up with … I want a tiger?”
She groans, heaving a big sigh. “I panicked, okay?”
“My manager just got arrested for having an alligator. I would not be stupid enough to want a tiger.”
“Yeah, Jack mentioned the alligator thing too. I’m sorry! He knew it was your phone when it stopped, and I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth…”
“I know.” I really want to reach for her hand, but I stop myself. That was only safe in the darkness of the planetarium. Out here in the daylight, we have to keep our distance. I put my sunglasses on so no one recognizes me, and now I’m going to have to listen to my best friend lecture me about the dangers of a pet tiger.
That was way too close, and I’m not convinced that he won’t still be suspicious once he’s over the excitement of my ticket sales and back to thinking rationally.
It was worth it, though. Even though Piper is freaking out and keeping her distance from me now, those memories are going to stick with me forever.
Definitely worth it.
Chapter 7
Piper
Waking up in King’s bed again was not on my to-do list, but it seems that my to-do list means fuck-all when it comes to King.
I want to be upset with myself, but it’s not working.
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