King (Vegas Kings Book 2)

by McKenna James

  I’m nearly out of breath after all of that, but it feels good to get it off my chest. It feels good to say it out loud, to make that promise to the universe.

  Jack still hasn’t said anything. He still hasn’t moved a muscle. For a moment, I’m worried he’s had a stroke—Ace will kill me if I put our other friend in the hospital too—but then I see him blink and shift in his seat.

  Okay, here goes nothing. Time for the final blow.

  “I want to ask her to marry me. Your dad’s not around to give me his blessing, and I don’t think Piper would think it’s worth much coming from him. I know you’re not going to give me yours, but I’m going to ask her anyway. I just thought you should know.” I slap my hands against my sides, a sort of well, there you go awkward flap.

  Jack takes a deep breath, then lowers his hands to his lap.

  “Feel better?” he asks.

  That’s not what I was expecting to hear.

  “What?”

  “You really seemed like you needed to vent there,” he says, a twinkle in his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he’s on the verge of laughing.

  Oh God. I pushed him into a psychotic break.

  “I mean, my God, man. That was quite the speech. Did you practice it?”

  “I— What the hell is going on?”

  Now he is laughing, shaking his head.

  “You two really are meant for each other. She already cornered me and poured her guts out about everything,” he says, surprisingly calm. This is all so much different than I expected.

  He clears his throat and straightens up, leveling a hard look at me. “I think it goes without saying that if you hurt my sister, I will kill you.”

  “Yet you’re saying it,” I point out, unable to stop myself, even when I’m on thin ice. He’s still my best friend, and we have to give each other shit.

  “And that’s the last time I will. But I mean it.”

  “Noted.” I let out a long sigh, relief unknotting all the tension throughout my body. “You could’ve stopped me a lot sooner.”

  He snort-laughs. “And miss you getting all sappy over my sister? That was better than any of the shows on the strip.”

  “Fuck you,” I laugh, shaking my head. I can’t even be mad; I’m too relieved. I figured Jack would still stand in my way, and it would take time for him to come around. Having him on board right now is beyond my wildest dreams.

  Jack gets up and walks around his desk, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “I’m still pissed you lied to me and kept this secret, but I understand why you did, and I’m happy for you both. Truly.”

  “Thanks, man. That really means a lot.”

  He nods, weighing his next words.

  “And if you want to propose to Piper right, I know just which ring you should give her.”

  Chapter 20

  Piper

  I’m not sure what I’m doing here. Graham tried to tell me that I should ignore the text and move on with my life without it being in constant upheaval because of King Dorsey.

  I almost let him convince me.

  But part of me needs to know. I need closure. What happened? Why did he suddenly pull away just when it seemed like we were finally going to get to be together?

  Maybe it was all talk. Pretty words to string me along, and when it came time to pay the bill, he bailed.

  That doesn’t feel right, though.

  Neither does standing alone on the roof of a building, but this is where he told me to meet him.

  At least I have all the keys to this building, so there’s no risk of me having a Hangover incident. And I’m pretty sure King’s not going to try to push me over the edge, but I’m keeping my distance anyway while I look at the time every thirty seconds.

  Finally, the roof access door opens, and King comes out, the wind ruffling his hair as he walks toward me. I almost forgot how breathtakingly attractive he is up close.

  “Thanks for coming,” he says, making me realize he sincerely doubted I would.

  “Just so you know, I told Jack everything. So you don’t have to worry about keeping the secret anymore,” I say, crossing my arms against a gust of wind.

  “I know. I told him too,” he says, cracking a smile.

  “You … what?”

  “Yeah. Funny, he wasn’t as surprised as I expected,” he jokes, but I’m still confused. King’s eyes meet mine, and the laughter dims. He sighs, running his fingers through his hair.

  “I’m sorry I freaked out after Asher’s accident. It hit me really hard and made me do a lot of soul-searching about who I’ve been and who I want to be. And who I want to be with,” he adds.

  “Oh?” I’m still not ready to let myself hope. I feel like the rug is going to get yanked out from beneath me any minute, so I’m trying not to plant my feet too firmly.

  He steps closer and reaches for my hand. The moment we touch, I feel that familiar spark. The same spark that makes me want to fall into his arms and push him onto the nearest flat surface to do terribly dirty things to him.

  “You already know I love you, Piper. I can’t imagine my life without you at this point, and these days apart have been torture.”

  Now’s my chance.

  “I love you too,” I say, taking his other hand, a tight lump in my throat.

  “What do you say? Wanna do this for real? Out in the open? Monogamous and shit?”

  I snort, shaking my head. He was doing so good being romantic, and then he tosses out monogamous and shit.

  “Do you want that? Giving up all those eager groupies and foreign supermodels?”

  Now his arms are around my waist, and he’s slowly reeling me in, pulling me closer and closer.

  “Baby, it’s the only thing I want,” he says.

  “The only thing?” I tease, biting my lip as my eyes travel down his body, over the t-shirt and jeans that are so perfectly fitted it should be a crime.

  Graham might call me stupid for giving King another chance, but life is too short to deny myself happiness over something that doesn’t need to be an issue. I don’t want to spend anymore time being mad at him when we could be spending it making up instead.

  “Well, actually, I have a surprise for you,” he says, all too pleased with himself.

  “You know, I’m starting to not mind them so much. Must be all that exposure therapy,” I say, taking some of the wind out of his sails.

  The smug levels reverse again when a helicopter approaches, and I’m standing in slack-jawed surprise while King is herding me off to a safe spot well away from the landing pad.

  “Your surprise is a helicopter?” I ask, nearly yelling to be heard over the rotors and wind.

  “That’s transportation to the surprise,” he says, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

  “What is it with you rich guys and helicopters?”

  He laughs. “Says the woman with a multi-million-dollar mansion.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t have a helicopter.”

  He shrugs. “Me either. I prefer jets, but that’s not going to work. Asher let me borrow his since he won’t be using it for a while.”

  “How far are we going? Should I pack a bag? Tell Jack I’m leaving town?”

  King leans down and kisses me. “You should relax and enjoy being spontaneous,” he says, smiling.

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Hi, my name’s Piper, have we met? You must think I’m someone else if you think that’s a real suggestion.”

  He laughs and pulls me close, keeping his arm around my waist while he leads me to the helicopter, our heads ducked low.

  “Oh, wow,” I murmur once we’re inside. Asher’s helicopter is outfitted with the finest finishes, overstuffed seats, a flat screen TV, and a minibar.

  I didn’t even know you could fit all this in a helicopter; it’s definitely nicer than most private jets I’ve been in. Hell, it’s nicer than a lot of the suites we have. I never really think about how much money Asher must have, but damn. Good for him.

 
“Yeah,” King agrees, taking one of the big reclining seats, still holding my hand, so I wind up in the seat next to him, my heart in my throat.

  The pilot is doing a walk around the beast, inspecting it before we take off. He comes up the steps but stops short of joining us in the guest cabin.

  “Any changes to the flight plan?” he asks, looking to King.

  “Nope, thank you.”

  “We’ll be there in about three hours,” the pilot adds, and I turn my gaze to King.

  “Three hours? Where are you taking me?”

  He grins. “Far, far away. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

  Every other time King has said that to me, it’s been true. I have to trust him this time too.

  Besides, there’s plenty of drinks, and I’m willing to bet there are snacks in that mini fridge. Surely, we’ll find some way to pass the time.

  As the helicopter lifts off from the roof of The Grandiose, I move toward the window, watching the strip and all the megaresorts shrinking down to nothing, then disappearing altogether.

  It’s already mid-afternoon when we leave, so by the time we’re approaching our destination, it’s already approaching dusk. I keep an eye out for the lights of a city—or even an airport—but there’s nothing.

  It’s just wilderness. I don’t even see any houses, and when we fly over one of the few roads, I can tell it’s unpaved.

  “Is this where you murder me and hide the body so no one will ever find it?” I ask, mostly joking, but there is an undercurrent of fear making my blood feel cold. This is why I hate surprises. My mind runs wild, and I always come to the worst-possible conclusions.

  “Not quite.” King laughs. It’s not the same easy, full bellied laugh that I’ve grown to love. It’s tight and nervous, which makes me all the more suspicious.

  The helicopter touches down on a rocky ridge, a plateau that overlooks a green valley covered with short, stubby bushes and hardy desert grasses. There are a few lonely juniper trees along the ridge, and it’s definitely a lot lusher than the land around Vegas, but we’re still bordering on the desert.

  And there’s nothing here.

  Why did he bring me here?

  “Thanks, Chip. We’ll see you tomorrow,” King says, while the pilot checks over his craft again. He’ll probably have to refuel nearby—assuming there is somewhere nearby—but I’m sure they’ve already figured that out, since it seems like King’s planned everything.

  “Tomorrow? We’re staying the night? Where? I didn’t bring anything—I asked you if I should pack!”

  “Shh,” King says, wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing me softly, slowly, waiting for me to soften in his arms and melt against him. God, it feels so good to do this again. “Have a little faith. I have this under control.”

  “You say that, but…” I gesture around to a whole lot of emptiness, the helicopter already revving up to abandon us here. “I’m not really the camping type, you know.”

  He laughs. “Oh, believe me, I know. Come on.”

  I’m not really the hiking type either, especially not in heels.

  Luckily, we don’t have too far to go. King walks me across the ridge, picking through tumbleweeds, and ventures through a stand of trees that would’ve been a disaster for the helicopter.

  Just on the other side of those trees, it’s like we’ve stepped into another world.

  A large, circular tent—a yurt, actually—is set up in the perfect spot for incredible views. I know yurts can be temporary, but it’s obvious that this one is a permanent fixture with the attached deck and hot tub nearby. There’s a place for a fire, and a number of outdoor seating areas, all tastefully decorated like the whole thing is ready for a magazine shoot.

  It not exactly roughing it, from the looks of things.

  “What do you think?” he asks, still holding my hand as he leads me up the stairs to the deck, then pushes open the tent flap door.

  I’m actually speechless. It doesn’t happen often, but with King, it seems to be a regular occurrence. The inside of the yurt is downright luxurious. Hardwood floors with thick, cozy rugs, a small kitchen, even more seating in the form of big floor pillows and hammock chairs, and then there’s a loft with a king-sized bed centered directly under the spot where all the support beams meet, leaving a big circular hole that lets in tons of light for a place with no windows.

  “King… This is amazing,” I mutter, still in awe as I take it all in. I’m used to the finer things in life, but this is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

  “I’ve always wanted to come out here,” he says, looking through the skylight with me, watching as the sky turns dusky purple, steadily darkening. “I kept telling myself I’d do it one day, but it never happened.”

  “This place is really nice, but you could find a nice hotel room anywhere. What makes this one so special?”

  “The location,” he says, still looking up at the sky. “There are fourteen places on the globe designated as International Dark Sky Sanctuaries, and this is one of them. I told you I’d take you to see the Milky Way one day. It’s a new moon, so this is the best chance we have.”

  “You brought me out to the middle of nowhere to look at stars?” I ask, trying to decide if it’s crazy or romantic.

  “It’s about a hundred times better than the planetarium,” he says, sensing some of my hesitation. “The sun will be down soon, but it’ll be another couple of hours until full dark. I figured we could have dinner and maybe jump in the hot tub—”

  “With what supplies?”

  He arches a brow at me, then heads to the fridge, opening it to reveal everything we need for a three-course meal, all pre-portioned and fool-proofed for novices like us.

  “You really have no faith in me, do you?” he teases, pulling out salad ingredients.

  “I didn’t… It’s not— Look, I’m normally the one in charge of you; it’s just weird for the roles to be reversed.”

  “I was pretty good at being in charge of myself when Vince was my manager,” he points out.

  It’s a good point.

  I should give him more credit. He’s clearly put a lot of work into planning this, probably throwing the weight of his celebrity around to get it all done on such short notice.

  “Also, Ellie helped me pack a bag for you, so you should have everything you need in the closet,” he says, mixing up a marinade for the shrimp that smells absolutely heavenly.

  There were snacks on the helicopter, but nothing resembling a full meal, and my stomach is already growling before he has a pan on the stove.

  I’ve never seen King doing something so domestic, and I guess I just assumed he was as hopeless at it as I am, but he seems to know his way around the kitchen. There’s nothing but confidence in everything he does.

  Soon, he’s humming a tune I don’t recognize. I like it, though.

  “What’s that song?” I ask, peering over his shoulder to watch him sauté shrimp and veggies. I steal a snow pea pod right out of the pan before he can swat me away.

  “Don’t know yet,” he says. “Just something I’ve been working on.”

  By the time he has dinner plated, it’s much darker outside. The deck is lit up by solar lights that are just enough illumination to eat by, and already there are more stars in the sky than I’ve ever seen. So many that it’s hard to pick them out individually. They all stack up and clump together.

  It’s mesmerizing.

  When I turn my attention back to King, he’s looking at me, not the sky, but with the same kind of wonder in his expression.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he says, that sincerity in his eyes that always makes me a little flustered.

  “This is really good,” I answer. “Why didn’t you ever tell me what a good cook you are?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t have much chance to do it, but my grandma taught me a thing or two.”

  “You ever think about giving up the hotel life and getting a house for home base?”
r />   “I’ve thought about it,” he says. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately.”

  “Don’t over-exert yourself,” I tease, but he doesn’t really crack a smile. He’s too focused on being serious. He looks like he’s trying to formulate what he wants to say, and I feel a little guilty for poking fun at him.

  “What have you been thinking about?” I ask, trying to match his serious expression. It’s hard when I’m sipping champagne and eating a well-cooked meal under more stars than I knew existed. But I try my best.

  “You, mostly,” he says, meeting my eyes with his. “How crazy I am about you, how you’ve come and turned my whole life upside down, and how I don’t even mind it. You’re the only woman who’s ever made me as crazy as you do. The only one who can make me as angry, who can turn me on without even trying, the only one who’s ever made me happy… Fuck, Piper, you’ve inspired me to write love songs. I haven’t written anything new in years, and now I can’t stop.”

  I don’t know what to say. He seems to be verging on anger, but I don’t think that’s where he’s going.

  “I’m sorry?” I offer, but he shakes his head.

  “Don’t be. I like this version of me better, and I know I’m never going back. I’m through playing the field, done wasting my time with flings that don’t mean anything. I’m ready for the real thing. The one that’s going to last me the rest of my life—however long that is,” he says, his hands under the table, fidgeting.

  “King, what are you—”

  “You’re the one for me, Piper. I know we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and I haven’t always been the best at communication, but I’m going to do better. Especially now that we don’t have to hide things from everyone I know.”

  He says everyone, but I know he means Jack.

  But even if Jack knows about us, that doesn’t mean he’s going to approve of whatever King is talking about. It sounds suspiciously like a proposal, but it can’t possibly be, can it?

  He answers my internal question by leaving his seat and getting down on one knee, a ring box in his hand. My eyes are wide, breath caught in my throat. There’s a ringing in my ears covering up the drone of distant insects, and all I can do is stare at him in shock, waiting for the camera crew to pop out and tell me I’ve been pranked.