King (Vegas Kings Book 2)

by McKenna James

  “You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, and I don’t know why you’ve put up with me for as long as you have, but I hope you’re up for a few more decades,” he says, cracking open the hinged box, eyes shining with nervous anticipation.

  “We don’t have to rush into it or anything if you don’t want to, but I want you to know where my heart’s at and how serious I am about this. I want to marry you and spend the rest of our lives together like my grandparents did.”

  I’m still hearing everything he says, but mostly, I’m fixated on the ring. It’s gold, with a big pearl as the focal point, smaller, round-cut diamonds surrounding it. It’s the ring I’ve always dreamed of wearing one day, but I don’t know how the hell he got his hands on it. Unless…

  “Did Jack give you that ring?” I ask.

  King was clearly waiting for an answer to his proposal, and he readjusts on his knee, frowning at it.

  “Yeah, he told me if I wanted to do it right, I should use your mom’s ring.”

  “So he knows you planned to do this?”

  “Yeah. It would be pretty weird for him to give me your family heirloom otherwise,” he answers, starting to get impatient. I shouldn’t keep him waiting, but this is a lot to take in right now. Not just the proposal, but Jack’s blessing too.

  There really isn’t anything standing in our way anymore.

  “So what do you say?” he asks, looking at my face, then the ring, then my hand, before back to my face.

  I’m still not sure I believe it’s real, but if this is a dream, I’m content to never wake up.

  “Yes,” I answer, grinning from ear to ear. “I say yes.”

  He lets out a heavy breath, breaking into a matching smile as he slips the ring on my finger. “I was really hoping you would.”

  I spend the rest of dinner staring lovingly at my ring, grinning like a fool. Even when we’re relaxing in bed, looking up at the Milky Way and the billions of stars, I keep sneaking peeks at it.

  “So you’re okay with me not going out and buying a million-dollar ring? Because I will, if that’s what you want.”

  I shake my head, holding my hand up to the light. The stars are so bright that they cast shadows like a full moon. “No, this is perfect. All of this is.”

  “So are you,” he says.

  I roll over to kiss him, a warm grumble rising up from his chest as I do. His hands slide down my back, over my ass, and I realize I’m still too far. I need to be on top of him. I need to be as close as I can possibly be.

  He needs to be naked.

  We both do.

  But first, I’m taking my time kissing him, touching him, reveling in the knowledge that all of this is mine now. I never have to share him; I never have to worry about making the world aware he’s spoken for.

  He pulls my shirt off and stares in open wonder for a long moment.

  “You know, we’re normally in a hurry and worried about being caught when we do this,” he says. “I’ve never had the chance to take my time with you.”

  “Mmm,” I moan, his hand palming my breast, his thumb swiping back and forth over my stiff nipple. “You’re going to have all the chances you could want,” I promise him, leaning in for another kiss, moving my hips against him until I feel his erection pressed against me, both of us breathless and single-minded.

  “Well, in that case,” he says, flipping us over in one fluid move, “maybe I’ll go slow next time. I’ve missed this too much.”

  “Me too,” I admit, already wriggling out of my pants while he’s stripping out of his.

  The moment he’s inside of me, it’s like all is right with the world again. And once we’re together like this, the rush dies down, he’s happy to take his time, kissing me, caressing me, using his hands and his body to show just how much he loves me.

  The love songs and all the pretty words are nice, but it’s the look in his eyes when he’s inside me that really says it all.

  This man is going to be my husband. The thought sends a rush of warmth through me, my whole body clenching around him, balanced on the cliff, threatening to fall into the abyss.

  He holds me tight, our bodies moving to an ancient rhythm under the stars, and we come together, breathless, clinging to each other, overwhelmed by the magic of the moment.

  And we stay like that for a long time, him inside me, our arms around each other, panting, a little sweaty, and ridiculously, impossibly happy.

  “You know,” he says after a long stretch of silence, “whoever said that the threat of getting caught makes it hotter is full of shit. That was so much better than sneaking around with you.”

  I giggle—not a laugh or a chuckle, but a girlish giggle I haven’t heard from myself in the longest time. “Agreed.”

  “I’m gonna hit the shower. You wanna join me?” he asks, standing to stretch, his glorious body on full display. I bite my lip, eyes roving all over that masterpiece, but then I flop back onto the ultra-soft mattress and starfish out.

  “I think my legs are still too jelly-like for that.” I laugh.

  He leans over and kisses me. “That’s because I know what I’m doing,” he says, grinning when he winks at me.

  Downstairs, I hear the shower start up, and it’s less than a minute later that I hear King’s sultry voice drifting up, singing Sinatra, I think? It makes me smile. Looking at my ring makes me smile too. Everything does right now. I never could have imagined I could be this happy—or that it would be King who makes me this happy—but I’m never taking it for granted again.

  There’s been a lot of obstacles in our way, a lot of stupid bullshit that caused far more drama than it should have, but now that it’s all out of the way, the future looks bright.

  Chapter 21

  Piper

  “Are you sure we should be telling everyone already?” I ask, frowning at my reflection while I’m poking earrings through my holes.

  King comes up from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist before kissing the side of my neck. “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” he teases.

  “No. I’m just… It’s Asher’s party, you know? Isn’t it kind of rude to make the focus on us?”

  “I think everyone will appreciate the good news,” he says, squeezing me a little tighter. “Besides, if you think Jack hasn’t already spilled the beans…”

  I groan. “Yeah, you’re right. How did women get the reputation for being gossipy when it’s always you men spreading rumors?”

  He laughs. “Blame the patriarchy.”

  “I will,” I grumble, my heart only half in it. It’s hard to get properly annoyed about anything these days. We’ve only been engaged for a week, but I swear I’ve been walking on a cloud the entire time.

  Asher’s finally coming home from the hospital after his ordeal, and he and Lake have invited the whole gang over to celebrate. It does seem like the perfect time to tell everyone, and I know my ring won’t go unnoticed.

  There’s really no point in keeping the secret. Soon, even the press will know that King’s off the market.

  “Everyone already knows you’re the prettiest woman in the world. You don’t have to rub it in,” he says while I’m applying a final coat of mascara.

  I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling as I step away from the mirror. “All right, let’s go, Mr. Impatience.”

  When we show up, King gives me a See? I told you look once we realized we’re the last ones to arrive. Even Ace is here before us, which never happens.

  I might’ve taken too long on my hair. But it’s not my fault when he interrupted me for a quickie and messed it up again.

  Asher’s posted up on the couch with his leg in a cast, elevated on an ottoman, and Lake is flitting around, trying to be a good hostess while it’s obvious she just wants to hang out with her dogs. She’s definitely in much better spirits than the last time I saw her, at least.

  “Congratulations!” Lake says, greeting me with a hug. King laughs, shaking his head, giving me another I told
you look.

  My brother and his big mouth.

  “Do you have any plans yet?” she asks. “Because if you’re thinking about settling down—”

  “Sweetheart, stop trying to make my friends take your strays,” Asher says gently.

  Lake pouts. “King’s always said the thing holding him back from adopting is that he’s not home enough, but if there are two of you—”

  “We’ll think about it,” I say, trying to get out of this discussion as quickly as possible. King’s been staying with me all week, but we haven’t discussed if that’s going to be a permanent arrangement, let alone how we feel about bringing pets into the fold. Lake’s enthusiasm is sweet, but she’s getting a little ahead of herself.

  “Okay, just let me know. We’ll definitely find you the perfect companion when you’re ready,” she says.

  When. Not if.

  Gotta love her tenacity.

  “I’m sooooo happy for you two,” Ellie says, rushing in for her turn. “I’ve been rooting for you, but I couldn’t bear trying to keep it secret from Jack.”

  “I know,” I admit. “Me either. It was awful having to sneak around, but we don’t have to do that anymore. We can be out in the open.”

  “Not too open,” Ace says, arching a brow. “Ratzi’s going to be all over this story, and there’s going to be a lot of pissed off fans when they find out he’s not single and they’ve lost their shot.”

  “Luckily, I have a great manager who knows how to handle the press,” King says, wrapping his arm around me, his eyes shining with love and affection.

  “And if you need to get away from the parasites, you’re welcome to join us when we head to the Bahamas next month,” Jack says.

  “Ace is in a big tournament down there,” Ellie says as explanation. Then she leans in and adds, “But really, Jack just wants to take his new yacht for a spin.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal,” Ace grumbles, going through his drink pretty quickly. I look over to King, raising my eyebrows, and he nods. He sees it too.

  “Shitty pot?” he asks.

  “As if,” Jack scoffs. “Five mil to the winner.”

  Asher whistles. “I got into the wrong side of this business.”

  “So what’s the problem?” King asks.

  Ace shrugs. “Who says there is one?”

  “Your attitude.”

  Ace rolls his eyes. “There are just some aspects of the circuit that are getting old,” he says.

  “Like?” Jack prods, happy to join the cause of being a pain in the ass. It’s not like Ace hasn’t earned it over the years.

  Ace grunts, then realizes all eyes are still on him.

  “There’s just this newcomer; you know how it is, think they know everything, too cocky, self-important…”

  Jack’s grinning. “So someone’s trying to take your place, and you don’t like it?”

  Ace scoffs, “She could never take my place.”

  “She?” King asks, latching on. Ace’s face pales. He didn’t mean to let that slip.

  “So is it her attitude you don’t like, or the fact that she beat you?” Asher asks.

  “Who said that?” Ace asks, defensive. When will guys learn how guilty that makes them seem? “Her attitude is shit. She’s way too competitive, and when she does luck out and win, she’s a terrible sport.”

  “Uh-huh,” King says, on the verge of laughter. “That’s pretty rich coming from the most competitive guy I know who’s banned from most of the casinos in Vegas for being a bad sport—”

  “That’s not—”

  “Sounds to me like you’ve finally met your match,” Jack says, slipping an arm around Ellie and pulling her close. “I, for one, think that’s a good thing.”

  “Me too,” King says. “Someone needs to keep you in line now that I won’t be able to tag along to do it.”

  “I can’t wait to meet her,” Ellie teases.

  “You guys are assholes,” Ace grumbles, fetching another drink from Asher’s fridge.

  “We are,” King admits. “But we’re your assholes. Just let me know if you ever need me to hurl your phone into the ocean.”

  I’m the only one who laughs at that, and it’s not long before we’ve refocused the attention onto Jack and Ellie, needling them about their relationship, speculation about which of us will end up at the altar first.

  It’s all in good fun; there’s too much love amongst this group for anyone to take anything to heart. We’re all one big family, through the ups and downs and all the surprises in between. All these people have come to mean so much to me, and even though things were pretty crazy for a while, I couldn’t be happier with how it’s all turned out.

  And I can’t wait to meet this girl who’s got Ace coming all undone…

  We hope you enjoyed King and Piper's story. If you did, we know you'll love the last book in the Vegas Kings trilogy - ACE. And if you haven't read the prequel to this series, check out The Rescue (Asher and Lake's story) for FREE here.

  Also By Mckenna

  ROYAL ROMANCES (Available in eBook, Print, & Audio)

  Royally Schooled

  Royal Academy

  The Prince’s Baby

  Her Royal Physician

  Royal Holiday

  INHERIT LOVE SERIES (Available in eBook, Print, & Audio)

  Baby Inheritance

  Royal Inheritance

  Inheritance Goals

  Inheritance Reversal

  Lucky Inheritance

  Forgotten Inheritance

  ROYAL MATCHMAKER SERIES (Available in eBook, Print, & Audio)

  Royally Matched

  Royal Runaway Bride

  Royal Alliance

  VEGAS KINGS SERIES (Available in eBook, Print, & Audio)

  JACK

  KING

  ACE

  Collections/Box Sets

  Royally Loved

  Inherit Love

  In Love with a Prince (paperback)

  About Mckenna

  Mckenna James is the pen name for a collaborative writing duo who share an addiction to sweet tea and a love for wealthy, attractive men.

  Since they don’t know enough devastatingly handsome men with boatloads of cash to spare, they decided to create some. They specialize in fairytales for today’s world featuring modern princes and heroines who speak their minds and carve out happily ever afters on their own terms.

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