King of Hearts: An Arranged Marriage-Mafia Romance (Rake Forge University Series Book 2)

by Ashley Munoz

  I walked toward the kitchen, too angry to notice that she was wearing mere scraps of clothing. The way her tank top pressed against her bare breasts clearly showed her pert nipples and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Then there were the shorts that rode up so high her ass cheeks were on display. I’d never deny that Taylor Beck had a body made for sin; I’d just follow that up with the fact that I’d rather become a Catholic priest and take a vow of abstinence before ever indulging again. One kiss was enough.

  “Am I the only asshole you’ve encountered in your precious, sheltered life?” I peered over my shoulder while tackling the dishes in the sink. Don’t ask me why I was suddenly washing dishes, except that it bugged the hell out of me that there were dirty ones in the sink. That paired with a myriad of takeout boxes on the counter…the place was a mess. Taylor was supposed to have moved out since she was done with school, but every few days I’d check and, sure enough, she was still here.

  “You don’t know anything about my life,” she stated, her voice wavering just the smallest bit.

  I knew enough of her life to know she wasn’t worth the time I spent checking on her. I knew she was selfish and self-centered. I knew she was stuck in my head, and I didn’t understand why. Whether I was skating, fighting, or fucking, there she was: blonde hair the color of sunshine on a cloudless day, her blue eyes glittering with unshed tears—the ones she thought no one ever saw—and that skin.

  I turned my head, ignoring her tan, smooth skin. I’d touched it, and it was stuck in my head too. Occasionally that image would guide my hand while I fisted my cock in an attempt to get her out of my system.

  “I know your gold-digging mother found herself a winning lottery ticket in the form of her magical cunt, married Charles Shaw, and became a millionaire’s wife overnight. I know you’ve been spoiled for the past six years, making your stepsister’s life a living hell. I know you’re selfish, conceited, and an easy lay.”

  Her blue eyes sparkled with tears, but none fell. Her chin rose, her lips thinned, and I noticed her fists clench at her sides. Yes. Get angry, baby girl. Fight me. Fuck me. Put me out of my misery.

  Suddenly she laughed, letting out a huff of air before pushing her silky blonde hair out of her face. It fell past her shoulders, and it had been a fantasy of mine to one day wrap it around my hand while I pounded into her from behind. A fantasy and a nightmare.

  “You’re a waste of my energy. Completely forgettable.” Taylor sauntered past me, grabbed my cup of coffee, and then moved down the hall to her room.

  I knew my words stung her. I wanted them to, but fuck, I didn’t want to admit how badly hers hit and landed like a missile into all my insecurities.

  “You want to know why I’m an asshole to you every time I see you?” I suddenly said to her retreating form.

  She paused in the middle of the hallway and spun on her heel. “Because we kissed, and I thought you were someone else?”

  Fire. Ice. She made me feel too fucking much.

  I took a step toward her, narrowing my eyes. “I’m an asshole because you’re selfish. You don’t deserve Mallory as your stepsister. She does everything for you, and you fucking throw it in her face. Everything you do makes her life harder, and because she has me in her life, someone who actually cares about her, I’m not going to sugarcoat how badly I wish you’d just fucking disappear. Trust me, the fact that you kissed me has nothing to do with it. I just can’t stand you, but neither can anyone else, so at least I’m not alone in that.”

  I had finally done it. I’d made her cry. Thick tears fell from her black lashes in little drops while her neck turned an angry red color, crawling up into her cheeks. I ignored what it did to my chest to see her react to what was likely the harshest thing I’d ever said to anyone in my life. She stood there crying while I just walked past her and out the door. I thought maybe I should just tell Mal I couldn’t come over anymore…maybe after this, she’d be out of my system for good.

  June

  Juan: Are you going to the wedding?

  Taylor: Who is this?

  Juan: Don’t play stupid.

  Taylor: Juan?

  Juan: Gold star.

  Taylor: (Insert rolling eyes emoji) What do you want?

  Juan: A fucking answer would be nice

  Taylor: You don’t have to be a jerk

  Juan: And you don’t have to be a tease, yet here we are…

  Taylor: Fuck off

  Juan: I heard you’re going to be the maid of honor…kind of a strange role for you, isn’t it?

  Taylor: Why do you keep texting me?

  Juan: I haven’t texted you for an entire week…

  Taylor: You counted the days?

  Juan: Do you have a date for the wedding?

  Taylor: …………

  Juan: Hello?

  Juan: So you’re just going to ignore me?

  Taylor: You’re an asshole…did you forget what you said to me the last time you saw me?

  Juan: Was it any different than calling me to come over and putting your tongue down my throat only to realize you were kissing the wrong person?

  Taylor: Didn’t think you cared.

  Juan: ………

  Taylor: Guess I’ll see you at the wedding…

  Juan: Guess so…

  Chapter Three

  SEPTEMBER

  My pink fingernail ran along the magenta flyer, tracking each word.

  “One roommate needed— must be clean and tidy. Eight hundred dollars…what the hell?” I voiced out loud, narrowing my eyes. Was this for real? Nearly a grand a month for just a bedroom?

  My hand fell away from the message board while my lungs let out a sound similar to a balloon deflating. The sun was a blanket of humid heat, boxing me in on all sides as I wiped at my damp brow.

  It seemed more and more difficult to regulate how hot I was every day with this damn weather. I’d managed to make it through the worst parts of summer, but now carrying this massive book bag and my Hydro Flask…it was all a little too much.

  For the first time since I had the heart-to-heart with my stepdad, I was starting to worry. We’d had brunch weeks ago, when I was entertaining the idea of living all alone and had plenty of time to make up my mind. He’d offered to buy me an apartment, but since I had witnessed my older stepsister stepping up and refusing handouts from Charlie, her biological father, I decided I could do that too. I didn’t need his millions or free apartments; I could tuck away with a few roommates and finish the last few credits needed to obtain my bachelor’s degree.

  I couldn’t, however, currently afford eight hundred dollars a month. Not only that, but now, as I had begun the hunt for a place to live, I realized how stupid I’d been. There was nothing left, and thanks to the massive surge in new residents, there was a significant housing bubble that was forcing people to pay astronomical prices on anything that was available.

  Since turning down my stepfather’s money, there was just no way I could afford it. I obviously didn’t qualify for any kind of financial aid, but I had a small trust fund my mother had created for me. It felt vastly different taking a handout from the woman who birthed me than it did doing so from Charlie. Besides, it was something she’d started back when we were dirt poor. There was only about five thousand dollars in it, which would be enough to float me for a while, but otherwise, I was completely on my own and in need of a job.

  My phone rang inside my pocket, which temporarily diverted my anxious thoughts.

  “Hey,” I said, pulling it to my ear.

  “Did you find a spot yet?” my stepsister asked, sounding like she’d just heaved something across the room.

  “What was that?”

  “I lifted a box of paper. Can you believe I don’t have an assistant to do that shit for me?” She let loose a strained chuckle while something else slapped against the floor on her end.

  I laughed in response. “What about your baseball player husband?”

  “He’s ironically at t
he gym, and he may have told me to wait on picking up these boxes, but I’m feeling a little defiant today,” she explained proudly. My older stepsister, whom I referred to as just my sister, had just recently taken over Charlie’s New York office with her brand-new husband, Decker.

  “I don’t want to know about your defiance with Decker. Save it.” I laughed, swinging my water bottle while I walked down the path. College students bustled around campus, darting around to get set up, find classes, and move into dorms. I looked longingly at a freshman who had a box in her arms. She wasn’t homeless.

  “You’re out of breath,” Mallory said with a hint of concern in her voice.

  I moved my wrist to swipe at my brow, returning the phone to my ear. “Yeah…it’s a bit hotter than I realized it would be. I feel weird.”

  “Tay, be careful. Those heatwaves can be really dangerous.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know. I’ve lived here just as long as you have, sis.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “You know I love you, Mal, but you called for a reason.”

  She let out a super dramatic sound as another slap echoed through my phone.

  “I just wanted to know if you found a place.”

  I let out a sigh and sank down on a bench by the administration building. “I definitely have options.” My feet hurt, my shoulders too, and I hadn’t even started my first day yet.

  “That means you have nothing.” Mal laughed, and I could feel my chest loosen as I joined her. I already missed her, and I’d just driven back to Rake Forge from her penthouse the week before. I had spent almost the entire summer with her, and I was still struggling with how badly I missed her.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Mal.” I shook my head, unsure why it suddenly felt so heavy. More sweat gathered at my brow, soaking my neck and back. I knew I needed to take a quick drink of water, so I pulled the heavy flask up and began opening the lid.

  “You know all I have to do is make one phone call,” she said hesitantly.

  My brows crinkled as I considered what she was talking about.

  “Hillary?” One of my sister’s best friends had moved to Chicago last I heard.

  She clicked her tongue. “You know that’s not who I’m talking about.”

  I played dumb. “Hmm, not sure then.”

  Right as I said it, the person in question who I knew she was referring to was headed in my direction with his head down, looking at his phone. My heart did a little flip while my neck suddenly stretched, straining to see every inch of him, maybe to ensure he wasn’t a mirage or just simply because it was an odd sensation to see him after so many months. Mostly it was because he wasn’t supposed to be here. He’d graduated and was now employed as a professional athlete; there were zero reasons he should be on campus.

  “Juan asked about you,” Mal hedged, likely worried how I might respond. We hadn’t talked about Juan, except for one time on my bedroom floor when I had admitted that I would be returning to school this year. She had no idea of my past with him, or my crush…she just thought we didn’t get along because I was arguably difficult for most to get along with. I supposed after her wedding, I’d been a little immature regarding her friendship with him. In my defense, there wasn’t a soul on this planet who had hurt me the way he had, and that included my psychopath father.

  “Please refrain from telling him anything about me,” I droned while I watched Juan walk casually toward the door that was almost directly across from me. I took a second to catalogue how handsome he was, only so I could tuck it away for later use. He wore dark denim that fit him so perfectly he might as well have been a jeans model. Brand new white Nikes were on his feet, not a single speck of dirt on them.

  “He’s a good guy, Tay. He’d help you in a heartbeat.”

  She didn’t know the details behind Juan’s little visits last year; no one did. No one understood what sort of hell it had been to see him at her wedding, or what lengths I had gone to ensure he stayed away from me.

  “Mal, I have to go,” I said in a rush, realizing too late that as I was ogling Juan, he was bound to lift his head and see me any second.

  “Okay, but call me back.”

  I hung up on her and began gathering my things. I stood and, keeping my eyes on the enemy, began walking to the left. I was almost clear of him entirely, thanks to the random group of students that had congregated. I slipped past a tall jock and in between two girls, still moving, peering over my shoulder one more time. The heat was sweltering, and I hadn’t actually sipped any water while I talked to Mal. Now my heart seemed to be thundering at a sickening pace. I tried to take a deep breath while looking once more, but I lost sight of Juan. Just as I felt my brows crinkle in confusion, I ran into something hard and went down.

  “Aw hell,” I muttered, lying flat on my back, breathing hard. Sweat dotted my hairline while a few black dots danced along the edges of my vision. Faces came in and out of focus as a few people stood over me. Where was that damn Hydro Flask? Had it rolled away?

  “Help her up, omagosh, is she okay?” a female asked briskly between bubble gum chews.

  “I didn’t see her…she just ran into me,” a guy murmured as hands came to my elbows to help me up.

  “It’s really fine, it’s not a big de…” I faltered as dizziness danced inside my head.

  One of the guy’s hands shifted from my elbow, easing me back down.

  “Be careful. You don’t want to…”

  A familiar, deliciously tempting smell wrapped around me as the guy helping me tipped his head back.

  “Remove your hands from her body.” Crisp and cold, Juan’s voice echoed around the circle like a war drum.

  I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Two seconds and I was already annoyed with him.

  “I didn’t see her,” the guy repeated, letting go of me like he’d just been caught robbing a bank.

  “How can you not see her?” Juan snapped, helping me to my feet.

  I didn’t want to stick around to see if he gestured to my stomach or not, or if he said anything else. I tried to walk forward, but Juan held me in place.

  Looking down, I saw my bookbag and the Hydro flask rolling around, water spilling out because I had never secured the lid. I bent to get it but was again stopped by Juan’s hands.

  “Stop trying to fucking hurt yourself,” he snapped, bending down to grab my things. People dispersed, moving on from the random person who’d just fallen like a pancake in front of them. I could hear a few people murmuring things under their breath about me, about my condition, and my eyes narrowed as anger swept through my chest.

  “Come here.” Juan tugged me into the shade, finding a tree with lush grass beneath it.

  I peered down at it but wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do. I wasn’t one to sit on the ground; I hated the outdoors and nature.

  “Sit.” He eyed the grass, the bark of the large tree, and then my stomach.

  Feeling a fresh wave of heat hit my face, I did as he said, and he helped me lower myself to the grass, gripping my hands in the process. Once my back was against the tree, I could feel a cool breeze blow across campus, and the sensation immediately helped to calm me down.

  Juan settled in across from me, watching me with a calculated look. In his hands, he gripped my water bottle with the lid open.

  “Can I have my water?”

  His whiskey eyes narrowed. “How about a please, or a thank you?”

  “I was fine.” My voice was shuddery as I tried to push down my anger. It was difficult to stay irritated with him as the sun peeked in and out of the tree branches above us, casting Juan in a glow so beautiful I wanted to grab my phone and snap a picture.

  He turned his head to the side, giving me his profile, and that jaw of his…fuck, he had a really great jawline. I was no stranger to being around good-looking men, but there was something about Juan that was devastating, in a teenage-crush sort of way. A man who was unattainable but impossible not to watch, to
crave.

  “So, what…you fainted on purpose? You that desperate for everyone to see your little bump?” Juan asked, ripping out a patch of grass near his knee. The way his eyes flicked to my stomach and to the lush lawn we sat on made me think he was hiding emotions. I still wondered how he’d responded to the news of my pregnancy…actually, it was likely a good thing I hadn’t been there for that conversation. He had likely said I was a slut or something; maybe he’d bet on me getting knocked up. Either way, he’d made it more than clear the previous spring how he felt about me.

  A little flame licked at my spine, tingling, whispering of things I wanted from this man but would die before ever asking for. I would admit I grew up deranged and with monsters, but there was a villain inside of Juan Hernandez that called to me. It always felt like we were in this dark room, playing hide and seek with one another, him always beckoning me to come and play.

  “I didn’t faint. I was trying to get through the crowd and ran into someone. Besides, it’s not such a little bump anymore.” I rubbed a hand down my stomach, feeling protective as this was the first time Juan had ever acknowledged it. A few people walked past our tree, smiling and nodding at Juan in a manner I had seen men do with my father while growing up.

  Everyone knew Juan was on the local hockey team and was powerful in his own right, but even beyond that, he just wasn’t the kind of guy one would mess with. Danger radiated from him, anger a palpable taste when you got too close to the man—which reminded me that he shouldn’t have been on campus. He should have been on the ice, prepping for his first season with the Hornets.

  Juan’s eyes raked over my body as if he was collecting what little details about me that he could. I wondered if he would ever pull out those tiny pieces to inspect later, like I did. His perusal was always a challenge, but this time, he seemed more worried than prickish. I hated it. Maybe once upon a time I would have preferred his kindness, but not now. Now I was only interested in his indifference.