Kings of Denver - COMPLETE BOX SET 1-4

by Sheridan Anne

  “I don’t know, babe. I have to think about this. You tore me to shreds when you left,” I tell her honestly. “I can’t just forget about that.”

  She looks up at me. “I don’t know how I will ever make that up to you.”

  “I don’t know either, Cass. I just… I guess I just need time to sort this out, figure out where my head is.”

  “K,” she whispers, a little unsure. I lean back against the railing and pull her into me as we silently listen to the party within.

  It’s not long before we hear a voice in the distance. “Found her,” Sean calls out to someone behind him and begins to approach. “Ah, sorry guys,” he says hesitantly, clearly not wanting to disrupt anything that could be going on out here.

  “It’s fine,” Cass says, stepping out of my arms to face her brother. “What do you need?”

  He cringes and glances at me before turning back to Cass. “I was hoping for a favor?”

  “Sure,” she says, automatically.

  “Well, our first dance is coming up and well… we were hoping you might sing?” he asks, cringing once again. Seriously, man. Stop cringing, it’s a simple question, one we all know she would accept with ease.

  “I… I don’t know,” Cass replies making my jaw drop as I stare at her. “You know, I haven’t sung in a while.”

  What the hell? Cass hasn’t sung in a while? That’s as crazy as me not playing hockey. Singing is a part of who she is, it doesn’t make sense. Sean glances at me once again before turning back to Cass. “It would really mean a lot if you could do it. I know it’s hard, but it would mean the world to me and Sara.”

  With a sigh, she looks down at her feet and quickly wipes a tear away. My eyebrows furrow before she looks back up at him with a smile, an extremely fake smile at that. “Ok, yeah, sure. No problem.”

  “You’re sure?” Sean asks.

  “Yeah. I’ll be ok,” she nods, “Now, get lost.”

  He gives her a tight, grateful smile before disappearing. “Um… you’re not singing anymore?” I ask, completely stumped by this revelation.

  “No,” she sighs. “Not since I left.”

  “What the hell, Cass?” I ask alarmed. For as long as I could remember, she wanted to be a singer and musician, though, that was before she discovered she wanted to be a physiotherapist, but the singing never stopped. It’s her passion. She used to joke that she might have even loved it more than me, though, I’d always have to pin her down and tickle her until she took it back.

  “I just can’t do it,” she responds with a shrug.

  “Stop bullshitting me and be straight. Why aren’t you singing?”

  She turns back to me. “Because I’m a mess. I sing when I’m happy and I haven’t been happy in a long time,” she explains. “It hurts.”

  I’m quiet for a short while as I consider her answer. “You’re still writing though?” I ask, remembering the old notepad I saw sticking out the top of her bag that day in the library.

  “Yeah, I’m still doing that,” she admits. “But it’s not how I used to write, it’s… I don’t know, it’s different, darker.”

  With a nod, I let her off the hook and bring an end to her interrogation, knowing I’m somehow going to have to help her through this. I have no idea how I’m going to do it but I know I won’t stop until her heart is no longer hurting. I can’t stand an unhappy Cass. “Come on,” I say. “We better head back inside.”

  “K,” she whispers as we turn and head back to the door. We’re walking back into the room when she stops abruptly before me. I follow her eyeline and notice she’s staring at my parents talking with Sara and Sean. “What are they doing?” she asks.

  “What else?” I scoff. “Social climbing.”

  We watch as my mother leans in and gives Sara a tight hug and kiss. “I don’t think Sara has any idea who she is,” Cass mentions.

  “Probably not,” I groan. “Mom would be telling her what a wonderful wedding it was and how spectacular she looks.”

  Cass scoffs, “And Sara would be thanking her for coming, keeping it polite in case they’re friends of Sean’s.” she murmurs. “If only she knew.”

  Movement catches our eyes and we watch as my dad holds a hand out to Sean who takes it in his own and gives it an extremely firm shake. Once Sean releases his hand, it goes straight behind his back where he shakes it out, clearly in pain, but the smile doesn’t fade from his fake face. Cass bursts into giggles at my side and I can’t help but put my arm around her waist.

  “Don’t stress, they’ll be leaving soon. They just needed to show their faces at the wedding of the year.”

  “They haven’t changed,” she grunts as we head back to the bridal table.

  “Never will,” I murmur.

  The party kicks up and soon enough the emcee is announcing the first dance and introducing Cass to the stage. The crowd applaud as they gather around.

  Cass nervously adjusts the microphone as Sean and Sara get into position. Her eyes flick to mine and I give her an encouraging smile even though it’s selfish. All I want in this moment is to hear that magical voice of hers once again.

  The music starts and she belts out the opening lines of ‘At Last’ while Sean and Sara dance and sway to the beautiful song. Her eyes remain locked on mine and I watch as another tear falls from her eyes, reminding me once again that this should have been us.

  In that moment, I promise myself that I would do anything for that to be the final tear of the night.

  Chapter 13

  Cassie

  The song comes to an end and I feel absolutely empowered. I still can’t believe my stupid brother and Jax convinced me to do that, but either way, I am so glad they did. Singing on a stage again felt amazing and I can’t for the life of me understand how I could possibly have stopped.

  Well, I know why I stopped and it was necessary at the time, but tonight something feels as though it has clicked back into place, like a piece of my soul has returned to me.

  They gave me the hardest song on the planet to sing, not because of the notes or runs, but because of the lyrics. My eyes sought out Jax’s as the lyrics poured out of me and in that moment, just the two of us existed.

  I look out at the crowd and am humbled to see them all come to their feet and applaud for me, even Sara and Sean turn to face the stage, Sara with a beaming smile while Sean watches me with love in his eyes and mouths a ‘thank you’.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ I mouth back with a little nod before giving a slight nod to the crowd and making my way off stage.

  Wow. I feel like I could be high as the adrenaline rushes through my body. The emcee invites the rest of the bridal party and the guests to join the bride and groom on the dance floor. I’m hardly back to the table before Jax sweeps me up in his arms and turns me around to head straight back to the dance floor.

  A waiter walks by with a tray of champagne and Jax scoops two glasses off and hands one to me. “Enough of the serious bullshit tonight, we’re partying now.”

  With a grin, I take the champagne flute and throw it back. “Let’s do this,” I say.

  The band is switched for a DJ and the music is turned right up. Drinks are passed around and all the oldies hit the road while us young ones stay to celebrate a great night.

  We dance and party the night away and I’m stolen away by an extremely drunk Tom when the emcee asks all the couples to hit the dance floor. ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None the Richer comes on and all the couples around start making out on the floor with a bit of dirty grinding included. I try my hardest to bat Tom away but end up slapping a hand over his mouth to hold him off, though that only has him making out with the palm of my hand while I’m laughing like a hyena.

  “Do you mind not defiling my little sister,” Logan says as he and Carter finally come to rescue me. They drag Tom away who confesses his undying love for me over the sound of the music and promises he will be back to rescue me from the torturous clutches of my evil brothers.

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nbsp; With that I find another glass of champagne and search the room for Jax. I find him attempting to avoid being groped by an older woman who must be looking for a young stud to show her the time of her life. I walk right up to them and drape myself over Jax who instantly puts his arm around me, “Sorry, love,” I say to the lady while roaming my eyes greedily up and down his body. “I think you’ll find this one is taken tonight, besides he needs someone who can keep up.”

  Jax looks down at me with lust burning in his eyes before turning his attention back to the lady. “I think you’ll find more luck over there,” he says, pointing out the senior’s table. She gasps in outrage before Jax sends her a wink and whisks me off.

  I lead him outside and start walking out into the yard. “What are we doing?” he asks with a grin.

  “I have an idea,” I tell him.

  I start leading him towards the break in the fence between our two properties before he starts to grow weary. “You going to explain this idea anytime soon?”

  I turn back to him and give him a charming smile which I know he recognizes as sneaky. “I’m getting all our old shit back,” I explain.

  “You mean, you’re breaking into my parent’s house?” he clarifies.

  “Eh,” I shrug, “tomato/tomato. You in?”

  A grin spreads wide over his face as a twinkle appears in his eyes. “Hell, yeah.”

  Before he has finished his sentence, I grab him by the hand and rush through the gate. We run around the perimeter of the property trying to keep in the shadows of the trees. We pass the pool house and sneak in between the two buildings before heading for the back door.

  I mean, we don’t have to break in, I’m sure we could simply knock on the door and walk right in, but with the way things are between Jax and his parents, it would just be easier to avoid them altogether and besides, this way seem a lot more exciting.

  Jax bends down and lifts up an old plant pot and sure enough comes back with a key. “Bingo,” he grins.

  He unlocks the back door to his family’s estate and we sneak in as quietly as possible, though, with us both as drunk as skunks, I’m pretty sure we’re heard all over the house, but here’s to hoping.

  Jax roams around the house acting like some kind of assassin and I have to bite down on my lip to keep from laughing too loudly. We head up two flights of stairs until we come to the level with his room. We tiptoe across the landing and down the hallway just in case his parents are close and push open his door.

  He walks into the room and looks around as if he had never seen the place. I gently close the door behind me and watch him with hooded eyes. My hand moves before I even have a moment to think about what I’m doing. My fingers wrap around the strap of my dress and slowly pull it down.

  Jax notices the movement and turns his gaze on me, his knees go weak as he drops to the edge of the bed to watch the show.

  I slip my other arm out of the dress and slowly let my silver gown drop to the floor. I step out of the material leaving me in nothing but a pair of panties and my high heels. He looks at me as if he’s a man who’s been starved for the past three years and who’s about to get his first meal. His eyes take in my body as I very slowly strut towards him.

  I drop down onto his lap and grab his tie before loosening it from his neck. His hands instinctively wrap around my waist as he allows me to slip the tie over his head. He licks his lips as he watches me with need flaming in his blue eyes. I climb off him and pull him up in front of me before turning him around and tying his hands behind his back. Satisfied he won’t be able to get out of it, I find a chair and push him down into it.

  Turing my back on him, I flick my eyes over my shoulder and hook my thumbs into the waistband of my panties and ever so slowly drag them down my thighs, bending until my panties have reached my ankles. He groans and I straighten back up before turning and slowly dropping into his lap, which is when I start to dance for him.

  I straddle his waist, feeling his hardness grinding into me through his pants. I grab his shirt and tear it open, listening to the buttons, one by one hit the floor. I push his shirt back over his strong shoulders and chest. My hands find purchase there and begin exploring.

  I drop my face to his and kiss him deeply before sliding off his lap and latching onto his belt buckle. I whip it off and drop to my knees before him. His eyes widen in anticipation and he raises his hips to help me remove his pants and underwear.

  I wrap my hand around his hard length and look up into his eyes as I slowly rise up on my knees. My hand pumps a few times as I lick my lips and slowly draw him into my mouth. His eyes close in satisfaction before opening and watching me move.

  I tease him slowly before I start picking up my pace. “Please, babe, untie me,” he begs.

  I slow my movements and shake my head ever so gently with him still inside me. I notice the muscles bulging in his arms and have no doubt he’s trying to get himself free.

  With a grin, I get back to work.

  Moments later, he’s smirking as he flies up out of the chair, drops the tie beside me, grabs me around my waist and lifts. I fly backward, hooking my legs around his waist before he slams me into the wall of his bedroom, plunging himself deep inside me in the same instance.

  “Holy shit,” I groan as he begins to pound into me. “That wasn’t...” thrust. “Part of the…” thrust. “Plan.”

  “I figured, so, I made my own plan,” he grins at me.

  I can’t help but laugh, after all, this is exactly how I intended we would eventually end up. My laugh quickly turns into needy moans as he works my body right to the edge.

  I come hard around him as he stills within me, finding his own release. His forehead drops to mine and we desperately try to catch our breaths.

  “Next time, I’m using handcuffs,” I tell him as he releases my legs and helps me find the floor.

  He scoffs and raises an eyebrow at me. “You think handcuffs are going to stop me when I know your pussy is involved.”

  I smirk up at him and with a roll of my eyes, I step out of his arms and dash into his bathroom. I clean myself up and head back out to find him with his pants on, searching through his wardrobe for a new dress shirt. I slip my dress back on and begin searching around his room.

  The room is filled with old memories, some good and some bad. I even notice that there’s quite a lot of my stuff in here. Jax finishes in his wardrobe and I find all his old jerseys. With a smile, I grab one of his empty hockey bags out of the top of his wardrobe and start loading it up.

  I turn around and find Jax sitting on his bed watching me with an amused smile on his handsome face and I give him a pointed look. “Are you seriously just going to sit there? This could be one of your only chances to get this shit back.”

  “Good point,” he grunts, getting to his feet and grabbing all his old watches and anything that was special to him.

  I search through his bedside table and find a little black velvet box and I sit on the edge of the bed as I slowly open the box. A beautiful silver engagement ring stares back up at me and I find myself struggling for air.

  The bed dips beside me and Jax reaches for the box, taking it in his hands and giving it a look over himself. He lets out a sigh and begins to murmur, “I have no idea what possessed me to leave this here,” he sighs. “I had gone to ask your dad permission because we were going to be living together on campus and I needed him to know my intentions. I was going to wait a year or so before I asked you because I knew we were way too young and you would have had my balls for asking so soon.”

  I reach over and take his hand in mine, unsure of how I could possibly comfort him right now. We sit in silence, both staring at the ring that would have been our future when we hear a noise coming from the hallway. “Shit,” Jax curses, standing up and pocketing the ring. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”

  I get up as he grabs the bag and I gently open the door, peeking my head out into the hallway, the same way I used to when I’d sneak i
n and out of his room as a teenager. The coast is clear so we duck out the door and sprint down the hallway. Jax flings open the back door and we run out, chuckling like a bunch of school girls, but he quickly drops the bag and heads back in.

  “Jax?” I ask into the night but get no response.

  He comes out moments later with as many bottles of his dad’s expensive liquor as he can possibly carry before smirking and loading them off to me. He picks up the hockey bag and we dash away.

  We head back over to my property and ditch his bag upstairs before heading back to the reception to find the party still in full swing. With a grin, we walk in and instantly get cornered by Carter. “Where did you two disappear to?” he questions.

  “Oh, you know,” I say. “I just had to seduce Jax in the middle of a break and enter.”

  “What?” he asks, his jaw dropping to the ground. I give him a wink and turn to leave but I see Jax pull the bottle of liquor out from behind his back, making what I just said completely forgotten. The boys whoop and shout and once the majority of the guests leave, the real party gets started.

  It must be at least four in the morning when Jax carries me up the stairs and helps me out of my dress. I pull on a tank top and stay in my panties before climbing into bed, Jax loses his clothes and climbs in beside me. Throwing his arm around my waist and spooning me. The move comes so naturally, but I guess that’s just what happens after sleeping beside him since we were kids.

  His fingers draw little circles over my hips and before long, I’m pressing my ass back into him. He slides my underwear down then rolls me, so he can hover above. I reach up and twine my hand around his neck and he instantly drops his lips to mine. My legs fall open and in the next moment, he’s sliding into me.

  My arms circle his body and his hand finds my breast. This isn’t the intense, drunken, needy screw from earlier in the night or the wild ‘I’ve missed you’ sex from weeks ago. This is slow, sensual and emotional, not just sex but making love.

  I look up at him with love in my eyes and I desperately want to tell him what I’m feeling, but I know now isn’t a great time, not unless I want to kill the mood. “I know,” he tells me, reading my mind. “Me too.”