by Anna Antonia
Not ever again.
Besides, it would be different. I’d make sure of it. A man who married me would do it because he loved me, not because he wanted something from me, or because he was obligated.
Nope. My marriage would last forever as would my love. I believed in that with all my heart.
“Nothing you say will make me change my mind. I won’t sleep with you tonight. Or any other night—no matter how many dresses you give me.”
“Ever?”
“It might as well be never. Like you said, everything about us is all wrong.” My chin wobbled. How humiliating! “Actually, there isn’t any ‘us’, is there? I work for Mr. King and as long as I’m at King Cosmetics, you’ll never me see as anything but a symbol of betrayal. You’ll never see me. You’ll only see the problems you have with your grandfather.”
Killian’s full lips tightened into a hard line. I expected him to drawl fancy denials into my ears. Instead, he chipped away at my heart.
“You’re right, Lucy. As always.”
Killian’s hand fell away. My cheek throbbed as if struck. I had a crazy feeling he would never touch me again, that our world was about to rip apart and all I could do was witness its destruction.
I didn’t want to quit, but we couldn’t go back to where we were. I couldn’t keep pretending I could work with him and not want him intensely.
Killian King made me question my values on a daily basis. Worse—he made me wish I didn’t have them.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, Killian. I really wanted to, more than anything actually.”
He smiled, a tender thing. “I know you did. It’s the only reason I didn’t run you out.”
“As if I would’ve let that happen.”
Killian laughed and said, “You know, you’re probably the only one who could go the distance.”
Our smiles faded away.
“I still want to.”
Killian shrugged, beautiful in the illusion of not giving a damn. I knew it because of what he said next.
“Just so you know, if I ever would consider marriage, you’d be the only reason why.”
This wasn’t a bat to the stomach or a brick to the head. This was something better and worse at the same time.
“Killian, don’t say things you don’t mean.”
A bittersweet grin broke free. “I know.”
“I—”
“Fucking Killian King in the flesh! I thought I saw you running on the streets like a little bitch!”
The connection severed as a man stumbled into view. White shirt unbuttoned at the neck, stained red at the collar with lipstick, and gray eyes glassy from too much alcohol, drugs, or both, he would’ve been stupidly handsome if it wasn’t for the cruelty in his lean face.
“Carter.”
The blond man leered at me while blocking the sidewalk. He ignored the grunts and curses of “Get the fuck out of the way” and instead said, “So this is the hot piece of ass you chased after. Nice.”
Killian clenched his jaw. “Carter, watch your fucking mouth.”
Carter looked at both of us with a nasty smirk. “I can't say I blame you. She is gorgeous. Looks a lot like someone I know.”
This snagged my attention. What was he talking about?
Killian took a deep breath and visibly fought to keep his composure. “You’re drunk and embarrassing yourself. Why don’t you go home and sober up?”
The smile fell off Carter's face. “Why don’t you mind your own damn business? I don’t need you telling me shit about how I should behave or what I should do.”
My instincts, ones I hadn’t had to seriously use in years, let me know that things were about to get dangerous. Aggression crackled, stinking up the air as two alpha men faced off.
“How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much for her?”
Shocked, I rocked back. This man thought I was a prostitute!
Killian placed his arm in front of me, as if guarding me. “Do you want to keep your teeth? If not? Keep talking shit, Carter. Give me a reason.”
Carter laughed. It was an ugly, desperate sound.
“I’d say you owed me a favor, buddy. I let you take my helicopter on short notice and you didn’t even tip the pilot. Poor manners, old friend. Very poor manners. Have you even fucked her yet?”
Killian’s entire body turned to stone. Hard. Unforgiving. If this was the kind of friends he kept, no wonder he could be so nasty.
Carter assessed us both, his gaze gleaming silver with obvious spite and certainty.
“No, you haven't fucked her yet. Amazing. What kind of man are you? You can’t even close the deal." His expression turned crafty. “Or maybe she just doesn’t want you. That’s probably it, isn’t it? She’s got good taste. Let’s see if she can improve on it.”
Carter took a step towards us, swaying as if the entire world had taken a violent turn.
That was how I felt.
I wasn’t a thing to be traded or bargained away. Adrenaline rushed out, sending spurts of warning.
“Why don’t you get back into your limo and drive your happy ass outta here?”
He blinked owlishly, as if my words couldn’t form into the proper order for comprehension.
“Who are you again? What’s your name?”
“None of your business.”
Carter closed his eyes, swayed on his feet, and then snapped, “Shut up.”
Okay. It was going to be that kind of night.
I was more than ready.
29
KILLIAN
What the hell was Carter doing here? Asshole.
“Go home, sleep this off, and maybe Gisella will forgive you.”
His normal sneer disappeared. “Don’t talk about her.”
Lucy’s gaze flicked between us. It was hard. Foreign.
“I’ll call her and then you’ll be her problem.”
“Shut your mouth, King. You don’t talk about her. You don’t think about her.”
Oh shit. It was going to be that kind of night.
“Are you still pissed about that whole thing? Look, it wasn’t my fault she left for Paris.”
“Yes. It. Is.”
Carter could be meaner than me, which was saying something considering I was pretty much a bastard on a daily basis. Carter usually couldn’t be bothered to expend this much energy.
Blue-blooded with a pedigree stretching to the Mayfield, Charles Evan Carter III mocked us all with his wit and silence.
Except when it came to Gisella.
Even if he’d been whoring around with Sabrina or whoever it was this week, I knew what the score really was with Carter and Gisella. It was a fucking telenovela of drama, passion, and God knew what else.
I wanted no part of it. Unfortunately, I got entangled as soon as Gisella came to me for help.
Dumb ass. This is why no good deed goes unpunished.
“She came to me for a job. I gave her one. That was it. Nothing else.”
“Bullshit. Everything changed after she went over to King. Over to you.”
I didn’t want to do this, not here and definitely not in front of Lucy.
“She was only there for a couple of months. I can’t believe you’re still holding a grudge.”
“You fucking ruined us, Killian! You ruined whatever chance I had with her.”
“No, I didn’t do shit. You’re blaming me for your mess.”
“The blame is right where it belongs. Gisella told me about how you dug for information. I know you, King. You used it to get closer to Gisella, have her share her secrets to try to get her in bed. Are you going to deny it when I’ve seen you do it time and time again?”
Lucy’s head jerked. Her gaze stopped ping-ponging between us. Her little ears were as red as Carter’s face. What did she think?
Because that part about Gisella was true, I only needed one guess. Dammit.
“Carter, we’re friends, right?”
“Defi
ne ‘friend’. If it means coming between two people, seducing one of them, and then giving her the money to leave for Paris? Then yes, you are a friend. Class act, King. The best around.”
“That’s not what happened! I never got her in bed, all right? Whatever is going on between you and Gisella is between you two. Leave me out of it.”
“Leave it? Leave it?” He dropped his head back. “You’re here with her.”
“Who?” He didn’t even know Lucy. Never seen her before five minutes ago.
He stabbed a finger towards her. “She proves your type is Gisella. This girl looks like her sister. Tell me it’s coincidence.”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
“Liar! You’re fucking in love with Gisella and since you can’t have her, you’re going for the next best thing! I should return the favor, don’t you think?”
Carter ducked into the alley, snatching Lucy with him. Before I could fuck him up, all hell broke loose.
Lucy roared, fucking roared, and applied a beatdown I never saw coming.
She went for the ribs, his nose, took her shoe off and Madre de Dios! I had just gotten within feet of them when Carter landed a lucky push and knocked Lucy down on her ass.
I saw red.
Never mind that Carter looked stricken with guilt. Never mind that he extended a hand for her to take or that he spat out some sort of apology.
He put his hands on Lucy and for that, he stopped being my friend and became my enemy.
I ripped Carter away. His shirt tore beneath my grip. I punched him in the mouth until blood coated my knuckles. Carter dropped to the ground. It wasn’t enough.
Pressure built steadily. It became a band around my skull. My foot kept connecting with Carter’s ribs and it still wouldn’t stop. Even when he curled into a protective ball and was long past being a threat.
All I saw was him shoving her away. No one could touch Lucy in violence and survive it.
“Killian! Stop!”
I didn’t believe her. Lucy couldn’t want that, not and have already beat the shit out of him.
She wanted Carter to hurt and I’d give my goddess whatever blood she demanded.
“Killian, please! Stop!”
That was when I realized the police showed up. Lucy stared at the lights bouncing off the brick walls with horror. She ran up on me and urged me to go. We’d be safe as long as they didn’t catch us.
Carter laughed, spitting blood out of cracked lips. He wouldn’t stop laughing, even when the officers knelt by his side and radioed for an ambulance.
Then the cuffs came out.
Within seconds, I was marched out of the alley and into a squad car. Right before I ducked my head to get in the back, I saw Jorge. His face said it all.
I was well and truly fucked.
Gramps was definitely going to kill me.
30
LUCY
My hands shook so much I could barely scroll through my contacts. Pushing my way through, I mostly ignored the dispersing crowd. Now that Killian and Carter were gone, the show was over.
Three rings later and then, “Hello? Miss Lucy? ¿Qué pasa?”
“My King. Hi…uh…I don’t know how to say this—”
“What did Killian do?”
His flat voice broke through my stuttering. “He’s just been arrested.”
“You were there?”
“Yes.”
I heard Mr. King groan a curse and then, “How bad?”
“He…he got into a fight.” Over me. Because of me.
“A bad one?”
“Yes. The other man got taken in an ambulance.” I rushed to explain, “But he was conscious and didn’t want to go. It was for safety. Standard protocol or something. I think…no, they definitely knew each other.”
“Where was Jorge? He’s supposed to be his bodyguard and keep him from getting into trouble.”
I didn’t know that. I thought Jorge was just Killian’s driver. Guilt sliced across my tattered conscience. Killian sent him away because of me. Because I wouldn’t stop and talk to him because I was embarrassed.
“Um, he wasn’t…Killian and I chose to walk and so Jorge waited with the car.”
“He waited and left you two alone at night. In the city.”
Oh dear God had I just gotten Jorge fired too?
“We, that is…Jorge was asked to wait and so he did. It wasn’t his fault. He just did what he was asked to.”
At least that was what I imagined happened.
“No. It wasn’t his fault.” Terrible silence and then, “Thank you for calling, Miss Lucy. Do you need me to send someone to take you home?”
“No, that’s okay.” Feeling like I fixed Jorge’s situation slightly, I let out a shaky breath. My body didn’t feel like it was mine. Anxiety and fear had taken it hostage. Looking over my shoulder, I didn’t see anyone paying particular attention to me. Still I lowered my voice. “What’s going to happen to Killian?”
“He’ll face justice.”
Mr. King couldn’t possibly mean…
“I’m sorry, but that’s not what I’m asking. You’re going to get him out tonight, right?”
“No.”
I couldn’t believe it. Mr. King could not be that cruel to Killian. He didn’t deserve it. This wouldn’t be right. I had to be wrong because there was no way the man who hired me to help his grandson would just leave him in jail to rot.
“Mr. King, Killian’s going to need to be bailed out.”
“Not this time.”
Killian’s grandfather sounded implacable. The steel in his proclamation refused to bend or be broken. There was no point in pushing him. Rafael King had proclaimed his verdict, but I didn’t have to abide by it.
“Forgive me, but I can’t stand by and leave him there. Anything could happen. He needs help.”
“Leave it alone, Miss Lucy.”
“I can’t.” When Killian’s grandfather didn’t say anything else, I took my leave. “Goodnight, Mr. King, and I truly am sorry.”
Disconnecting the call, I stared up into the sky. The stars were there, somewhere beyond the city lights, but I couldn’t see them. Just like Killian.
Regret punched me in the gut.
This day started off so normally before turning into one of the best I’d had in a long time, before crashing, rising, and then getting obliterated.
How did it come to this?
You let your guard down. You let yourself be happy and you forgot who you can be when pushed.
I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I shouldn’t have let my jealousy turn me into a raging monster. I should’ve just walked away with Killian. Carter’s grip was flimsy at best. He couldn’t hurt me. Obviously.
Killian didn’t want to fight Carter either. He saw him for the drunk he was, but I had to get involved.
Was I destined to bring misery to all who had the misfortune of getting to see the real me?
31
KILLIAN
The holding cell was half-empty. It was cold. Uncomfortable. Mildly interesting.
I’d never made it this far before. Usually our family attorney, Vincent Romano, got me out before I’d been printed. Who knew how many favors we’d paid for so that my record remained spotless?
Maybe they ran out. Or maybe Romano was at his mistress’s place and failed to answer Grandfather’s call. Just my poor luck.
No ink stains on my hands. All computerized now. That was another surprise.
Shifting on the metal seat, I looked down and saw the cuts and scrapes on my knuckles. They’d swell up soon and then my hands would be clumsy things, incapable of even tying my shoes.
Oh well. That was the price one paid when defending a goddess’s honor.
Of all the fights I’d had, this was the first one I didn’t regret. Or, not as much as the others. Something good should’ve come out of it at least. Thinking of Lucy pricked the dispassionate state I’d adopted since being cuffed.
Her pale and frightened
face bothered me more than I’d like. It didn’t take much to deduce she felt my sorry situation was all her fault.
It was and it wasn’t.
I shouldn’t have let Carter get as far as he did. Stupid bastard. Fucking drunk. Jealous asshole. Suicidal prick. One day someone was going to run his ass over and he’d die in the streets.
Still, he crossed the line and deserved the stomping he got. Carter should’ve known better than to fuck with me and mine. Too bad things escalated faster than I could contain them.
We were trading words, as usual. It was our way. Talk shit and then move on. Instead, I brought up Gisella. Bad move. Carter went ballistic, then pulled Lucy into the alley, and then…
Then came Lucy.
Even now she still shocked the hell out of me. I knew Little Lucy had to have a past, but I never expected to see her prove it in a street fight. That whirl of legs and arms didn’t seem human. Lucy’s feral nature didn’t mesh with the soft-spoken, considerate young lady I knew her to be.
The way she took off her heel and used it as a weapon…I’d never look at stilettos the same way.
Then it all went sideways.
Carter pushed Lucy down and from that point on he was fucking doomed. It didn’t matter that it was in self-defense. If I wasn’t so damned intent on kicking the shit out of him, I would’ve probably offered to keep Jorge as my driver and just make Lucy my bodyguard.
She was incredible. Fierce. Ready to fight till she dropped.
But all of that went away as soon as the police showed up.
Lucy’s face drained until she was as white as my shirt. Her body shook like a leaf in a storm. Her gaze darted about, as if looking for a way to bolt out of there. One didn’t run from the police, but Lucy was seconds from running.
And from the way her hand reached for my wrist—she’d had no intention of leaving me behind.
Poor girl. Sweet but stupid.
There was no reason why she should’ve joined me in the back of the squad car. One idiot was enough.
Damn but this seat was cold. The room too.
Tonight did not end how I planned. Obviously.
