KINGS OF RITTENHOUSE

by Maya Hughes

  He stepped in close to her but didn’t touch, lowering his head.

  “I want you to tell me it was a mistake. Just tell me it was a mistake, and I’ll forgive you.” His voice cracked, and the tears that had been building crested down his cheeks. I’d never seen Emmett cry. Not when he broke his nose in the middle of a game and got right back in. Not when his parents didn’t show up at our championship game. Never.

  The door slammed down the hallway. The sadness leeched out of Emmett’s eyes, and it was replaced with fury and rage. He clenched his jaw so tightly a pop bounced off the walls.

  A shirtless guy stepped out of the shadow of the hallway and leaned against the wall behind Avery. Holy shit, was that Fischer? He was our resident prep-school dealer. Emmett’s body vibrated, and the anger poured off him in waves. The crowd held their breath as he stepped toward the guy, his hands balled up into fists.

  Avery stepped in front of him and put her hand on the center of Emmett’s chest. He jumped back like she’d burned him.

  “Don’t. It’s my fault, not his.” Avery stood her ground. He stared down at her, and she stared up at him, the two of them rooted to the floor like a living, breathing billboard for a high school romance gone wrong.

  A growl burst free from Emmett’s mouth, and he whipped around so fast he nearly knocked her over and stormed out of the house. He slammed the front door so hard it splintered and shattered into a million pieces. The tink of glass crashing to the floor was the only sound in the whole house until a sharp sob wrenched from the pits of hell erupted from Avery’s mouth.

  “I’m sorry,” she said through her tears with her eyes on where Emmett had disappeared into the night. She slumped against the wall with tears streaming down her face. Her chest heaved like she couldn’t breathe. Fischer put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Don’t you fucking touch me,” she spat at him, clutching her hand to her chest. “Don’t you touch me, and stay the hell away from my dad.” She glared, jabbing her finger at him.

  Mak, Kaitlin, and I stared back and forth between one another, momentarily forgetting whatever the hell we were fighting about. What the fuck was that?

  Avery wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and stood up straight and staggered toward the entry way to the house. Her shoes crunching on the glass, she walked through the wide-open space where the door had once been. She skidded on the broken shards before she raced off into the night.

  “Have a nice life, Mak.” I didn’t even turn to look at her. Screw her and her bullshit. I had bigger things to deal with.

  The party stayed silent for a beat before it erupted again as everyone tried to figure out what they’d witnessed. Well, that was one way to end a party.

  Long live the Kings…

  Thank you so much for reading the prequel to Shameless King! I hope you enjoyed getting to know Declan and Mak and the rest of the guys. There’s so much more of them to come. You can read an excerpt of Shameless King right here!

  Order your copy of Shameless King TODAY!

  Turn the page for an excerpt of SHAMELESS KING….

  Excerpt from Shameless King

  Not every King wears a crown…

  Declan - Prologue

  The Rittenhouse Prep prom committee had gone all out again this year. Limos and luxury cars lined the entrance to the building. Those cars cost more than my house was worth, but you couldn’t tell that from the way people called out our names as we walked by. Me and the guys who’d had my back since our first practice together freshman year, The Kings, were State Champions—again.

  I’d been to every prom since freshman year. It seemed even senior girls had no problem being seen on the arm of a freshman, as long as it was me. The thumping of the music guided us through the entrance of the building with a slightly fishy smell. Being right on the water, the building had a distinct salt-and-sea tinge to the air.

  My rented tux fit well. Working my magic, I’d done a deal with the shop. Told people where I got mine from, and the shop rented it to me and had it altered for free. It was a pretty sweet deal. I figured if I was going to be uncomfortable in the thing, at least I’d look good.

  And from the way heads turned as we walked in, I knew I did. Lots of guys walked in with their custom tuxes, but I didn’t care because all eyes were on me and the rest of the Kings. Rittenhouse Prep Kings and state hockey champions in the flesh. People on the dance floor clapped and cheered when we came in through the double doors of the ballroom.

  “Declan!” Someone whooped from a few tables away. A bunch of woo-hoos and Kings’ chants later and we could finally leave our spot at the door. If Ford got any redder, he’d be ready to explode. He tugged at his collar. They’d had to special order his tux. But he had that strong silent thing chicks went wild for. Jet black hair, serious scowl that melted away in an instant. He hated the attention; that was fine. I could soak up more than enough for all of us.

  The warm buzz from the pre-prom drinks we’d had at Emmett’s meant I was feeling good. Nothing too crazy. We didn’t want to get kicked out, but just enough to kick up the fun a notch.

  “What did I tell you? We don’t need dates.” I grinned, and my eyes swept over a few of the more plunging necklines of some of the dresses our fellow students wore. We moved through the room, and people’s heads turned as we walked past some classmates already seated. High fives were doled out for all of us as we strolled by.

  “Declan, guys, this way, I’ll show you to the table.” One of the bubbly juniors rushed up to us and looped her arm around Heath’s, tugging him forward. I rolled my eyes. Heath never had to bat an eyelash to get the women to fawn all over him. Blond hair worked for guys as well. He was easy to spot with the surfer look on the East Coast.

  “We took the liberty of putting your tent cards on the table already. We didn’t want you to have to find your names.” She had a mountain of blonde hair piled up on top of her head. The curls were so tight it looked like she could bounce around on her head like Tigger.

  Our spot was a prime location in the center of the ten-seater tables dotted around the dance floor.

  “I have a feeling we’re going to be dancing a lot,” Ford grumbled, elbowing Colm as he took his seat. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt. The fabric of his tux was stretched to its limit on his shoulders—if he wasn’t a gentle giant, who’d mastered the art of chilling the fuck out, I’d swear he was ready to Hulk out at any second.

  “Don’t worry, big guy; I’m happy to intercept any dance requests someone might throw your way.” I lifted my glass of water to him as a toast.

  Colm slid his flask across to my lap, and my eyes got wide. He was our resident mischief maker lately. Having your life thrown into chaos had a way of making people act not quite like themselves. Emmett by far got into the most trouble out of all of us, but with his parents’ power and influence he never really had to worry about the consequences. Heath, Ford, and I were scholarship kids who knew how to toe the line. “Is this the older brother breaking all the rules?” I covered my mouth in fake outrage.

  “Shut up. Olivia’s not here, so what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Colm had become the guardian of his younger sister when their parents died earlier that year in a car accident. He’d always taken on the protector role, but that had gone into hyperdrive now that Olivia relied on him.

  I drained the water and put my glass under the table, pouring some of the vodka into it.

  “Declan, can I have a dance later?” A girl, Hannah—or was it Anna?—asked as she passed by on the arm of her date.

  I winced and shrugged my shoulders at the guy. Sorry, dude. I’d convinced the guys to go solo. Well, except for Emmett. He’d of course brought, Avery. They’d been joined at the hip since sophomore year. But Heath, Ford, and Colm were by my side at our table. Blue light skated over the room from the massive fish tank that took up one entire wall.

  Not many people got to say they had their prom at an aquarium. A group of other students
crowded around one end of the tank where a fish that looked almost as big as Emmett hung near the glass. All it was missing was the giant bushy beard.

  This was one of our last nights all together. The prom, the big pep rally, a final blow out at Emmett’s, and then we were all off to college. Bittersweet in a way. Leaving most of the guys behind. Heath and I would be playing locally at the University of Philadelphia. Colm and Ford would be up in Boston, and Emmett was being cagey with his plans for next year.

  A few hors d’oeuvres and a shot from the flask later, and the prom was really in full swing. Emmett arrived with Avery on his arm, beaming like he always was whenever she was near him. Dude had it so bad and he didn’t even care. We didn’t even give him shit about it anymore, that was just how it was. Avery meant everything to him, made sense when you had parents as shitty as his.

  The room heated up, and I shrugged off my jacket, draping it over the back of my chair, ready to get back on the dance floor. While most people would have expected everyone to be uptight, it seemed that the dim lighting and fish as an audience meant everyone was ready to show off their moves.

  “Holy shit!” someone behind me said, and my gaze darted all over the place to figure out what they were talking about.

  I’d been hit in the chest with a puck before, but nothing quite compared to this feeling. Across the room, standing in front of the entrance, was a breathtaking sight. I don’t remember what the hell color her dress was, all I knew was I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  She stood there fidgeting with the small bag in her hands and glanced around the room.

  “Wow, looks like the Ice Queen has finally thawed out a bit.”

  A slight murmur rippled through the people around me. My stomach dropped as my mind whirred trying to place her. And like a slow motion reveal, Makenna Halstead slid those horn-rimmed glasses she’d worn every second I’d ever seen her back on.

  Avery spotted her and raced across the room, wrapping her arms around an incredibly uncomfortable-looking Makenna. It was like now that she knew all eyes were on her, she couldn’t handle the pressure.

  It wasn’t just the glasses that were missing. It was also the telltale bun and the talk-to-me-and-I’ll-kill-you stare. Normally, she walked with her shoulders square and a stomp that could shatter bone. I’d never seen her look so...nice.

  She bit her bottom lip. It was the first time I’d ever seen her look unsure. I’d have never thought her barely strawberry-blonde hair was that long, since she always wore it up. She also swore up and down that dances and other stuff like this were a waste of time, so seeing her here had taken my brain at least a little while to piece it together.

  Avery dragged her over to our table. We had a couple seats free. Mak gave the table a small wave.

  “No, you’re not wearing those tonight. You don’t need them.” Avery tugged the glasses off her face and shoved them back in her bag.

  “Actually, I kind of do.” Makenna reached for the bag as Avery smacked her hands away.

  “Nope! I’m sure one of these strapping young men would be happy to lead you around like your very own seeing-eye stud if you do need to go anywhere.”

  The corners of her mouth turned down, but this time her lips were all soft and shiny. Deep pink brought out the fullness I’d never seen before. I shook my head. This was Mak the Ice Queen we were talking about.

  She sat on a seat beside Ford, who seemed completely content to be sitting beside someone who was also happy doing her best mute impersonation.

  “If you don’t dance to at least five songs tonight, I swear I’m tanking our final project on purpose.”

  Mak gasped, like a real-life hand-to-chest gasp in horror at Avery even suggesting it.

  “They would never find your body, Avery.” Mak grinned up at her with her arms crossed over her chest.

  I laughed into my napkin, and Mak turned her glare on me.

  “I’m sure Emmett would. He’s like a bloodhound when it comes to me.” Right on time Emmett slid his arms around her waist and planted his nose in her neck, letting out a sniff loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “I smell someone who needs to get out there and dance.” Emmett led Avery away from the table. Avery held out her hand, flashing a five at Mak over and over. I grabbed the flask from the spot Colm had stashed it and had another drink.

  A long, slender hand slid its way down over my shoulder, stopping at my chest. “You promised me a dance.” The smell from Anna’s hot breath against my neck told me we weren’t the only ones who’d snuck in a little booze tonight. It was not a good smell on her, and my skin crawled. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the pissed-off face of her date. I did not want to have a fight tonight.

  “Listen, I’m sorry. I would, but I already promised Mak a dance, and you know how she gets when she can’t get what she wants, and it looks like tonight she wants me.”

  Mak’s eyes got as wide as saucers, and her mouth hung open. Slipping out of the grasp of the date-ditcher, I rounded the table and held out my hand to Mak.

  Glancing behind me at the very pissed-off Hannah or Anna and her even more pissed-off date, Mak perhaps sized up the situation and didn’t want to be in the middle of a whirlwind of haymakers or thrown drinks, so she took my hand. A small jolt shot straight up my arm the second my skin touched hers. It was that same feeling you got standing in line for concessions at a movie you’d been waiting for forever. I shook my head. This was Mak we were talking about, and she didn’t look one bit affected by my fingers wrapped around hand.

  “And tonight I want you?” She lifted an eyebrow at me as we walked out onto the dance floor with the corners of her mouth turned up the tiniest bit.

  “I improvised. I know how people get when they don’t get a piece of me.” I grinned at her, but she just rolled her eyes.

  “Probably for the best. Hannah can be a real bitch when she doesn’t get what she wants, which probably means Edgar is in for a rough night. Poor guy.” She glanced back over her shoulder to a very irate Hannah standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

  People parted out of the way to give us some room. The moderately fast-paced song switched up to a slow one almost as soon as we found our spot.

  We stood there staring at each other. I took a step forward, and Mak hesitated before looping her arms around my neck. The sensation was back now and worse than before. Staring down into Mak’s eyes, I really saw them for the first time. They were the brightest blue I’d ever seen. Maybe it was the room or a trick of the lights, but I’d never seen so many blues in one spot.

  It was the soft stroke of her fingers along the hair at the nape of my neck that made my hands tighten on her waist. The way she stared into my eyes, I don’t even know if she realized she was doing it. Like her hands had a mind of their own, trying to soak up a little bit more of me. And I figured that was how she felt because my fingers had the same idea as I pulled her in tighter against me. Her lips parted, and her eyelashes fluttered.

  The thud of my heart pounded as we moved to our own rhythm under the dim lights at the center of a sea of people. Electricity buzzed through my body, but I knew it wasn’t just the vodka. It was all to do with the woman in my arms who usually drove me up a wall.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without your glasses before.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a tux before.” Her pink tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. The wetness left behind drew my gaze to it, and I wanted to have my own sample of her lips.

  “You’re never been to prom before.” My hands pressed into the small of her back, closing the tiniest of gaps that had been between us. Why did she feel so good in my arms? The blues and greens from the fish tank washed over us like a spell had been cast and we were living in our own little underwater bubble.

  “Almost didn’t come to this one.”

  “Why not?” I leaned my head back, savoring the trail her fingertip blazed along the base of my neck.

 
; She never let herself have any fun. Normally, it also meant no one else could have any fun and it irked the shit out of me, but tonight I just wanted to hold her close on the dance floor all night.

  “It’s not really my thing, but I figured it’s a rite of passage and all, so I decided to come.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “I’m glad you did.”

  Even with the pretense of her helping me out of a dance with the devil—aka Hannah—gone, we stayed out there through a string of slow songs. At least I think they were slow songs; our tempo didn’t change. It was the first time we’d probably had a civil conversation with each other in years. So weird that it would happen now. It was like one of those high school movies I swore I never watched, but I had at least a few times, where the big thing happened between the two nemeses.

  My head dipped down slightly. It was like the warning sirens blaring on a submarine. My blood pounded in my veins, and I needed to taste her lips like I needed my next breath. It was an uncontrolled dive, and I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, but she wasn’t pulling back. She wasn’t pushing her hands against me or cocking her hand back for a slap; if anything, she leaned in even more.

  Her eyes almost fluttered closed as my lips parted, so close to hers. Her body went stiff, and her eyes snapped open wide. “Are you drunk?” She pushed back in my arms.

  I let them drop. “No, I’m not drunk. I’ve had a couple drinks, but that’s it.” I took a step toward her, and she took a step back.

  Before I could say anything else, a booming voice came out over the squealing PA. “And now it’s time to announce our prom king and queen.” One of the prom committee girls grabbed me by the arm. “We need you up front, Declan.”

  With a strength I didn’t think someone of her size could possess, she pushed me from the middle of the dance floor. I glanced behind me at a stone-faced Mak with her arms crossed over her chest. She was back at our table and had her glasses back on her face. Things were back just how they’d always been.