by Nina Levine
“So you’re telling me this is what you did while I worked with Skylar in the hospital?”
“I didn’t get the chance. You didn’t wear this top.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I can’t tell if you’re shitty about this and trying to lay down the law about what I wear—which, for the record, if you are, don’t—or whether you’re just telling me how you feel about this, or whether you’ve had a few drinks and are simply sharing your thoughts as they come to you. I mean, I don’t think you’re shitty. You don’t really seem it, but help me out—tell me what’s going on here.”
“I’m not telling you what to wear. I’m just telling you your top is see-through and hanging low.”
“Seriously? That’s all that was?” I couldn’t work out if I was disappointed there wasn’t more to it, or if I was relieved he hadn’t tried to boss me about my clothes. And that made me feel like a crazy freaking woman. I mean, what woman wants to go to battle with their man over the clothes they choose to wear?
He shifted positions swiftly, catching me off guard. Sitting up straight with his body to mine, he reached his hand into my blouse and cupped my breast as he growled, “I don’t like anyone’s eyes on your tits but mine. Wear whatever the fuck you want, but I catch a motherfucker copping a look, he’ll wish he didn’t.”
I gripped his biceps, heat rushing through me. King’s possessiveness turned me on so damn much, and that was completely unexpected. On top of that, his public display of sticking his hand down my top also freaking turned me on. I’d never been with a man who did that kind of thing, and I decided then and there, I was all for it.
“King!” Someone called out to him, and he slowly turned to see who it was. It was like he didn’t want to take his eyes off me for even a second.
I dropped my gaze to his neck, inspecting the tattoos there. King’s body was covered in them, and each time I looked at them, I saw something extra. Today I realised the eagle tattoo on one side of his neck was layered with a skull and dream catcher underneath. I traced my fingers over it, admiring the beauty in the design.
King lifted his chin at the guy speaking to him before smacking my leg and saying, “I need to go have a conversation. I’ll be back soon.”
I moved off his lap so he could stand, and he strode purposefully out of the bar without another glance my way. I decided a drink was a good idea. I wasn’t an extrovert, and being surrounded by all these people I didn’t know was a little intimidating, so I made my way to the bar and waited a few minutes for the woman behind it to serve me.
The dark-haired woman met me with a smile. “What can I get you?”
“A Jack and Coke, please.”
Her smile grew as she pulled a glass out. “I’m impressed.”
I frowned. “With what?”
She slowed her movements and met my gaze with a serious expression. “The woman King’s dating has manners.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that or of her. “What does that mean? Why wouldn’t I? And what makes you think we’re together?”
She grinned again and made my drink. Sliding it to me, she leant across the bar a little and said, “I’ve never seen King like that with a woman. Never seen him give his complete attention to one the way he just did with you. Everyone noticed, babe, because none of us have seen that. And let’s just say, King’s manners leave a lot to be desired, so I’m fucking impressed he managed to score someone who knows her pleases and thank-yous.”
Deciding I liked her style of honesty, I returned her smile. Lifting the drink, I said, “How much do I owe you?”
She shook her head and shooed me away with a flick of her hand. “Nothing. I’m pretty sure my boss would want your drinks on the house.”
A red-headed woman arrived at the bar, moving in between me and the man to my right. “Hey, Kree, two Jägerbombs please, honey.” Then turning to me, she hit me with a huge smile and said, “One of those is for you by the way, so don’t go anywhere.”
“For me?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I wanna have a drink with the woman who made King smile.” Before I could say anything to that, she reached for my hair and pulled a few strands to the side, and said, “Goodness, you need to tell me what products you use on your hair. It’s so silky. I do so much shit to mine that I swear it’s gonna start falling out.”
And just like that, this woman made me feel welcome and put me at ease. “Thanks for the drink. I’m Lily by the way, and I’m not sure I actually saw King smile today so you may be wrong there.”
She laughed. “Oh honey, you are gonna fit right in here. And yeah, your man totally smiled. You just missed it because you were too busy being all flustered by his hand down your top.”
I took the Jägerbomb Kree placed in front of me and lifted it up with a questioning look at the woman. “Two questions. What the hell is in this? And what is your name? I mean, by the time I’m finished with this drink, I may not remember it, but I’m gonna give it a good shot.”
She lifted her drink, too. “It’s Jäger and Red Bull, and just drink it down in one go, okay? Like, trust me on this. And I’m Monroe, but you can call me Roe.”
I eyed the drink. “Am I gonna make it to work in the morning?”
Another laugh escaped her lips. “Honestly, what’s one day in the whole year with a hangover?”
A blonde woman joined us and said, “Not that my cousin only ever has one day a year with a hangover.”
Monroe glanced at her. “Oh shush, Tatum. I’ve almost found a Jäger buddy. Don’t ruin this for me when none of you bitches will drink it with me.”
“Wait,” I said, looking at Tatum, “is this gonna taste bad?” God, the woman was beautiful with her long, blonde hair, stunning features, and gorgeous tattoos. I decided I wanted to be Tatum when I grew up.
She pulled a face and nodded. “Yeah, it’s fucking awful.”
“Shit,” I muttered. And then to Monroe, I said, “Okay, let’s do this.” And with that, I took her advice and downed the drink in one go. She did the same, and when she hit me with a questioning look afterwards, I pulled a face and said, “I agree with Tatum—it’s fucking bad—but I’m willing to go another round to see if it improves.”
“Fuck, yes!” Monroe said as she looked at Tatum and wrinkled her nose while grinning at her. She then called out to Kree, “We need another round, Kree. Before Lily changes her mind.”
Being with these two reminded me of being with Adelaide and the girls. By the time Kree had served up two more rounds of Jägerbombs and I’d drunk them, as well as the Jack and Coke I’d originally ordered, I was a little tipsy and unsteady on my feet. Monroe was in the same state, and between us, we’d become a little loud. Hailee, the woman Devil had referred to earlier as his woman had also joined us, along with another old lady, Evie. I knew nothing about club life, so I hadn’t even known what an old lady was, but they started my education, filling me in on a few things, all while getting drunk.
King was gone for ages, but I hardly had time to miss him. The girls had me laughing over stories of the funny stuff they’d done together, and I realised they must have spent a fair bit of time with each other to have all these stories. I liked the sisterhood that it felt like they had. I’d always been drawn to having friends who liked to get together often, and I hoped this might be the beginning of some new friendships.
“When are you and Nitro getting married?” Evie asked Tatum.
Tatum sighed. “We’ve put it off for now, while everything has been so up in the air. Honestly, at this point, I’m just glad to have him home again.”
“But you guys are still getting married, right?” Hailee asked.
“Yeah. We’ll just wait for the dust to settle.”
I wasn’t sure what they referred to, but it sounded like she and Nitro had been through something recently. I wasn’t the kind of person to pry, so I didn’t ask any questions.
A dark-haired man who was built like an I-don’t-know-what-except-he-was-freakin
g-huge joined us at the table where we’d relocated. With his gaze glued to Tatum, he said, “Vegas. You ready to go?”
Her eyes snapped to his and her body reacted to him. She nodded and stood. Glancing at me, she said, “It was great to meet you. I’m sure Roe will organise drinks or something soon, so I’ll see you at that.” She then moved into the man’s embrace, their bodies connecting like they were made for each other. He had to be Nitro. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a couple so in sync before.
As they left, King entered the bar and caught my attention. He made his way over to us, and I stood to meet him. Something had happened in between him leaving me and now returning. Gone was the relaxed King, and in his place was the wired King. His face was a mask of intensity and determination as he placed his hand on my hip and said, “I have to head out to take care of some shit.”
“Okay. I’ve had a few drinks, so I’m gonna call an Uber. It’s okay if I leave my car here, right?”
“Yeah,” he said, looking around the room. “I’ll get one of the boys to run you home.” He called Mace over and organised him to do that before turning back to me. “Depending on whether I get shit done tonight, I might be over later.”
With that, he left. No goodbye kiss, no other words exchanged. But I didn’t care, because each passing day with King in my life showed me that sometimes those things weren’t what mattered. The backbone of a relationship came down to more than displays of affection and fancy promises; it came down to actions that showed respect and care. Sometimes those actions consisted of words as well as deeds, but sometimes it was mostly the things we actually followed through on and did that meant the most.
18
Lily
“How much have you had to drink?” Adelaide asked me on the phone later that night when I told her about something weird that had happened to me during the day.
“I swear to you this happened. I’m not saying it because I’ve been drinking. And besides, most of the buzz I had is gone now. The guy looked like a younger version of John Travolta, and he watched me leave the hospital and then followed me to my car. I thought he was going to stop me and tell me something, but he didn’t. He just kept walking.”
“And he was there yesterday, too?”
“Yes! I remember him because he was sitting outside the ward Brynn is on, and as I walked past him, I thought about how much he looked like John Travolta. You know how much I love Grease. Anyone who even kinda looks like John catches my attention.”
She laughed. “Was he wearing tight black jeans and a leather jacket?”
“Ugh. If you were here right now, I would poke my freaking tongue out at you.”
“Lil, he was probably visiting someone at the hospital, too,” she said, her voice softer, less amused at me. “I think you need about a week’s worth of sleep at the moment. Go to bed now and get an early night.”
“Well, King might be coming over, so I might wait up in case he does.”
“Text him and tell him not to come.”
Adelaide still wasn’t on Team King. I knew she was just being a good friend and waiting for him to prove himself after he hurt me, and I didn’t blame her, but I also didn’t pay any attention to the cooler tone she took when she mentioned him. I had confidence he’d prove himself over time and that she’d come around. And I was glad to have a friend who looked out for me.
“I’m going to take a bath. If I fall asleep before he comes, I fall asleep.” I didn’t tell her King still had a key to my place from when he’d cleaned it for me.
“Good. And what about Linc? Is he still being a dick?”
I headed out of the kitchen to walk into my bathroom and get the bath started. “Yeah. I figure he’s gonna be a dick until old age and then some. I’ve decided to ignore his bullshit. Especially since I’m trying to quit smoking again. That’s hard enough to do without having to also be thinking about Linc.”
She chuckled. “How many times are you up to now?”
Sitting on the edge of the bath, I flicked the taps on. “Shut up and don’t be mean to me.”
This was an old argument between us, and Addy never let up about it. She knew I was way into double digits on this. She also knew my attempts were only half-assed, because smoking was something I really didn’t want to give up. I knew I had to, and the smart side of my brain knew I was a freaking idiot for not having made more of an effort, but what was hard to explain to someone like Adelaide, who’d never smoked, was the enjoyment I got from it. That first drag of a cigarette was like the first hit of caffeine in the morning or the first bite into a warm, fresh doughnut. It made me smile and it helped take the edge off from all the stress and pressure I felt being pulled in a hundred directions between work and family. I liked smoking. And who wants to stop doing something they love? That was the switch in my brain I had to flip, but I knew that would only happen when I was ready and wanted to. I also knew that until then, I’d have to put up with Addy giving me a hard time.
“You know I’m never gonna shut up about this, Lily. I want you by my side in the nursing home, and I worry you won’t be around for that if you keep smoking.”
“I know, babe.”
“Okay, enough of that tonight. Go have your bath. Get your meditation on. I’ll call you tomorrow to see how you’re going. Love you, girl.”
“I love you, too. Talk to you tomorrow.”
After the call ended, I lit the candles in my bathroom, set my phone up with my guided meditation open on my Spotify app, and stripped. Five minutes later, I was immersed in the warm water, hair up in a messy bun, eyes closed, meditating.
Perfect.
I chose a forty-minute meditation, and it was almost finished when a text came through from King.
King: I’m letting myself in.
I smiled. Mostly because he was here, but also because it appeared he realised I would freak out if I heard a sound I wasn’t expecting. Closing my eyes again, I listened to the last few minutes of the meditation. When I opened my eyes again, King stood resting against the doorjamb, arms crossed, watching me.
“Hey, you,” I said, not shifting from under the water. It was warm and cosy in the bath, and I wasn’t ready to get out yet. Not even for King.
He didn’t speak, but rather moved to the bath and sat on the side of it. As he watched me, I took in the fierce energy blaring from him. From the hard set of his shoulders to his tight jaw, to his eyes that flashed with a storm of emotion, King was wound up. On edge. And from previous experience, I knew that when he turned up like this, he wanted the kind of sex that would wear me out in the very best ways.
Shifting his attention to my body, he dipped his hand into the water and found my stomach. As he reached down to my pussy, a low growl came from him, and when he pushed two fingers inside me, he met my gaze again and held it steady while finger-fucking me.
Arching my back, I bit my lip and closed my eyes. His touch relaxed me in ways no meditation could, but at the same time, it excited me to the point where I couldn’t get enough from him. With King, I wanted him to hurry the hell up and make me come already while also wanting him to take his sweet time and send me over the edge in a complete and utter mess of bewilderment and frantic need.
“Lily,” he rasped, “Give me your eyes.”
They fluttered open, and I gave him what he wanted, which he liked, because it caused him to reach deeper inside me and work me harder. His strokes were demanding, and with each one, the heat between us intensified.
He bent forward and curled his free hand around my neck. Fingers digging in hard, he pulled me to him and kissed me. It was savage, and while mostly it pushed me into a desperate state of need, I wondered at the back of my mind, what caused him to become so fiercely aroused.
He ended the kiss, but he didn’t let my mouth go fully. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip while his fingers continued fucking me, and he growled, “It doesn’t fucking matter how often I have you, I can’t fucking get enough. Your cunt, your body”—he
bit my lip harder—“this mouth… You’re in my head twenty-four-fucking-seven.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I moved without thought, just feeling. Pure need. It was like a frenzy of arms, legs, and water as I scrambled to my knees so I could take hold of his face and kiss him. I didn’t even care how uncomfortable it was to be in this position; I needed King’s mouth on mine, his face to mine, his breath in me. I needed to get closer to the core of him, to his soul, and right now the only way I knew how to do that was to kiss the hell out of him.
I may have started this kiss, but he took charge of it. His tongue became as demanding as his fingers had been inside me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever kissed anyone the way I kissed King. It was like we were forcing each other to go deeper, to give more. It was hard and rough and violent. Neither of us wanted it to end; we just kept pushing for every last piece the other had to give. When he finally tore his mouth from mine, his eyes flashed with a level of desire I’d never seen in a man. And when he scooped me into his arms and carried me into my bedroom, I craved him in ways I’d never imagined possible.
Dropping me on the bed, he yanked his clothes off before gripping my ankle and pulling me to the end of the mattress and off the bed. A shiver ran over my skin as I watched the muscles in his arms flex. I didn’t care that I was still wet from the bath; I didn’t want anything slowing this down.
Positioning me in front of him with my back to him, he placed one arm around me, his hand splayed across my stomach, fingers so hard against my skin it felt like he might gouge holes in me. His other hand slid around my hips and he took hold of my pussy, his whole hand covering me, his fingers curling under. He held me so tightly against him I felt like we were fused skin-to-skin.
He then did something unexpected. He swept my hair to the side, bent his head, and pressed his mouth to my shoulder, kissing me. The pressure was the complete opposite to that applied to the lower half of my body. He moved along my shoulder slowly, trailing kisses as he went. His beard tickled me, and his tongue licked me, and holy hell if the slow, steady way he moved didn’t turn my legs to jelly.
