Kings of Midnight: Book One of The Midnight Saga

by J Q Anderson

  “Good night.”

  “Okay, okay. It’s enough, I know. But we’re still your parents.” She pulled away, searching my eyes. “We love you.”

  “I know.” I wiped my cheeks. “Good-bye, Mamá, Papá. Thank you both for coming.”

  Papá enclosed me in his arms and squeezed me hard. “Please, please think about the choices you make. The way you’ve always done. You know how much we love you Camila. I’m so proud of you.”

  I nodded. “I love you too. Enjoy your trip to Europe. Tell Javi and the girls I love them.”

  Sebastián interlaced his fingers with mine as we walked outside to wait for the car. The tension of the night was suddenly overwhelming.

  “I’m sorry, about all of it,” I said. “I wish everyone would just mind their own business.”

  “I’m the one who should apologize. I told you, my family—”

  “My family and my friends were the ones making a scene. It was embarrassing.”

  “Your parents were just being protective. I don’t hold that against them. I have to say, though, if I hear the name Marcos one more time—”

  “I know! I’m sorry about that too. Marcos is probably the only person my parents wouldn’t object to because he’s a dancer and that could actually improve my career.” I sighed heavily. “It’s exhausting.”

  “Yeah well, he wants you. I object to that.”

  “I’m so tired. Do you mind if I sleep at my place tonight? I’m completely out of laundry. I can come to your house in the morning after I do a couple of loads.”

  “Sure.” He nodded, his expression grave as his gaze got lost somewhere in the distance. Cars passed by, splashing through the remainders of an earlier rain. I shivered in my coat and reached for his hand.

  “Despite that crazy dinner,” I said, “I’m glad you came to watch me dance. This was a big night, and you being there means so much to me.”

  He tugged on my hand and enveloped me. I slid my hands under his coat the way I loved doing, and pressed my face to him, relishing his warmth.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I said, pressing my face to his chest. “I hated not being with you for so many days.”

  “I’ve missed you too.” He squeezed me tighter. “Cami, I don’t want to make things difficult for you,” he said. “Your career is just starting.”

  “You’re not making things difficult.”

  “You know that’s not true. Thing is, I’m used to people reacting that way to me, and I don’t care. But you…you have so much going for you.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” I said, looking up without letting go of him.

  “Cami.” He pulled away and searched my eyes. “Not one of the people who are closest to you approves of you being with me. I don’t want to drag you to a place where people shut you out because you’re with me.” Fatigue etched his eyes and I wanted to kiss him. Instead, I gripped his coat at the chest.

  “I won’t let anyone tell me who I can or cannot be with. I told you that before.” As I said it, my gaze went past Sebastián and stopped on Sergei walking out of the restaurant. He stood still, watching us, his eyes narrowed. I held his stare, but a second later, the BMW pulled into view. “I changed my mind,” I said to Sebastián. “Let’s go back to your house.”

  Chapter 27

  Scorching heat enveloping my body woke me. Sebastián’s arm was locked around my waist, his chest pressed against my back, and our legs tangled. The bleaching glare of a midmorning sun filled the spacious bedroom. A sudden rush of panic seized me. I was late for work. Wait, no. I relaxed, remembering I was off for the next few days. I grinned. I would finally get to spend time with Sebastián.

  My head throbbed from the mix of wine and champagne the night before, and I decided Marcél’s heavenly coffee would be my fix. I shifted carefully under Sebastián, but the arm around me tightened. Warm lips met my neck.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “You are too hot.”

  “You’re not bad yourself.” A soft chuckle tickled my hair.

  I slapped his naked side playfully. “Get off. I need a shower. And coffee. Strong coffee.”

  “Get off?” he said against my neck. “Oh yes, my queen. At your service.” In one move, he flipped me around, pinning me under him. His knees pushed my legs apart. I tried fighting him, then inhaled sharply as his hard-on pressed my clit. A sudden gust of desire whirled in my stomach as his mouth devoured mine hungrily, warm and wet. I wrapped my legs around his waist and squeezed him.

  “Impatient, are we?” His breath was hot and his hips teased me with slow, erotic movements. I clenched my hands in his hair, and our eyes met.

  “I always want more with you.”

  “Lucky me,” he said against my mouth. His fingers traveled down my side, leaving goose bumps in their path. He cupped my breast, and my nipples immediately hardened. My body already knew him well, anticipating and responding to his every move. A growing ache writhed inside me, and I tightened my legs around him. God, I wanted him. I gently bit his bottom lip while digging my fingers into his glorious back. He lifted his head and smiled. I was breathing hard, admiring him through half-open eyes. His fingers grazed my thighs and slid between my legs, working their magic as they glided in and out of me, torturing me. I clutched the sheets at my sides and squeezed my eyes shut.

  “Sebastián…please.”

  “Please…what?” He panted. “Tell me what you want.”

  The sweet urge between my legs intensified. I moaned. “I want you inside me. Now.”

  Groaning in my mouth, he moved his hands to hold mine, threading our fingers and thrust into me. I gasped as he filled me, my muscles clenching hungrily around him. It was deep, intense. I let him possess me, savoring every second. He moved slow, oh so slow, torturing and beautiful. My mind drifted and my body took charge, meeting him move for move.

  “You…feel…so fucking good…” His chopped, erotic breaths blended with mine as our mouths collided. I could barely hold on. I tried to make a mental effort not to come just yet, but after having spent so much time apart the last week, my body wasn’t up for debating.

  His pace accelerated and my head spun, my muscles quickening. God. He slammed into me once more, and I think I blacked out. All I remembered was floating, weightless.

  He kissed the corners of my mouth, his lips following the contour of my jaw, nibbling softly.

  “Good morning.” He smiled against my mouth.

  I chuckled. “You can wake me up like this whenever you want.”

  “You are a goddess,” he whispered. “So sensual. And my bed was lonely without you.”

  “Hmhm…”

  “Your Highness got what she wanted?”

  “Hmmh…”

  Soft laughter tickled my shoulder. “I’m famished. Let’s eat. I need to get my strength back before I make up my mind to spend the day between your legs.” He kissed me chastely and stepped off the bed, pulling me up with him. Then in one move, he threw me over his shoulder. I gasped and kicked my feet in the air, squealing.

  “You can’t…” I giggled. “Put me down!”

  He laughed, carrying me into the gargantuan shower stall. As he opened the door, warm water began cascading from several shower heads. He slid me to the floor and kissed me hard, pinning my body against the cool marble wall. I shivered and buried myself in his arms. God help me.

  Sebastián sat at the bar, intent on a newspaper. I smiled at the fact that he was reading an actual paper. There was something vintage and kind of sexy about it. I took a seat beside him, and Marcél placed a tray with coffee and fresh pastries on the counter. A warm smile creased his face.

  “Marcél, good morning,” I said. “You can’t spoil me like this. My breakfast is usually a banana.”

  “Ma chérie, it’s my pleasure. And after such a week, you need your strength.”

  “Thank you.” I blushed, thinking of all the reasons why I needed my strength, which had nothing to do wit
h dancing.

  Sebastián kissed my cheek. “You’re adorable when you blush.” As he pulled away, he nodded at a page in the social section. “Looks like we made the papers.” A center photo featured the two of us outside the theater the night before. He looked dreamy in his tuxedo. I looked…startled. The headline read: Palacios and His Ballerina. She’s Fearless!

  I glanced up at Sebastián and he was frowning.

  “I told you, the media’s a pest,” he said. “Anything to print the Palacios name in the gossip section. We may have to do something.”

  “Do something?”

  “Throw money at them.” He sighed. “The only way to get those dogs off our backs.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Money is usually the only thing that’s effective,” he said sternly. “It’s either that, or they broadcast every move. It’s one thing if they’re after me, but I don’t want you involved in my father’s crap.”

  I thought about that for a moment. I had been having fun with the attention, but what would Madame say when she saw my photo in the most popular newspaper in the city? And Federico? Would this be a problem at work? Reading my mind, Sebastián slid his hand behind my neck and kissed me softly.

  “Don’t worry about it. For the moment it’s just a photo, and a little publicity never hurt anyone. I’ll take care of it.”

  I nodded, unsure what to make of it. “So, what’s up for today?”

  “I figured we could take it easy, so you can rest?”

  “I actually wouldn’t mind that.” I sighed, stretching my neck. “I’m tired and sore everywhere.”

  A wicked smile stretched across his face.

  I rolled my eyes. “You know what I meant.”

  “Yes. I do.” He winked, making my cheeks burn again. “Come here. I have something to tell you.” He took my hand and interlaced our fingers. “Julián agreed to release one of the Russian cargoes. That’s all he’s willing to do for now, but it’s the main one and a step forward.”

  “Really? Oh, Sebastián, thank you. Thank you so much.” I squeezed my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had.

  “I’m starting to look forward to the way you thank me,” he murmured against my mouth.

  I kissed him again and leaned back to look into his eyes. “That is such good news. Did it just happen?”

  “Yesterday actually.”

  “Yesterday? So when we were having dinner, you already knew the cargoes would be released?”

  “Of course I knew.”

  “Sergei made that scene…and you didn’t budge.”

  “Sergei needs to learn to control his temper.”

  “Right, but wouldn’t it have been easier to settle things right then?”

  He shook his head. “No, the Zchestakovas need to know we are in charge, not them.”

  “I don’t get it. Either way, I’m glad you convinced Julián. I was so worried about Nata. She looked stressed lately.”

  “The truth is,” he said, brushing my hair back with his fingers, “having cargoes on hold isn’t good for anyone. It’s in our best interest to release them. Julián knows that. He doesn’t want the Russians thinking they have leverage, so he’s been stretching things out. But it’s been long enough, and my father’s tired of those cargoes taking up so much space. Besides, I owed Sergei one. The information he unintentionally gave me at Julián’s party allowed me to keep the girls safe.”

  “I’m glad. I’ve been so worried about them. And Nata, she’ll be so happy. I can’t wait to tell her the good news.” I slid back onto my seat, letting out a long breath. “Why don’t we spend the day by the pool today? It’s warm and I’ve missed the sun. My friends are meeting at a new bar tonight. We can go with them.” I bit into a warm croissant and moaned. Mmmm…heavenly.

  Sebastián frowned at my food orgasm.

  “Sorry.” I chuckled. “This is so good. And I’m famished.”

  “No. I’m thinking I need to go to Julián’s tonight. The studio is starting a big project on Monday. We won the bid against some of the best architects in Buenos Aires, and I want to make sure I go through the final details with Julián before we break ground.” He reached for my hand. “Why don’t we just stay here tonight? After I’m done with Julián, I’ll come home and we can order food in, watch a movie. Whatever you want.”

  “That sounds great, but I really want to see my friends tonight. Could we do the night in tomorrow? It’s the first time we all go out together after Giselle. We’ve been doing nothing but work. I miss hanging out with them, and most are going away tomorrow till the break ends. I can come back here afterward, but I want to go.”

  “I haven’t seen you much lately, either. All you do is dance, and when we are together, you’re always exhausted. Stay here and rest, so we can have some normal time together.”

  “Since we met, I’ve spent every free minute I have with you. I haven’t seen my friends outside the theater in ages. I’m not complaining, but I’ve made a lot of adjustments since you came into my life.”

  His jaw hardened. “I’ve adjusted too. I’ve been patient, flexible, even though it hasn’t been easy on my end.”

  “I know you have, but I’m a dancer and my career’s just starting. My life focus is performance after performance. I need some social balance once in a while. I don’t want that to come between us.”

  “I know.” He closed his eyes as if reining in his patience. “I’m trying to find the way. Look, I don’t mind you seeing your friends. It’s good to have that balance. But tonight, I want us to spend time together. I know it’s selfish, but I want you with me as much as I can get you.”

  I placed my hands on his biceps, searching his eyes. “I’m right here.”

  “You are, and you aren’t. Stay. We can…celebrate.”

  Crap. Seriously. I wasn’t leaving the country, I just wanted to hang out with my friends for one night. I fought the urge to push away from him and tried another tactic.

  “I’ll come back here afterwards. We’ll spend the rest of the night together.” I pressed another soft kiss on his mouth. He didn’t pull away but let out a sigh of resignation.

  “What bar are they going to?”

  “Isabel, in Palermo Hollywood. I heard it’s really cool. I’ve been wanting to go for a while.”

  His jaw tensed. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

  What the fuck. I pulled away. “Why?”

  “Because it’s a place I would like to take you to.”

  “Possessive much?”

  His lips pressed into a straight line.

  “Sebastián, what is this about?”

  Anger and frustration flashed across his pale irises.

  “What?” I said.

  “I don’t want Marcos’s fucking hands all over you,” he growled.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “You know exactly what it means.”

  “Is this about last night?”

  “It’s about all the fucking times he’s around. About the way he greets you, the way he touches you, like he’s somehow entitled. It’s bad enough he’s your dance partner. I don’t want you hanging out with him at a bar. At that fucking bar.”

  I sighed. “Let’s not do this. I’m not going out with Marcos. I’m going out with a group.”

  “Will he be there.” It was a question but he made it sound like a statement.

  “He’s dating Carla. Are we really having this conversation again?”

  “Answer my question. Will he be there?” His jaw didn’t give, and jealousy blazed in his eyes. Fuck. I threw my hands up in defeat and stood, needing to put space between us. Adrenaline surged in my veins.

  “Yes, he will be there, but he is dating Carla, and I’m with you, so stop this control freak shit and tell me you are okay with me seeing my friends, because that is a deal breaker for me, Sebastián.”

  “A deal breaker?” he said, louder, narrowing his eyes. “The fact that Marcos thinks he c
an put his fucking hands all over you is my deal breaker, babe.”

  “It’s not what you think!”

  “It is not what you think. For fuck’s sake.”

  My heart was racing, I felt like a corralled rabbit. But I couldn’t back down.

  “Sebastián. You have to trust me.”

  He rubbed his forehead in frustration. “I do trust you. But Marcos has feelings for you. I can’t say I blame him, but he needs to back the fuck off.”

  “He’s a friend and a dance partner. Part of the package,” I said, looking straight at him. Standing my ground felt good. “Besides…” I winced. “I haven’t said anything more about Mercedes and the way she fucking hounds you. What about that?”

  “Hounds me? Don’t be ridiculous.” He scowled. “Mercedes is like my sister.”

  “Yeah,” I scoffed. “I don’t think she sees you that way.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The night of the party she damn made sure I knew you’re hers.”

  “What?”

  “Yup. She instructed me to go back to ‘whatever little suburb I came from’ because I didn’t belong in your world.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry about that. She was out of line. Mercedes is very territorial with people outside the family. I’ve already talked to her about it. She felt bad you took whatever she said seriously.”

  “Right.” I raised my palms. “Whatever. Look, I want to go out. You’re welcome to come with me, but I’m going.”

  He pushed his barstool back. “Have it your way.” He cursed under his breath and stormed out.

  Staring at the open door, I dropped back on my seat, my heart racing as I clenched my teeth to fight the tears. Shit. Our issues went deeper than I had thought.

  I took my cup to the sink, leaving his on the counter in a pathetic protest, then left to get my things.

  In the bedroom, there were no signs of Sebastián, and I felt relieved. I shot a quick look at the empty bed where we had been so happy just moments ago. My throat tightened, and I couldn’t stop the tears that spilled. I looked around for my clothes and found them on a chair, neatly folded in a pile. How could he be so infuriating and so sweet? My heart sank deeper. I threw them in my bag and called a cab. I was stalking down the hallway when I almost stumbled into Marcél. He stepped back.