“We got fucked up.” Jasmine laughs, cramming pancakes into her mouth. “Derek had to drive me home.”
“My brother?” I wonder.
She nods. “Yeah, he came with me.”
“But I thought he left us.” I don’t remember seeing him after Cross and the Kings disappeared.
“Damn, you were fucked.” She laughs. “How do you feel after the fight?”
“Like shit.” But it’s not from the fight. After I woke up alone in Cross’s bed, I managed to crawl my way to a shower, where I then threw up in it. Thankfully I was already sitting down, and the drain washed it away.
“Grave was … well, is so mad,” April adds. “I guess my brother ditched his fight last night after he found out we were there. Now he owes the Mason brothers again.” She knocks her fist on the table.
“Is she alive?” I ask, looking at Emilee. She has her arm fanned out across the table, her head resting on it, and her dark hair is covering her face.
“I’m resting my eyes,” she says in a rough voice.
We laugh.
“I’m pretty sure she’s still hammered. I’m not sure she ever went to sleep last night.” Jasmine wiggles her eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
“At least someone got some.” April yawns. “Grave was too pissed, and I think I fell asleep on the way home. Not sure. I woke up at six this morning dying of thirst.”
Emilee sits up, throwing her hair off her face, and takes in a deep breath. “I did get fucked. And no, I haven’t gone to bed yet.”
A silence falls over the table, and I think back to last night. I remember all of it. Ethan showing up and spilling April’s drink on her. The fight in the bathroom. Cross being covered in blood … the restroom fuck. Him carrying me upstairs. Our conversation. It was the first time I felt loved. Really loved. And I want to return that favor to him. Because I feel like he’s never experienced it.
_______________
AFTER THE GIRLSand I finish breakfast, I make my way down to Tit for Tat.
“Good morning, Alexa.” Rachel’s replacement smiles at me.
“Hello, Evelyn.” I really like her. She’s super nice and hasn’t tried to fuck Cross, so that’s a bonus. “Is he in?” I ask, pointing at the hallway.
“He just stepped out for a second. But you can go on back there.” She picks up the phone on her desk that starts ringing.
I make my way down the hall and back to his room. Stepping in, I close it behind me. I know he doesn’t have an appointment until later today because I heard him talking to Bones on his phone yesterday while on our way to the Airport last night.
Spotting his Zippo on the counter, I pick it up and run my finger over the engraved words. And they make me feel even better about my decision. To prove to him what it’s like to be loved.
“Hey, gorgeous.” I hear him enter behind me.
I turn to face him. “Hi.”
He’s dressed in a black Kingdom shirt that pulls tight against his chest, shoulders and tatted arms. Light wash jeans and black sneakers. You would never know he killed someone last night. The blood gone, probably washed down a drain. He shows no sign of remorse. And I didn’t expect him to. That’s not who my King is.
“Busy?” I ask, biting my lower lip.
“Never too busy for you.” He comes up to me, wraps his arms around my waist, and leans down, kissing me on the lips.
I open up for him, and he deepens the kiss. His large hand runs up my back to tangle in my hair. I moan into his mouth when he pulls on it.
He starts to walk me backward, and I pull away. “I didn’t come for sex,” I say quickly before I’m lying naked in his tattoo chair.
He sighs, reaching up and running his hand through his hair. “If this is about last night ...”
“It is,” I tell him, but not in the way he thinks. Turning around, I pick up his Zippo.
