I put ice in a glass and filled it with tap water, taking a long drink. Once I was sure I could speak without telling him to fuck himself, something I had to stop doing since it got me in trouble every damn time, I put the glass on the counter and faced him.
“Fine. Have it your way, King. We’ll do this for a while, but, when I decide I’m done, it’s done. You don’t get a say. If I put an end to this before you do, you accept it and walk away. Clear?”
He crossed his arms over his impressive chest, the muscles in his shoulders and arms bulging. Resolutely, I kept my eyes on his face, waiting.
“King?” I prompted.
He gave a sharp nod that I took as acceptance. My muscles relaxed and I leaned back against the counter.
With his agreement, I felt at least a semblance of control over the situation.
But it was a lie.
Like all things involving King Sloan, chaos would eventually rule and the illusion of constraint would be shattered.
Part Two
Dirty Trick
Chapter Eight
‡
I still didn’t know how to classify my tumultuous relationship with King. Usually I’d get a text from him in the middle of the day, telling me what time he would be over. Occasionally he would call. No matter how he communicated he wasn’t the most verbose man.
We never went anywhere public together. He always came to my apartment. We frequently ordered dinner in, but every so often he would bring food. Sometimes I would cook for two.
Still, every night, he came over, regardless of time, and he would stay until morning. I expected him to leave the first few times, even tried to encourage it, but he seemed oblivious to my hints. King slept in my bed with me without fail.
I wanted to hate it, but I couldn’t. After eighteen months without being touched, I couldn’t get enough.
The sex was amazing. Once I stopped fighting him at every turn, it got better. Unbelievably better. It was still wild, rough, and intense, but I quickly discovered that sometimes King liked to play, and it was incredible when he did.
Today was the first time he hadn’t contacted me since this began. I hadn’t heard from him at all.
Twice, I’d caught myself reaching for my phone with the intention of texting or calling him, but I didn’t. Somehow it was my unwritten rule. He reached out first. I never instigated communication.
I found myself waiting for my phone to buzz all day, but there was nothing.
When I got home from work, I half expected King to be there, waiting on me. I made soup and a sandwich for dinner, intentionally only cooking enough for myself. If King wanted to eat with me, he should have called.
My apartment didn’t feel empty at all.
Finally, at midnight, I turned off the TV and went to bed. I didn’t have to be at work tomorrow, so I planned to sleep late, eat a leisurely breakfast, and clean my apartment. Without King underfoot, I’d have a chance to get more done and maybe read a book or watch some movies.
It took me a while to fall asleep, but I refused to believe it was because my bed felt lonely.
The pounding on my door woke me a little after three. I sat straight up in bed, clutching my blanket to my chest. I grabbed my cordless phone off the nightstand and slid out of bed. The banging had stopped for a few seconds before resuming.
Gripping the phone tightly, I crept down the hall and to the front door. Putting my eye to the peephole, I peered outside. Then I cursed and threw open the door.
“What the hell, King? You scared me to death!”
He scowled at me before brushing by without a word. I barely contained my impulse to slam the door. If King hadn’t woken up my neighbors with his loud arrival, I didn’t want to be the one to do it.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed, tossing my phone on the side table by the couch.
King stood in front of me, his hands on his hips and his eyes roving over my body. “You don’t even give a shit, do you?” he asked.
Confused, I frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s no difference to you whether I’m here or not.”
“What?”
“Every night for the last few months, I’ve been here, eatin’ dinner with you, fuckin’ you, and goin’ to bed with you. Tonight is the first night I haven’t and I don’t hear a single, goddamn word from you.”
Suddenly the light dawned. “You’re pissed,” I stated incredulously. “Why in the hell are you pissed?”
“Seriously, babe?”
“What do you want from me, King?” I asked, throwing my arms up in the air.
He stalked forward, getting into my space. “What do you think we’re doing here, Jena?”
“Honestly?”
His eyes narrowed, glittering dangerously. “No, I want you to fuckin’ lie to me.”
I scoffed. “King, the only thing that’s happening here is you’re getting pissed because your fuck buddy isn’t panting after you like a bitch in heat.”
“Is that what you think?” he whispered ominously.
“What am I supposed to think?” I yelled.
Then all the air left my lungs with a whoosh when King rushed me, bending at the waist and planting his shoulder in my gut.
“Put me down!” I yelped, smacking his back as he carried me down the hall.
When we reached my bedroom, he threw me down on the bed. I started to roll away, angrier than I’d ever been, but King’s body hit mine, pinning me to the mattress with my hands above my head.
I growled low in my throat and lunged upward at him, baring my teeth.
The asshole had the audacity to laugh as he evaded my bite. “Fuckin’ wildcat,” he murmured. “I bet if I let your wrists go, you’d try to tear my face off with your nails.”
“No, I’d claw your eyes out,” I snarled.
His expression became stony. “Did you even care that you didn’t hear from me today?” he asked.
Though my hands were trapped, I tried to shrug my shoulders.
“Jesus Christ, you’re a piece of work,” he muttered. Then his face lowered toward mine. “Answer me, Jena. Do you give a shit that I didn’t call or text you today like I’ve done every fuckin’ day?”
I glared at him, but still didn’t speak.
“Answer me!” he roared.
“Yes, okay! Yes!” I relented. I hated that I depended upon him to be here because I knew it couldn’t last forever.
His face softened. “Then why didn’t you call me?”
“Because I don’t know what I’m doing, King. I don’t know what you want from me.”
His eyes moved over my face. “Forget about what I fuckin’ want. Tell me what you want.”
“I don’t know!” I exclaimed, tossing my head. “When we’re not having sex, half the time you’re pissing me off and the rest of the time you confuse the shit out of me.”
He smiled slightly, though I didn’t understand what he found so funny. “I know the feeling.”
I scowled at him and he outright laughed. The frown on my face disappeared as he lowered his head and ran his nose along the side of my jaw. I couldn’t control the shiver that rushed down my spine when his tongue touched the skin just below my ear.
In the blink of an eye, he sat up to straddle me and yanked my t-shirt over my head. Then he stripped off his own shirt.
My hands lifted as he lowered his body to mine, pressing against his sides. “What are you doing?”
His mouth hit my neck, nibbling gently. “Showing you what I want.”
My heart lurched at his words. It was obvious he wanted sex and I couldn’t control the disappointment that shafted through me. This was all I was to him, which was why I hadn’t called him today. It was time to admit it, even if it was just to myself. I was getting in too deep with King.