As it faded, King’s lips met mine in a gentle, sweet kiss. It was so unlike him, so rare, that my breath hitched in my chest. He continued to kiss me as his own release took over, the movement of his hips slowing.

When it was over, we lay motionless, King’s cock still buried deep while we stared at each other.

I bit my lip as he withdrew from me. Though he’d been gentle in the end, the motion stung.

King smoothed my hair away from my face. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched his shadow move to the bathroom door and disappear inside then I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

I’d just had sex with a man who used me, hurt me, and lied to me. Not once, but repeatedly over the past three years. How could I sink so low?

King came back out of the bathroom, a washcloth in his hand, and I realized we hadn’t used protection. My blood ran cold. I hadn’t even thought about it.

“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop,” King commanded, climbing up on the bed and pressing the cool, damp cloth between my legs.

Since it felt good, I didn’t fight him when he held it against me instead of letting me take it.

“We didn’t use protection,” I muttered. “I’m on the Pill but I still haven’t been tested since I found out that Justin was fucking around on me.”

King grunted and I could see his chin jerk in the dark. “You don’t have anything to worry about from me. Had a test a couple months ago.”

I rolled my eyes, knowing he wouldn’t see it. “Then you probably need another one. Besides, I’m sure you’ve had at least a couple, uh, dates since then, so…”

“Actually, I haven’t,” he replied evenly.

I scoffed. “You don’t have to lie to me, King.”

In the blink of an eye, his face was right over mine. “I realize I haven’t given you much to believe in when it comes to me, Jena, but I wouldn’t fucking lie to you about something like this. If I tell you that I haven’t fucked anyone else since the last time I had you, I’m telling you the goddamn truth. My days of screwing every hot woman I want ended a long damn time ago. I don’t let my dick do my thinking for me anymore.”

“You haven’t had sex with anyone but me in the last six months?” I asked, my mouth hanging open.

King rolled over onto his back, throwing his arm over his eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

I turned toward him. “Seriously, King. I wanna know.”

He peeked at me from beneath his elbow. “I haven’t fucked anyone but you in the last six months.”

“I don’t understand. Why?”

“I’m the kind of man who knows what he wants. Once I see it, nothing else is worth the effort.”

I had no idea what to say. This confession was so unexpected that I was speechless. If I was going to be honest with myself, I thought that King was a manwhore, sleeping with any woman who caught his eyes.

Apparently I didn’t know King Sloan as well as I thought I did.

“Okay, I’m inclined to believe you,” I stated.

King gave me a disgusted look.

I shrugged. “Don’t get mad at me. I always thought you were, uh, kinda promiscuous, so this is a surprise to me.”

He shook his head, but chuckled. “I would never tell anyone else that I haven’t fucked a woman in six months, and the one person I do, doesn’t believe me.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. I’m just in shock, I guess.”

When he didn’t respond, I asked, “What exactly did you mean when you said you wanted back in?”

“I want what we had before.”

The small beacon of hope burgeoning inside of me died. What we had before hadn’t worked out so well. I couldn’t take just part of him. I wanted it all. All or nothing.

“I don’t know, King. You weren’t exactly forthcoming with personal information before now.”

“I had things to hide, Jena. Now you know everything. I don’t have to hide any longer. It won’t be the way it was before.”

He was saying all the right things. He’d even demonstrated his willingness to talk about his past the last few days, but I was reluctant to be convinced.

As he was prone to do, King read my mind. “Don’t decide tonight, darlin’. Let’s just get some sleep and you can think about it tomorrow.”

Because that was exactly what I wanted to do, I didn’t argue. “Okay.”

I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to finish cleaning up. I pulled another pair of underwear and a t-shirt out of my suitcase and dressed. When I returned to the bed, King reached out and tugged me closer.

I rolled into his side, my head resting on his shoulder, my arm across his stomach, and my leg thrown over his.

“Go to sleep, darlin’. I’ll still be here in the morning.”

I wasn’t sure why, but I found that comforting enough for me to close my eyes and drift away.

Part Three

The End Game

Chapter Nineteen

‡

The next morning, after King woke me up in the most delicious way, he insisted I move my stuff into his bedroom. Yet again, I didn’t bother to argue. I wanted to be there, plus I could tell that I wouldn’t have much of a choice anyway.

He drove us to King’s in his truck around eleven that morning. After two awesome orgasms, I felt particularly mellow, so neither of us spoke much during the trip.

When we got to the bar, King went to his office and I went to the little room I’d taken over the day before. As I was getting my laptop out to get started, my phone vibrated on the desk.

I glanced at the screen and froze. It was Katie. Except for the one nasty text, I hadn’t heard from her since the night of her meltdown. All of my attempts to contact her since had gone unanswered.

I’d messaged her once a month for the last three months, but she hadn’t responded. Even my relationship with Ashley changed. There were no more girls’ nights out. Instead we met for lunch every couple of weeks but neither of us had suggested inviting Katie.

After the phone rang for the third time, I rejected the call. I didn’t want to talk to her right now. Especially since the knowledge of her betrayal was so fresh.

Suddenly, I remembered the night I met Justin and how she suggested she’d fight me for him. I wondered if she’d pursued him or if he’d come on to her. Not that it truly mattered. She knew that I loved him completely. Justin may not have given a shit about me, but she should have considering she was one of my best friends.

She and I would be having a talk. Maybe not this week or the next, but I had things to say to Katie. I only hoped I could act like a grown up and not give in to the desire to punch her in the face repeatedly until she cried like the little bitch she was.

I shook my head to clear the nasty thoughts from it. I didn’t need to dwell on this. I had other things happening in my life that needed my full attention.

Ten minutes later, I had the desktop computer booted up, not completely surprised to find that Albert’s records were a mess. He was a smart man, but he clearly had his own way of doing things, which meant I had my work cut out for me.

I smelled the coffee first and looked up to see King standing in the doorway, two mugs in his hands.

He walked into the office and set one of them on the desk.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

King shrugged and sat in the chair crammed on the opposite side of my desk. “So, how bad is it?” he asked.

“I may be here for more than a week to get this organized.”

He smiled. “I’m sure you’re worth every penny.”

Frowning at him, I retorted, “That makes me sound cheap.”

“Darlin’, you are not cheap.”

“Okay, it makes me sound like a prostitute.”

He raised his cup to me. “Well, if you were, you’d be very, very expensive.”

Squinting at him, I answered, “If you think that is a compliment, you’re hanging around the wrong type of woman.”