King of Hearts

  Stu didn’t look happy about his brother’s order, but he did as he was told all the same. Between the two of them, it was clear who the alpha was. As soon as Stu left, I finally felt like I could breathe. I sent King an apologetic look as he leaned in and whispered, “An old flame of yours?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “He wants you back.”

  “Well, he can go on wanting.”

  “I didn’t like the way he looked at you,” he went on, and the dark note in his voice made me shiver. I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I paused to eye him meaningfully. “He’s my past.” I left the second part unspoken. You’re my future. If his satisfied expression was anything to go by, he caught my meaning. Turning, I found Lee had plopped himself down on the sofa beside Karla and was sitting a little too close. She shifted away, being none too subtle about putting distance between them.

  “Oh, Snap,” he chuckled. “It’s so funny how you want me.”

  Karla bristled. “Don’t call me Snap.”

  “You don’t like it? It’s short for Gingersnap. I thought you’d appreciate my creative efforts and shit.”

  “Well, I don’t. Go focus your creativity elsewhere. In fact, pretend I don’t exist.”

  He shot her a heated look, his eyes trailing slowly down her body.

  “Sorry, can’t do that,” Lee whispered quietly. Karla took a deep breath, as though summoning the willpower not to slap him. I felt bad for subjecting her to Lee, but I needed her there for moral support.

  Tugging King forward, I led him over to a chair and perched myself on the edge. His hand went to my thigh, and I savoured the warmth.

  “So, what have you got for us?” I began, looking at Lee. “This needs to be good.”

  Lee scoffed. “Don’t insult me with low expectations.” Pausing, he eyed King. “Did you bring the money?”

  Oh, yeah, did I fail to mention that Lee wanted 50K for this favour? It was pocket change to a man like King, but still, Lee had some balls asking for that amount. I’d expected it, though. He might have had a good heart, but he was a survivor, and surviving meant making money in any way he could.

  King slid a briefcase across to him and Lee took a peek inside, letting out a low whistle when he saw the cash. One eyebrow went up. “Shit, should I have asked for more?”

  It must have been Lee’s tone that made King chuckle. Karla let out a long sigh and glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re making me be a witness to this. You seriously owe me one, Lexie.”

  Lee cocked his head to her. “I’ll owe you one any day of the week, babe.”

  She scowled at him and he grinned in delight. I mouthed a silent “sorry” at her and thought maybe she should stop being so disgruntled with him, because it was obvious that he liked it. A moment of quiet passed before Lee clasped his hands together and started to speak.

  “So, Mr King, it seems you’re in luck. I’ve done some discreet asking around, and it appears Brucey’s been getting sloppy in his old age. If you ask me, it’s all the prostitutes. Syphilis fucks with the brain.”

  King grew stiff at Lee’s words, and I reached over to lace my fingers with his. Silence followed. Lee chuckled. “What? Was that poor taste?” No response. He raised his brows. “Okay, I’ll keep the jokes to myself in future. So, word has it that Bruce shot a copper a couple of months back.”

  Karla gasped. “What?”

  Lee nodded. “True story. But don’t worry, this cop was dirty. It won’t happen to you, Snap. You’re lily white. I can tell.”

  “Fuck off.”

  Lee flashed her a toothy smile. “Feisty. I like it. Anyways, shit went down. The cop was on Bruce’s payroll but sold him out to the competition, a bloke named Tiny McGee. Ironic, since he’s a fat fucker. I’ve managed to get my hands on the gun Bruce used to shoot the cop. He chucked it in the Thames, but one of his men, seeing an opportunity for blackmail down the line, as you do, fished it out and kept it for future use. This fella’s agreed to sell the gun to me for 25K,” he said, and glanced at Karla. “See, I’m not completely despicable. Half the money isn’t even for me.”

  “Oh, yeah, you’re a real saint,” Karla deadpanned.

  Lee brought his attention back to King. “So all you need to do is sit back, relax, and let me take care of the rest. Shooting a cop is bad business, and he’s not going to want this to go public. I’ll give Bruce a little call. Tell him how it’s gonna play out, and see if he wants to be clever or stupid. I can’t guarantee he’ll be clever. Like I said, it’s the syphilis.” He paused, waiting for us to laugh. “What? Still not funny? Fine, I give up.”

  Lee stood as King addressed him. “When can I expect to hear from you?”

  Glancing down at his watch, Lee answered, “Around this time tomorrow.”

  “Very good,” said King, holding out his hand and shaking with Lee.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with ya.”

  Lee stood to leave, but before he did, he bent over the couch, startling Karla by giving her a surprise peck on the cheek. It might have been a sweet gesture if it wasn’t so brazen. She immediately recoiled, glaring daggers at him. He winked at her. “Little something for you to remember me by, Snap. Until next time.”

  “There won’t be a next time,” she called after him.

  He flashed her one final grin. “We’ll see.”

  When he opened the door, I saw Stu standing there impatiently. “I want to talk with Lex,” he told his brother.

  Lee put a hand on Stu’s chest, pushing him back. “Nah, mate, you’re good.”

  Stu grew irritable. “It’ll only take a minute.”

  Lee held firm, eyeing his brother sharply. “If I say you’re good, you’re good. Now come on, she’s not interested.”

  I knew Stu wanted to protest further, but he must have realised his brother wasn’t going to budge on the matter. I wondered why. Perhaps Lee saw something in the way I interacted with King. He definitely had an intuitive nature; maybe he’d figured out there was no way I was going back to Stu, come hell or high water.

  The door finally closed over, and King excused himself to use the bathroom.

  “I’m sorry about Lee. He’s such a flirt,” I said to Karla.

  “No worries. I can handle it.” Her voice grew hushed as she leaned forward, eyes flicking to the bathroom door. “What the hell is going on with you and Mr Tall, Blond, and Perfect, though?”

  I heaved out a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

  “I can see that. Isn’t it against company policy for you to be seeing one another?”

  “No. He said it wasn’t. We haven’t really discussed things properly yet. I think we’ll wait until this whole thing with Bruce blows over to start figuring stuff out.”

  I went quiet when I heard the toilet flush, and then King re-emerged.

  “So, I should probably make a move. I need to check on Mum,” he began.

  Karla turned up the volume on the TV a little and focused on the screen, discreetly giving us some privacy. Bless her. I walked over to King and took his hands in mine. He raised them to his mouth and brushed his lips across my knuckles. I trembled, remembering our brief time together in Rome. It had only been two days, and yet it felt like a lifetime ago. But I knew now wasn’t the time for sex. Everything was too tense.

  God, life, why do you have to be such a cockblocker sometimes?

  “Come spend the evening with me tomorrow after work,” said King, his voice hushed. “I’m having someone watch Mum’s house. You can bring an overnight bag. I’ll cook dinner.”

  “That sounds perfect,” I replied quietly, shivering when he rubbed the inside of my wrist with his thumb.

  King bent in and pressed a chaste kiss to my mouth. Neither one of us dared to deepen it for fear of making things a little too raunchy. After all, we did have an audience of one, who was right at that moment doing her best to pretend to watch television.

  “Unti
l tomorrow, then,” King murmured, and left.

  As soon as the door shut, I leaned back against it and let out a frustrated groan. Eyes still on the screen, Karla let out a laugh and shook her head.

  “Oh, Lexie, you are so fucked.”

  Fifteen

  The following day I didn’t see King until after lunch. He had meetings all through the morning and was away from the office. I missed him. This was probably why I went to him as soon as he got back, under the guise of having work for him to look over. Gillian had just left for a coffee break when I made my move.

  “How’s your day been?” I asked quietly as I closed the door and stepped inside, the printout of a spreadsheet from last week held to my chest.

  King was typing an email when he heard me speak. He paused instantly and shot me a warm look, his eyes drinking me in, lingering on the flare of my hips.

  “Come here.”

  I went to him. He caught my wrist and pulled me to his lap. I shifted in place, feeling him harden already. His hands moulded to my hips, squeezing them, as his mouth pressed against my neck.

  “You fucking kill me with these little outfits.”

  “Oliver.”

  His hand moved up my body until it reached my neck. He cupped it, then rose, leading me backwards to the bathroom as his thumb applied the perfect amount of pressure to my nape. His speediness and lack of pretence surprised me. I’d expected him to at least protest a little about sex at the office. But no. A moment later he was lowering me face first onto the couch. I twisted in place as he began undoing his fly.

  “Wait,” I said, breathless, sitting up and reaching for him. “Let me try something.” King remained still as I pulled him into me by his belt buckle and finished the job of undoing his trousers. I was aware of the heavy rise and fall of his chest, of his eyes glittering with heat, as I shoved them over his hips and pulled his cock free. I gripped him, licking my lips and looking up to meet his gaze. Without further hesitation, I brought my mouth to his head and licked softly. He felt hot and silky. I loved the feel of him. He let out an agonised groan, and I lowered my mouth onto him, taking him in fully this time. The deep, throaty sound he emitted made me instantly wet as I pressed my thighs together to dull the ache.

  “Alexis,” he murmured, his voice strained. “Da…arling.”

  I continued to work him with my mouth, my lips sliding wetly along his length, relishing the feeling of complete control. He might have been standing over me, but I held all the power. It was kind of exhilarating. I quickened my pace, and his words grew choppy.

  “Take off your top,” he said, face contorted with pleasure, eyes worshipful.

  I continued sucking him off as my fingers trailed down my blouse, undoing the buttons one by one. Giving him a show. His breathing accelerated the more skin I revealed. Once I had the blouse off completely, I unclipped my bra, and the straps fell from my shoulders. King practically growled at the sight of my breasts and reached forward to cup them.

  “Perfect,” he whispered. “You’re perfect.”

  Flickering my tongue and taking him in deep, I watched as King’s eyelids fluttered closed while an agonised expression crossed his face. “Jesus Christ, you’re good at this.” His hips moved, matching my pace. Then he grew still as he came, warm liquid filling my mouth. I swallowed. His gaze turned fierce as he pulled me to my feet and spun me around, pressing my body flat into the wall. His hands were purposeful, authoritative, turning the tables from a moment ago. Now he was the one in control. A few quick movements, and my skirt was pushed up around my hips, my knickers pulled down, and his cock was inside me, hard and unforgiving. I was both flattered and impressed that he could get it up again so soon, and tried not to be too noisy while he pounded into me, making me forget my senses.

  I felt owned, and I loved it. Loved him. God, it scared me, but I couldn’t lie to myself. I felt so much for him, so, so much.

  His hand around my stomach brought me back to my senses as he held me possessively.

  Gillian was probably back from her coffee break by now. I could just imagine her sitting at her desk, typing away, totally oblivious to what was going on inside King’s office. I swear it was almost like my mind summoned her when I heard a knock on the outer door. King didn’t stop fucking me, his hand coming around to cover my mouth and muffle my whimpers. My heart rate picked up, panic setting in.

  “Mr King?” Gillian called. Her voice was way too close.

  King sounded completely normal, not at all breathless as he answered, “Yes, Gillian?”

  Oh, my God, I could have killed him in that moment if I hadn’t been so lost to him, my body grateful that he wasn’t stopping while my brain screamed, Cease this madness right now!

  Gillian sounded awkward, probably because she thought King was using the toilet. I wondered what she’d think if she knew what he was really doing.

  “I have a couple of messages for you. I’ll leave them on your desk.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be out shortly.”

  How on earth did he manage to stay so calm? Sweat coated my brow, anxiety flooding my system. King’s mouth went to my shoulder, playfully biting. I bit at his hand, which was still plastered to my mouth, and he let out a quiet, satisfied chuckle. The bastard was enjoying this. I heard Gillian’s heels tapping on the floor as she made to leave. Relief flooded me for only a moment, until she stopped.

  “Mr King, you haven’t seen Alexis, have you? She’s missing from her desk.”

  “I sent her out on an errand,” King replied smoothly. “She won’t be long.”

  After this she continued out of the room, closing the door with a click. Relieved air escaped me. King’s hand left my mouth, trailing down my body and between my legs.

  “I’m going to fucking kill you,” I ground out.

  He chuckled again. “No, you’re not. I’ll make you come, and then you’ll like me too much to kill me.”

  “Not likely.”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  I didn’t reply. Couldn’t. His cock was hitting all my sweet spots, and I no longer felt the urge to reprimand him. I kind of hated that he was right. He found my clit and started to rub, and I wasn’t sure I could take it. The feel of him inside me and his skilled fingers working my clit was too much. I was going to come so soon. Too soon. I wanted to give him hell for playing with fire like that, fucking me while Gillian was right outside, but I couldn’t summon the willpower. Everything felt too good.

  “I can feel you squeezing me,” he growled. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes,” I sighed.

  “Will you come?”

  “Yes,” I repeated.

  “You’re beautiful,” he breathed, and at the same moment I shattered under his hand. He groaned and continued to fuck me while I orgasmed, drawing out each and every wave until he was coming, too. I’d never felt so possessed, so owned, in my entire life. King filled me up, and it was only at that moment I realised we’d been so gone for each other that we didn’t even remember protection. We hadn’t used it before in the limo, either, so it wasn’t a huge deal. Still, having unprotected sex with him felt closer than anything else. I wanted to tell him how I felt, but I was scared. I was usually a person who voiced what they were thinking, but not in this instance. My apprehension of the small chance that he might not return my feelings kept them locked inside, waiting for a rare moment of bravery.

  King wrapped his arms around me from behind, his body melding to mine as he breathed into my skin.

  “I….” he began, but faltered.

  “Oliver?” I whispered.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you, love. Even with everything that’s going on, I can’t stop.”

  “I think of you, too. All the time.”

  His lips traced my ear. “What are we doing?”

  “I think….” I paused, losing courage. Come on, bravery, don’t fail me now. “Oliver,” I started over and turned in his hold, bringing my arms up around his neck, my eyes s
earching his. “I think we might be falling for each other.”

  His throat moved as he swallowed, and his hand came up to cup my jaw. His eyes were so fierce right then, so full of words unspoken, that I found it difficult to breathe. Every tiny hair on my body stood on end, and his thumb stroked at my throat, sending shudders skittering through me. Then his mouth came to mine, his tongue sliding in deep, and I shut my eyes. He wasn’t speaking, but he didn’t need to. His kiss told me how he felt. Told me more than words could convey.

  ***

  It took a bit of sneakiness to get me out of King’s office without Gillian seeing. After we’d both cleaned ourselves up, King went out and asked if she could go to the kiosk outside and grab him a coffee. She hopped up immediately, thankfully providing me with the opportunity to escape.

  That evening King changed our plans slightly, and I was a little disappointed. I wanted more one-on-one time with him, but his mum wasn’t doing so well, so he decided we’d spend the evening at her house and he’d cook us dinner there.

  I’d changed out of my work clothes, which were rumpled after our bathroom encounter. And yes, Gillian had been eyeing me suspiciously all evening. I think she knew something was up; she just didn’t know what exactly it was. I sent King a message that read,

  I think Detective Gillian might be on to us. No more office shenanigans. I mean it.

  Right after I sent it, I heard him chuckle loudly from inside. He didn’t reply, but his laughter said it all. I wanted to be annoyed, but I just couldn’t seem to manage it. A smile shaped my lips. That man made me so happy inside it was almost frightening.

  Anyway, I sat in King’s mother’s living room in a loose cotton dress and cosy knitted socks as the smell of roast beef wafted in from the kitchen. There was the tinkling of utensils and pots and pans as King cooked in the next room. Somebody had cleaned the place up a little, too. I knew it had to have been King, since Elaine wouldn't allow any workers into the house. It touched me to imagine him cleaning; I guess because it was so at odds with the boss I knew.