Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 145942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
King glares across the table, his stare so ferocious that if his eyes were made of laser beams, I’d be dead right about now, but as it is, he’s just a regular human like the rest of us, forced to deal with wild emotions whether you’re ready for it or not.
A loud huff comes tearing out of him and in the next second, he scoops up the few manila folders in front of him and stands. “Fuck this,” he mutters to himself before stalking out of the room, the three other guys still completely oblivious to what’s going on around them—either that or they’re trying really hard to pretend that they don’t give a shit.
I watch King walk away and the anger that I’ve become so familiar with over the past few days rears its ugly head and I find myself flying out of my seat. “Hey,” I snap, racing after him, out of the dining room and through to the kitchen. “You don’t get to just walk away.”
“Sure I can,” he mutters, not bothering to turn around.
I clench my jaw and push myself a little faster until I can finally reach out and grab his elbow. I pull back on his arm and he immediately stops, spinning around and fixing me with that same glare that’s come at me since first falling through my bedroom window. “What’s your problem?” I demand. “Stop being such a dick all the time. You have no right to be all pissy at me. Now, me on the other hand—I have every fucking right but you don’t see me sulking and snapping at you every two seconds.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve been acting like a spoiled brat since coming home.”
“Me? I’ve been acting like a brat? Take a look in the mirror, asshole.”
King groans, throwing his hands to his temples and turning away from me. “You’re so fucking impossible.”
“I wouldn’t need to be impossible if you weren’t being so sour over the fact that I’ve been fucking Grayson and Carver, and not you. You’re jealous, King, and it’s eating you up inside.”
King laughs, spinning back around. “You think I’m jealous?” he asks, the smirk stretching across his face and telling me that he thinks he’s onto something. “Babe, maybe you’ve forgotten that I was the first one to tell you that sharing would be fine. I’ve never been jealous of you being with the other guys.”
I shake my head. “I’m not talking about our relationship. I know you’re down with that. I know your soul, King. Out of all the guys, I’ve been the closest with you for the longest and despite how much you hide your heart beneath all the bullshit, I know it better than I know my own, which is how I know that you’ve been jealous as fuck since I’ve come home. I’ve given the time of day to all of your friends but you, and you sit there every day, getting more and more frustrated by the fact that I haven’t come to clear the air with you yet. I’ve allowed all of your friends the chance to talk it out and explain their versions of events but you, and it’s killing you.”
His jaw clenches and I realize just how right I am, so I step in close to him, resting my hand against his warm chest. “What you’re not realizing is that I’ve already forgiven you. I was so hurt by your betrayal, but after speaking to Carver and him explaining exactly what was going on right at the start, I understood. I knew you were going to do whatever it took to save your brother and sister, even if it meant sacrificing me to make it happen. It fucking sucked, but I understood it. So, I haven’t needed that one-on-one time with you to allow you to grovel because there’s nothing to grovel about. If I had a sibling in the same situation, you bet your ass that I would have done the same thing. Sure, the thought of you being the one to set the bomb off was painful, and all the hurt I felt since that very moment will always linger in the back of my mind, but what it comes down to is that I love you, no matter what. And every day that I get to see your siblings running around in their yard and getting a second chance at life, that makes all the pain worth it.”
His brows furrow and he moves in even closer, curling his arms around my waist and letting that intoxicating scent wrap around me. “Then why the fuck haven’t you been speaking to me?”
A grin stretches across my face and I tilt my head to look up at him. “Because you’ve been a moody asshole, and you know me better than that,” I tease. “If you’re going to throw your attitude at me, then I’m going to throw it right back. The only issue is that we’re equally as stubborn, so the second this bullshit game started, there wasn’t going to be an end, not until you got on your knees and admitted defeat.”