Page 36 of Tormented Kings
I’ve gone from never wanting sex to craving it all hours of the day, it seems.
“No,” I whisper, heart racing, body tingling.
He gives me this panty-melting smile that wreaks havoc on my pussy. He brushes his thumb against my lower lip. “I love you with all my heart.”
Swallowing hard, I whisper back. “I love you too.”
“You do, now, do you?” He grins. “Does that mean you’ve thought more about us?”
“Yes. And you would have known that if you weren’t ignoring me.”
“I was not ignoring you.” He frowns and looks around before taking my hand. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m hungry. Are you?”
“Yeah, a little. But it’s still early. Lunch isn’t for another hour.”
“Let’s get an early lunch.”
“What if someone sees?” My eyes dart around.
“Our parents are best friends. We grew up together. It’s not going to seem weird if we’re seen together.” But he does let my hand go, reluctantly. I miss his touch immediately.
Collin ends up bringing me to this cute little mom-and-pop restaurant. As soon as we step inside, he takes my hand again, lacing his fingers through mine.
He looks down at me and grins. “You don’t have to worry about anyone seeing us here. No one we know would be on this side of town. They think they’re too good for it.” He rolls his eyes. “But this place has the best chicken wings I’ve ever had.”
“Chicken wings?” My eyes light up at the same time my belly growls.
He chuckles. “Do I know my girl, or do I know my girl?” He winks.
A very sweet older lady welcomes us in and shows us to a booth.
Once we get our order in, we talk.
“So, I talked to the guys,” I start, taking a sip of my soda.
“And?” Collin grins, leaning back in his seat.
“The morning we talked, later in the day, the guys pulled me into the Host Club room and told me they’re breaking it off with their fiancées.” Collin nods his head slowly. “But I’m guessing you already know that, seeing how they did mention you saying something about not wanting to share me, and it would never happen.”
He chuckles. “You would be correct. And, baby girl, I don’t want to share you with anyone. I’d love nothing more than to keep you locked up and all to myself. But that’s not something you want or something that would make you happy. And all I want is to make you happy. I may have jumped the gun when Declan brought the idea up, my possessive nature taking over, but when I went home, it was all I could think about. I was so afraid of losing you, of this being the end of us, that I knew I couldn’t be selfish. So, I promised myself if you heard me out, and took my word about those photos being wrong, then I wasn’t going to ask you to choose. I know how much it was already eating at you, I didn’t want to add to it. So while I don’t like it, I’ll learn to deal.”
“Thank you.” I smile. “It really does mean a lot to me. It helps with a lot of my worries, that’s for sure.” I laugh lightly.
“How did your little chat with the guys go?”
I narrow my eyes. “I have a feeling you already know all this.”
His lips twitch. “Keep going.”
Rolling my eyes, I do. “After they told me they were leaving their fiancées, they told me it was mostly because they wanted to be with me. That they liked me and wanted something more.” I can’t help the warm and fuzzies that fill me as I remember. A real joyful smile spreads over my face. “But they also said it wasn’t just because of me, but because they wanted more out of life and not to spend it with people they didn’t love and be unhappy.”
“And now they know the reason why I’ve been fighting it for so long. Why I won’t just give in, even if it might be easier to. The biggest reason is I don’t want to. I only want you. Willonlyever want you.” He grins, giving me a wink. “And two, I hate this world we live in. If I could leave, and I would. But I have a legacy to uphold. On my mother’s side, of course. When she passes, it all goes to me, and then I will pass it on to my child. If I leave, eventually, everything our family has worked hard for would end. But that doesn’t mean I have to live the ways of this world. I plan on living it my own way, with my own rules. Like not marrying someone I don’t love. My life, my choices.”
“Are you for real?” I narrow my eyes, and he chuckles. “No, really. Between you, Declan, and Grayson choosing me over everything else, I’m starting to think I’m in a dream. And one day, I’m going to wake up, and none of this would have been real.”