Page 89 of Cruel King
When she seems to recover, she utters only a single word. “What?”
“You heard me. I slept with his brother.”
A woman passing by our table looks down at me as I say that and gives me a smile. Nice to know I can amuse perfect strangers with my messed-up life.
Eden leans in toward me, still unsure about what I said. “You slept with his brother?”
The shock in her voice is unmistakable. I guess I’m not the type of person anyone expects to hear those words from.
I nod, sighing again. “Yeah. I slept with his brother.”
Now that she’s heard me say that a few times, she seems able to string together some thoughts and says, “When? Where? Never mind. Forget those minor details. Who? Which King brother did you sleep with?”
As soon as the question leaves her mouth, she reaches over and shoves my arm. “Oh, my God! You slept with Marius King!”
I shake my head almost violently as memories of her wanting to do exactly that march through my mind. “No! I did not sleep with Marius.”
“Kellen? I mean, I could see it since he’s got those King looks, but he’s always seemed so much younger than us. I know it can’t be Ronan. He’s way too young compared to you, isn’t he?”
Now that she’s listed every King brother but the one I actually slept with, I wait for her to finally figure it out. She doesn’t, though. She simply keeps talking about how the youngest two King brothers are the last people she would have ever thought about in a sexual way.
Frustrated, I swat at her as she moves to shove my arm again and snap, “No, I didn’t sleep with Kellen or Ronan! It was Matthias. How could you not figure that out?”
My outburst surprises her and leaves her speechless once more. Odd that she never even considered the oldest King brother.
After nearly a minute, she says, “Matthias King? I didn’t realize you two even hung out.”
“We didn’t. Not until one snowy day between Christmas and New Year’s that last time you were at your grandmother’s.”
Once again, Eden’s face twists into a confused grimace. “My grandmother died almost five years ago, Ava.”
Nodding, I shrug. “I know.”
“And this is what got Theo’s shorts in a tangle? You slept with his brother once five years ago? I know you haven’t continued to sleep with him since he moved away, didn’t he? He went to London or somewhere else in Europe, right?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand, Ava. You and his brother slept together five years ago, and Theo can’t forgive that? He was a manwhore all through high school, and something tells me he hasn’t stopped being that, especially since he became a world-famous race car driver. Were you supposed to sit at home doing your nun routine while he slept with anyone who smiled at him?”
Anger begins to seep into Eden’s voice now, which I expected once I told her the truth. It’s not that she never liked Theo, but every time I’ve ever joked around with her that he always said I was the future Mrs. Theo King, she never failed to point out that my friend who was planning for us to be married one day was busy fucking anything with legs and a nice rack.
“I don’t know. All I know is he found out, and he won’t talk to me now. He left the estate right after he found out, and ever since then, he won’t answer my texts or calls.”
Tears begin to fill my eyes, but I turn my head to stare off at two men arguing in front of a building nearby so I can force my sadness away. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry over Theo anymore. He’s made his choice. I can’t change that.
“What a dick Theo King is! I know you think he’s the next best thing to sliced white bread, honey, but this is pure dick behavior right here. Five years pass after you sleep with his brother for one night and he can’t forgive you? He can go fuck himself is what I say.”
Desperately needing to lighten the conversation so I don’t burst into tears, I turn back to look at her and sigh. “It wasn’t just once, if I’m being honest.”
Yet again, Eden stares at me in shock. “You didn’t just sleep with Matthias once? What the hell, Ava? I thought we were best friends. I’ve never kept a secret from you, and now I find out you’ve kept this torrid love affair hidden for five years. Forget Theo and his fragile male ego. I want to know every dirty detail about you and his brother.”
“I might need a drink,” I say with a giggle.
“And now you’re saying you need alcohol to tell me? Get the hell out of here! Spill the tea now, girl. You start talking while I get the waiter. I want to hear every detail.”
I’m thankful Eden is the way she is and our conversation has veered off into gossiping because if she had been serious about what happened with Theo, Matthias, and me, I don’t think I could have taken it. She waves over our server and orders us two white wines before setting her elbows on the table and leaning toward me with nothing but curiosity in her expression.
“It was that day you called me from your grandmother’s house. The electricity went out in my house because of the blizzard—well, actually, it turns out it didn’t, but I’m not sure what happened there.”