Page 54 of Tormented Kings

She’s in a short red summer dress that has tiny white flowers all over it with her hair down in loose flowing curls.

Her eyes flick over, meeting mine. My heart starts to race, and I break out in a sweat.What the fuck is wrong with me?

She gives me a soft smile before looking away as if inviting me to sit down. Yup, I’m definitely a masochist because that smile fucking kills me, and yet I still step out of the shadows to join her at the window.

I take my spot to her left, on the far side, letting my feet dangle over the edge. Leaning my head against the cold stone, I watch as the last of the sunset slowly disappears over the tree line.

Every second that passes, I get the urge to look over at her, to catch a glimpse of her beauty.

Ever since the night after the ball, my life has drastically changed. And I’m not sure if it’s for the better or not.

Something about seeing her so broken, so empty, ignited something inside me. The need to never see her like that again, to do whatever I can to keep it from happening has become the motivation to do what I never thought I could.

I’m beyond jealous of the guys. They’re living the dream I’ve had for years now. Sadie is theirs; theirs to love, to care for, to protect.

And while I want that to be me, too, I won’t act on it because she doesn’t need me. I’m too broken. How can I truly love someone and be what they need me to be, when I don’t even love myself?

Doesn’t stop me from wanting her, craving her, going fucking mad without her. And then I see her with Declan, and everything inside hurts tenfold because I want him too. At least with him, I can be near him, play the friend card to get just that little bit of time with him while pretending it doesn’t kill me to be so close and not be able to take him how I want him. For myself. Mine. I want them both to be mine.

But they aren’t mine. They can’t be. I won’t subject them to my misery.

Even though I won’t take that step with Sadie like the guys have, I still plan on leaving Tina. I’ve been taking a step back from the sex club, only sticking to the business side of things.

As for the Host Club, I still take clients, but it’s like I’m a shell of myself. They want the asshole bad boy, but it’s all an act at this point because the urge to give them what they crave isn’t there. I don’t get a rush of power like I used to when they would get off on my dominance.

I’ve been angry at the world for so long, blaming everyone else around me for my misery. I’m tired. Tired of it all. I just want the pain to stop.

That dream of leaving and living my life out on some island where no one can find me is starting to sound really damn good right about now. Sadly, it’s not something I can do anytime soon. I won’t go until I know Sadie is safe. She might not be mine to protect, but it doesn’t mean I won’t do everything I can.

“Want one?” her soft, sweet voice breaks through the long stretch of silence, making me jolt in surprise. We never talk while we’re here, so it’s odd, to say the least.

Turning my head, my eyes drop to the candy bar she’s holding out for me. I don’t even get a chance to answer her when she gasps. “Oh my god,” she whispers, scrambling to get up. She rushes over to me and kneels at my side. “What the fuck, Preston?”

Her cold, soft fingers feel nice against my swollen left eye as she cups my face gently.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I murmur. “You should see the other guy.” It’s a joke because I didn’t even bother getting a swing in. There’s no point. It would only set him off.

He thinks he has Collin by the balls, but what he doesn’t know is he has me, too. It’s another reason why I’m staying away from Sadie when all I want to do is make her mine. The bullshit he’s pulling because Collin is involved with her is bad enough. If he finds out both of his sons are going behind his back to pull out of his meal ticket arrangements, all hell would break loose, and I don’t want a bigger target on Sadie’s back than there already is.

“Preston,” she breathes. Her touch is everything, making my heart pound wildly in my chest.

The longer she looks at me, the more I’m starting to wonder why I’m denying myself this girl. This caring, stunning girl.

That's right, because she’s far too good for me.

“Kitten,” the little nickname I’ve given her, comes out far huskier than I was expecting.

She licks her lips, and fuck, it makes my cock twitch.

I should get up, I should leave, but I don’t. She sighs heavily before getting to her feet and going over to a little basket she keeps in here with snacks and other things, like the blankets to lay out on the ground.

Why is she even here tonight? Was she planning on spending the night here?

She grabs what looks like a first aid kit and brings it back. “You’re going to be the reason why this doesn’t stay stocked, aren’t you?” she asks as she takes the space beside me again. She opens the kit and takes out some antiseptic and gauze.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Depends on if someone feels the need to kick my ass or not.” I huff out a laugh, then hiss as she wipes at the cut on the corner of my lip.

“Your dad?” she asks in a hesitant whisper.

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