Page 35 of King of Pain

Maybe I should have been this guy. Beat-up pickup, worn boots, Walmart T-shirt. I would have been all right. Hell, I can still land a girl in med school even without the money. And I just get to feed her, and tinker with Alice, and…

I don’t know. It feels more me than anything has for a long time.

I’m not even sure why I don’t tell her about my family. Could be she’d realize I’m as bad as Vincent. That she needs a different plan besides sticking to my side.

Could be that I know the truth. She’d be safer away from me. And now that I’ve got a line to Mason, I’ll be going back to Vegas very soon.

I don’t need Kate anymore. And she needs to get back too. She’s got the internship starting.

She’s got her head on my shoulder, her nose periodically rubbing the fabric of my T-shirt.

Hell, I haven’t gotten ahold of Mason yet. And I won’t just leave Kate on some corner. I’ll make sure she’s tucked somewhere safe. Able to get back.

It takes up most of the day, but we finally pull off down a dirt road around nightfall. Alice doesn’t go anywhere quick, and Kate insisted on hitting a grocery store so she can cook for us. Which is a good idea. We’ll spend far less on groceries than on gas and eating out.

I haven’t heard back from Mason, which pisses me off and honestly worries me. Is Roman all right? How much shit are they in? Should I have gone back to Vegas? Kate could have navigated…

But as we pull up to the cabin, I stop worrying and just stare.

It’s absolutely fantastic.

Built with logs, it’s small, but clean on the outside with a nice porch and even flower boxes.

“You’re sure the guy who owns this doesn’t care that we’re using it?”

“Well, we’ve got a phone now, I can call him.” Kate holds out her hand and I pass her the phone.

She fires it up and then starts to dial before she looks at me blushing. I love her cheeks all pink. “Is it all right if I tell him you’re my boyfriend?”

“What?”

“I don’t really know how else…” Now she’s bright red. “I have to give him some explanation.”

I wink, my hand settling back on her thigh as I squeeze. Does she want to play boyfriend/girlfriend? I’m going to fuck her so good tonight. “Go for it, love.”

She hits the call button. “Hey, Mark,” she starts, “it’s Kate.”

I hear the warm greeting on the other end of the phone and a bit of jealousy makes my hand tighten. “It’s good to hear your voice too.”

“No. I’m good. Yeah. School is going good. Thanks for the help this semester. I don’t know how I would have done it if you hadn’t.”

My eyes go wide. This isn’t just some guy she kind of knows. He helped her with tuition? Who did she say he was? My fingers flex, moving closer to her pussy because that shit is mine.

I get it. I keep pushing the possessive angle. I let out a long breath, trying to relax.

“Yeah. Mom’s good. I mean, she’s Mom. You know.”

I watch her as she shifts in her seat. “Hey, I’m on a road trip with my boyfriend.” That’s right. She’s passing me off as her boyfriend. This time, I really do relax back into the seat.

“Yeah. New. But I have that week off and we thought we’d get away.”

“The cabin. Really? You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Yeah. I remember where the key is. I’ll water everything. Yeah. I remember how to start the stove.”

I swallow down a lump, something so intimate in this conversation. He sounds like a nice guy. “I love you too,” Kate hangs up, then quietly hands the phone back.

“Who did you say Mark was?”

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