Page 15 of King of Hearts

I pushed my palm against the stall door, and it slammed open with an angry echo. I stalked out to where my clothes waited, not giving a single fuck that Juan’s back was up against the stall door, his gym shorts pulled down enough to allow his thick cock to be swallowed by the brunette kneeling in front of him. She had on a low-cut tank, revealing her minimal cleavage, and exercise shorts.

Juan’s eyes flew up, seeing me standing there. His hands immediately went to the girl’s head and pushed her away. Her lips let him go with a smacking sound, her pinched expression revealed she had no idea why he’d stopped.

“Oh, don’t mind me. Please continue,” I said happily while dropping my towel and grabbing for my lacy underwear. Juan’s face flushed red while he tucked himself back in, his raven hair askew. Those whiskey eyes stayed fixated on me…on my body, moving from my chest to my bump and down further.

I dressed briskly while the girl in front of Juan stood, whispering something to him, but he only shook his head, giving me one last look before he walked away.

She turned, giving me a death glare before exiting through the back doors.

Good riddance to them both. I had no idea why either of them cared. Any other guy would have pulled the girl who was sucking him off closer, not pushed her away, but Juan had done the opposite. If I were blowing Juan, there’s no way some random chick walking out of the bathroom would stop me.

Once I dressed, I walked out through the weightlifting doors and found Juan working on the squat rack with a reserved expression. I paused, taking him in, letting him see me take in his appearance, how his jaw clenched. A few other guys milled about, including the father of my baby. Smiling, I walked past Holden, waving, acting as though Juan was no one of consequence to me. In the end, he wasn’t.

I’d never tell him what it did to me to see him get taken in by someone who wasn’t me. It was a stupid crush, and he’d crushed me…so why wasn’t I over it yet? I walked through the weight room, feeling the heat of his stare, giving small smiles to the men pumping iron, save for one. I acted as though he didn’t exist.

My feet carried me straight through the space until I was in the hallway, heading toward the science building.

“Taylor,” Juan called at my back.

I smiled, thrilled that I had moved him, like a chess piece.

I didn’t stop though, because if I did then he’d say something that would hurt me, and I didn’t want to feel that sort of burn this early in the morning.

“Hey!” The sound of his shoes squeaking on the floor hit my ears, indicating that he was likely jogging over to me. His grip landed on my elbow, spinning me around. “Just wait a second…” He stared down at me with those worried eyes and smooth lips.

I ducked my head so I wouldn’t have to see those parts of him I still thought about on a regular basis.

“Why were you in the locker room this morning?”

My eyes jumped up to his.

“What?”

His jaw tensed, his hand on my elbow loosening. He wore a black tank top with black basketball shorts and black Nikes. Against his tan skin and dark hair, he looked like a fucking weightlifting model, if those existed.

“Why were you in there?”

I tilted my head, twisting my lips to the side. “You upset that I interrupted your little suck-off session?”

His eyes narrowed, his lips thinning into a firm line. “Not even a little bit. You did me a favor…” His head tilted to the side, mirroring mine. “I don’t appreciate my dick being sucked by someone who can’t even properly gag without nearly passing out. She ended up just lapping at it, like a puppy.”

I couldn’t help it. I snorted, ducking my head while a laugh rolled through me.

“Tell me why you were there.”

How easy would it be for me to lean into him, to have him touch me…maybe mention that I had nowhere to go? He was an asshole, but my sister wasn’t wrong—deep down, he was a good guy, and he’d take care of me. I had no doubt of that. I also knew he could never actually help me, not without me putting him in danger. So, I bit my lip, holding back the words I wanted to say, and pulled on that same façade.

“Same as you.” I gave him a sly smile, rubbing my hand down his chest while I walked away.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

I stopped and turned. “Holden met me before you two came in…what can I say? He’s a little more talented with his tongue than your girl is.” I winked and stalked off.

He didn’t follow. My eyes burned with tears that needed to be shed, but I wouldn’t allow a single one to fall. If I did then it would be admitting that I cared, and I couldn’t afford to. My soul was damned, and no matter how badly I wanted to stay above ground with Juan Hernandez, the devil was coming for me.

Chapter Eight

It was late.I’d had two morning classes assisting professors with grading and making copies, then I had rushed over to my parents’ restaurant and worked a shift there all afternoon, and then I had come back for an evening class. Now I was finally headed home, just as soon as I picked up my car. Parking at RFU was a bitch and a half. There weren’t enough spaces to accommodate how many students were there. They offered busses and a few commuter options, but for the most part, students spent up to twenty minutes finding a space.

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