Page 28 of The Kings
Her laughter is low and husky, a sound that twitches at my nerves, coiling tight in my gut and sends my dick standing to attention.
“Me? Trouble? You’re the one sneaking up on people in secluded courtyards.”
“Part of the charm,” I joke, my words threading with an edge of darkness befitting our twisted world. “And you, princess of the Hughes empire, you’re out here alone because...?”
“Sometimes the queen needs to scout her own battlements.” Her eyes never leave mine, challenging, unblinking.
“Scouting, hmm? Need backup?”
“From you?” She tilts her chin up, though there’s a flicker of something in her eyes that suggests she might say yes. “Only if you promise to behave.”
“That’s a tough promise to keep.” My laugh is a dark note that echoes off the stone around us. “Plus, it’s not in the job description.”
She smirks, a dangerous glint in those emerald eyes. “Good thing I never abide by descriptions—job or otherwise.”
“Is that right?” I challenge, the corner of my mouth hitching up. The air between us is electric, every verbal jab we trade tethering us tighter together.
“Absolutely. I make my own rules, Ollie.”
“Then let’s break some,” I murmur, close enough now that her breath mingles with mine.
“Easy, tiger.” She pokes a finger against my chest, but her touch lingers, tracing the lines of my muscles. “Don’t start a game you can’t finish.”
“Who says I can’t finish?” I capture her wandering hand, pressing it against my heart, which beats a fierce rhythm beneath her palm. “I play for keeps.”
Her laugh comes out throaty, and she doesn’t pull away. “In this twisted chess game, I’m always two moves ahead.”
“Then it’s a good thing I excel at improvisation.” Words are our weapons, and we wield them skilfully, each phrase a stroke that paints desire in vivid strokes across the dark canvas of our world.
“Improvise this,” she fires back, her gaze dropping down to my mouth and lingering for a moment too long, a challenge etched in every curve of her lips.
“Careful, Eliza.” My voice drops lower as the arousal kicks in. “Keep tempting me, and you might just get what you’re asking for.”
“Promises promises,” she teases, her body language open, inviting conflict and craving its resolution all at once.
With a slow smile, I lean back, my arm stretching along the back of the low wall. I catch myself staring at her profile, silhouetted against the light, and something in me shifts—something vulnerable.
“You’re staring at me like you want to kiss me. You going soft, Ollie, or were you always?” she says without looking at me, her voice low and husky.
“Soft’s not a word in my vocabulary,” I retort, but the edge to my words is missing. “But I’ll admit, there’s something about you that gets under my skin.”
“Is that right?” She turns her head, her piercing green eyes searching, always searching. “You’re not the only one with that feeling.”
“Guess we’re both screwed, then.” The corner of my mouth ticks up despite the tightening in my chest. I’ve never let anyone this close, but Eliza’s like a siren, pulling me into waters I’ve spent a lifetime avoiding.
“Or maybe just getting started.” Her gaze doesn’t waver, and it’s like she sees right through the façade, to the core of who I am—or who I could be with her.
“Growing up in the finance sector of our world, it’s cutthroat. You learn to count cards very young; it’s the first test to play the man, not the game.” I pause, gauging her reaction as I divulge pieces of a past I seldom acknowledge. “My old man is a shark—cold, calculating. He didn’t raise a son; he crafted a weapon.”
“Sounds familiar,” she murmurs, shifting slightly to face me more directly.
“And lonely, but that loneliness was a small price to pay for survival. You don’t show weakness—not unless you want to be devoured.”
“Yet here you are, talking to me.” There’s no judgment in her tone, just an undeniable thread of understanding that links her story to mine.
“Yep. We are one and the same, Eliza. Everyone here could say the same, but the four families… we are different. Crafted by the finest and born to raise hell.”
This is more than I’ve told anyone before, even if it might be obvious, the words coming out of my mouth are a novelty that is fast wearing off. It’s a risk, a crack in my shield, but with Eliza, it feels like the gamble might just pay off.
