Page 67 of Tantalizing Kings

“Lies. I’m not. You're doing this because of the deal.”

His brows furrow. “I am not. Sadie, I enjoy being around you.”

“You just enjoy an easy mouth to fuck.” Okay, that was a low blow, and the look of hurt on his face makes me want to cry some more. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a bitch.” As I apologize, the tears start to roll.

“Shh. You're not a bitch. You’re anything but. Come on, Sweetheart, let’s get you to bed. And you're wrong. Deal or not, I enjoy being around you.”

He helps me to bed, and I don’t even bother to get undressed before falling onto the mattress.

Closing my eyes, I hear him moving around my room. “There’s a bucket if you feel like you're going to get sick again. And take these.”

He helps me sit up, taking the pills from his hands and then the glass of water.

After I swallow them, I snuggle down into the blankets. “Stay with me?” I ask him, wanting to be anything but alone right now.

“Of course,” he answers softly. I feel the bed dip, and then his arms come around me, pulling me into his warm embrace.

This, why can’t I have this? Why can’t I be in his arms like this forever?

I’ll take what I can get and enjoy him, even if it’s just for tonight.

Chapter 19

Preston

Ice cold water to theface is not how I was expecting to wake up this morning. I gasp, bolting upright in my bed, spluttering. “What the fuck!” I roar, disoriented from being shocked out of my sleep.

“Do you want to tell me why the fuck I just got a call from Timothy Rolland’s father!” my father barks.

Fuck.Fucking hell.

I wipe the water out of my eyes and open them to see my father enraged. “Maybe he wanted to ask you out for cookies and tea,” I snark back.

The sting across my face as he backhands me is a feeling I’m all too well acquainted with. “Don’t get smart with me, boy,” he snarls. “What the fuck did you do last night?”

“Solved world hunger. Why do you ask?” I glare at him, wiping my now bloody lip with the back of my hand.

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