King of Hawthorne Prep Read online

  With nervous fingers, I push open the screen door and step outside. Kingsley is parked at a table, wearing nothing more than black boxer briefs. His muscular legs are stretched out as his heels rest on the chair across from him. In silence, he surveys the deep blue water as the wind whips through his hair, ruffling it. I’m so tempted to reach out and stroke my fingers through the dark strands. To push them away from his face. Every bit of flesh on display is a deep sun-kissed color from months spent outside. There aren’t any visible T-shirt lines in sight. Even in repose, his muscles are sharp and defined as if they’ve been chiseled from marble.

  A punch of arousal hits me in the gut before sinking lower.

  Kingsley picks up the mug from the table and raises it to his lips before taking a sip and setting it down again. Only then do his eyes flick to mine. “How did you sleep?”

  I blink.

  I ran away because I’m now promised to him in marriage and that’s all he has to say?

  A gurgle of laughter falls from my lips as I shake my head at the absurdity of the situation we now find ourselves in. A crooked smile lifts his lips and in that moment, he resembles the boy I met on this very beach and it pains my heart. Does that boy even exist?

  “Fine,” I say, sweeping away those thoughts. I’m unwilling to admit just how well I slept in his arms.

  He nods but doesn’t ask any more questions. Soundlessly, I search his gaze, surprised to see the somberness that now fills it.

  Arrogance.

  Anger.

  Hatred.

  Lust.

  I’ve experienced a range of emotions from him, but never that one.

  What does it mean?

  Kingsley rips his gaze from mine before his attention is drawn to the water. “I thought we could take the boat out today,” he pauses before tacking on, “and talk.”

  I busy my fingers by taking another sip of coffee before setting the mug on the table and nodding, surprised by how much the thought of spending time alone with him on the lake pleases me. “All right.”

  He rises from his chair, straightening to his full height. Not wanting him to notice my interest, I avert my gaze. It isn’t long before my focus is pulled back to him. He has a gorgeous body and I’m fascinated by it. The need to explore him pounds through me.

  “We can shower and go.” His voice grows deeper. “We’ll spend the entire day on the water, if that’s what you want.”

  I clear my throat and try to concentrate on the conversation, but it’s difficult. “Okay.”

  My breath catches when he steps closer, invading my personal space. It happens so quickly that I remain rooted in place, unable to move as he lowers his mouth to my ear.

  “You asked me last night for time and I’m trying to give it to you, but when you stand there, eating me up with your eyes, you make it awfully difficult.” He pulls back enough for his gaze to fasten on mine. “Now, are you ready to go inside?”

  “Yes.” My voice comes out sounding more like a squeak.

  Kingsley snakes his arm around my waist, tugging me through the sliding door until we’re once again in the luxuriously appointed living area. I try to distract myself from the need that has throbbed to life between my thighs by taking in all the finishing touches. The silver candlesticks on the glass end table. The stacked stone fireplace that reaches the ceiling. This might be a beach house, but my guess is that a professional interior designer decorated it. The color schemes, the furniture, the decor. It all flows perfectly. As we walk toward the kitchen, my gaze falls on a family photo framed in silver on the credenza.

  My footsteps falter as I inspect the picture.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I glance from the framed photo to Kingsley. “Who’s the girl with you?” She looks like a female version of him. Same mahogany-colored hair and eyes. Same high cheekbones and smile.

  “That’s Harlow, my younger sister.”

  My head whips toward him as my eyes widen. “You have a sister?” I had assumed Kingsley was an only child. My gaze settles on the other female in the photo. A pretty blonde. Is that his mother? It’s not the same woman who answered the door when I tried to say goodbye in June.

  “Yup.” One corner of his mouth hitches. “Guess you need to ask more questions.”

  Huh. Maybe I do. My mind cartwheels as I process this new bit of information. Before I know it, we’re back in the same place I woke up this morning.

  He nods toward the adjoining room. “Why don’t you start the shower.”

  Not questioning the instruction, I step into the bathroom. It’s as luxurious as the rest of the house. Clearly no expense was spared when they remodeled. I walk inside the gray-tiled marble shower that’s spacious enough for four people and turn the handle before moving back and waiting for the glass enclosure to steam. With a flick of my fingers, the belt loosens from around my waist and the silky robe slips off my shoulders before puddling on the floor. I test the water with my fingers before shifting to stand under the hot spray. My eyelids drift shut as water rains down on me from above as well as from the jets that line the interior walls.

  Mmm, that feels so good.

  As my muscles loosen, Kingsley steps into the shower with me.

  “What are you doing?” My eyes fly open and I’m helpless to stop my gaze from wandering over his naked form. Holy hell, but he’s beautiful. Everything about him is thick and muscular.

  Everything.

  “Showering.” A devilish smile curves his lips as he grabs the bottle of liquid soap, squirting a dollop onto his palm before rubbing his hands together. He steps behind me, standing so close that his erection nudges my ass cheeks. My breath catches when his arms slide around my ribs, his soapy hands cupping my breasts, lathering them up. He kneads the soft flesh, pulling at the nipples until they stiffen beneath his fingers.

  “You asked me to give you time, and I will,” he whispers against my ear. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop touching you. What it means is that you don’t get my cock until you’re mine.”

  A groan slides from my parted lips as my head lolls back, resting against the solid wall of his chest. It doesn’t take long for his hands to glide lower and for me to keen out an orgasm.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  I raise my face to the sun as Kingsley navigates the boat out of the harbor. It’s a holiday weekend, and the marina is crowded with people who have the same idea in mind. I can’t blame them. Everyone is trying to enjoy one of the last three-day weekends that can be spent on the lake before the weather turns chilly.

  The wind does its best to whip my hair. It was a smart move on my part to weave the long strands into two thick braids that fall down my back. I settle against the plush cushion on the bench and draw my legs up to my chest before banding my arms around them. My gaze floats over the vast openness of deep blue water as the speedboat cuts through the waves. The motion is soothing and pretty soon I find myself lost in the tangle of my thoughts.

  I have a decision to make.

  When my parents sprung this arrangement on me yesterday, I was livid. How could they expect me to be on board with such a crazy plan? To blindly accept that I would lose all my freedom, all of my choices so the company could remain in our family? Did they really expect that I would willingly accept my fate as a sacrificial lamb?

  They sent me here, hoping that after a couple of days to myself, I would come to terms with the new direction my life had swerved in. Yesterday, while sitting on the beach and sifting my fingers through the warm sand, I had contemplated the idea of running away and disappearing. But how is that a viable solution when I don’t even have a high school degree? How could I get a job and support myself? Or go to college?

  I couldn’t.

  Now Kingsley is at the beach, dead set on destroying my solitude and convincing me to accept my fate. We have yet to discuss the situation and already I’m wavering. His mere presence has me yearning for other things. Things I shouldn’t want. A future that isn’t in
my best interest.

  My gaze settles on the dark-haired boy as he masterfully drives the boat over the waves.

  Masterful.

  That’s an excellent way to describe Kingsley. It’s shameful to realize how easily he’s mastered my body.

  And manipulated me?

  That’s what I need to figure out.

  Guess you need to ask more questions.

  He’s not wrong.

  When he anchors the boat about a quarter mile from shore, I remind myself to stay focused. Now isn’t the time to get distracted. My mouth dries and I have to repeat the mantra when he pulls the T-shirt over his head and discards it.

  Already I can tell this outing was a terrible idea.

  “Summer?”

  I jerk out of those thoughts. “What?”

  He nods toward the front of the boat. “Want to talk?”

  Yes. Talking is good. We need to get everything straightened out between us.

  I nod and rise from the bench before stripping off my coverup. Even from behind the aviators that shield his eyes, the heat of his gaze strokes over me. With my back to him, I bend over, digging around in my bag.

  A rough groan leaves his lips.

  Good.

  Let him see what no longer belongs to him. I clear the smile from my face before straightening and turning around with a plush beach towel in my hands.

  “Ready when you are,” I say sweetly, brushing past him.

  His fingers wrap around my wrist, halting me in my tracks. My eyes widen as he yanks me to him.

  “Do you really want to play with fire?” His voice is nothing more than a deep growl that arrows straight to my core before exploding like a firework.

  When I say nothing, a wicked grin tugs at the corners of his lips and my breath slowly leaks from my lungs. Playing games with Kingsley isn’t smart. He has the annoying habit of always winning.

  When his grip loosens, I scamper to the front of the boat. Nervous energy hums beneath my skin, unleashing a horde of conflicted emotions inside me. Once settled on the towel, I watch him cautiously from the corner of my eye as he drops beside me.

  “Turn over and I’ll rub you down.”

  Hell no!

  When I shake my head, he says, “Nonnegotiable.”

  I press my lips together and flip over onto my front before resting the side of my head against my stacked hands. As he shifts closer, the heat of his body drifts over me and I squeeze my eyes tight, needing to block out how good his nearness feels.

  He picks up one thick braid before doing the same to the other. I expect him to sweep them aside so they’re out of the way, but that’s not what he does. My eyes snap open as he carefully wraps the length of my hair around his hand until it gently tugs at my scalp and I have no choice but to lift my head and meet his gaze.

  Only when he has my full attention, does he say, “You need to understand that I can be gentle, like when I licked your pussy and took your virginity.” A whimper leaves my lips as he continues to wind my braids around his palm so I have to arch my neck and upper back. “Or I can be forceful.” Almost tenderly, he brushes his lips against mine as I strain toward him. “I know you like it both ways and I enjoy giving it to you. You might not believe this, but we’re the same. A perfect match.”

  I whimper as his grip tightens, and his mouth grazes the column of my throat. As soon as his hold loosens, my head drops to the towel. I pant and shake as arousal crashes through me. He sweeps my braids to the side before casually dropping a kiss against my shoulder like he didn’t just ignite an inferno in my bikini bottoms.

  I draw in an unsteady breath but keep my lips pressed together when he tugs the string at my neck and then the one in the middle of my back before pushing the ties aside, leaving the length of my spine completely exposed. Not that my bikini top offered much in the way of protection, but without it, I feel strangely defenseless.

  And with this boy, that’s exactly where I always find myself.

  At his mercy.

  Kingsley starts at the top of my shoulders, kneading them, working his thumbs deep into the tissue before moving lower. Every once in a while, his touch vanishes, and I hear the shake of the bottle before the warmth of his hands returns to my skin. The way he touches me is both calming and seductive all at the same time. It doesn’t take long before my body is sinking into the towel, relaxing beneath the movement of his fingers.

  When he reaches the soft globes of my ass, he pulls and kneads the muscles. Another bolt of excitement slams into me as I recall the way he touched me the day I played hooky. A groan leaves my lips before I can stop it.

  “Feel good?” he asks. The scrape of his voice swirls around me, only heightening the desire that rushes through me.

  “Yes.” Dangerously good.

  His teeth sink into my warm flesh, setting off another burst of arousal deep in my core. I hold my breath, wondering if he’ll pull the bottoms aside and touch me the same way. As taboo as it was, I loved it. Disappointment courses through me when his hands drift lower, stroking lotion onto the back of my legs until he arrives at my feet.

  He gives my ass a light slap. “All done with your backside, flip over.”

  I am so ridiculously turned on right now that I no longer care if I’m practically naked in front of him. I twist onto my back so that the sun’s rays hit my front. His gaze wanders over the length of me before he grabs the lotion and squirts a drop onto his palm before rubbing his hands together. My thighs clench as I watch him from behind my sunglasses.

  He starts with one arm before moving to the other, kneading my flesh until I’m once again limp beneath his touch. As his fingers stroke along my collarbone, my heartbeat picks up speed, waiting for him to play with my breasts. They ache for the contact. I bow my back as his fingers dance along my ribcage, but he ignores the silent invitation. Instead, he grabs more lotion and works it deep into the tissue of my belly. Discontentment grows as I writhe beneath him, unable to stand another moment of this torment. It’s all I can do not to scream out my frustration.

  When a chuckle slides from his curved lips, I realize that all of this sweet torture is intentional. He’s deliberately trying to drive me over the edge. His mouth dips to my breast as he presses a chaste kiss against the erect tip. Then he moves to the other side and does the same.

  “Kingsley,” I whimper, shifting restlessly, “please.”

  “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

  “I need—”

  “I know exactly what you need, but a conversation is in order.” There’s a pause. “It seemed prudent to remind you of what you’re intent on throwing away.”

  I groan, raising my hands before plucking at my own nipples with my fingers. If he won’t touch me, then I’ll touch myself.

  Screw him.

  Kingsley growls, knocking my fingers away as his lips capture one stiff peak before sucking it deep into his mouth as his fingers strum the other tight bud. When I can’t stand another moment, he releases my breast before giving the same attention to the other side.

  Hot licks of desire rush through every cell of my body as he lifts his head. Then he picks up the bottle of lotion before squirting a drop directly onto my puckered tip. The coolness of the lotion on my hot flesh makes me gasp. He does the same to its twin before allowing the cool cream to sit as I shift beneath his gaze. I become ridiculously aware of the lotion until it’s all I can focus on. As I’m about to come out of my skin, Kingsley smooths the thick substance around my nipples before caressing it into my aureoles. After it’s been absorbed, he adds more until my breasts are completely covered with sunblock. His fingers pluck at my nipples before giving them a gentle tweak.

  “I need to finish your legs.”

  He massages the muscles of my thighs, stroking over my calves, before moving on to my ankles. By the time he’s done, I’m a sexually frustrated noodle.

  He presses a kiss against my mouth. “Ready to talk?”

  Not really.

  I
nod. Allowing him to touch me was a bad idea. All I can focus on is the need coursing through me and how damn good it would feel to have him buried deep inside my body.

  My gaze roams over him and the urge to caress all those well-defined muscles pounds through me. “Want me to return the favor?”

  He shakes his head as his gaze drops to my naked breasts. “Nope. If you lay your hands on me, I’ll have you flat on your back after a couple of strokes. Once you agree to be mine, then you can touch me as much as you want.”

  His arrogance sends a sharp thrill shooting through me.

  I bite my lip before asking, “And what if that never happens?”

  A feral smile curves his lips. “We both know that I’m persistent as fuck.”

  True. As much as that particular characteristic has aggravated me the last couple of weeks, I wouldn’t want him any other way. There’s something ridiculously sexy about his self-confidence and the way he goes about taking what he wants.

  And what he wants right now is me.

  Kingsley settles on his side until his face is level with mine before propping his head up on his hand. “If you need more time to work shit out in your head, then I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

  When he tangles his fingers with my own, I realize that I don’t want to pull them away. I don’t want anymore distance between us. As much as I want to refuse his touch, it feels right. It was so much easier to be angry with him when he wasn’t here in front of me, pushing me to accept my fate and his role in it.

  His voice softens. “I know this is a messed-up situation and that you’re angry.”

  That’s an understatement. I’m furious this decision has been made without any input from my end.

  My brows arch as I throw the question back at him. “And you’re not?”

  “In the beginning, I was pissed as hell.” He smirks. “You might find this hard to believe, but I don’t like being told what to do. Maybe if we hadn’t met at the beach and spent the day together, you wouldn’t have already been an itch under my skin.” His eyes grow distant as if he’s mentally tumbling back in time. “After the day we spent on the boat, I didn’t know what happened to you. I stopped over the next morning to pick you up and you were gone. I had nothing to go on. No way to find you. No address or phone number.” A reluctant chuckle slides from his lips. “I didn’t even know your last name.”