Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(86)

I tilt my head so I can look up at him. I can tell by his tone that this is really bothering him. He sounds completely baffled and maybe a little hurt that an unknown woman would say such things. I can’t say I blame him. “Why are you telling me this?”

Kingston drops his head back to the cushion and stares up at the ceiling. “Because I don’t want you to think that I’d ever put my hands on a woman like that. It bothers me that anyone would think that about me. I don’t know why she did it. She never tried to contact me. I have no f*cking clue what she was even after.”

“Maybe she wanted her fifteen minutes of fame,” I suggest.

“That’s what Coach thinks, but it doesn’t make sense. Why not sleep with me?”

I laugh, smacking Kingston on the chest.

His head pops up and he smiles. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t get why she would ask for a picture, walk away, and start talking shit. If she would’ve followed through and tried to sleep with me… It makes no f*cking sense.”

He’s right, it doesn’t. “You think someone put her up to it?”

Kingston’s gaze meets mine. “I’ve thought about that. Who the f*ck would want to mess with me like that? I would’ve had to have f*cked someone’s world up pretty damn bad.”

Again, Kingston is right.

Sitting up, I shift so that I’m straddling his thighs. “Well, you don’t have to worry. I don’t believe her, and not once did I think you would’ve done that. You’ve got a lot of people in your corner, no matter what anyone says.”

Kingston’s eyes never leave my face. I feel the intensity of his stare, but I have no idea what is going on in his head.

“If there’s anything good that happened because of this…” Kingston’s thumb brushes my bottom lip. “It’s that we got to this point.”

I’m not sure what point this is, but if he means the two of us sharing these moments, then I have to agree. It isn’t permanent, and I know it could never be. Kingston’s world is different than mine. He isn’t the settling-down type, and he endures too much temptation to ever be expected to be able to settle down with one woman.

But for now, I want to be the woman he spends his time with. For as long as it lasts.





Kingston

I’m not sure what came over me or why I wanted to talk about the chick who made those accusations, but I felt it was necessary. Had Ellie been any other woman I took to bed, I probably wouldn’t think twice about her opinion of me. With her, it’s different. I like her. A lot. And it’s as though that topic has been hanging between the two of us, even if she hasn’t noticed.

I have.

I have and I hate it. I still don’t understand why a woman would do that to any man, or vice versa, but it irks the shit out of me. When I think about it, I get angry. More so because I simply don’t know what her motives were. The fact that Ellie doesn’t doubt me makes all the difference in the world. I have no clue what that woman was up to or why she talked smack, but it helps to know I have people in my corner. People who care about me. People I care about.

And I’m not lying … if anything good has come out of this, it’s that Ellie and I were brought together. I’ve wanted her for so damn long, but there are things that have kept me from pursuing her. When this is over, I’m not sure how I’ll be expected to walk away, but I’ll deal with that when the time comes.

For now, I want to savor every second I get to spend with her.

“So, why don’t we talk about something else,” Ellie says softly, her hand cupping my face, a slow smile forming on her lips. “Or perhaps we don’t talk at all.”

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I’m game for whatever she wants. Since she’s straddling me, it’s safe to assume which direction this is going. And if it involves her naked in any way … there’s no reason to wait.

Taking her glass, I set it on the end table along with mine, then lean back and reach for her. Gripping her hips, I pull her down against me, grinding my erection between us. I want her so f*cking bad. It’s a wonder my head hasn’t exploded by now.

“I like the way you think,” I tell her, pulling her close and then getting to my feet.

Ellie giggles, grabbing on to me and wrapping her long legs around my waist as I head over to the stairs and then up to my bedroom. She’s still giggling and holding on tight when I close the door with my foot. My bedroom is dark, so I set her on her feet and make my way around to the nightstand. I flip on the lamp beside the bed and turn to see Ellie pulling her shirt up and over her head.

My mouth waters instantly. As of right this minute, that red bra is my favorite of all the things I’ve seen her wear over the years. Including that sexy white bikini she had a few years back.

“What’re you waiting for?” Ellie asks, grinning widely.

I follow her lead, reaching behind my head and grabbing a fistful of my shirt, then pulling it off and tossing it onto the floor.

When Ellie reaches for the button on her jeans, I have to hurry to toe off my boots. She can’t get too far ahead of me, because I fully intend for this night to last a while. Ellie hops on one foot and removes her socks, but that’s as far as I can let things go without touching her again. I close the distance between us, pulling her flush against me as I crush my mouth to hers. I practically inhale her, the desperate ache inside me building.