The King (The Original Sinners: White Years, #2)(108)

“What are you reading?” Kingsley asked, trying to distract himself from the mental images.

“It’s an erotic retelling of the Book of Esther.”

Kingsley groaned. “You have to start having sex again. Please. I don’t even care if it’s with me or her. Anyone.”

“I’m fine,” S?ren said, but Kingsley could tell he wasn’t fine. His “I’m fine” sounded bruised.

“Do you miss it?” Kingsley asked. Not the question he meant. He meant “Do you miss me?”

“I’m twenty-nine, male and breathing,” S?ren said. “What do you think?”

“No one would judge you if you broke your vows. No one who matters.”

“It would matter to me,” S?ren said. “I have reasons for doing what I do and not doing what I don’t do. Reasons that have nothing to do with the church or being a priest. And reasons that also have nothing to do with you or Eleanor.”

“I can call Blaise now. She’ll be there in an hour. Would you like that?”

S?ren didn’t answer at first, didn’t say a word.

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Kingsley asked and knew S?ren was.

“I should have known better than to make friends with the devil.”

Kingsley grinned. “Blaise is amazing in bed. You won’t regret it. She can do this thing when she’s going down on you where she takes your—”

“Kingsley.”

“And goes so deep she can lick your—”

“Kingsley.”

“It’s amazing. Gift from God.”

“Red.”

“Red?” Kingsley repeated.

“I was attempting to safe out of this conversation.”

Kingsley laughed softly.

“You’ll need a better safe word than that with me, mon ami.” “I’ll find a stronger word. A few stronger words have already leaped to mind.”

“If you don’t want Blaise, I could come over,” Kingsley said.

“I think you have more than enough lovers already,” S?ren said.

“We’re not talking about what I need. We’re talking about what you need.”

“I need sleep and someone is keeping me from it.”

Kingsley was undeterred.

“You know, it wouldn’t have to mean anything. You can do whatever you want to me. Pain. Sex. More pain.”

S?ren fell silent again. What was he thinking? Feeling? Was he tempted?

Of course he was tempted.

“Tell me something…how long has it been?” Kingsley asked into the silence.

S?ren sighed. “What day is it?”

“Friday.”

“Then it’s been…oh…eleven years. You?”

“Eleven minutes.” More like an hour and eleven minutes, but why quibble? “You haven’t been with anyone since me? Not even once?”

“No one since you,” S?ren said.

“And your Virgin Queen?”

“I made her a promise,” S?ren said, the irritation gone from his voice now. But Kingsley still heard the bruise. “I promised her I would give her everything. I intend to keep that promise.”

“You made me a promise, too,” Kingsley reminded him. “You said you’d share her with me.”

“Another promise I intend to keep. I won’t be enough for her, God knows. But I get her first.”

“Why?” Kingsley demanded, smiling despite himself. “Because you saw her first?”

“Because I haven’t had sex in eleven years.”

“Fuck somebody, then,” Kingsley said, half laughing, half yelling. “It offends me to know you’re in your bed right now all alone reading erotic retellings of Ruth.”

“Esther.”

“You know I have to have more sex to make up for all the sex you aren’t having. Someone has to restore the balance in the universe.”

“The universe thanks you for your sacrifice. Now, may I hang up?” S?ren asked.

“Not yet. I’m considering killing the Fullers—both of them.”

“No, you aren’t.”

“It’s crossed my mind. A quick painful death. Payback for making Sam betray me.”

“No one made Sam betray you. If she did betray you, she did it of her own free will and for her own reasons. You started a war with the Fullers. They fought back. Now you know why I’m a pacifist.”

Kingsley closed his eyes tight and wished he could close his ears to S?ren’s words, as well. All this time he’d been blind. He’d adored Sam so much he hadn’t for one second considered the possibility she would turn on him. Now he’d seen her for who she really was and he wished he could, like Oedipus, blind himself.

“You can’t win if you don’t fight,” Kingsley finally said.

“Tell me something, Kingsley. How did this fight start?”

“I wanted to buy The Renaissance Hotel from the Fullers.”

“Why?”

“Because that building is mine. I knew it the moment I saw it.”

“So you’re fighting for it?”

“Of course. That’s what you do when you want something.”