King Cave (Forever Evermore, #2)(69)

I shrugged, turning and walking toward the door. “You asked me not to flaunt it, Ezra, so why are you asking me?” I stopped, turning abruptly to face him. “And why the hell would you tell me you’ve slept with four women? What on earth makes you think I would want to know that?” I didn’t care that my voice was the tiniest bit shrill.

His nostrils flared, and very slowly he asked, “Did you have sex last night?”

My eyes widened in incredulity. “And what makes you think you have the right to ask me that?”

He stared. “I told you honestly how many women I’ve slept with—”

“Which I didn’t wish to know!”

“—and I would like the same honesty from you.”

My own nostrils flared in anger. “Yes, Ezra, I had sex all night long.” I paused. “Does that make you feel any better?”

His jaw clenching was answer enough. “Who?”

It was too tempting to pass up. “Who are the women you’ve slept with?”

Instant. “Rose, Jessica, Kiki, and Catherine.”

Something inside me broke hearing the names of the women he had slept with spill off his tongue so fluidly. My shoulders hunched as I rubbed at my chest. My feet moved as if on their own, pulling me away from the man who was causing the hurt.

His hooded gaze darted across my face, and he inhaled deeply, then shouted, “Goddamn it, Lily, I thought you were screwing Fergus!”

I jerked at his hostility, but kept moving backward, shaking my head. “This is what we both wanted.”

He ran a hand over his face, cursing, but not arguing my point, then asked quietly, “Was it Finn?”

I saw no point in lying now. “Yes.”

His gaze stayed lowered. “Was last night the first time you’ve had sex since us?”

“Yes.”

I quickly left the room as he began tearing it apart.


I got my ass handed to me by dirt boy. “Oh, shut up.” I glared at him as he smirked.

He shrugged. “I didn’t say anything.” Ah, but his grin increased.

I slapped a hand over it. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

Under my hand, I felt his lips curve even more as he mumbled against my skin, the sound muffled, “You’re a sore loser.”

“I never said I wasn’t.” I glared, pointing at him with my other hand. “Now, to the important part. Did you make a bet with the other Kings about who would win?”

His eyes narrowed, and he said again with the muffled voice, “Why?”

“Well, I was thinking that tomorrow you pick the bigger payout, and we make it happen whichever way that is to keep them from betting about us.”

He lifted my hand off his mouth, and laughed outright. He had a dirty handprint on his face now. There was dirt under my fingernails, which I didn’t think would ever come clean from that last ‘little’ explosion. He only shook his head and started walking toward the cave’s entrance.

“Hey!” I griped, yanking on my boots and rushing after him. “It’s a good plan.”

Amber eyes met mine, full of mirth. “They’re my group. My team. Betting is our thing.” He shook his green curls, which were free of debris, very unlike mine. “I won’t ruin that by cheating.”

I felt my lips frown, but I understood, even if it wrecked my plans for revenge. “Speaking of cheating…” My gaze hit the ground, and I scuffed my shoes along the long grass. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” I could feel his eyes on me.

“Say you were in an…odd…relationship.”

He snorted. “Most relationships are odd at some point.”

“Alright.” I nodded. “Well, say you’ve just gotten out of a sexual relationship with someone you care for.” My hands waved in front of me in grand motions. “And say you both decided to take a break from each another because it was becoming too…” My hands fluttered all about. “Real.”

King Fergus rested his hand on my shoulder, stopping my progress and making me look directly at him. “Real as in ‘I’m falling in love with you’ real? Or real as in ‘oh shit, I forgot a condom and made babies with you’ real?”

My gaze was chilled at his bluntness. “The latter.”

His lips pressed together, and he seesawed them back and forth. “Okay, what’s next?”

“Well, say you’ve decided to take a break from each other. Does it constitute cheating if you have sex with someone else,” I held up a finger, “which was entirely expected during the break,” my finger twirled, “but you go about flaunting it,” I held up a stopping hand, “which was not expected, to the point it was specifically stated not to do out of respect for the other person’s feelings during a sensitive time for the both of you?”

“I’m honestly a little confused here, trying to keep that straight,” his eyebrows puckered, “but if you’re asking if it’s cheating when you’re on a mutual break, the answer is no, especially if you both discussed it beforehand and knew it would happen.” His head cocked. “But if you’re asking about flaunting the new lovers…”

I snapped at him. “Yes. That’s it. When it was explicitly stated beforehand that it would be disrespectful to do so.”