Queen of Hearts (16 page)

“Are you going to tell me something that will piss me off?”

He ran his finger over my nose and tapped the end. “I hope not. I want you to spend the weekend with me. I want to take you away.”

My heart thumped in my chest like a stampede of wild elephants. My first instinct was to jump up and down and say “yes, yes, yes,” but the skeptical side of me questioned his reasons. Why did he want to take me away?

“Why?” I finally asked.

“Can’t I just want to spend time with a beautiful woman without having a reason? You’re the reason. I want to get out of here, away from all the bullshit, and get reacquainted.”

I sighed. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea. Can’t we start off small, like a date?”

Wrapping his arm around me, he slid his knee between my legs and pulled one of my legs over his hip, bringing us as close together as possible. “No problem. We’re going on a date tonight. So, do you have any other reasons to put this off, or are you going to shut up and let me do this?”

“I don’t remember agreeing to a date, Mr. Maguire.”

He cupped the back of my head and slid his other hand down to squeeze my ass. “You’re going. I just told you.”

Again, our conversation was cut short by his lips, and I happily fell in line. Maybe it was the sun, or maybe he was just hot as fuck, but I wasn’t going to deny that I wanted all of the above. Dates, getaways, making out on pool loungers... all of it. We were good at games, but I figured the best way to go was a little game of give and take for once.

I was willing to give him a shot, to open up and soften my heart. In turn, I hoped he was willing to do the same.

“Flynn,” a woman snapped from in front of us. I groaned, pissed off that I was finally enjoying myself and in the middle of a damn epiphany. It figured.

Flynn pulled away and turned, looking up at the rude bitch. “What do you want?”

I took a peek at her and rolled my eyes when I realized it was the same blonde I’d seen him with numerous times. She was quite a battle-ax of a broad—tall, blonde, and a pain in the ass.

“I haven’t seen you in weeks, and you’re not answering my calls. I think you owe me an explanation.”

She cocked her hip, throwing the sarong she had tied across her hips to the side and exposing the barely there bikini she had on. I wasn’t impressed.

He turned to look at me again with a regretful smile and gave me a solid kiss on the lips. “I just need to deal with this. I’ll be right back.”

I tried to act nonchalant, but the truth was, I was furious. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him. I knew exactly who the girl was—I’d done lots of research since being back in Las Vegas. One thing, probably the worst thing Doyle said to me, had stuck. The day I stood in front of him while he tried to slaughter everything I had, he took his final, and most brutal shot at me.

The blonde was the woman Doyle wanted Flynn to marry. She was also the same bitch I’d seen on his arm countless times before. As much as I’d gathered, I still wasn’t completely sure where their relationship stood. Having her walk up and him walk away from
me
to deal with her pissed me off, and obviously, whatever it was between them was not over.

That made me even madder.

My pride wouldn’t allow me to let it show. We were still teetering, and watching her beg for his attention only gave my instincts the not-so-subtle kick in the pants they needed. I’d been wavering on what to do for too long. Long weeks of playing touch and go had me in knots, and it was time to put my cards on the table and play.

And I was playing to win.

I gathered my belongings, shrugged my sundress on, and slid my feet into my sandals. I was through watching the spectacle, and we’d already garnered the attention of everyone else in the vicinity, and I didn’t need it, frankly.

Flynn would definitely get an earful later.

I moved toward the entrance to the hotel, and unfortunately had to pass them as I did so. As I got closer, he looked up, a stern and concerned look marring his handsome face. I gave him a fake smile, and he stood a little straighter as I approached.

“It was nice talking to you, Flynn. Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk again later. I’m going inside and rest. I think the sun got to me.”

I gave my fingers a little wiggle, same for my ass, and tried to ignore the dual glares that followed me as I opened the big glass door and disappeared into the elevator.

My room was freezing cold when I pushed the door open. The chill hit me like a slap in the face. Between the heat and Flynn, I was boiling up.

I threw all my things on the table next to the door and headed straight to the bathroom. I wanted to wash off the sweat and the disgusting jealousy as quickly as possible. There was a deafening silence in that huge room. The sound of my breath ricocheted through the empty space like the vibration of a drum.

The water streamed down from the faucet, and I added some scented bubbles to the bath. It was by far my favorite part about living there. I’d missed my bubble baths, and I needed it more than anything at that moment. I needed to relax my body and clear my head.

Climbing into the tub, I sighed. I almost longed for the hard-working days at the diner, running plates and pouring coffee until I felt like my knees would buckle. I missed the quiet evenings sitting by the lake with Jackson, listening to crickets and drinking sweet wine. I knew I belonged right where I was, regardless of what happened with Flynn, but it didn’t stop me from wanting that dream I’d buried deep inside—once again.

Having your cake and eating it too was a myth. I’d known it all along. It didn’t mean I couldn’t fantasize about a far-off place where the skies were wide and dark and full of stars, and a good man was by my side, loving me and keeping me warm.

I chuckled into the empty room, my eyes closed and my head leaning back against the tub. I put my feet up over the edges and stretched out, letting the little-castle-in-the-sky-fairytale play over and over behind my eyes.

“What I wouldn’t do to know what elicited that smile.”

I jolted up, covering my breasts with my hands, and stared at Flynn. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he followed me, but I was a little ticked off.

“I thought I told you I would talk to you later. Is this how it’s going to be with me staying here? You can come and go as you please?” I snapped.

He crouched down and put his elbows on the edge of the tub as he peered down at me. “You knew I’d do whatever I damn well pleased when you agreed to stay here. Are we going to keep playing games and asking stupid questions forever, or are we finally going to get to the fucking point?”

“Did you fuck her while I was gone?”

I surprised myself with the frank question, but it would only eat at me if I didn’t know. It was the first step to either walking away from him or getting rid of her altogether.

“Yes,” he said without missing a beat.

“Who is she to you? I want the honest truth.”

“Are you jealous?”

I glared at him and pushed a wave of water into his face. “You’re a smug bastard, you know that?”

He smiled. “I do.” He wiped away the droplets of water and pushed his damp hair off of his face. “Now, you tell me, Janie... were you a good little girl while you were away?”

“I’m never a good girl, Flynn. You should know that by now.”

He ran a finger over my face from forehead to chin, and I shuddered. “Do you care for her?” I asked.

“She’s a means to an end. Nothing more.”

I shook my head and pushed myself backward as if I’d been slapped. “Do you have any idea how fucked up that is? You’re leading her on! You’re playing with both of us, and I can’t do that again.”

He stood, and with one smooth motion, untangled the tie that kept his trunks closed and pushed them down his legs, exposing his erection before climbing into the tub and tugging me forward. My legs straddled his, our chests pressed together and he brought my face into his hands.

“Get this through your thick skull. I am not playing games with you. The games ended the first night I had to let you walk away from me, Jayne. I’ve tried to get you to understand how I feel, but you’re so fucking stubborn. What my father wanted out of the relationship between me and her is null and void. She knows I will never commit to her—I will
never
marry her. She’s too busy trying to get at my money to pay attention. She’s a quick fuck. They all are. You are more. You always have been.”

“You can’t see her anymore,” I blurted out. I could feel my eyes bulge out at my outburst and ultimate confession.

I wanted him all to myself.

“I have no intention of seeing her again. If you would have waited for me instead of storming off like a spoiled brat, I would have explained this to you.”

“I’m not a brat,” I said softly. “I’m confused. And terrified.”

His lips brushed over mine and his hands slid down my throat and over my back, pulling me closer so that I was right against him. I was positively aching, throbbing with a need so intense that I was sure the second he touched me I would fall to pieces.

“You have to trust me, Jayne.”

“I’m trying,” I said against his lips.

He kissed the side of my mouth, down my cheek, and over my throat, pulling the soft skin into his mouth and sucking hard. “Did you fall in love with him, Jayne?”

I gasped. That was definitely a question I wasn’t expecting.

“I...I...”I stuttered. “I care about him, but...”

I couldn’t make the words leave my mouth. I wanted to just end it all—all the games, the runaround, the confusion. There was no telling what I would be opening myself up to if I did, and if it backfired, where did that leave me?

“You still love me.”

I could feel him smile against my skin, and I couldn’t help but smile myself. He was so full of himself, but having him throw his honesty out there so freely gave me a renewed bravery.

“I might.”

He pulled his lips away and leaned back, groaning when his back hit the faucet. “This wasn’t the way I wanted this to go.”

Standing quickly, he lifted me out of the tub and shifted me so that he could carry me. Carefully, he walked across the tiled floor and into the bedroom. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he laid me down. The tension between us was thick. The room around me blurred and again, my heart and my head wanted to go to war.

“You might?” he bit out as he hovered above me. “You’re so full of shit.”

His lips crashed down on mine, and suddenly we were a tangle of legs as our bodies adjusted to each other. All those nights of him sleeping next to me, touching me in the most innocent and careful of ways while my body called out and begged for his to take me seemed so far away. As if reading my thoughts, he chuckled.

“I was a perfect gentleman, holding you in my arms, not touching that pussy, and having your ass warm my cock. It almost drove me insane. Your sweet whimpers while you slept kept me up at night. The same sounds you make when I’m so deep inside of you I’m hitting your soul.”

“Jesus,” I whined. “Touch me.”

His hand snaked between us, and as soon as his fingertip rubbed against my clit, my back arched off the bed. I was already there—it wasn’t going to take much to make me fly.

He worked me with his fingers until I thought I was going to go blind. We were breathing each other in more than kissing, but his lips never left mine. His eyes blazed through my eyes, and I could see my thoughts reflected in them. He was as unsure as I was, no matter how confident he acted on the outside.

The tenderness in his touch contradicted the burning need in his eyes. We were both dropping the curtain. The charade was over. We were back at square one. Starting over scared the shit out of me. My worst—and best—memories were behind us. The hostility had faded into a yearning between us, something organic and unexpected. We owed it to ourselves to work on it, to try. I was willing to do that.

“I wanted to take my time, but not right now. I’m going to fuck you fast and hard. You’ll feel this for days.”

I had no doubt. The tension was that tight. I wasn’t interested in foreplay or time-consuming bedroom games from him. He could suck my toes and lick every inch of me later. I planned on doing some exploring of my own, but at that very moment, I wanted him inside of me.

“Does this end tonight,” I breathed out, trying desperately to hold on until I felt my walls close in around him. “Is this the beginning or the end of this?”

He curled his finger inside of me and I cried out, arching my back and spreading my legs wider to allow him more room. His thighs moved between mine, and when I felt his cock brush against me, I lifted my legs up and over his hips, pulling him forward.

His hand disappeared from between us, and then he lifted one of my legs over his shoulder as he pushed inside of me.

“This is where I belong. Where. I. Fucking. Belong.”

Taking long, slow, steady strides, he moved in and out of me with unwavering purpose. His hand moved to my hip, holding me with a punishing grip as if he thought I’d jump off the bed and disappear.

I wasn’t going anywhere. I was tethered to that bed like an anchor in quicksand. All I could think, feel, smell, or taste was him. The sweat of his brow glistened in the dimly lit room. Everything he had was mine.

A small gasp escaped my lips as he pistoned his hips and drove into me harder and faster. He lifted my ass from the bed and pulled back so he was sitting up and my bottom half was up in the air. Both of my legs were thrown over his shoulders, and I had to cling onto the blankets beneath me to keep me from sliding further.

“Fuck, yeah.”

He slammed into me with renewed fortitude, and I don’t think I’d ever been taken so hard and so thoroughly in my life, not even by him. He had a lot to prove, and he was going to make good on his promise. I would feel everything he did to my body the next day.

I shook as my orgasm rocked my body. I pulled myself up so that I could cling onto him. I needed to be as close to him as possible. I wanted his skin against mine, his arms around me, holding me like he never wanted to let go. I wanted his eyes, his dark, mystifying eyes. The eyes that haunted me in daydreams and nightmares every single day that I was away from them.