Queen of Hearts (17 page)

I just wanted him.

“Come on, baby. Let go for me.”

I pulsed around him and could feel him swell inside me as he got closer to his own release. It was coming, and as my fingernails dug into his back, he grabbed the back of my head with one hand and brought my lips to his.

His tongue rubbed against mine, and then his teeth bit down on my bottom lip as he came, hard.

We fell against the mattress, still connected and happily sated. He chuckled as he slipped out of me and lay beside me.

“You’re going to kill me.”

I rolled so I was on my side and propped myself up on my elbow so I could look at him. Seeing him so happy, so content and de-stressed was amazing. I loved when he was open and free, not the smug jackass he gave to the rest of the world. The arrogance was always there—he knew how he affected me, but there was something he gave me that I never saw outside of the bedroom.

Love. Love made him beautiful.

“How am I supposed to leave you after this?”

His eyes softened as he reached over and pushed my sweaty hair away from my face. “I have to deal with some business tonight, but I don’t think I can force myself to leave this bed.”

“Then don’t,” I said seriously. “What is it you have to do?”

His lips quirked and he mirrored my pose “Nothing you have to worry about. I was invited to a private poker game. It’s at some old fuck’s house. It’s easy money.”

I rolled my eyes. “So, don’t go. If it’s just some game, you can skip it.”

He kissed the top of my head and jumped out of bed, giving me the best view of his ass as he crossed the room. “They’re business associates. They’re expecting me. The host only got these people to come because I was going to be there.”

He disappeared into the bathroom, came out a moment later with a soft cloth, and crawled back on the bed, bringing it between my legs to wash me up.

“You never answered me before. Are you on the pill?”

I sat up, soothed by the warm water, and nodded. “Thank you for that, and yes.”

He threw the wash cloth across the room and lay down on top of me, using his elbows to support his weight. Laying sweet, soft kisses across my face, he cemented just how committed he was to this.

“I want you in my suite when I get back.”

I pouted, pushing my lips out for effect. “How cute. You still think you can tell me what to do.”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t push me. I’ll drag you over there and chain you to my bed if I have to. You’re my woman, Jayne. You need to be there. I want you there when I return. When I wake up. When I fall asleep. You don’t need this place anymore.”

I bit down on my tongue to prevent the barrage of insults I wanted to spew out at him. He was such an egotistical, bossy bastard sometimes.

Actually, all the time.

“Do you always have to butt heads with me? I like this place. The bathroom is better than yours.”

Rolling us so that he was bottom with me on top, he pulled his hand back and swatted me firmly on the ass. I squealed and tried to jump away from him, the onslaught of pain shocking me. He held me down firmly, his palm rubbing where he’d punished me.

“I’ll have someone build the same fucking bathroom in that suite. We won’t be here all the time, anyway. We’ll move into a house, and you can have any fucking bathroom you want. Five of them. I don’t give a shit.”

My head dropped down on his shoulder and I groaned. Give and take was a hell of a bitch. He drove a hard bargain, but every compartment in my brain rattled with each order he barked out.

“We still have a ways to go before I move anywhere. I just got here, Flynn. We’ve kissed and made up twice, but we still haven’t combed through all the things we need to. I’m frightened and confused. That’s not going to change because you got me off.”

“You’re still afraid of me? What the hell does that mean?”

He got off me and sat at the edge of the bed, grabbing his shorts off the floor and pulling them up his legs. He shook his head, and I could see the tension in his shoulders.

I sat up and went to him, hugging him around the middle and laying my head against his back. “I want this, but I wanted it just as badly before. You hurt me, and I can’t just forget about everything because you’re here in my bed. This has to be more than that.”

He looked over his shoulder and nuzzled my head with his cheek. “This is everything. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that.”

“Don’t tell me,” I whispered. “Show me. Make promises I can feel.”

F
lynn was persistent about taking me away for the weekend, but I was able to get out of it—for the time being. There were too many what-ifs remaining, and too many secrets floating around between all of us.

Vince was mysteriously absent for the next several days. At first I thought it had something to do with Flynn and me and our newly kindled relationship, but the longer he stayed away, the more I began to wonder.

He wasn’t exactly avoiding me—we’d talked on the phone several times, but there was a noticeable distance between us.

I decided to go in search of him while I had some time to kill. Flynn was away playing poker for the night, and I wasn’t expected to meet up with him until much later in the evening. He’d wanted me to go with him, sit at his side like a cherub, but I refused. It was the perfect opportunity for me to go do some digging around, and I didn’t want him discouraging me.

As I left my suite, I found Collins in the hallway and rolled my eyes. He gave me a curious once-over, probably wondering where I was going dressed so casually. He rarely saw me in anything other than a dress—or less—so I just smiled and shrugged as I walked past him.

“Don’t bother following me. I told him I was going out, and I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I’m not following you. Don’t worry,” he answered gruffly. “What you do is none of my business.”

That made me laugh. The guy followed me to Oklahoma for Christ’s sake. “Whatever you say, old man.”

He didn’t try to follow me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. I slipped out of the elevator once we reached the main lobby, and I ducked out of the casino via the back hall. It was closer to the parking garage, and that worked out perfectly for me. He’d assume I took this exit for that very reason—to grab my car. I had no doubt that there was some monkey hidden in that casino watching my every move on some camera, so I walked through the garage and then out to the street ahead.

It took me no time to hail a cab, and once I was safely inside, I barked out my directions to the driver, sat back, and smiled.

I could only imagine the look on that old bastard’s face.

We were only minutes away from Vince’s house when my phone began to chime relentlessly. I slid it out of my purse, pushed mute, and slid it back inside. They were so damn predictable, and Flynn and I were going to have a long talk about the definition of trust. If we were going to go further, he had to eighty-six Collins. I’d been watching my own ass since the age of ten. I didn’t need some bitter asshole following me around like I was a naughty teenager.

I had the cabbie drop me off at the corner, paid him the fare, and climbed out of the car. I walked down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, keeping my eyes trained on the two-story house I was prowling. Again, it was lit up like a Christmas tree, full of life and possession.

The same car I noticed the first night I came was parked in the driveway, with Vince’s sitting next to it. I wasn’t sure at that moment if I was more hurt, or pissed, but I was going with a mixture of both. Whatever it was he was hiding was a big deal, and the fact that after everything I’d gone through—we’d gone through—he didn’t trust me enough to let me in.

With my steps more determined, I marched across the empty street, over the lawn, and headed up the steps. I stood quietly for a moment once I was at the door, listening to see if I could hear what was going on inside. There was nothing.

Instead of knocking, I grabbed the pin from the zippered pocket of my purse and slid it into the lock. It snapped open easy enough, but I should have known Vince would have his home locked down tighter than a fortress.

The door didn’t budge, and I felt stupid for trying to sneak in. He was in there, and even if he was pissed off for me showing up unannounced, at least I’d find out who else was inside.

I knocked twice and stood back, my nerves suddenly jumping around like ticks on a fire. The more I thought about it, the surer I became that he was going to freak out when he saw me.

I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs and started to sweat. It was a ridiculous idea, and I wanted to turn and run away so bad. Before I could make that decision, the locks unhinged and the door swung open.

I was greeted with a very angry Vince. He looked like he’d been sleeping, his hair rumpled and his chest bare. I blinked, suddenly very uncomfortable.

“What the fuck, Janie?”

“Where have you been?” I asked. My nerves were replaced by rage with the tone of his voice. “I’m not allowed to visit you anymore? It’s not okay for me to show up at your house now? What the fuck is right!”

He growled, pushed me forward, and stepped out onto the porch before slamming the door behind him. “I have company,
Jayne.
Would you like me to barge in on you while you’re in the middle of fucking?”

I couldn’t help it—I started to laugh. “Seriously? You have always done whatever you wanted as far as I’m concerned. How many times have you interrupted me—fucking or not!”

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard. “Why are you here?”

I lifted my chin and scowled at him. I hated how he was acting. Fucking suspicious. “I haven’t seen you in almost a week. I want to talk to you. Is that a crime nowadays?”

He stepped back and ran his hand over his hair. “Now is not a good time, okay? I thought you’d be with Flynn. He said he was taking you with him to the game at the Palms.”

“I didn’t want to go. I’m not his lapdog.”

He grinned. “Not yet.”

I shot my hand out to smack him, but he caught my arm midair. “Go back to the hotel and wait for him. He’s going to be pissed. Where’s your car?”

He started walking me backward, looking both ways up and down the street looking for the car. “I took a cab. Collins was sniffing around and I’m sick of that, so I ditched him.”

He laughed, throwing his head back and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Why do you have to be such a pain in my ass? You know, I kind of miss not having to watch you like a hawk.”

I tried to shrug out of his hold, but he tightened his grip. “Wait here, and I’ll get my keys. You can take my car and wait for me in your room. I’ll come over later.”

I nodded my head toward the car in the driveway. “Whose car is that?”

He followed my gaze and shrugged. “It’s mine. Now wait here.”

I didn’t believe him. There was something fishy going on, and whether he liked it or not, I was going to find out what it was.

He came out moments later, flung the keys at me from the porch, and turned to go back in the house. “Next time, call. Go back to Maguire’s and wait.”

He slammed the door without another word, and I felt like I’d been verbally slapped in the face. He was such a moody son of a bitch.

I walked over to the car, pushed the alarm, and jumped when it chirped. I wasn’t sure what it was that had me so jittery, but the uncertainty had something to do with it. I got inside and turned on the air, the stuffy cab only adding to my discomfort. I couldn’t wait for fall and the change in weather.

I drove back toward the strip, but I was too antsy to go back and sit around waiting for Flynn. He was already going to be ticked off because I left, but that was a conversation for another day. He was getting better, but it was hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I’d already managed to tame Flynn Maguire to a certain extent, and for the most part, I liked when he was an asshole.

I decided to call Pamela. I had hours to kill, and I hadn’t talked to her in several days. I had a ton of nervous energy, and I really needed someone to talk to. Plus, I hadn’t told her about the developments with Flynn. I was sure she’d pat herself on the back and say
I told you so
.

Thankfully, she was home and had no plans, so she told me to come on over for girl talk and cocktails. Just hearing her voice calmed my nerves. I hadn’t even realized how badly my hands were shaking until I hung up the phone.

Her house was spectacular, and I felt myself excited to be there again. I loved being comfortable in her home. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember ever being an actual invited guest in anyone’s home. I was always there on the job. It reminded me how stilted my social life had been. At twenty-five years old, that was pretty sad.

She was waiting for me on the porch wearing a pair of lounge shorts and a tank top. She was so remarkably beautiful that it still shocked me that she didn’t have women falling all over her constantly. She was the epitome of the whole package.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the beautiful Miss Jayne King.” She opened her arms and hugged me tightly as I approached, grabbing my hand to drag me inside. “I’m having a ‘feel sorry for me’ night, so I ordered pizza. Have you eaten?”

I laughed. “Actually, no. Pizza sounds so good right now. I haven’t had it in a while.”

She took my purse and set it down on the table in the foyer after closing the door behind us. “I guess when you date men like Flynn Maguire, you have the filet mignon man on auto dial instead.”

I spun around, mouth agape and eyes wide. “Dating—“

She held up her hand and rolled her eyes. “Please. It was only a matter of time, and don’t even try to deny it. It’s written all over your face, and besides, he already told me.”

I blinked rapidly and shook my head, stunned. “You’ve talked to Flynn? When?”

Twirling her fingers in a circle, she ordered me into the living room. “Let’s go sit down before you have an aneurism.”

Sinking into her soft cushioned sofa, I slid my shoes off and pulled my legs up underneath me. “Okay, explain.”

She took a seat across from me on an overstuffed chair and mirrored my position. “He came to see me several days ago. He’s retained me as his representation. I’m his attorney.”