Just Like That (The Kings)

It was late by the time Beckett Miller’s black SUV rolled down JP’s driveway. Kate, Emily, Veda, and I were giggling in the background as the grumpy builder smiled and shook his head from the front seat.

“All right.” He parked and turned toward the back. “It was nice to meet you, Hazel.”

“You too,” I answered as I crawled out of the back seat with Emily right behind me.

Kate was already making her way across the center console and nearly sitting in her husband’s lap as she giggled. Her butt was in his face as she awkwardly made her way into the front passenger seat. He slapped her ass and laughed as she plopped down.

“Veda, are you ditching me?” Kate asked as Veda climbed out of the back of the SUV behind me and Emily.

She smiled and adjusted her skirt. Veda pointed toward JP’s house. “My man is in there. He’s coming home with me.”

Kate waved. “Sounds good. Have fun you three.”

We waved as Beckett and Kate backed out of the driveway and disappeared into the darkness. Veda tossed her arms across Emily’s back and mine.

“You good?” she asked me.

I squeezed her arm. “Great. Only slightly tipsy.”

Veda laughed, dropping her arms. “Well, that’s a shame. I am very much looking forward to giving Royal a very tipsy striptease.” She toyed with the gold chain around her neck, and my cheeks heated.

“Woman.” A voice boomed from the darkened porch, followed quickly by Royal’s hearty laugh. “What are you waiting for? Get your ass up here and kiss me.”

Veda covered her giggle with her fingertips and sauntered up the porch steps. Her arms wrapped around Royal’s neck as his thick, tattooed arms wound around her waist, lifting her heels off the ground as he kissed her.

I blushed and looked away when he growled and their kiss deepened.

“Get a room.” Whip playfully pushed past Royal and took the porch steps in one leap before pulling Emily in for her own greeting. After a quick peck, he bent to toss Emily over his shoulder. She squealed and patted his butt.

“Good night,” I called to them as Whip headed straight to his truck.

Royal sauntered down the steps with Veda tucked into his side. “The kid’s cute, I’ll give him that.”

“No Abel?” Veda asked.

“He went with Sloane to do some back-to-school shopping for the twins, I guess. Next time.” He looked at Veda. “Ready, Precious?”

She grinned, and as we said goodbye, my heart pinched. I was surrounded by happy couples and people doing back-to-school shopping. My hands gripped the banister as I climbed the porch steps and tried not to think about how different my life had become in such a short amount of time.

I silently opened the front door, and the house was eerily quiet. A newly opened board game was scattered on the coffee table in the living room, and there were popcorn bowls and kernels littering the floor. A cartoon movie had been paused on the television.

When I didn’t see Teddy or JP, I climbed the stairs and headed toward the bedrooms. I quietly padded across the wooden floor. When I reached Teddy’s room, my heart stopped. JP was holding a limp Teddy in his arms and gently swaying. Teddy was fast asleep, and JP was attempting to pull back his bedsheets with one hand.

I watched from the door as JP lowered Teddy to the bed and scooted his legs under the covers. “There you go, buddy.” JP paused and looked down at Teddy.

For a moment, he just stared.

I wondered what he was thinking. Did he see how alike they were? Did he finally accept that Teddy was his child? Did he regret how things had crumbled between Olive and him?

My heart caught when JP leaned down and brushed a soft kiss on the top of Teddy’s head, then squeezed his shoulder.

“Good night, kid,” he whispered.

Before he could catch me, I turned and rushed down the hallway. I crept down the steps and scurried toward the living room, hoping he wouldn’t realize I’d been watching him tuck Teddy into bed.

When the stairs creaked, my heart jumped. I stacked the bowls of leftover popcorn and pretended like I hadn’t heard a thing.

“I can get that.” JP’s voice was thick and low.

I smiled at him. “It’s okay. I got it. Did you have fun tonight?”

JP raked a hand through his hair and exhaled. “I didn’t realize seven-year-olds were so exhausting.”

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I learned pretty quickly that even the good ones have the attention span of a gnat.” I looked around the disheveled living room. “Looks like you did okay, though.”

JP scooped pieces of the board game into the box. “I had reinforcements. I think Teddy likes the fact that Whip plays by the rules, but Royal cheats.” He chuckled, and the low rumble made goose bumps erupt across my skin.

“What about you?” I asked after dumping the leftover popcorn in the trash and depositing the bowls in the sink. “Are you a cheater?”

Only the dim lighting of a lamp on the countertop illuminated the room. We were folded in soft lighting, and I admired how the golden light cut across his sharp cheekbones.

In the faded light, his eyes were softer.

Kinder.

He moved toward me, crowding me as my back pressed against the countertop. JP leaned into my space as he placed a cup in the sink behind me.

His face was inches from mine. “I’m not the villain you think that I am, Hazel.”

My mind raced as my throat went hot and thick. I swallowed past the uncertainty and tried to find the words to tell him that I suspected he might be right about that.

His gravelly voice tickled the back of my neck, and my thighs pressed together. “I’m also not a cheater, but I do play to win.”

My breath was shaky, but I smiled. “Let me guess. Ruthless?”

A wolf’s grin spread across his face and my pulse danced. “Every time.”

Over his shoulder I could see the scattered game pieces still covering the coffee table. I swallowed. “You know . . .” I licked my lips and his cool eyes tracked the movement, sending a bolt of lightning straight to my clit. “I’m pretty good at that game. Do you want to play a round?”

JP glanced over his shoulder to the living room. His lips twitched. “I’m a little bored with that one.” He shrugged. “I deal with properties and finance every day in my real job.”

“Ahh,” I teased. My palms gripped the marble countertop at my back. “You prefer the thrill of a real acquisition.”

JP’s hip brushed mine, and I wanted to ignite. “I like taking what someone says I can’t have.”

I slinked past him, needing space before I did something stupid like grab him by his T-shirt and press my mouth to his.

Again.

I cleared my throat and faked a smile, hoping he couldn’t see the way my nipples were actively broadcasting how keyed up I was. “How about . . . you try something new?”

JP took my spot against the counter, moving one ankle over the other and crossing his arms. “Like?”

“Let me do a tarot reading with you.” Excitement built as I considered the prospect of getting some insight into the elusive JP King.

His brow furrowed. “Like fortune-telling?”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Tarot isn’t fortune-telling. It simply gives you insight. It’s a powerful way of revealing the truth about your life.”

He gave me a flat look. “So . . . it’s bullshit.”

I scoffed. “Fine. Be a stick-in-the-mud.”

I turned to leave the kitchen when his quiet voice stopped me. “Okay.”

I eased back around to find him staring at me. Energy crackled under my skin. “Okay?”

He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Let’s get this over with.”

The tiny quirk at the side of his mouth was endearing. He tried so hard to be an asshole that it was easy to forget there was a man I’d yet to fully understand hiding just beneath the surface.

I scampered out of the living room and dashed up the stairs to my bedroom. My tarot deck was wrapped in cloth. I also grabbed a smudge stick, matches, and a small piece of selenite crystal.

When I walked back downstairs, I paused to notice a few candles had been lit. I smiled at JP’s back.

He was focusing on something in the kitchen, and when he turned, he was holding two glasses of wine.

I raised an eyebrow. “Setting the mood?”

His jaw flexed and my stomach bunched. I couldn’t help the fact he was so easy to annoy, and that stern look just did something to my insides.

Giving him a break, I motioned with my head to the kitchen table. “Come on.”

He followed and I sat at the head of the table, unfolding the mat and placing the selenite crystal beside it. If he was freaked out, he didn’t show it. JP simply took a drink of his wine and slid the other glass closer to me.

I placed my hand over the white sage smudge stick. “This is for purifying and cleansing negative energy. Is it okay if I do that?”

He nodded once.

With a smile, I lit a match and ignited the sage. Once it was lit, I blew it out, allowing the embers to gently smoke. I wafted the fragrant smoke around us. “It’s okay if you don’t believe in it.”

JP shrugged. “It’s fine. Luna practically bathes me in smoke every time I see her at the tattoo shop. I’m used to it.”

I snorted gently and set down the bundle. “I knew I liked her.”

JP exhaled and leaned in. “Between you and me? Sometimes I think it actually works.”

I smiled at him before I closed my eyes. I tipped my head back and rolled my head. I moaned, trying not to giggle. I could feel his wary gaze on my skin. “What? What’s that?” I whispered. I put my fingers against my temple. “Who is it? Who’s there? Molly?” My eyes flew open. “Molly, you’re in danger, girl!”

JP looked around in panic as though he might see a spirit standing in his kitchen. “What? Who the hell is Molly?”

I couldn’t hold in my laughter. JP’s features went stern and I laughed even harder. “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. I’m just teasing. Haven’t you ever seen the movie Ghost?”

JP huffed, but smiled. “You’re ridiculous.”

I grinned. “Thank you. Now, come on, scoot over here.” I tamped down the giddy smile that played on my lips and exhaled. “I can do a three-card reading. If there’s anything you are searching for or want guidance from the universe about, you can hold on to those thoughts while I shuffle.”

He eyed me skeptically, but with a shake of his head, closed his eyes. Closing his eyes was unnecessary, but I took the moment to soak in how truly handsome he was. His dark features softened, and I wondered if he looked that peaceful when he slept.

My hands trembled as I cut the deck and began to shuffle.

After I was satisfied the deck was mixed, I flipped over the first card.

“Okay,” I said with a gentle smile. “This is a good start. The Ten of Cups. This card represents harmony.” I pointed at the ornate illustration. “See how the couple is lovingly embracing? Their children are playing nearby and all ten cups are full.”

JP studied the card with a frown. “Seems nice.”

I smiled at him, relieved that there wasn’t a hint of mockery in his tone. “It is nice. It’s meant to represent emotional fulfillment and lasting happiness.”

He took a deep breath as I shuffled again. The scent of white sage clung to the air and wrapped around us.

I flipped the next card. “Oh, okay. This is the Four of Wands. See how the pair is dancing? They’re celebrating. It’s a card that represents homecoming—that could be an actual homecoming or an emotional one, like finding the lost parts of yourself. It usually represents a safe and secure home environment.”

He looked around the dim living room and kitchen bathed in flickering candlelight. “I like that.” He shifted, resting his chin in his hand. “What’s next?”

I gently released my breath and shuffled again. My fingers twitched and two cards fell from the deck, face down. “Oh, you have some jumpers.” I set the deck aside. “Jumpers are when a card—or in this case, two—jumps out. It means it’s a message the universe wants you to have.”

I waggled my eyebrows at him, then flipped the cards over one by one and stared.

Oh, shit.

His eyes bounced from the cards to me. “What?” He chuckled. “Is it bad?”

I slid one toward him, using my hand to cover the illustration. “No. There are no bad cards. It’s all about interpretation and intention. Um . . .” My brow furrowed as I scrambled to think how to approach explaining the cards that jumped.

“This is the Tower.” I slid it closer and removed my hand so JP could see it.

“Jesus. Is that guy jumping off the building?” His eyebrows tilted inward as he inched closer.

I swallowed past the lump that had expanded in my throat. “He’s falling. Receiving the Tower typically means a moment of great upheaval. Your entire worldview crumbles in the face of tragedy.”

“Well, who is he?”

I blinked at him. “The King.”

The irony wasn’t lost on him. JP scoffed and sat back. “Well, that shit tracks.” JP dragged a hand down the corners of his mouth.

I moved the second card next to the Tower. “It’s paired with this one—the Two of Swords. You have a difficult decision ahead of you. An impasse. Do you see how the man here has his head down? He is looking inward rather than outward. It may mean there is going to be a decision and only you can make the choice.”

He stared at the cards for a tiny flicker of a moment before looking at me. “That’s fine. I make difficult decisions every day.”

Tension stretched between us. My hand paused over the deck, ready to pack it up and consider the reading—and the moment—over.

When I slid the deck toward me, JP’s hand landed on top of mine. “I have one more, right? You said a three-card pull.”

I glanced up at him and faked a smile. “Of course.”

With a quick shuffle, I pulled the last card.

“Oh.” My eyes fixed on the card and the breath was stolen from my lungs.

JP’s attention was pinned to the last card.

The Lovers.

I blinked and closed my mouth. With a gentle throat clearing, I sat higher in my seat. “The Lovers card indicates a strong soulful connection between two people.” As I spoke, I could feel my cheeks heat.

Candlelight flickered in his blue eyes as they moved from the card to my face.

“Um . . . it doesn’t necessarily mean, like, lovers lovers. It can be a familial connection or a deep, loving friendship. Regardless, it’s a connection of the souls.” I tapped my fingers against my breastbone.

His eyes fixed to where my heart thumped beneath my chest. “But it can, though, right? Mean actual lovers?”

JP’s stare was igniting my insides, setting my skin on fire. All I could imagine was letting the world fall away and riding him until nothing but that moment mattered.

I raked a hand across my flushed neck. “It could.”

The corner of his lip tilted up. With one hand, he gripped the underside of my chair and slid it around the corner of the table to pull me close to him. He shifted to face me.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I had no right being in Olive’s place, but my body’s reaction to him was instinctual. JP slid my chair between his spread legs. My clit hummed at the sheer masculinity and ease of his movements.

My knees were trapped as he leaned in. “It could.”