Just Like That (The Kings)

Hazel was standing in front of me, unsure of what to do next. I hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her toward me, inhaling her heady perfume.

Holding her, I leaned back, making us both tumble to the bed. Hazel yelped, and I pulled her up my body and settled her right over my face. I kissed her inner thigh, making my way up. My palms gripped her ass and urged her down over me so I could lick and suck and finally taste her again.

“Oh my god,” she moaned, bracing herself against the headboard. Her hips moved back and forth over my face as I sucked her clit. I pushed my fingers inside her, stretching her and reveling in the way she contracted around my fingers.

“That’s it, Hex,” I urged, her nickname rolling off my tongue. “Come on my face.”

With both hands, I pulled her down and devoured her while her orgasm took over. She ground against my face, and I lapped up every delicious drop.

Her breathing was hard and fast, but I wasn’t done with her. When she finished, I moved out from under her, keeping her on all fours. My hand moved over her ass. “Stay there.”

I made quick work of undressing and rolling a condom on. Behind her, I teased her with the tip of my cock.

“Yes.”

One breathless syllable and I nearly came apart. I inched the head just inside her and stopped. “That’s it. Beg for it.”

Her back arched as her hips pushed backward, begging for more. “Please.”

My hand moved up her spine. “Say it.”

“I want—” Hazel looked over her shoulder and licked her lips. “I want you to fuck me.”

I grinned, giving her more inches and feeling her stretch around me. “Good girl.”

She was so fucking wet that I slid in and we groaned in unison. Slowly I dragged in and out of her, enjoying how snug and wet she was. Her pussy tightened around me with every thrust. I could feel my spine tingle, ready to pump her full of my cum.

I fucking hated that I couldn’t fuck her raw—nothing to stop my cum from seeping out of her and painting her inner thighs as mine.

“Jesus, you feel good.” My hands roamed over her ass as I chased my release. “I want to fill you with my cum.”

Her strawberry blond hair whipped over her back as she looked over her shoulder at me. “Do it.” She lowered her tits to the bed, deepening the angle. “You can have me bare. I’m on birth control.”

My mind was at war with my body. I wanted nothing more than to feel her with nothing between us, but my controlling nature was screaming at me that it wasn’t a good idea.

But this was Hazel.

She was mine.

She was everything.

In one move, I slid out from her and pulled the condom off my cock before lining up at her entrance again. Without a barrier between us, she was slick and hot.

I pushed into her and she tightened around me.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “You feel unreal. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

Nothing and no one had ever been so perfect.

So made for me.

I pumped into her, feeling her coil and ready to be set free. I wrapped my hand around her hip and slid between her legs, thrumming her clit as I moved in and out. She clenched around me and I hissed at how tight she was.

“You were fucking made for me. Do you know that?” I was so close to finally letting her past every wall I’d put up to keep me safe. So close to telling her that I was in over my head with her, drowning in her.

“Say it,” I demanded, my hand running up her spine and tangling into her hair. “Tell me you need this as much as I do.”

“Yes. Yes, I need you, JP.” I pumped into her as my chest tightened.

Hazel’s face buried into the pillow as she cried out and I finally gave in, sending me over the edge with her.

I folded over her to press a kiss on her spine as I gripped her hips. Achingly slowly, I pulled out of her, watching my cum spill out of her and coat her thigh, exactly like I knew it would. My fingers stroked up the soft skin on her inner thigh, pushing my cum back inside her.

Hazel collapsed on the bed with a satisfied laugh, and I lowered myself beside her.

She shook her head and stifled a giggle into the pillow.

“What?” I asked. “What is it?”

Her hand covered her face as she laughed. “Nothing.”

I stared at her and she giggled again.

“This. You. Us?” Her finger swirled in the air. “A private jet to Italy.”

I moved a strand of hair that stuck to her face and hooked it behind her ear. “The jet and the trip don’t mean anything.” I reached down her arm to capture her hand. “I learned a long time ago that it’s just money. It makes life comfortable and it’s necessary, but it doesn’t bring you happiness.” I raised the back of her hand to my lips. “But you, on the other hand . . .”

Her shy smile grew. “I make you happy?”

I wouldn’t have been able to stop my smile if I had tried. “You’re impulsive and undisciplined and sincere.” I focused my attention on tracing my fingers over hers so I wouldn’t lose the nerve to finally open up to her. “With you I feel whole for the first time in my life.” My eyes flicked to hers. “You make the emptiness go away.”

Her fingers linked with mine as she snuggled closer. “I warned you. When I did your tarot reading, I warned you that something was going to upend your entire life.” I chuckled at the irony. “I just didn’t realize it was me.”

I pulled her closer, burying my face into her hair. Our limbs were a tangled mess. “I knew. It scared the shit out of me, but deep down I knew it was you.”

Hazel had consumed me from our first meeting. Every minute of every goddamned day she’d consumed my every thought.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her hair.

“You make me happy too,” she whispered.

I tightened my embrace, emotion burning the bridge of my nose.

Hazel sighed and closed her eyes as she melted into me. I could tell she was drifting off.

I wanted to tell her. Tell her that I loved her so completely that nothing would ever be the same. I had plans for the three of us.

I almost woke her to tell her.

Instead, I let her sleep, closing my eyes and drifting off next to her, dreaming of a world where all my plans wouldn’t clip the wings of her free and adventurous spirit.

A world in which, for once, something worked out for me.

The Amalfi Coast was a gorgeous seaside town with its salmon-hued cliff sides and the cheerful pastel houses that dotted the coastline. In my experience, early autumn was the best time to visit. The weather was sunny and clear without being stifling. The impending harvest season also meant an avalanche of chestnuts and other local delicacies on the local menus.

A driver had taken us from the airport and dropped us in the heart of the village. I planned lunch for us before the next leg of our adventure.

“It’s like a postcard!” Hazel’s grin spread wide as she looked up at the pastel-colored buildings perched on cliffs overlooking the glistening turquoise waters. She snapped a few pictures with her phone and flipped it around to take a selfie.

I stepped forward with my hand out. “Let me.”

She blushed and handed me the phone. Instead of taking a picture of her in front of the gorgeous landscape, I tucked her into my side and held out my arm to take a selfie. As I took the picture, I dropped a kiss onto her hair.

“There.” I handed her the phone.

She looked at the picture of us and smiled. “It’s perfect.” Hazel looked down at her phone. “What’s the time difference again?”

I checked my watch. “He should be getting out of school soon.”

Hazel grinned. “I still don’t know if I should be proud or hurt that he couldn’t have cared less if we were there for the first day of school.”

I lifted a shoulder. “Kids are resilient. From the sound of it, he’s having a ball without us.”

In truth, I was eager to check in with Teddy too. I knew Sloane and Abel would make sure he was well taken care of, and he’d have a great time with the twins, but I still worried.

“We can call him before lunch or wait until we’re on the yacht.” I slipped on my sunglasses.

“Yacht?” Hazel nearly choked on the word.

“It’s private, of course. There’s a satellite phone there and plenty of quiet places to talk.”

Hazel snorted. “Oh, hello . . .” She was putting on a fake snooty accent, clearly impersonating me in the most ridiculous way. “Yes, my name is JP King.” Her arm swung wide. “That’s my jet. Here’s my private yacht.”

I stared at her and tried not to laugh at her rather spot on, if not totally annoying, impression of me. “To be fair, I don’t own it.”

Her hand moved to her chest. “Oh . . . how embarrassing.”

I wrapped my arm around her neck and pulled her into me, rubbing my knuckles on her head as she squirmed. “You’re such a little shit,” I teased.

Hazel giggled and pushed herself free, her coppery blond hair wild from the mess I’d made of it.

“This feels like too much.” Hazel sighed and spun in a circle, her sundress floating on the coastal breeze. “But I love it. Thank you.”

“You deserve it.” I stepped forward and kissed her nose. “Come on, I want to show you something.” I held out my arm for her. “This village, Conca dei Marini, has a long and lurid history with witches.”

Delight flashed in her eyes. I smiled and continued as we walked down the cobblestone road toward the village near the water. “Local legend is that long ago, witches populated this small fishing village. They would meet at night to practice magical rites and prepare love potions and hex remedies. They were believed to be witches at night and pretty women during the day. They were said to lure tourists and fishermen as victims.”

Hazel grinned as I wove the tale of the Janare. She smiled and nodded at passersby and leaned into my biceps as we walked.

“How do you know so much about this?” she asked.

I grinned. “I did my research.”

Her eyes narrowed at me, and I sighed. “A weekend getaway to Italy is impressive, but Italy with witches?” I shrugged. “Come on.”

A light laugh escaped from behind her fingertips.

“Are you impressed?” I asked.

“Very.” She laughed and my chest swelled with pride.

“Good.” I enjoyed how perfectly Hazel fit into my side as we walked. “I like taking care of you.”

She sighed and I hoped it was a happy one. “Did you ever think this would be your life?” she asked.

I smiled and looked at her. “Did I think a wild, cheerful woman and a cute, quirky kid would fall into my life and make me realize just how stuck I had been?” I shook my head, laughing. “No. I can’t say that I saw that one coming.”

“He is pretty cute.” She bumped into my arm. “Kind of looks like his dad.”

My chest pinched. We hadn’t gotten the paternity results back, but it was hard to deny the fact that Teddy was like a mirror image of me.

It struck me that I hadn’t grown the balls to tell her just how deeply I’d fallen for her. I hadn’t even alluded to the fact that I was just as enamored with Teddy too. I turned in the middle of that cobblestone road to face her.

Hazel gazed up at me as I dragged my thumb across her eyebrow and cupped her face. “I’m glad you brought him into my life. I’m better with him . . . and with you.” I pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Thank you.”

When I looked at her again, fresh tears were shimmering against her lashes. She swiped them away. “I don’t know why I’m crying. I had this plan where I was going to show up and face the jerk who’d broken my sister’s heart. I was going to demand you sign over your rights. Then we’d leave and I would never look back.” She laughed and shook her head. “Now look at me . . . I’m running away on a holiday to the Amalfi Coast with the guy.”

I smirked, knowing full well how I had also done a complete one-eighty in regard to her when she’d shown up in town. “Now here we are.”

Her hands slipped into mine. “Here we are.”

I looked over her shoulder, spotting the apothecary boutique I’d found for her. I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “How about you spend some more of my money.” I flicked my chin in the direction of the store.

Hazel looked over her shoulder and grinned. “I could put a spell on you, you know.”

With a swift kiss, I sauntered ahead of her. “Already have, Hex.”