Crossing my arms, I asked, “What?”

He stared at me for a long moment, and then asked calmly, “You’re not sleeping with him?”

I snorted, dropping my arms and moving into the bathroom to brush my hair. “No, I’m not.”

Another pause, then a quiet, “I’ve slept with four women since we stopped.”

My hands instantly trembled on the brush, but I gripped it hard and focused on my task, wanting to run the f**k out of here.

I heard the bed squeak, which it had started doing during our three weeks together on it, and he was suddenly resting his shoulder against the doorframe. “I thought you were sleeping with him. He’s never touched you before and he started doing it this week. You’ve been spending so much time together,” he ran a quick hand through his hair as I set the brush down and picked up a hair tie, “I thought you were having sex.”

Breathing through my nose slowly, I studied my hair in the mirror. “Well, we’re not.” My movements were slow and controlled, making sure I got my hair up right on the first try. “It doesn’t matter anyway, Ezra. I realize you were mistaken, thinking I was flaunting him in front of you, and that’s why you tried to hurt my feelings by saying what you did about Rose.” My gaze flicked to black robe. “It still smells of her by the way.”

He instantly backed up, undoing the buttons. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

I waved a hand, walking out past him. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just an adjustment period.”

“Lily, sweetheart—”

“Don’t call me that.” I stopped, my attention snapping to him. Too many memories.

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He dropped the robe on the ground, and took three long strides to me. His hand lifted, wavering next to my cheek, and I quickly stepped back, away from him, utterly pissed, but trying to be cordial. His eyebrows slammed together, his hand dropping as his nostrils flared. He loomed over me, and my head crooked, staring up at him. He inhaled deeply, his eyes shutting. He took two steps back. “You were gone all night. I thought…” His eyes opened, void of emotion. “You smell like sex.”

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.”




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