Just Between Us (The Kings)

Sloane and Abel couldn’t have planned a prettier day for their wedding. Well . . . their second one, as it were. Everyone had been relieved when they’d decided to marry without my father in attendance. Abel had started his rebellion against our father by secretly marrying Sloane and buying Abel’s Brewery out from under King Equities.

At first the marriage was supposed to be a business tactic, but it turned out things weren’t quite as fake between the two after all. My gaze sank to my shoes as a pit formed in my stomach. He deserved this, and I envied him.

For the past few years, I’d secretly let myself be consumed with the endorphins and false high I got from the Pulse app, but it was nothing like what Abel and Sloane shared.

It wasn’t real.

I slipped my phone from my pocket to check my messages in the app. My apology message to MsBlackCat had been read, but there was no response. I should have known better than to impulsively attempt to video chat her without asking.

Typical.

While the slight sting of rejection was there, I recognized it for what it was—a small blow to my ego. Deep down I had always known that whatever I was doing on Pulse wasn’t rooted in reality. I used the fantasy to numb out just as much as the viewers did.

I sighed. Maybe it was time for a hard reset.

A thousand reasons for why I should just delete the app bounced in my brain, but I simply couldn’t do it. I told myself it all came down to money. I’d poured every ounce of my shop’s profit back into my tattoo business—high-end furniture, top-of-the-line machines, competitive wages for everyone who worked there. With my father owning the building, I needed more liquid cash if I was going to finally get out from under him while protecting what I had built.

I needed the money . . . I also needed her.

In some sick way the mysterious online woman had a hold on me I couldn’t explain. Our banter was fun, and she was intriguing. Despite my gut telling me to delete the app altogether, it felt oddly wrong to ghost her without any kind of explanation.

Next to me Abel shifted in his suit, drawing my attention. My hand clamped on his shoulder. “You nervous?”

“Nah.” The hard twitch at the corner of his mouth communicated otherwise.

My laughter rang out. “You’re so full of shit.”

I glanced at the gathering crowd. We stood just inside Abel’s Brewery, looking out onto the sand dune cliffs where Sloane and Abel would be married. The afternoon sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the sandy cliffs, encasing the brewery in soft, golden light.

“I’m happy for you.” Kings weren’t known for sharing their feelings, but I hoped he understood the sincerity in my voice.

Abel took my hand in his. “Thank you.”

Side by side we watched as more guests took their seats.

Duke Sullivan sat with our nephew Gus on his lap. His brothers and their spouses sat around him. Over the past several months Kate and Beckett Miller had worked on rebuilding Sloane’s family farmhouse. Whip flipped Lee the middle finger, and they both laughed before shaking hands. MJ looked so grown up in her fancy dress as she smiled at every guest, engaged in small talk, and made silly faces at Gus.

Abel laughed and shook his head.

I studied his face. “What is it?”

“Just this.” He gestured toward the wedding guests. “You think anyone would have believed Sullivans and Kings would be in the same room but be practically family? It’s wild.”

I exhaled and shook my head. “It is pretty fucked up.” Everything was shifting, and I wasn’t certain how I felt about that.

My eyes narrowed. “I think I’ll toilet paper Lee’s truck to make up for it.”

My older brother shook his head. “You are such a child.”

I shrugged, not bothering to argue with him. As we waited, I scanned the crowd. My eyes fell on Veda Bauer, and my face split into a sly grin.

Another intriguing mystery to unravel.

Veda was standing apart from the crowd, dressed in a one-shoulder satin dress in a deep charcoal color that hugged her curves and accentuated her bright-jade eyes. A high slit on one side revealed the smooth, tan skin of her thigh, and my mouth went dry.

Damn, she is pretty.

She must have felt my attention on her, because when she looked over her shoulder, her stare could have made even Lucifer’s balls freeze and fall off.

My older brother winced. “Yikes. What the hell did you do to her?”

I assumed with the wedding planning, he hadn’t yet heard about the egg-and-milk incident. My grin spread as I shook my head. “I don’t know . . . I don’t think she likes me.”

Abel’s face scrunched. “Why are you smiling like that?”

Energy coursed through me as I drank in the way her scowl and piercing green eyes were directed at me. My shoulders danced. “I kind of like them feisty.”

Abel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jesus. Do not mess with the one woman who’s helping us out of Dad’s mess. That woman looks like she would crush your balls and smile about it.”

“What’s her deal?” I whispered to Abel.

He shrugged. “JP was tight-lipped about it.”

“Typical.” I nodded.

“I guess she was working as a consultant for some huge corporation in Chicago when things fell apart. When the deal fell through, it ruined her career.”

My face twisted. “Seriously? All that because a deal went south?” Seemed odd.

Abel shrugged again. “Apparently not just any deal—the deal of the century. It was a slam dunk and she bungled it. I’d watch out if I were you.”

I murmured a noise in acknowledgment but eyed the mysterious woman. Veda watched guests take their seats with cool indifference. She was a puzzle, and I was determined to get to the root of why she’d gone so frosty on me in the tattoo parlor.

It was a challenge I couldn’t seem to give up, despite my brother’s warnings. My overzealous boundary hopping may have sent MsBlackCat running for the hills, but Veda was real, and I was never one to back down from a challenge.

In many ways our brief interactions reminded me a lot of the frosty exterior of my secret online friend.

Wouldn’t that be the ultimate sick twist of fate?

Laughing at myself, I swept the ridiculous thought aside as the processional music began.

The wedding waspeaceful and heartfelt. When Abel and Sloane exchanged vows of love and devotion, I cried like a baby but pretended the slight breeze had kicked sand in my eyes.

The garage-style doors to the brewery were opened, and the reception was in full swing. MJ had taken Veda under her wing and insisted she sit with us at dinner. The guest list was small, and my sister had managed to squeeze an extra place setting at the long banquet table. Abel and Sloane had wanted everyone sitting family-style, so Kings and Sullivans were haphazardly sprinkled throughout the place settings.

Across from me, I studied Veda as she sat with her back ramrod straight. She listened to the conversations around her without participating, but her eyes were always watching.

Assessing.

Lark and my little sister seemed to be in some kind of heated debate over pets.

“He was kind of a golden retriever. We lasted one date,” MJ said with a sad lift of her shoulder.

The fuck?

“Wait, what?” I leaned forward, intrigued by their conversation.

Lark laughed and waved a hand in my direction. “Girl talk. No boys allowed,” she teased.

I shook my head and pointed at her. “Nah. This is my little sister we’re talking about. Since when do you date?”

MJ rolled her eyes and swatted her hand between us. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, we’re talking about energy. Black cat? German shepherd? Golden retriever? There are all kinds of energy to consider when dating someone.”

“For example,” Lark added, gesturing across the table at the oldest Sullivan. “Duke is a German shepherd. He’s fiercely loyal and protective. He also hates everyone but Sylvie.”

Duke frowned, proving Lark’s point, and Sylvie preened as she leaned into her husband. I paused, considering how frighteningly accurate her assessment was.

I grinned, enjoying the game. “Okay, so what am I?”

“Golden retriever,” MJ and Lark answered in unison, then laughed. It even garnered a smirk from Veda.

“Wait, wait, wait.” I pressed a tattooed hand to my chest. “I’m the dopey idiot of the dog world?”

My words made the women laugh only harder.

I shook my head. “I work hard at the gym for this body. I’m covered in tattoos. I scare people with my presence.”

Right?

“You literally just described Abel, minus the tattoos.” MJ’s hand slid across the table to pat mine. “Sorry, pal. You’re fun and optimistic and kind and sensitive. Big golden retriever energy.”

I pouted and crossed my arms.

So not cool.

My eyes shifted to Veda, who was struggling to hide her own smile.

Doubling down, I leaned back in my chair and assessed the woman across from me. “Come to think of it, I have heard about this. Black cats are aloof. Standoffish, right?”

MJ shrugged. “There’s an allure that only some people can pull off.”

My chin jutted out. “I can be alluring.”

Sylvie nearly choked on her water, and I cast her a glare.

“Well, what do you think?” I pinned Veda with a heated look.

Her eyes flicked down, then back up, a challenging smirk painted on her pretty face. “You cross a black cat and you’re bound to get scratched.”

Lark laughed and clapped. “Exactly!”

My eyes didn’t leave Veda’s as I studied her features. There was something about her snippy banter that drew me in—something oddly comforting and familiar.

And then it clicked.

Sparks danced under my skin. I raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I don’t know what you’re smirking at over there, little Miss Black Cat.”

She blanched, all color draining from her face as her movements went still. Her eyes whipped to mine, intensity flaring in their jade-green depths.

Confirmation sparked in the back of my brain, lighting me up.

Could it . . . ? No. No way in hell the woman I’ve been obsessing over actually found her way into my small town.

My heart raced as I realized the pieces of her personality fit perfectly together.

“I think I’m a pug or something.” MJ sighed. “Black cats are so cool.”

Lark’s eyes bounced between my narrowed gaze and Veda, who was rooted to her seat but looked like she wanted to die on the spot. “We all just met our new guest. I’m sure Veda could speak to her own energy without us making silly assumptions.”

Veda offered Lark a tight, appreciative smile, but my eyes didn’t leave Veda’s face. I had to know if it was really her. “I don’t know . . . black cats have always been my favorite. They’re precious to me.”

Veda’s gaze lowered to the back of my hand. The muscles in her neck worked as she visibly gulped.

My heart skidded to a stop inside my chest.

Well, I’ll be damned.

My eyes pinned her in place as the corner of my mouth lifted into a cocky smirk.

I see you, MsBlackCat.

Defiance flashed in her eyes as she recovered, her cool expression masking what I can only imagine was an internal freak-out, because it was plain as day that we both knew. “Black cat energy has its place. It’s especially helpful when some men are all talk and no action.”

Excitement tittered under my skin. MsBlackCat had admitted that my last video had left her wanting more, and Veda’s comments all but confirmed it was her.

I chuffed out a small laugh.

Challenge officially accepted.

Outing our online personas wasn’t something I was willing to do publicly. I needed time to plan—to plot.

So instead I diverted the conversation to lighten the mood and lifted my chin. “Duke knows all kinds of cat facts . . . right, man?”

Duke’s eyes sliced to mine from a few seats down the table. A muscle in his jaw popped, and I couldn’t stop the shit-eating grin that spread across my face.

Once upon a time I had used his phone number to subscribe and receive excessive cat facts texts. It drove him nuts.

Sylvie had once let it slip that she used to tease him about it back when no one knew they were friends, so maybe, in a roundabout way, I had played a small part in her falling in love.

My sister’s hand flew to her mouth to cover the giggle that burst from her. Her husband grumbled but his eyes softened when they landed on his wife. They exchanged whispers, and when he leaned in to kiss Sylvie, my chest pinched.

“Oh! Come on, ladies . . . it’s almost time for the bouquet toss.” MJ circled a finger around the table. “Then the guys have something special too.”

Sylvie shook her head. “Isn’t this just for single people?”

Kate chimed in. “Sloane wanted everyone to feel included. Looks like we’re all suffering now.” She stood and the rest of the women followed. As they walked away, MJ looped her arm into Veda’s, leaning in to whisper something I couldn’t hear.

I was transfixed by the shape of Veda’s ass as they moved toward the dance floor. MJ turned to enthusiastically nod and mouth something like Veda. She shot me a thumbs-up from behind Veda’s back.

Oh, she’s going to love this.

The girls were definitely up to something.

Sure enough, when Sloane launched her bouquet behind her, the women parted like the sea, leaving an unprepared Veda to catch the flowers. She bobbled it once but with a determined snatch held the bouquet in a firm grip inches before it hit the floor.

A breathy smile slipped out as she adjusted her dress with her free hand, and my heart flopped over.

We then learned that Abel planned to toss an empty whiskey box, the bottle being awarded to the lucky winner. It was a relief because if you stop to think about it, publicly removing a garter from his new wife and then tossing it into a crowd of rowdy dudes is super fucking weird.

The DJ came over the speaker. “All right, gentlemen, let’s get you lined up. The winner will receive a Macallan double cask whiskey and a dance with this lovely young lady.”

He gestured toward Veda, and her cheeks flared pink. My eyebrows pitched higher.

Game on.

I scrambled from my seat to take to the dance floor. The men exchanged friendly shoves as we waited for Abel to take his position in front of us.

“Twenty bucks says the box is mine.” Lee Sullivan tipped his chin at my brother JP.

“Make it a hundred and then maybe we’ll talk,” JP fired back with a smug huff.

Lee grinned. My toes bounced with unreleased energy. I didn’t give two shits about that whiskey, but I wanted that fucking dance.

Music played as Abel gave us his back and tossed the box over his head.

I took off like a shot, launching myself into the air. I used Lee’s back as a springboard to hoist myself higher. My arm stretched, and when my hand connected with the slim blue box, I tucked it into my armpit. Lee tumbled forward, taking me with him.

We crashed to the floor and rolled. A chair was overturned. The crowd parted and we laughed. From the ground, Lee took a cheap shot, punching me in the arm, and I laughed only harder. I leaped to my feet, dusting off my slacks before reaching down to haul Lee up.

With a shove he left me to scoop Annie into his arms and leave the dance floor.

The whiskey box was mangled, crushed under our weight. I held it like a baby in the crook of my arm and sauntered toward the DJ booth. When I reached Veda, I grinned, tossing the box onto the table beside me.

“You’re reckless.” She crossed her arms. Veda’s icy stare warmed my blood.

My lips scrunched. “Resourceful. Determined.” When the slow song started, I held open my arm and gestured toward the dance floor. “They’re all waiting.”

Her eyes darted around to see every guest’s eyes locked on us. A pained smile spread across her face as she stepped into my embrace. I held her, without shame, as we swayed to the music.

Veda’s perfume was rich and heady—not sickly sweet like many girls wore but a woman’s fragrance with notes of musk and something floral. It was alluring and sexy.

I drew in a deep lungful and held it.

“Did you just sniff me?” she asked, a slight ring of annoyance on the edges.

I chuckled. “I did. You smell nice.”

A noncommittal huff was her only response.

I held her close, pressing my palm into the center of her back. Heat pulsed between us. My hunch that Veda was MsBlackCat scratched at my brain, but I wasn’t sure how you asked someone whether she happened to frequent an app that provided users with varying levels of sex work.

I chuckled. “So a black cat and a golden retriever. Who would have thought?”

She leaned away to look at me. Up close, her eyes had a certain luminosity—bright green with darker flecks.

“How did you know?” she whispered, her eyes casting to the side.

A thrill zipped through me as I threw up an internal fist pump. I fucking knew it!

I cleared my throat, doing what I could to appear as unaffected as she did. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Her eyes flashed to mine, then down to my hand as it held hers. When her gaze lifted, one eyebrow went with it. “You have very distinctive tattoos, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

I chuckled, amused at the simplicity of it all. When she came to meet me at the tattoo shop, she had noticed my ink. It was once she realized who I was that she clammed up and bolted.

Our song ended far too quickly, and as soon as the final notes faded, Veda stepped back like my touch had burned her. Her lips formed a tight, polite smile as she moved farther away.

I rubbed my hands together, still feeling her warmth. The haughty challenge in her eyes was a dare I couldn’t resist.

I grinned. “This town is small, Precious. I’ll be seeing you.”