Page 34 of King’s Kismet

She went quiet for a moment, then her mental voice stammered, “Fuck. What was happening to me?”

Same, Trouble. Same.

I hopped onto the bathroom counter, leaning my back against the mirror and pulling my leg up as I tried to get comfortable. I was in this conversation for the long haul. I wanted to hear it all.

“My whole fucking world was flipped upside down in a matter of weeks. How!? I’d only ever fallen for York. Then I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t let old emotions make me feel any type of way for him.”

Water splashed forcefully, soap suds sliding down the frosted glass of the shower wall. I picked up a makeup brush, absently running my fingers over the soft bristles as I listened.

“Yet I’d told him I loved him. Again. And it had been so effortless to say, like most things were with my druid. He had an uncanny ability to make me spill my guts, just word vomit every tiny thought that crossed my mind.”

Yep. I was happy that I stayed. This was getting good. She was thinking about things that would be fucking fantastic to have her say out loud… So we could get to know her better.

“Admitting aloud that I had deeper feelings for Novak had been eye-opening. I fucking knew that would happen, too. He was so… easy. Talking to him, laughing with him, being around him, nothing about him was difficult.”

I huffed. Of course, I was easy. What you saw was what you got. I didn’t have shit to hide.

“The thought of verbally expressing my feelings to him made me want to gag, though. But, godsdamnit, I’d gone and fallen in love with my vampire at some point. It was all fun and flirting, then the L word slapped me right in the face.”

Her vampire?

Why did I like that so much?

But, uhm, fun and flirting didn’t mean that I wasn’t—Wait. Did she just say… Did she… I scratched my head, my mind already locked on to the fact that she said she’d fallen in love with me.

Was that the tingly feeling in my chest?

I knew it was, but hearing her say it just verified the butterfly effect that had been happening.

She continued her thoughts, not pausing to give me time to digest.

“Stone still had not put me out of my misery. Not an incubus, my ass. Every single time he smiled at me, I just fucking melted.”

Again. Same, Trouble. The demon seemed to affect everyone he met, but I didn’t think he really knew how hot he was.

No.

Back to me.

I had questions.

“He seemed to understand more about me than I’d given him credit for, and that was pure stupidity on my part. My demon mate saw everything, especially all the little things that turned me on or set me off. I was starting to think that he was making a list, like the pros and cons of Sloane King.”

Funny. That was exactly what we’d been doing.

“Fuck. He had me twisted. He was one smirk away from me jumping his bones, audience be damned.”

Yes. One hundred times, yes.

When she did that, I wanted to be the audience. Or a participant. Both options worked for me.

But I still had questions. I needed her to bounce back to her feelings for me so we could work them out.

In her head.

I’d never told anyone—other than my mom and Blaire—that I loved them, and I needed to know how to do it the right way. That wasn’t something I was willing to fuck up.

I was playing for keeps. I wouldn’t let her go the way my bastard of a father did to my mom.