Kingpin (Court University 2)

“You know I’ll be there by your side, right? At the wedding and supporting yo

u?” Sinclair assured, and when he flashed that handsome grin of his at me, it was hard to stay mad for too long. He shook me. “You’ll get through this, and like said, I’ll be with you.”

I appreciated that, appreciated him. My body warming, I crawled from the couch and into his lap, my boyfriend chuckling as he was forced to put his arms around me to keep me from falling off the couch.

I kissed his neck, his hand playing with my T-shirt. I wasn’t wearing a bra so my nipples were on fire against the hard panes of his chest.

“Billie…” he husked, a gravelly sigh in his voice. I reached down, going for the remote. I started to turn off his sports, but that’s when he grabbed my hand. He eyed me. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought it was obvious.” And sucking on his neck, I straddled him. “I’m clearly trying to have sex with my boyfriend.”

“Mmhmm.” He chuckled again, but my kisses should not be eliciting chuckles. They should be turning him the hell on, but for whatever reason, he was trying to watch the game over my shoulder. Undeterred, I kissed his neck harder, rolling my hips against him, but he pulled me back. He frowned. “You know I’m too old to be coming into work with a hickey on my neck.”

I frowned now. “No, you’re not, and if anything, that’ll just tell your colleagues you got game and please your girlfriend.”

“Or,” he stated, sliding me off his lap entirely. “My brothers will never let me live it down, and my father and uncles will give me shit the entire day. They might not even let me deal with clients, and I wouldn’t blame them. It’s not professional.”

“So having private sex with your girlfriend at her house is not professional?”

“You know that’s not what I meant. I just mean there’s a time and place.”

If at home with just him and me wasn’t that place, then I didn’t know what was. Scoffing, I got up from the couch, deciding to go to bed.

A heavy sigh instantly could be heard from behind me. “Where are you going?”

“Bed,” I called from my bedroom. “I got stuff to do tomorrow too. Classes?” In fact, my first day back. On top of being a student, I was a teaching assistant. I’d have classes as well, priorities just like him.

The less than dulcet sounds of a sports announcer coming from my living room could be heard again before another sigh. “You’re going to be funny about this, right? There’s not much longer on the game. I can come in after? Stay the night?”

Since he didn’t really do that, always pulling an early night to go to work the next day, I sat with the decision. Literally sitting on my bed.

“You’re thinking about it,” came in from the next room, a clear smile in his voice. He had me, and he knew it. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“You better,” I cut, only a little pout before getting changed into a bed shirt and shorts and climbing into bed. His deep chuckle could be heard from the living room as I did, and shaking my head, I lay on the pillow. I waited, my thoughts lulling over my day tomorrow. I tried not to think about the whole situation with my dad and I did well, the soft sounds of the television gently playing in the next room drowning my thoughts out. I closed my eyes but decided to do so only for a moment. Sinclair said he’d be in soon, and he wasn’t getting out of his promise.

Chapter Two

Billie

My house vibrating basically blasted me awake later that night, the room pitch black and a body next to mine.

Groaning, I realized I had slept a lot longer than I meant to, and turning, I noticed Sinclair, hugged up on the opposite side of my bed. He’d fallen asleep too, shirtless and on the other side of my queen bed.

I growled. Had he even tried to wake me up? Shaking my head but too annoyed to do anything about it, I rolled over and curled back up on my end. House music charged through my bedroom like I was in the actual club, and gnashing my teeth, I tossed the blankets off my body. My nearest neighbor was across the street, but apparently that wasn’t far enough away to keep their music out of my bedroom.

I shot up, immediately pressing myself up against the blinds and peering through the window. The nicest property on the block stared back at me, a multi-level, modern style with pewter brick walls and crystal-clear windows. The entire structure had them, a looking glass of colorful lights that strobed across the street and the snow-covered lawn. People were out there too, young people smoking and bearing the cold to do it, and I rolled my eyes. These people would have a party in the middle of January like the day before classes began. Never too soon for undergrads apparently. At least, I assumed that’s who they were.

I hopped back on the bed, nudging Sinclair, and all I got was a pillow plopping over his head. He’d obviously heard the music too but was attempting to ignore it. I nudged him again. “Sinclair?”

“What?”

“You don’t hear that?”

“Of course, I hear it.” His voice muffled, he ripped the pillow off. “Try to ignore it and go back to sleep.”

Ignore that? I could feel that base in my heart. I nudged him again and he groaned.

“Billie. Stop. I gotta work in the morning.”