Ruthless Kings (Windsor Academy 2)

Rather than embarrass myself again, I busy myself unwrapping the bandage and washing the tattoo with soap and water. Kingston comes up behind me as I'm pulling the sample tube of A&D out of my pocket, and I can see his smirk in the mirror when I shiver from the proximity. God, I hate it that I have no game around him. He turns me into this mindless bitch in heat by merely existing. I can't stop thinking about what happened after Peyton's party and how badly I want to do it again.

Kingston watches over my shoulder as I pat my arm dry and start spreading the ointment over my fresh ink. As soon as I’m done, he takes my hand and lifts my arm to get a closer look. His finger lightly traces around the design, careful not to touch the tattoo.

"That's jasmine, isn't it?"

“It is.” Not gonna lie; I’m impressed he knew that. “They were my mom’s favorite. She used to call me her sweet flower.”

My eyes get watery like they usually do whenever I recall a happy memory involving my mom. I hope one day I can think of her and smile, but right now, all those memories do is remind me I'll never have those experiences again. I'll never again hear my mom say a single word, let alone use her favorite term of endearment. God, I miss her so much, I physically ache. I briefly squeeze my eyes shut to force the tears back.

Kingston's still trailing his finger down my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "It's perfect."

My lips curve in a soft smile. “That’s exactly what Ainsley said.”

I never bought into the theory that twins' brains are linked together until I met Kingston and Ainsley. As different as their personalities are, they have this uncanny ability to know what the other one is thinking. Ainsley once told me she can even sense when her brother is hurt or really upset. Their bond isn't something that can be explained by science, but they've made me a firm believer.

Kingston returns my grin in the mirror. “That’s because she’s smart. Obviously, my intelligence rubbed off on her in the womb.”

“How do you know it’s not the other way around?”

"Uh, because I'm older and bigger. I even have a picture somewhere that proves it. My umbilical cord was twice as thick as hers, which means I got more nutrients in utero."

I chuckle. “Why am I not surprised you sucked at sharing, even back then?”

The amusement fades from Kingston’s greenish-gold eyes as his fingers curl over my shoulders. “That’s a recent development. Never really cared about anything enough to feel possessive before.”

My eyes search his. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about toys?”

“Because we’re not,” he says matter-of-factly.

He steps back slightly so I can turn around. “Kingston—”

“Jazz.”

My breath hitches when his hands bracket my hips, and he lowers his head. "Don't you...didn't you say you had to talk to me about something?"

Kingston nods. “I did.”

“So...” His hands flex, the tips of his fingers kneading into the globes of my ass. “Shouldn’t we, uh, do that? Talk, I mean?”

I can smell the whiskey on his breath as Kingston’s lips hover above mine. God, it’d be so easy to close the gap. “Yeah, we should.”

“If you’re about to bitch me out for something, you can save it.” Crap, why did that sound so breathy when I was going for stern?

“I’m not going to bitch you out, Jazz.”

Well, that’s a surprise.

“Really?” I’m sure the skepticism shows on my face. “You’re not going to read me the riot act for going to such a dangerous place at night with your sister in tow?”

Kingston’s head slowly slices to the left and then the right. “You know what you’re doing down there, and I trust that you wouldn’t put Ainsley in a compromising position.”

“Huh.” I blink a few times, not quite sure what to say. “So, are you gonna tell me what’s going on then, or stand there staring at me all night?

Kingston’s eyes meet mine. “Staring at you all night doesn’t sound like a bad way to pass the time, but I do have some new information to share. You know, in the interest of full disclosure.”

I pop an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you wanted the guys to hear, too?”

“I did. But I need to do something else first.”