Ruthless Kings (Windsor Academy 2)

Ainsley pulls me into her arms. “I really do, Jazz. You’re my girl. If you ever need anything, all you need to do is ask.”

I give her a big squeeze before I pull back, my eyes filling with tears. “Okay, no more mushy shit. You’re going to ruin my makeup. Go getchu some lovin’.”

She laughs as we’re weaving our way through the mob. When we finally reach Reed, Kingston is nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Kingston?” I ask Reed.

He jerks his head behind him. I instantly spot Kingston and Peyton standing against the back wall. Based on her flailing arms, I’m guessing she’s going off on him about something. I don’t know why Kingston is indulging her, but I’m going to put him out of his misery.

I incline my head toward them. “Looks like Kingston needs a rescue.”

“God, she’s such a bitch. I don’t understand why she doesn’t give up already.” Ainsley scowls. “Do you want us to go with you?”

“Nah, I can handle Peyton.”

Reed gives Ainsley a small smile. “You wanna get out of here? My parents are away for the weekend.”

Her eyes widen as she decodes his statement. “Absolutely.”

“Have fun, you two.” I give them a little finger wave, trying to hold in my smirk.

Kingston stands a little taller as he notices my approach. Peyton looks over her shoulder to see what's snagged his attention, and her eyes narrow when she spots me. She says one last thing to him, but the music is too loud for me to hear, before stomping away.

“What was that about?”

“Same shit. Different day.” Kingston tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “You look warm. You wanna get some fresh air? I stashed your shoes next to the barbeque out back.”

“Sure.”

Kingston leads me through the mass of bodies with his fingers threaded through mine. I shiver when we step outside from the sharp contrast in temperature.

Kingston rubs his hands over my arms. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I point to the small firepit down below. “But maybe we can sit down there for a bit?”

Nobody seems bothered by the fact that you can’t have campfires on public beaches, so I roll with it.

He nods and continues walking until we reach the small gathering in the sand. There's only one empty Adirondack chair, so Kingston takes a seat and pulls me onto his lap. I sigh in relief as my body instantly warms. We sit there for a few moments, just looking at the flames, soaking in the warmth.

Kingston rests his chin on my shoulder. “Where’d Ainsley and Reed go?”

“I don’t think you want the answer to that question.”

He groans. “You’re probably right.”

“Have you seen Bentley?”

"About fifteen minutes ago. He was talking to some chick, but he seemed pretty far gone. I told him to text me when he's ready to leave, and we'd take him home." Kingston's finger sneaks under the hem of my top, slowly moving back and forth over my skin.

“Is he going to be okay? This overindulgence thing seems to be getting worse.”

“Hence why I’ve remained completely sober tonight.” Kingston’s chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. “On Monday, it’ll be exactly two years since someone close to us died, so I think he’s feeling it pretty hard.”

“Carissa?”

Kingston’s arms tighten around me. “He told you about her?”

“Not exactly. But Ainsley told me how she died.”