King Maker (King Maker 3)

The snort finally erupted from me. “You’re killing me.”

“Seriously, though. The guy is beautiful to look at. I guess he couldn’t have it all. But damn, I bet he wishes he was a hairy guy instead of dickless.”

She paused as if in thought. “And I know this is bad. He’s a great guy. He treated me like a queen and tried his best to please me sexually as best he could. But I have to be honest with myself. I can’t live with that for the rest of my life and I would have ended up cheating on him and that’s not fair. Besides, he’s got like a hundred million followers on social media. Girls send pics begging him to take them out.”

She put a hand on her forehead. “He won’t be alone long, unless they know what I know…”

“Honestly, Lizzy, the guys who made you scream in bed couldn’t keep you.”

“Exactly.” She sighed. “Yet he’s still blowing up my DMs. He wants to get back together.”

“And you?”

“Besides the rest, he’s a nice guy, but you know I don’t do nice.”

“What’s wrong with nice guys?”

“What’s wrong with Turner?”

My jaw opened. “That’s just mean.”

“That’s just truth.”

“Kalen can be nice.”

“Yeah, the asshole who told you all he wanted from you was a good fuck and I quote.”

It was still hard to hear. Those words didn’t reconcile with the man I’d fallen in love with.

“Maybe he was just mad I told him I picked Turner.”

“You didn’t just tell him that…”

I covered my mouth with a teepee I made of my hands.

“I drove him to hate me,” I admitted.

“Well—”

“Whose side are you on anyway?”

She laughed. “In public I’ve got your back. In private I’ve got to give you the stone-cold facts. I love you to pieces and I hate to run, but I’ve got to go to the gallery. The show is tomorrow.”

“Good luck. I’m sorry I can’t be there.”

“I’ll be sure to take a ton of pics. Be safe, Bails. You may have four sisters, but I’ve only got one. You. And I mean for you to be there when I make some guy the luckiest man on the earth.”

I grinned. “I knew you were a romantic at heart.”

“No, I’m pragmatic. Someone’s got to feed my shopping habit. My trust fund won’t last forever the way I’m blowing through it.”

“I love you, babe.”

“Back at you,” she said.

I kissed my fingers and pressed them to the screen before it went dark, wishing I could video chat with my mother. I had sent a message to my father via email. I wasn’t sure when it would be received and by whom.

But it was time to make plans for the future. I used the Wi-Fi to scour the employment dot coms for leads on a job. I wasn’t waiting on my firm any longer. I also spent time searching for an apartment.

At some point soon, I’d have to go back to America. The Airbnb person agreed to let me transfer the money when I left since it was off-season. I didn’t think using my card then would matter.

One thing was for sure. It was time to stop crying over Kalen Jeremy Brinner King or whatever his name was. I had to take charge of my life and make the most of it.

Twenty-Three

I knocked on the door with no response. I rapped a little louder, and after several seconds, I heard muffled curses and grumbles coming from inside.

The door opened at a sleepy-eyed Griffin squinting at me as if he wasn’t quite sure he was seeing me.

“Kalen, hou’s it gaun?” he said with one eye open and the other half-lidded.

“I need an update.”

Just then a thin naked girl stepped out of Griff’s room.

“What’s all the bloody fuss?”

Her accent wasn’t Scottish. It sounded English. And she looked young with skin that could be compared to milk as it lacked all color. But she had perky breasts of the youth I saw in her face.

Griff turned to face me. “She’s legal. Trust me. I ran a background check on her before I brought her home.” He laughed and I wasn’t sure if he knew how loud he’d spoken. His grin spoke of things we didn’t have to say. I rolled my eyes.

“Aye, darlin’.” Griff spoke the word darling like he was a true Southern American. He had the drawl down to a tee. He’d heard that word from a Texan who showed up in the wrong place many years ago. I blinked away the memory as the girl realized she and Griff weren’t alone.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” she asked sweetly.

I focused on her face and not her lithe body that moved toward me with a hand extended as if she wasn’t the only one who stood naked.

“Kalen,” I offered when she reached me.

“Lilly,” she said and winked before she turned to head back to Griff’s room.