“That’s not good enough,” I said, not really sure what part I was talking about. Maybe, his apology. Maybe his actions. Maybe, his uncertainty. Maybe, all of it.

“I think that’s the problem,” King said. “You deserve so much more than an ex-con who has nothing to offer you. You deserve so much more than me. It was easy to keep you when you were just my mine, my property. It’s hard to keep you as my girl. I don’t know when it all shifted, but it did. And that’s what I want, but it’s something I’ve never wanted before. I’d never even taken a girl out on a date before tonight. I want you in my life more than anything, but it’s so much more complicated than just wanting it. So much more than you know.”

“If you’re going to let me go, let me go. If you’re going to let me in, let me in. But, you have to pick one. You can’t hold me close at night and push me away every morning when the sun comes out.” I pushed off of his chest again and turned to walk away, but he pulled me back.

King kissed the top of my head. “I know, baby. I know.”

“You don’t know shit!”

Breaking free, I headed to the front of the house, away from the party, and away from King. I needed to be alone. I needed to think. King caught up with me easily, each one of his strides accounting for at least three of my own.

“I’m done with nice, Pup,” King shouted from close behind me. I continued marching away, trying to put some space between us.

“You’re done being nice?” I called back over my shoulder. “You’ve never been nice. You’ve lied to me and toyed with me, and that is not nice.”

King caught me from behind just as I approached the first pillar under the house. He pushed me up against it and pressed himself to my back, his erection prodding the seam of my ass.

“Bear is nice,” I said with my cheek pressed sideways against the pillar. “Bear offered to take me in. He wanted me to stay with him at the clubhouse. He wants me to keep his bed warm, fuck his brains out. Told me he wanted me on the back of his bike.”

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” King hissed into my neck, his teeth against my skin. I didn’t let that stop me from raining down my wrath on him. He deserved every last bit of it. I spun myself around in his arms, but he was too fast. Before I could bolt, he had me pegged against the pillar, my back to his front. His eyes darkened. A vein pulsed in his neck. His jaw was set on a hard line.

“You heard me,” I said. “I was going to say yes, too. I was going to go with him and let him put his hands on me. You saw us. He was about to kiss me. I was going to let him.” I was wild with power, crazed with lust, and completely reckless of the consequences of my actions.

I was free.

I gave zero fucks.

It was fucking amazing.

“What the fuck have I been telling you?” King roared pushing his knee between my legs, spreading them apart until I was straddling his thigh.

“Nothing. You’ve been telling me nothing but some fucking bullshit about being yours for weeks now.”

“Newsflash, little girl. You were mine from the first moment you walked in on me fucking that girl on my table. You were mine then, and you’re mine now.” King looked as if any control he had was gone. He’d snapped.

I didn’t care.

“You’re a fucking liar,” I spat.

“I’ve never lied about that. You. Are. Mine.”

“Fuck you. I don’t belong to you or anyone else!” I yelled. King pressed his forehead against mine.

“I’m only going to say this once more. You.” He thrust up against me, his erection against my core, and I gasped. “Are.” He did it again. This time, I had to put my arms on his shoulders to prevent myself from falling. “Mine,” he said, hammering in his point with another trust of his hips.

I pulled back and looked him dead in the eye. “Fucking prove it,” I challenged.

King growled and pushed his hands up my dress, forcefully ripping my panties down my legs. We were in the shadows, but anyone walking by the side of the house could see us. The instant he touched me, I was too lost in sensation to care.

Zero fucks.

King kissed me. An all encompassing kiss. A possession. He wasn’t kissing my mouth. He was claiming me as his, and I was going to leave my mark on him in every way I could.

My entire body ignited into the flame he’d been stoking inside of me for weeks. He kneaded my breasts through my dress and attacked my neck with his lips. He lifted me up and wrapped my thighs around his waist. I grunted in frustration, gyrating against his erection. I couldn’t get close enough. I couldn’t find the friction I needed.