Page 100 of Reign of a Billionaire

“When.”

My sunshine—always an optimist. “When,” I mimicked, teasing.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. “Kingston?”

“Yes, sunshine?”

“If you ran alone, I could keep Mother and Ivan off your scent.”

I stopped and turned her chin so I could see the left side of her face. “Freedom without you is meaningless.” Her lip trembled and I leaned over, brushing my lips over hers. “I’d rather have a few seconds beyond these walls with you than have to suffer a lifetime without you.”

“Will you love me forever?” she questioned, her insecurity wrapping around my throat. “Maybe when we’re free, you’ll see that I’m… nothing.”

I let out a sardonic breath. “Sunshine, you are everything.” I smiled hearing her exhale. “I’ll love you when the sun stops rising. When the planets stop spinning. And when death comes for you, I will hold your hand and follow right along.”

A soft sniffle filled the space between us. “I love you, Kingston.”

“I love you more, sunshine.” I continued with her tattoo, lost in thought. We’d make things right in this life, we’d be free to live our truth together.

“Don’t let them take me,” she whispered over the whirring of the tattoo gun. Gripping it between my fingers, I lifted it off her skin. She was staring, eyes half-lidded, at the wall opposite us.

“They won’t take you,” I promised. The Tijuana cartel was our biggest threat. There was no way to defeat them if Sofia and Ivan were willing to sell her, but I’d make sure we got out. “We’ll be gone before they ever arrive. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Liana too, right?”

“Yes, your sister too,” I agreed reluctantly. Liana was a wild card. She wasn’t exactly eager to leave the underworld behind.

I quickly quashed the memory, but it was too late. Everything came crashing down. The control I exercised at all costs. The ghosts that haunted me. Those few stolen kisses. We never made it out of the compound together. I left Lou behind, and she wasn’t something I thought I could ever leave behind. Dead or alive.

My fingers clenched around the whiskey glass, bitterness coursing through my veins.

Liana was innocent too. Her story—spoken and unspoken words—gutted me. I was confused as fuck. I loved Louisa, yet Liana had started to feel so goddamn right. Had she put a spell on me? Or was I so fucking weak that I gave in to the first true temptation that came along?

I slammed the whiskey glass on the table, disgusted at myself, and let out a hollow laugh.

I bolted out of my bedroom and tore down the halls to her room. My body was tense with suppressed hunger. It made me furious—at her, at myself, at the goddamned world. It poisoned me down to the marrow of my bones.

She and I… We couldn’t end well. Wewouldn’tend well.

It was a recipe for self-destruction. Liana loved her sister; I loved her sister. Every touch, every kiss was a betrayal to Lou. It hovered over us like a fog, clouding our judgment. And still I couldn’t stay away. Like a moth to the flame, I went.

The ghost on my shoulder warned that it’d only settle me temporarily, and once this lust dissipated, Liana and I would be left with bitter regret. But goddammit, this maddening lust tasted so fucking sweet, tempting us with its promises.

I stormed into her room, slamming the door into the wall in the process. Liana whirled around, wearing nothing but a red lace bra and matching panties. Fuck, she was beautiful. Her creamy skin. Her soft hips. Her perky breasts.

My heart drummed in my ears as those golden eyes met mine.

So warm. So light. So fucking right.

“What are?—”

“I need you.” I practically snarled the words, kicking the door closed with my foot. “And I think you need me too.”

She let out a soft scoff, but nothing could hide the way her cheeks turned crimson. “I don’t need anyone.” Always so brave. So determined. “Besides, I can take care of my own needs, if you catch my drift.”

Her lips curved into a sinful, seductive smile, and the images of her touching herself slammed into my mind. My dick stiffened in my jeans. It had been impossible to forget the images of her on my bed, rubbing her clit while her lust-filled eyes watched me jack off.

“Show me,” I demanded.