King of Me (The King Trilogy #3)(55)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

The bouncer took my pass and let me inside, where the loud music blissfully drowned out the sound of my own thoughts. I stood at the entrance for a few minutes, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness and flashing lights. The club was packed with wall-to-wall sweating bodies gyrating to the hypnotic, invigorating bass beat.

I felt my blood pressure shoot up. I can’t do this. I turned toward the door and felt a soft hand grip my wrist. “Mia! Ohmygod! I can’t believe it!” Becca squealed and hugged me tightly.

“I—uh…don’t think I’m staying,” I screamed over the music.

She frowned. “Like hell you’re leaving! Come on.” She dragged me through the crowd to a small table toward the back where her friends—I couldn’t remember their names—a blonde and two brunettes—sat with five guys. They were doing tequila shots and laughing.

“Everyone! Look who’s here!” Becca pushed me down into a seat. I smiled politely and made a little wave. The guy next to me, with a brown buzz cut and big blue eyes, immediately scooted closer. Becca shoved a full shot glass into my hand and said, “Mia, this is Grant. Grant, Mia!”

“Nice to meet you.” He grinned. “Come here often?”

I resisted rolling my eyes and instead threw back the shot.

“Let me get you another!” he said, speaking loudly. He handed me another drink from the full tray at the center of the table.

Becca leaned down and spoke into Grant’s ear, no doubt giving him some sort of instructions, such as, “Whatever you do, make sure she has fun and doesn’t leave.”

After five shots, I felt the weight of my anxiety lifting and the ache in my heart numb just a bit.

Bliss. I reached for another shot.

“Hey,” said Grant, “not that I’m opposed to your getting hammered or anything, but you might want to slow down.”

I was about to snap at him, but when I looked into his big blue eyes, they reminded me of King. “Do you want to dance?”

“Sure.”

I took his hand and negotiated our way to the middle of the floor. Grant wasted no time at all placing his hands on my h*ps and pressing his body to mine.

I lifted my arms and closed my eyes, focusing on the sensation of our bodies moving together in a primal, erotic rhythm. I couldn’t help but fantasize they were King’s large hands on my body, his muscular arms gripping me to him, grinding our h*ps intimately together.

When I opened my eyes, however, it wasn’t King. It was Grant, his handsome face not possessing even a tenth of the beauty.

“Miss Turner.” I heard that deep, dark voice from behind me. I whipped my head around and felt my body lock up.

Standing in front of me, angular, unshaven jaw ticking with anger, was a towering mass of lean hard muscles draped in a sleek black suit.

“King?” I gasped.

His brilliant blue eyes bored into me with utter fury.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“What. The. Fuck. Are you doing here?” His eyes flashed for a moment over to Grant.

“Uhh…” I blinked.

King leaned forward and spoke into my ear. “As usual, Miss Turner, I am wondering how I’ve managed to get myself an assistant who lacks the ability to speak.”

“Hey, is this guy bothering you?” asked Grant.

I looked at Grant and saw the irritation in his eyes. He didn’t know who the hell he was messing with. King could cut him down in a heartbeat.

“Um, no. This is my…” Fuck. What do I say? “This is my boss. I’ll see you over at the table in a minute.”

Grant nodded slowly and disappeared in the crowd.

King grabbed my wrist, and the moment he touched me, jarring images bombarded my mind. Memories of him and I on the beach, of the two of us in that hotel room in Edinburgh where he’d crawled inside my body, of us…lying together in his bed, surrounded by a pool of my own blood…

I tried to pull away, but King had his iron grip placed strategically over my “K” tattoo. He leaned in close and whispered something strange into my ear, but it felt like his words simply passed right through me. Then my wrist began to burn like hell. I tried to jerk it away, but King stared into my eyes and held on tight.

“You will stop fighting,” he commanded.

I couldn’t believe it. Even now, even with him back in a human body, he still had the power to control me.

Well, why the hell not? After all, it had never been his curse or his incorporeal state that had given him power. He had his abilities in spite of them, to overcome them. He’s probably more powerful now that he doesn’t have a handicap.

“There. It is done,” King snarled.

“What’s done? What’re you doing here?”

He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the back of the club, through a back door, into a dark stairwell.

I looked up at his beautiful face with thick black stubble and sensual lips.

“What are you doing here with that man?” he growled.

“You don’t own me, King. I can be here if I want.”

“I don’t own you?” He laughed that deep, sadistic chuckle into the air.

I jerked my arm away. “No. You don’t.”

His smile melted away, and a predatory gaze took over.

It was a look that made my heart race with fear. I stepped back, and fury filled his eyes.

“You are afraid of me?” he asked.

Holy shit. “Yes.”

He ran his hand through his hair.

“I thought you were cured,” I said.

“Cured? Of what? Of my torment? Of my memories, Miss Turner?”

“Mia. For f**k’s sake, my name is Mia!” I punched his chest.

He looked down at the spot and grinned wolfishly.

“Yes,” he said slowly, “and we had a deal; you are mine.”

“You left me! And our deal is over. Way, way over!”

“I did not leave you. I had to take care of a few things.”

“You mean kill some people?” I yelled.

“What the f**k do you think, Miss Turner? You are mine. No one touches what’s mine.” He reached for me and pulled me into him. His lips crashed into mine, and his hot tongue delved into my mouth. His taste, his heat, his smell overwhelmed me.

I wanted to fight him, but my body didn’t have the strength to resist what it so badly needed. He spun our bodies around and pinned me against the wall with his hard frame. His hands reached between us, freeing his hard cock, and then grabbed for my thighs. He lifted me up and positioned me just right. “Slide your panties aside,” he growled.