Kinged(18)

He looked at me then nodded.

I held his gaze, desperate for him. “What do you do, Rex?”

He was quiet a minute, and then reached his hand out and took mine. It caught me off guard, how tender and gentle his touch was, completely the opposite of the last few minutes. The expression on his face was pained.

“I fight,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

He sighed and squeezed my hand. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

“Wait, you can’t just say something like that and then leave.”

“I’m cashing in my favor. Come back to my place. I’ll tell you what I mean there.”

I felt the thrill of his touch come back to me. I forgot all about Michael at the bar, and all about his weird job. I fell deep into the green pool of his eyes and his soft lips.

“Okay, let’s go.”

He stood, and I followed. Right then, I knew I’d follow him wherever he led.





Chapter Seven


I went out into the night with Rex, not sure what was coming, not sure where we were going, but I found myself trusting him. I was still running on adrenaline, and although I was a little wary of what was happening, nothing about Rex suggested he would hurt me in any way. I wasn’t usually the type to follow men back to their apartment, especially not men like Rex Latour, but his magnetism was drawing me in deeper with every passing glance. I felt a little tipsy, but not drunk enough to do something stupid.

We walked for a few blocks, heading south. I followed close behind him, but we didn’t speak. There was a funk hanging in the air between us, and I could feel him still brooding about our encounter with Michael.

The streets were dim, lit only at large intervals by weak yellow streetlights. Much of the houses were in shadow, and it almost felt like this part of the city was abandoned. I breathed the cool air in deeply and pretended like this was our neighborhood, and I ruled it alongside Rex. He was my king and I was his queen, and those empty, dark streets were our streets. People like Michael couldn’t bother us there, not in our kingdom of darkness. I took a few quick steps and caught Rex’s hand. He didn’t look back, but he squeezed my palm in response, and we walked the last two blocks hand in hand. I kinged him in my mind and made him my ruler for the night.

Finally, we reached his building. It was like every other place on the block, brick front façade and an old, painted wooden door. He unlocked the handle, pushed it open, and I followed him inside. We went up a flight of stairs where he unlocked another door. This was obviously a house that had been renovated into two apartments, one downstairs and one upstairs. I guessed the third floor was another apartment, but he didn’t say, and I never checked.

Inside, the space was dark. Rex stepped in a few paces then flicked a switch. His apartment was sparse. There was a kitchen to the right, a large space for a living room, and a bedroom and a bathroom off down a short hallway. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration. He had workout equipment near the couch, a single old television, a beat up coffee table, and not much else. I didn’t expect a professionally decorated space, but it was a little strange how empty it felt.

He walked across the room and dropped onto the couch. I followed him in, a little tentative.

“Cool place,” I said.

“No, it isn’t.” He patted the seat next to him again. I walked over and sat down.

“I like this neighborhood.”

He shrugged and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. I looked at him.

“Pretty empty though,” I said.

He opened one eye and grinned at me. “I like to keep it simple, just in case.”

“Just in case of what?”

He shrugged again. “Want a drink?”

“Sure, what do you have?” He was getting pretty good at avoiding my questions.

He stood up and went into the kitchen. After a minute, he came back with two drinks, a can of beer for himself and a tall glass that looked like soda.

“Whiskey and Coke, just like you like,” he said.

I eyed the drink. “That’s all that’s in there?”

He laughed. “I don’t need to drug you. Drink up, Miss Spoiled Girl.”

I took a sip and swallowed as he took a long pull on his can. He placed his drink on the coffee table.

“Alright, I’m here. Want to explain the fighting thing?”

He sighed then shifted his body toward me. He took the drink from my hand and placed it on the coffee table next to his. Looking back at me, he took my face gently in his hands and kissed me long and deeply. I felt his arms wrap around my waist, and I shifted my weight to press myself close against him. I lost myself in his kiss for what felt like an hour, until he pulled away.