Instead, he walked across the street, climbed up the trellis, and sat down next to me. He stayed silent for a long while, but then he finally turned and spoke.
“I hate my dad sometimes.”
“Why does he get so mad?” I asked.
He looked away and rested his arms over his bent knees. “He drinks. Sometimes too much.”
“Does he hurt you?” He didn’t look at me. “Or your mother?”
He winced, then shifted his body. “No. Just yells.”
We sat in silence, both lying on our backs as we looked up at the sky above us, the stars so bright and big.
“You can sit up here anytime, you know? My parents won’t mind.”
“Drew would,” he said matter-of-factly. “He’d call me a pansy.” He chuckled.
“Drew calls everyone that.”
He laughed again.
I turned my head and looked at him. “I don’t think you’re a pansy.”
Travis tilted his head and looked into my eyes, and everything went serious. I watched his throat move as he swallowed hard. He licked his lips and moved in close. Feeling his breath against my skin made me so nervous, I instinctively turned my head to look back up at the stars.
“Are you excited about going into high school?” I spit out, trying to change the subject. I could’ve sworn Travis was about to kiss me. It would’ve been my first kiss.
Moments passed, and he finally responded. “Yeah, I guess. It’ll be nice getting back into basketball season and staying late for practices and games.”
I knew what he was implying without saying the words. Less time at home.
“Why do you think she puts up with it?” Curiosity got the best of me, and I could no longer keep it in. “Can’t she leave him?” I asked.
He shrugged. I supposed it wasn’t that simple for adults, but to me, it just sounded like common sense. Why would anyone want to be with someone who treated them like crap?
That wasn’t the last time Travis snuck up on the rooftop and sat with me under the stars. We shared details with each other that we hadn’t shared with anyone else before. It was our secret little spot where we could talk or just sit and stare up at the sky.
It was easy.
He wasn’t my brother’s best friend.
I wasn’t his best friend’s little sister.
And the lines between us weren’t blurred.
I was only twelve years old, so I truly believed Prince Charming existed. As I grew older, I came to realize he never really did. Because if he did, he most certainly wouldn’t be available. And he most definitely wouldn’t be interested in a girl like me. I’m not saying that because I want anyone to tell me otherwise, but if such a man existed, he’d have no chance with me anyway. Because for some only-God-knows-why reason, my heart only beats for one man. My pulse only increases when he walks into the room. My cheeks flush and my body hums when he looks at me. I feel the blood in my veins as my skin heats from his very existence. He’s the epitome of perfection.
…Too bad a decade later, he’s a complete asshole.
Travis King.
He’s no knight in shining armor; more like a royal jackass. He may look like a prince on the outside, but on the inside, he’s a cocky, arrogant womanizer that I want to shove over a cliff.
All right, that might sound dramatic and all, considering I just confessed my feelings about him, but those are feelings of hate…not love.
From being head over heels for him as a young girl to loathing him as a woman, Travis King needs to remember the golden rule—never admit defeat.
It was game on.
Chapter 1
Travis
I love a girl who can suck dick like a champ. Watching her tongue lick up my thick vein, pumping blood to my best and biggest asset, sets my body ablaze. She wraps her hand around my shaft, sucks on the tip, and pumps hard until I release inside her delicious mouth.
“Mm…salty.” She licks her lips and pushes a finger inside her mouth, sucking it clean.
“Sorry for the mess.” I pull myself back inside my pants and re-buckle my belt.
“I caught most of it.” She’s grinning as if swallowing is some kind of special achievement.
I grab her hand and lift her up, leaning in to give her a chaste kiss. “Thanks, babe.”
“No, thank you.” Her eyes light up as a soft giggle releases from her throat.
I lick my lips. “Mm…you’re right.”
She furrows her brows in question.
“Salty.” Her eyes widen as she realizes what I’m referring to.
“So…same time next week?” She bats her long, fake lashes up at me, and I fight the urge to laugh in her face.
“I’ll check my schedule.” I open the door and casually look out in the hallway to make sure no one else is around. “All clear, babe.”
She follows me out, but we walk in different directions.
I head toward the elevator and press the call button. Once I’m in, I turn around and smile as I watch Alyssa Crawford’s hips sway from side to side as she walks toward the emergency exit staircase.
Yup. I’m hooking up with the daughter of Sloan Crawford, CEO of Crawford Marketing.
And a nice hookup it’s become.
“Wipe that smug look off your face, King.” I hear as soon as I step off the elevator. It’s Blake James, my lead supervisor.
“Don’t be a jealous dick,” I retort, walking toward my office.
“Not jealous, dude.”
“You would be if you knew what I was smiling about.” I turn around and grin, walking backward through my door. He rolls his eyes with a sigh, and I laugh as I slam the door shut.
Since my lunch break was spent in the bathroom on the ninth floor, I’m still starving. However, I can’t leave my office again, so I text my roommate, Drew.
Travis: Dude, bring me a sandwich! I’m starving!
Drew: Didn’t you eat on your lunch?
Travis: Not exactly…
I send back, knowing he’ll understand what I mean.
Drew: Do I even wanna know?
I smirk.
Travis: Let’s just say… I was the meal, and she loved every last swallow.
Drew: How you don’t get your ass laid out and canned from your job, I’ll never know.
I imagine him shaking his head in disapproval.
Travis: It’s the charm, bro.
Drew: Unlikely.
Travis: So, come on… bring me something to eat before I die.
Drew: Can’t…stuck doing bitch work till five.
I groan. He’s been working at the Sacramento PD for the past two years now, ever since we graduated from college. Between his long-distance girlfriend and working overtime, we barely cross paths anymore.
Travis: Fuck. All right. Never mind.
Drew: Why not just order delivery?