Chapter 7

" Y ou're an asshole, you know that, right?" Knight said as he entered King's room and flopped down on his bed.

King swiveled his desk chair around to face his friend, though he couldn't mask the annoyance on his face.

"I'm not even going to pretend I know what the hell you're talking about."

Knight threw a pillow at his face. "I'm talking about Lila, man. Did you really ghost her?"

King frowned. He didn't appreciate being called out, and he really disliked it when Knight talked about Lila with such familiarity. So instead of processing all of that, he evaded. "What, are you two besties now or something? How is this any of your business?"

"As a matter of fact, we are friends, and because she's my friend, I've got her back. You totally hit that and quit that, bro. Which is a pretty shitty thing to do to anybody, but especially to somebody like her. She's kind. Genuine. She's not fucking around."

"I did not hit that and quit that," King countered. "We barely tapped second base."

Knight rolled his eyes. "Semantics. Also, don't act like such a dick. I thought you actually liked her. If I had known you were going to treat her like a one-and-done situation, I never would have encouraged her to hang with you in the first place."

"If you like her so much, why don't you date her?" King baited his friend, though the very thought of Knight and Lila together romantically made him seethe.

"Real mature response, bro. You know that's not our vibe, though sometimes I wish it was because she's pretty damn great."

King growled, though he did realize his friend had the moral high ground here. He had pretty much ghosted Lila after their date. He didn't like getting attached, and that night had been heading in a direction that he didn't want to go. Especially when Lila had talked about her lack of experience. Before she'd said that, he was just in the moment…wanting to show her just how fun their time together could be.

Her honesty in the car had thrown him, made him feel uncomfortable for some reason. Like her expectations were too high, that he'd let her down. So he'd distanced himself to let things cool a minute. Which hadn't gone exactly to plan since she was still in his damn head. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't secretly glad that Knight wasn't interested, because he was— Nope, King wasn't going to go down that road.

"Why is she telling you our business in the first place?" King redirected.

Knight rolled his eyes. "The only thing she said to me is that she hasn't heard from you since you went out. I connected the rest of the dots myself."

The moment was tense enough as it was, but Jason's sudden entrance into King's room just added another layer to his irritation.

"What are we talking about, dudes?" Jason leaned against the doorframe, his tricky grin a near permanent fixture on his face. Jason took a moment to assess the two and then perked up. "Ooh, this is all about Alexander, isn't it?" He turned his attention to King. "Is Knight getting ready to kick your ass because you ditched his new best friend?"

"No comment, asshole," King responded. He could feel the tension in his face from subconsciously clenching his jaw and immediately tried to relax.

"I mean, I work with the woman in question, and I hear things." Jason shrugged. "If you were going to pull your whole commitment-phobe thing again, why couldn't you have picked somebody who knows the score? There are plenty of options in that category."

"Agreed," Knight chimed in.

King grunted sullenly. "Maybe I just got busy for a minute and have every intention of seeing her again."

Now he was just arguing to argue because Jason was getting on his last damn nerve. It had nothing to do with the fact that he'd been thinking about Lila's plush lips and how good they'd look wrapped around his cock since the minute he'd dropped her off.

"And if by a minute you mean three weeks…" Jason trailed off when he caught King's glare. "Look, text her, don't text her, what the hell ever man, just figure your shit out, okay? I'm going to find Will. He's way more fun than either of you guys right now."

As soon as Jason left the room, Knight let out a big sigh and stood up. "Look, King, we all have our stuff that we have to deal with. You have your reasons for doing the things you do, and I'm here to support you, unless you're fucking someone over on purpose. Because that shit isn't cool no matter what." Knight paused, debating something. "You two just seemed to have something together. Like magnets or something. Hell, you seemed different. Lighter. So I guess I'm wondering why you'd run away from someone who makes you feel that way."

King shrugged, unsure of how to respond. Because the answer to that question was highly complicated and not something he wanted to think about, ever. Even as he fought it, King was starting to feel the pull to her again. Maybe enough time had passed that they could have fun again, and it wouldn't get too heavy or serious.

He couldn't picture a time when hooking up with Lila would get old, though. That might be a problem.

"All I can say is, if you're going to fall into your typical noncommittal pattern of running, just keep going. Leave Lila out of it. Because she deserves better than that."

"She does," King agreed, and whatever control he'd had over the situation finally snapped. Without giving it more thought, he grabbed his phone and pulled up Lila's number, his finger hovering over the green button on his screen.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling her."

"Like, you're actually calling, not texting?"

"Yup."

"Well. Maybe you do actually like this girl. Who talks on the phone anymore?"

"I like her voice," King slipped, and Knight's smile grew smug.

"Mmhmm. I'll leave you to it, then." Knight gave him a light punch to the shoulder. "Go get 'em, tiger. I'm pretty sure you have some groveling to do."

King took a breath and hit the screen. It rang once…twice… five times. He wasn't about to leave a message, so he was ready to hang up when the phone picked up.

"You better be calling to apologize to Lila. Otherwise I'm hanging up right now," a voice that was decidedly not Lila's whisper-barked at him. He assumed it was her best friend, Wren, but he wasn't positive.

"I'm guessing this is Wren?"

"You presume correctly. Lila's currently grabbing us drinks in the kitchen, so you have like five seconds to convince me to pass along the phone. Because, trust me, she wouldn't have answered."

"So why did you ?"

"Great question, one I refuse to answer. You now have approximately two seconds."

"I just want to talk to her, Wren. It's up to her whether or not she wants to talk to me."

"If she doesn't?"

"Then she doesn't." King didn't like that idea, though. He hadn't realized how much he wanted to hear her voice.

"Hold on." He could hear the phone shuffling and low voices, and then…

"Hey, King."

"Hey, La. How've you been?"

"Fine, thanks. You?"

"Fine." He let the silence stand, waiting to see what she'd say next. Whether or not she wanted to continue the conversation.

"Well, now that we've established that we're both fine, I should probably… Ow! Dammit, Wren!" she hissed. "You have bony elbows."

King stifled a laugh as he pictured the tall redhead coming for her girl. "Come on a drive with me?" he blurted out, somewhat surprised at himself.

"What, like, now?"

"If you're free, yeah."

"I really don't…" There was a loud crashing noise followed by a few scuffling sounds.

"She'll be ready in fifteen," Wren breathed into the phone before hanging up.

Okay, then.

* * *

King drove them to his favorite spot overlooking the whole valley and the lake just beyond it. He liked to come up here when shit with his family got to be too much or when he just wanted a minute to breathe. It was unintentional, him bringing her here, but when he pulled out of her apartment complex, he'd driven to this spot as if on autopilot.

He stretched in his seat, taking in the fact that Lila's body language was completely closed off. They hadn't said anything beyond "hi," and he wasn't certain how to fill in the empty space. She was hunched forward, elbows resting on her knees, intently gazing out the windshield. King made it a point to be measured with his words, but there was something about Lila that had dropped his guard. But all of the progress had been undone since they last saw each other.

"So you're probably wondering why I haven't called you until now," King abruptly murmured.

"Nope," Lila lied. At least, he hoped she was lying. She glared out the window. "I'm mostly just embarrassed that I allowed myself to be honest and vulnerable with you. I thought…" She shook her head, a tiny sound of frustration escaping her lips. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"It matters," King replied.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, which King noticed she did a lot. It kind of drove him crazy, in the best and worst of ways. He waited, hoping she'd continue to talk to him.

Finally, she spoke, her full attention directed at him. "I just thought you might be different from all of the other guys around here. Obviously I was mistaken." She repeated the brow raising and returned her focus to the view.

King drew in a breath. "Well, you definitely know how to put a guy in his place." He leaned into her space, just slightly, so she'd turn back to face him. "Did you think that it might be possible that I was trying to figure all of this out and I needed a little time is all?"

"A little time for what exactly?"

"Just thinking about stuff."

"Glad you're not being super vague or anything."

King tried to suppress a frustrated groan. In the moment, he couldn't decide if he was stupid or smart for trying with this girl. "Look, I'm trying to be honest here."

"Okay, so be honest, then." She crossed her arms over her chest and scanned him expectantly.

"I'm sorry for the radio silence. I just don't really do this whole ‘dating' thing. Ever. So this is new territory for me. I just… I didn't expect you."

Her face was adorably confused. "What does that even mean?"

"That I didn't expect to like you like this. To want to talk to you every night. To find you on campus and chill between classes." He frowned. "That's not typically been my experience with members of the opposite sex around here."

"If you feel that way, why ghost me? I thought we were, at the very least, friends. I liked you." She studied his face for a minute. "I still like you, in spite of myself."

King's stomach tightened, and he couldn't tell if it was in dread or relief. All he knew was he was treading on the thinnest of ice and he didn't want her to disappear from his life. So he decided to go for what he wanted, consequences be damned.

"Look, La, I like you too, but I don't want the labels. You know, boyfriend/girlfriend. Can we just be what we are and have fun and not stress?" King looked into Lila's eyes. "I mean, we have fun together right?"

"We do," she conceded. "I don't need a label, but I do need you to be straight with me. I don't want you to make a fool out of me. Honesty no matter what. As long as you can do that, we're good."

"That's fair," he replied. He took a moment to scan over her face, down her body, taking her all in. "Now that we've agreed, does that mean I can kiss you?" Because, shit, he needed to kiss her.

King could see Lila's pulse thrumming and her eyes dilating as she nodded, and damn if it wasn't the sexiest thing he'd ever seen as he leaned over into her space and took her mouth. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the feeling of her softness yielding to his hardness. Even though they'd only kissed once. Their chemistry was heady, something he'd never experienced before.

The center console of the car became an issue, so King adjusted his seat so it was set all the way back and lifted a surprised Lila onto his lap so she was straddling him.

"Okay?" He cupped her face in his hands while he waited for a response.

"Better than okay." Lila smiled as she leaned in to kiss him softly. He gripped her hips with his hands tightly, encouraging her to move over him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd bothered with fooling around. Had it ever felt this good?

King's first year with the females at Bradley U had been a comedy of errors. Luckily, he learned fairly quickly to discern between those who enjoyed hooking up and getting off with no strings and those who would be surreptitiously poking holes in your condoms if they thought you had a shot at going pro. He avoided that second category at all costs.

That Lila didn't fit into either group was not something King was too concerned about at the moment, not when her tight little body was eagerly grinding against his. He could feel the brush of her erect nipples against his chest, and he wanted them in his mouth. But he knew he needed to take it slow with Lila; to let her show him what she wanted.

Almost as if she could read his thoughts, she broke their kiss and rocked back, taking his hands in hers, and guided them up her body to her chest.

Her expression was apologetic. "I'm sorry they're so small."

"Don't insult the girls," he chided. "They're perfect." Then he teased her with his fingers, flicking his thumbs against the hard buds, eliciting the most incredible sounds from his not-girlfriend.

His hands roamed and explored the lines of her body over her clothes then underneath her shirt, and he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if there were no barriers between them. King threaded his fingers through her tantalizing hair then found the spot on her neck that he remembered drove her crazy and sucked… Hard.

Her body stiffened even as she moved against him more frantically, and he read her body like a book. "You close, baby? Do you need me to help you come?"

"I don't… I haven't…"

King raised her chin up, shocked. "You haven't had an orgasm before? Not even by yourself?"

She shook her head as a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "Let's just say that being painfully shy and having conservative parents ensured that I haven't…explored too much." Lila blew out a breath, and her shoulders sagged. "Sorry, I'm making this awkward."

The last thing King wanted her to feel was embarrassment, so he focused instead on making her feel good.

He lifted her chin up and grazed her bottom lip with his thumb. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Not with me, okay?"

She nodded.

"So you haven't come before. Let's see what we can do to change that, La."

One of his hands found her hip again, and he helped her move over his erection, making sure she hit the spot she needed. He lost track of the time as she moved over him, his focus solely on her as he struggled to keep his composure.

His free hand wandered over the contours of her body. The slope of her back, the curve of her waist, the soft strands of her hair that never failed to drive him crazy. Every part of her tempted him in ways he'd never quite experienced before.

Eventually, King's hand drifted back up to her breasts, his fingertips once again exploring her as she sighed. Lila looked down at him through her lashes, and that look was almost enough to make him lose his shit right then and there.

"Take what you need from me, La," he grunted. "I want to see what you look like when you lose control."

Lila's movements quickened, her soft sounds drawing his attention back to her mouth, which King wanted to devour. He kissed her hungrily, doing with his tongue what he hoped he'd get to do with his dick one of these days. Listening to the sharp intake of her breath, he sensed she was close to the edge. And when he gently pinched her nipple, she cried out as her orgasm hit her.

King was damn near close to exploding too, but he let her ride it out as he tried to keep his shit together. Because that was the hottest thing he'd ever fucking seen.

Her face was beautifully flushed when she came back down from her high. "That was…" She shivered. "I mean, I didn't know it could feel that way."

"You liked that?"

She nodded shyly, which King found sexy as hell.

"That's nothing compared to what it'll feel like when I'm inside you."

"When?" Lila teased.

"I think it's inevitable, don't you?" He again ran his fingers through the soft strands of her hair. "But not until you're ready, of course."

"Maybe. Probably," Lila conceded. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She pointedly gazed down at King's sizable erection. "Can I help you take care of that?" Her cheeks reddened. "Or…I could watch you take care of it yourself?" How she could ask such salacious questions so innocently was a mystery, but King was there for it.

"I don't want you to feel pressured to take care of me. What just happened between us was all about you, but I enjoyed every minute of it."

She teased the button fly of his pants with her index finger, her nails scraping over each button with a small metallic snick. "What if I want to make you feel good? What if it's something that I'll enjoy too?"

Damn, this woman. "If you want it, you can have it, baby," King gritted out.

Lila gently unbuttoned his pants, her eyes zeroing in on the outline of his dick underneath his boxer briefs.

King pulled down the waistband of his underwear, freeing his erection.

"Whoa, King, you're so…" Lila gulped. "Like, is that the normal size for a dick, or is yours an exceptional specimen?" She seemed to think about it for a minute. "I'm thinking it's 100% the latter."

"Lila, you always say the nicest things," King replied with a chuckle. "You want to touch me?"

She nodded eagerly.

He removed his T-shirt, leaving his chest and torso bare. Then he guided her hand to him, showed her how he liked to be touched, and let his hand fall free. She used both of her small hands, using firm strokes that brought him to the edge much faster than anyone else ever had, himself included. Because it's her. King pushed that thought away as Lila sped up the rhythm of her hands, and King felt his balls tighten.

"I'm so close, La. Don't stop." A moment later, he was coming all over his abdomen.

Lila looked fascinated by the mess they'd just created. Her eyes were wide, her breaths short, as she gazed down almost reverently, softly tracing a finger down the center line of his abs. When she put her finger in her mouth and sucked, her bright eyes locked with his, King growled, because where had this bold, sexual version of Lila come from?

"I like the way you taste, King."

Dammit, she was killing him.

"Woman, if you don't stop being sexy as all hell, I'm going to have to throw you in the back seat and fuck your brains out."

Lila blushed, and it was fucking glorious. "I'm thinking that'll probably be happening sooner rather than later."

"But not tonight," King said.

"Not tonight," she agreed.

He used his shirt to clean himself up then threw on a hoodie that he'd stashed in his back seat. Then he drove her back to her place, dry humped her against her door for a good fifteen minutes, and then made plans to meet up with her for lunch the next day on campus.

And he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face even if he tried.