32. East

THIRTY-TWO

east

I'D NEVER BEEN tipsy on rum a day in my life—only because I never drank the stuff—but a couple of fresh horchata daiquiris in, courtesy of the locals' recommendation, and I was feeling goooood.

I swayed my hips to the sound of the band's steel drums and danced all up on Zac, who'd been watching and laughing, but needed more liquid courage. Or persuasion from me.

"You know you want to dance with me," I said, rubbing myself on him and nuzzling my nose beneath his ear.

"Do I?" His grin gave him away, and so did the way his dark eyes were lit up. Or maybe that was just the reflection of all the lights strung up across the main street in the center of town. After dinner—and a little bit of shopping, at my request—we'd run into the weekly Friday night street fest, where King had proven to be Mr. Popular.

Everyone seemed to know him here, and they all called him "Ty." Short for Tyrone, though I couldn't see calling him anything but what he was.

King .

"Come on, let's make King jealous so he'll ditch that woman." I grabbed Zac's hands, placed them on my hips, and then wound my arms around his neck, forcing him to move to the beat with me.

From a few feet away, King was indeed watching us, but being ever the gentleman by obliging the elderly bar owner with a spin.

As I caught his eye, I pretended to pout, not liking that I had to share him on this perfect day, even if it was just for a song.

"He's being nice," Zac said, chuckling at my put-out expression.

"He'd be nic er if he was over here shaking his ass with us."

"So greedy." His lips against my temple sent a shiver through me. Or maybe it was the breeze coming off the ocean now that the sun had gone down.

The song changed then, the beat kicking up a bit, and shouts and whoops went through the crowd like it was a favorite.

Zac took a step back like he was going to go and sit it out, but before he could get too far, I slipped my fingers into the waistband of his shorts and pulled him back to me.

"Where you think you're goin'?" I swayed my hips against his. "The party's just gettin' started."

"East, I don't like to?—"

"Have fun?"

"Dance."

He reached down, about to move my hand, when a voice we'd know blindfolded in a dark cavern— ha —shouted over the loud beat.

"Now that's a shame." King moved in behind Zac, caging him between us. "I was just coming to join you two."

My eyes shifted to the glittering ones staring down at me, as King aimed a sly, conspiratorial smirk my way.

"It's just… I'm not…" Zac glanced over his shoulder, no doubt trying to think up some lame excuse to ditch us. But I wasn't having it, not tonight.

"Drunk enough?" I leaned in and pressed a hard kiss to his cheek. "Leave that to me." I danced my way back from him, and as they watched me, I pointed at King. "Don't let him go anywhere."

Heat flickered in King's eyes as he nodded, took hold of Zac's arm, and spun him.

I made a beeline to the bar to get us another round of those horchata daiquiri thingies, and told the bartender to go heavy on the rum with Zac's—guy needed to loosen up. But when I turned back to face the dance floor, it seemed rum wasn't what was needed—just a big, bossy King.

I didn't usually get off on being told what to do and when. But even I was starting to see the appeal of being one of King's…subjects. I wanted to serve that man in any way he wanted. And watching him now with Zac? Fuck, they were hot together.

King had Zac's arms looped around his neck while he held him tight around the waist, and the way he stepped forward on each beat and dipped his leg between Zac's had me reaching down to rub my palm over my growing erection.

A throat cleared behind me, and I looked back to see the bartender with our drinks. I went to reach for them, and she gestured to King out on the dance floor.

"You're here with Ty?"

God it was weird to hear him called that. "Yeah, for the week."

"That's what we heard. We were so excited to hear he was coming tonight. It's been a long time."

Jesus, it was like he was some sort of celebrity down here. But instead of paparazzi out waiting to take his photo, it was locals eagerly waiting for a moment to catch up with him like they'd known him for years.

I shrugged and scooped up the drinks. "He's probably been busy."

"Well, it's nice to see him back and so…happy."

I wasn't about to touch that. I recognized that heart-in-eyes look, like she thought something romantic was happening between King and possibly one of the two men he was dancing with under the moonlit night.

I wasn't going to be the one to tell her he was happy because he'd spent a week fucking us.

"Right, well…thanks." I headed back to the dance floor before she could ask when the wedding was.

King still had a tight hold on Zac, keeping him right where I'd instructed, but Zac didn't seem to be complaining one bit. In fact, he was starting to relax into it even without the rum.

"Another one of these and we might see him strip for us," I said. I'd be down for that show.

"Don't even think about it." Zac shook his head, but plucked one of the drinks out of my arms anyway.

I handed another to King just as he was clapped on the back by someone passing by. He greeted the guy briefly and waved, and I arched a brow.

"So, I don't know if you noticed, Zac, but it appears we're in the presence of a celebrity on this island." I tapped a finger against King's chest where his shirt was unbuttoned. "Are you hiding another secret from us? Are you actually royalty?"

King brought his drink to his lips and took a long swallow. "What makes you think that?"

"First, that you're full of secrets." I glanced at Zac, who nodded in agreement. "And second, everyone here knows you. Even the bartender said they were sooo excited when they heard you were coming." I paused. "And I don't think they meant at the waterfall."

A booming laugh escaped King, the deep, throaty sound so at ease that I couldn't help but grin.

His hand came to rest on my lower back as he took another draw of his daiquiri. "No, I don't think they'd be thrilled about that. If my parents were still here, the gossip would've landed at their doorstep within the hour."

Zac's brows shot up. "Your parents? You're from here?"

King nodded. "Born and raised. And no, they weren't royalty, but it's a small island. Everyone knows everyone going back for generations."

It took longer than it should for that piece of information to make its way through the rum haze. "Holy shit."

"So you're the hometown boy who made it big," Zac started, and I finished, "And that's why you bought an island nearby."

King spread his hands wide. "There's no place like home."

"Wait a minute. Why haven't you been here in a while? The woman at the bar said it's been a long time."

"Busted." Zac took a noisy draw of his drink, which was definitely kicking in now. The strip show would be happening any time.

"You don't want to hear about all that," King said, setting his drink to the side. I was about to protest when he rolled his hips to the beat of the drum, and I lost all train of thought.

Luckily, Zac still had some sort of brain function. "Sure we do. We wanna know everything about you."

Maybe the rum had loosened his tongue a little too much, because sober Zac never would've admitted his infatuation. Not that it wasn't written all over his face.

"Later," King said, taking both our drinks and setting them with his. Then he grabbed our hands and pulled us toward him. "Dance with me."

He didn't have to ask me twice. The beat was infectious, and with the way his body was moving, I wanted to be all up on it.

King pushed one of his legs between my thighs, giving me something to ride as I rocked my hips, and Zac joined in on the other side, the three of us connected by wandering hands that pulled the others closer.

I'd always thought taking on two guys at once would be too much work and not enough reward, so I'd dismissed any idea of a threesome. But with King and Zac it was so easy. I wanted them both, and seeing them together was just as sexy as the two of them turning their attention on me.

Like now, for instance, the way we all just fit together. It shouldn't work, and under any other circumstance, I was certain it wouldn't. But here tonight, under the string lights and full of rum daiquiris, it was the perfect end to one of the best days I'd ever had.

"Where'd you go?" King asked by my ear.

"Absolutely nowhere." I rubbed his arm, not about to admit anything I wouldn't remember tomorrow. "And don't think I didn't notice what you did just now."

"And what's that?"

"You used sex to distract us."

King chuckled. "Did I?"

Zac swayed a little closer and nodded. "You did."

"It's only a distraction if it works." King ran a hand down over my ass and gave it a light squeeze. "So, you two want to get out of here? Or you want to stay and talk about my family some more?"

Zac's blown pupils said he was more than ready to get out of there, and if King wanted to use sex to distract us, we weren't going to stop him.

"Lead the way, your royal highness, and we shall follow."

King took our hands, and as he led us toward the dock, he smirked. "No more drinks for you."