Chapter 14

14

KING

Standing in my room, I look at myself in the mirror again, making sure I look okay. Tonight is Will's party at Scare-aoke, and I want to make sure I look alright. It has nothing to do with the fact Niko and Mateo have agreed to come out with us tonight. Or the fact Niko and I haven't had any time alone since the Twister incident last week.

God, the way my body was vibrating with the need to capture his lips was overwhelming. If Mateo and Sam hadn't come in, I would’ve done it. The way he leaned into my touch lets me know he wanted me as much as I wanted him. Going from him disliking me to how close we’ve gotten should have given me whiplash, but for him, I’m finding I don’t care. And I know I shouldn’t try to do anything with him since he’s the coach’s son, but I don’t think I can stop myself.

"Are you guys almost ready?" Mateo yells down the hall, drawing my attention away from my mirror and my thoughts of Niko.

"Coming!" I yell back, giving myself one final glance. Instead of wearing my signature sweats and cut off tee, I'm styled in a pair of dark blue jeans with a black polo shirt. I look more like Mateo at this point, but I wanted to look good tonight.

I spot Mateo in the common area when I walk out, sitting on the couch with Sam. Sam decided to meet us here so we could all head over together. I sit down next to them, waiting to see how much longer Niko is going to take.

Pulling my phone, I scroll on Fangstagram, not tuning in to their conversation. They're not including me anyway, so whatever. Sam giggles, and I roll my eyes. Hard. I have never heard him make that sound before, and now here he is, giggling up a storm.

Footsteps sound down the hallway, and my eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see Niko standing in front of us. He's wearing skin-tight black pants with his signature leather jacket. Of course he's wearing his beanie, but his snakes are out and playing around. He's happy. The aura that's radiating off him is pure joy, and I can't look away.

"Alright, let's do this." Rubbing his hands, Niko walks over to the door before turning his head around. "You guys coming?"

We follow Niko out the door and through the dorm building. Since we don't know how much we may or may not drink tonight, we decide to walk to Scare-aoke. Niko and I are side by side, while Sam and Mateo stroll in front of us. Occasionally they'll turn around and include us in the conversation, or Niko and I will make a joke about them and they'll turn around to glare. This little group of four we have is pretty great, and I'm thankful we all found each other.

I step into Scare-aoke and laugh at all the different things I see. There's a group of monsters in the back corner singing badly to a Lady Gaga song, while a group of humans are in the booth next to them wilding out to Britney Spears. I scan the room, looking for Will and the rest of the team. A loud whoop has me whipping my head to the side. When I spot my teammates, I throw my head back in laughter, seeing Will at the front. He's wearing a crown on his head with a microphone in one hand. He's grinding the air while singing, the whole team cheering him on.

We join in with the antics, cheering and hollering as we walk up to the booth. Will gives us a high five, but keeps singing, not letting us distract him. Niko and Mateo head over to the bar to grab us a couple of drinks while I snatch the song book off the table, flicking through the sheets of music available.

When Niko returns, he sits right next to me, the heat of his leg touching mine. He leans over, and I turn my head, inhaling his scent. Coby hisses in my ear and nips at me, causing me to laugh and turn away.

"Are you going to sing anything?" I ask, not wanting to draw attention to the fact Coby caught me sniffing him.

"Probably not. I'm here to watch you all make a fool of yourselves."

"Oh, I can one hundred percent guarantee that will happen tonight."

Niko laughs, tossing his head back and exposing the column of his throat. I can only imagine what it would be like to suck on his creamy skin. Knowing Niko is here to watch us all look like fools has me wanting to put on a show for him.

"What song are you going to sing?" He turns the page in the book, scanning the list, then looking back at me.

"Do you have something in mind?" If he wants me to make a fool of myself, I want to do it to a song he'll be interested in listening to.

Gasping, Niko grabs the book and brings it closer to him. "Do I get to pick?" His voice gets high pitched and giddy, his eyes softening with amusement.

"Fine, but nothing too embarrassing."

Niko takes his time looking for a song; his mouth moves silently as he reads the different titles. His lips quirk over a few of them, and I know he's making a mental list before he determines which one would be the most embarrassing.

"Okay, I got it." He says, closing the book.

"Fine, what torture are you going to put me through?"

"It's a fan favorite. Well, it's a favorite of mine. I think you could do it justice though."

"Tell me," I whine, hating that he's dragging this out. "What am I singing?"

"Hmm.” He taps his chin playfully. “I think I'll make it a surprise. I'll go get it set up, that way you can't try and get out of it."

Trent finishes up his Bruno Mars song, passing the microphone to Niko. He quickly plugs in some numbers, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Okay, King, you're up."

I don't get embarrassed or nervous easily, so I'm more excited about what he's chosen. Snatching the microphone from him, I watch as the screen loads, barking out a laugh when “I'm A Slave For You” by Britney Spears appears on the screen.

"You may laugh, but she's the queen."

"Oh, she is. And I love the fuck out of this song. Watch me rock this shit."

The melody begins, and I slowly start moving my body to the music. I close my eyes and belt out the first line, letting the music flow through my body. Opening my eyes, I lock my sight on Niko, who can't take his eyes off me. I get into the song, spinning in a circle, singing it with every fiber of my being. I’m giving it my all, without a care in the world at my teammates who are laughing their asses off. I'm putting on a show for Niko, and he seems to be loving every second of it. Once the song finishes, I take a bow while everyone claps.

I step up to Niko, bending down to whisper in his ear, "Now it's my turn to pick something for you."

A shiver races through his body as he stands up and pushes at my chest. "It better be good."

Knowing just what to pick for him, I wait for Sam to finish his song, then I set up Niko's and hand him the microphone.

Niko's eyes light up when he sees that I've picked “Lady Marmalade.” His mouth opens wide, and I’m blown away at the sound that comes out. Holy shit, Niko can sing. He easily loses himself in the music, not even paying attention to those of us watching him. He moves back and forth, singing his heart out.

My dick hardens, and I subtly adjust myself. His confidence is such a damn turn on. I don't know anyone that affects me as much as he does. He ends the song, setting the microphone down on the table before sauntering over to me. He falls down in the seat, taking a sip of his drink.

"Wow, that was so much fun," he yells, his cheeks bright red. His snakes are slithering around and I reach up and pet one—I think it’s Bo—and he leans into my touch.

"You were fucking phenomenal. Watching you come alive was out of this world."

"You liked it?" he asks, a shyness coming from him I've never seen before.

"I fucking loved it." My voice gets husky, my hand scooting closer to his.

"You did amazing, too." His gaze drops down to my hand so close to his. HIs finger reaches out and rubs against my hand, sparks radiating up my arm. His head whips up, and I know he's felt it, too.

"You wanna sing one together?" I ask, grabbing his hand and holding it in mine.

He stares at our hands. "Only if I can pick the song."

For the next hour and a half, everyone takes turns singing songs. While Niko and a few others can actually sing well, the rest of us are only having fun, and know we'll never have a career in singing. I'm in the middle of singing a duet with Sam when a group of guys walk up to the booth we're occupying.

One of them sidles up to Niko and starts talking to him. He’s a tall, muscular blond man wearing jeans and a blue button-down polo. I keep singing, but I don't stop watching their interactions. The guy gets closer to Niko, placing his hand on his arm. Is he flirting with him? Is Niko flirting back? Are they planning to leave and hook up? My eye twitches and my fists clench at my side.

Am I jealous?

I imagine Niko kissing that guy, and yep, I'm jealous. There is no way I'm letting that happen. I keep an eye on them until the song finishes, and before the last word is out of my mouth, I'm on my feet striding in their direction. Niko doesn't notice me approaching, but the other guy does, because he looks straight at me before giving his attention back to Niko.

Clearing my throat, I tap Niko's shoulder. "Hey, I'm about to head back. Do you wanna come?"

Was I planning to leave so soon? No. Will I leave early if that means I get Niko away from this god-like man? Yes.

"Hey, King. Actually, I was feeling pretty tired." He yawns, then turns and faces the guy. "It was great to see you again, but I'm going to head out."

Niko doesn't wait for the guy to reply, he just turns around and pushes at my arm for me to move. We walk toward the exit, and I can't resist. I turn my head around, seeing the guy is still staring after Niko.

I should feel bad I cockblocked him, but I don't.

Niko and I step out into the chill air, the street lamps lighting up the road outside the building. I send a quick text to both Mateo and Sam, letting them know we left.

After slipping my phone into my back pocket, I hip check Niko. "So, how long have you been a singer?"

"Never." Niko laughs, bumping into me in response. "Unless you count singing in the shower, then that's something I do daily."

"Well, damn. You were amazing. You had the attention of every person in that room."

"Thanks." He beams so brightly at me. "You were okay."

"Okay?" I tickle his side, loving when he tries to squirm away. "I'll have you know; I am an excellent singer."

"You're excellent at something, but I wouldn't say that thing is singing." He snickers, trying to dodge my hands.

"Oh, that's it." Niko takes off and I rush after him, both of us laughing as we weave in and out the crowds of people on the street. He's a small but fast guy, running around people while I struggle not to bump into them. Reaching my hand out, I grip the leather of his jacket, thinking I have a hold of him, but he's out of grasp and farther away in no time. "How are you so fast?" Niko comes to a stop, and I nearly crash into him. I grab hold of his shoulder, breathing loudly. "I swear I'm not out of shape, it's from the drinks earlier," I huff out, watching his chest rise and fall, too.

"It's okay, I'm fast and I can sing. Lucky me. Sucks to be you."

Rising to my full height once I've caught my breath, I laugh and start walking, Niko falling into step alongside me. We continue walking back to our dorm. I love walking these streets at night. It's dark and gloomy with the path barely lit up from the streetlights. Most of the building exteriors are in a gothic style that's so different from anything I've ever seen, but it fits Creelin perfectly.

Stepping through the front door, we both walk in slowly. I'm not ready for the night to end, but I don't know what to say to keep hanging out with him. We linger by the couch, eyeing one another, neither of us making a move to leave.

Niko rubs the back of his neck. "I guess I'll head to bed."

"Oh, okay. Sounds good." My voice sounds sullen even to my ears.

Niko walks away, going straight to his room. The door clicks closed behind him and I hang my head. Fuck. We had such a great time. I wasn't ready for it to end.

Well shit, maybe it doesn't have to.

Storming down the hall, I lift my hand and knock on his door incessantly until he cracks it open slightly.

"Kingston?" he whispers, his brow furrowing.

"I needed to do this."