Page 51 of Red King

“In a couple of days will be fine.”

I breathe an internal sigh of relief. “Okay, then.”

Arctic nods, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. “Thank you, Paisley. I’ll see you later.”

I gather my things and make my way to the door, the weight of his confession still heavy in my mind. I can’t believe he told me all of that. Surely, he didn’t have to. He doesn’t owe me any explanations, and yet…he opened up.

I guess finding someone new is a big step for him. He must be feeling vulnerable. I’d hate to have his responsibilities. The expectations on him are not right. It’s like this island is both modern and living in the dark ages. Having said that, I find myself drawn to both the island and to him. If the door was closed before, after all he told me, it’s since been padlocked shut.

Arctic is not for me. He never will be. There have been moments where I’ve felt something between us. Something charged. I felt for a second there last night that he was flirting with me. I know now that it was my imagination running wild.

I feel a little sad. I was looking for a flaw, and I found a huge one. Arctic is too damaged by the loss of his wife to ever give his heart to someone else again, and I feel wholeheartedly for him.

14

Arctic

I look around the reception hall. At how it has been transformed since last night. Long trestle tables have been placed in parallel. They’re covered with tablecloths with elaborate flower arrangements down the center.

I’m one of the lucky males to have a Tribute on either side of me.

On my left is Anita, who I chatted with earlier, and on my right is Hannah. I repeated their names several times so I wouldn’t forget.

I’m bored to tears, having to force myself to concentrate on what Hannah is saying.

“And so my sister,” she laughs, “accidentally set fire to our kitchen when she was only seven. She just stood there watching while the flames climbed higher and higher. Thankfully, she finally screamed. By then, the flames had reached the ceiling. We had to call the fire department, and they had to evacuate the whole building! It was chaos, but looking back, it’s a pretty funny story. She’s never been able to live it down.”

I smile and laugh softly. “I’m sure.” It’s a great story. Hannah is interesting, dammit. Why am I struggling to stay focused on her?

Paisley walks across the far side of the hall, and I know exactly why. She’s wearing another sexy dress. I’m not sure whether to fire Sally or to send her flowers. The dress is plain black but is anything but plain on her. It hugs every curve of her body, the slit on the side showing off just the right amount of leg. My eyes can’t help but follow her as she moves with effortless grace. She catches my eye for a brief moment, but turns her head away immediately.

I overstepped this morning. I shouldn’t have told her all those details about myself or demanded to know why she doesn’t date. It’s intriguing to me that she’s never dated. Not once since her divorce two years ago. She interests me to the point of distraction.

“Arctic,” Hannah says. “Hello.” She waves a hand in front of my face.

“Shit! Sorry.” I shake my head. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.” It’s all true. I had a bad night. I often have them.

Hannah giggles. “You spaced out big time.”

“I’m really sorry. What were you saying?”

“Still about my sister; I said that the whole fire incident earned her a nickname she hasn’t been able to shake.” Her eyes are bright.

“What would that be?”

“As backstory, my sister has an above-average intelligence. She always has. So, we started calling her Brightspark.”

I laugh, and Hannah joins in, her blue eyes dancing. Her blonde hair is pulled into a chignon at the nape of her neck. Soft wisps of hair frame her face. She’s beautiful and smart and quite lovely. I need to get my head out of my ass.

“The story about your sister was entertaining, but I’d like to hear more about you.”

She gives me a look that tells me she’s interested. I wish I could feel more for her. Even just a sliver of attraction would be nice; it really would.

I don’t.

My cock stays flaccid in my pants.

My eyes are drawn back to one female. I ignore the pull. I have to. It doesn’t matter that she’s interesting and sexy…so fucking sexy it makes my head spin. It doesn’t matter that she reacted to me yesterday on a primal level. Paisley was turned on. I could see it…her heart quickened, her breathing, too. Her nipples pulled tight, and her pussy turned slick…slick and ready for me. It took everything in me not to climb the desk and to take her right there like the animal I am deep inside.

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