Page 44 of Vengeful King

I curse again, back pressed to the door as I grit my teeth.

Almost as if moving of its own accord, my hand goes to my belt, undoing my pants and reaching inside.

Goddammit, I can’t do this.

Fury beats inside my chest as I squeeze my cock, forcing the erection to subside. I shut down my thoughts until I’m not picturing her face, her ass, the curve of her thigh. Her nipple under my fingers. I flush out all my memories of her soft hair and full lips. I take all of it and throw it out. I can’t afford it.

It’s difficult.I have to focus all my attention on forcing my heart to slow and my breaths to even out.

Once I’ve regained some measure of control, I find my phone and call my brothers, telling them to come over.

I go downstairs to meet them when they arrive, wrenching the door open to greet them. Aiden, Connor, and Finn are in good spirits, although they turn serious when they see me. They know I never call them over for no reason.

I lead the way to the kitchen, trying to keep my composure, but I’m still a little unsteady from my encounter with Katrina. I can’t completely forget about it, even if I’ve pulled myself back from the edge.

Aiden notices right away. I know he does; I can see it in his eyes. Before they even sit down, Aiden’s watching me. His expression is serious, face drawn.

He knows what it means for me to be unsettled by something. The last time it was like this, our mother died.

I wait for everyone to sit before I start. “Something happened last night.”

I pause. There’s so much about last night that I can’t tell them. Iwon’ttell them. I need to be trusted and respected. I know my brothers would never turn against me, but I don’t want to give them a reason to doubt my decisions.

I can’t tell them that I almost broke my own rule.

“At the club?” Aiden prompts, the silence stretching too long for him.

“Yes. I was in my office; the club was winding down. You remember the new dancer?”

“Yeah. Kate, right?” Finn supplies.

“Katrina. Her ex came in a day or two ago, drunk. He told me her name was Katrina.”

“Okay. So, she was hiding. That’s why the name,” Connor says. “Makes sense. But that’s not what we’re talking about, is it?”

No. No, it’s not.

I can’t tell them the truth. That I almost lost control around a woman, how I wanted her so badly. How I was seconds away from fucking her on my desk, in my office.

So I focus on what I can tell them. On what’s important.

“She visited my office. Brought a bottle of whiskey. She apologized for her ex.”

Aiden’s gaze sharpens. “How did she get it?”

“I’m not sure. But it wasn’t spiked. We each had a glass.”

“And then?”

“I wasn’t paying attention. Sometime after the first sip, she spiked it. With antifreeze.”

Finn’s eyes widen. He glances at the others, disbelieving. “Antifreeze? Did—”

“I didn’t drink. I knew something was wrong; I could smell it.”

“That was stupid,” Connor says. He shakes his head. “It’s… amateur. She didn’t know what she was doing.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

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