Cross (Dark Kingdom, #4) — Chapter no 2

CHAPTER TWO

CROSS

I WATCH THE girls throw back their fifth shot since Grave and I found them. They just keep lining them up, which doesn’t surprise me. People don’t come here just to hang out, if you know what I mean.

Grave leans into my ear. “I’m on in five. Stay with them.”

I nod. “Will do.” Growing up in Vegas taught me a lot of things. One being that the Airport is no place for a woman who is alone or here with a girlfriend. Women have been robbed, raped, and gone missing from here and never seen again. Hell, the same goes for grown men.

Let’s just say the Mason brothers don’t know everything that goes on inside this building. Or, if they do, they turn a blind eye.

Normally, it’s not my problem, but I grew up with Jasmine. I wouldn’t say she’s my friend, but she’s best friends with some of my close friends, so I’d protect her. I know nothing about the bleach blonde other than her name is Alexa. I remember meeting her at Titan and Emilee’s wedding.

“Hey, who’s the hot blonde?” I ask Grave with an elbow to his side as he stands next to me in the hallway of the chapel that Titan and Emilee have rented out for their wedding.

I haven’t seen my best friend in weeks because he’s been in rehab, but he got a day pass today to attend.

He turns around to look at who I’m talking about. She stands at the other end of the hall talking to his girlfriend, April. Both girls have their hands on April’s growing stomach. He spots her, starts shaking his head, and spins back around. “Stay away, man,” he warns with a laugh.

“Why?” I ask curiously. My eyes drop to her ass as she turns to talk to another one of our friends’ wives, Haven, giving me a back view. Fuck, I like it better than the side view. The champagne-colored dress leaves nothing to the imagination. It shows off every curve, and I see no underwear line. Meaning I could just lift the dress up and fuck her in the back room. She has her bleach-blond hair already up in a tight bun for me,

easy to grip while she’s on her knees with my cock in her mouth. She throws her head back, her laughter carrying down the hallway to us, and I imagine stepping up behind her, having her lift her dress while my right hand wraps around her throat and squeezes as I fuck her from behind. She won’t be able to laugh or breathe, for that matter.

Fuck, I’m hard as fuck now.

“That is April’s best friend. You fuck her, and I’ll have to hear about it forever.” He shakes his head again. “I actually like Alexa and don’t need any added problems with my girl. So, stay away. Promise me!”

I nod. “Got it. I promise.” But as I say the words, she turns around, and a set of green eyes meet mine. I don’t look away. No reason to pretend I wasn’t just imagining fucking her in a church full of people.

The smile drops off her face, and she averts her eyes to her heels while pushing an imaginary piece of hair behind her ear. Then very slowly, she lifts her eyes to me once again to see if I’m still staring.

I see you, Alexa, and I want you.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Alexa calls out to Jasmine, interrupting that memory of her. I didn’t act on it then. Too much was going on at the time. Now, she’s right here. Like God himself dropped her in my lap. If you believe in that sort of thing. I might have been raised in a church, but I’m sure as shit not religious.

“Okay.” Jasmine interlocks her arm with Alexa’s and pulls her from the bar.

I follow them, placing my hands in the pockets of my jeans. We clear the crowd and head down a dimly lit, narrow hallway. My eyes instantly drop to Alexa’s ass and the way it sways in her tight jeans. I can see the outline of her cell in her back pocket. She wears a black tank top that doesn’t quite reach the top of her jeans, showing me just a sliver of her tan skin and the two dimples right above her ass. Her bleach-blond hair is up in a messy bun, showing me the back of her neck just like last time. I imagine letting it down and wrapping my hand around it while holding her facedown with that ass up in the air while I pound into her pussy.

I just fucked a bitch last night. I shouldn’t be this worked up, but I am.

My cock is hard, and my mind is in the gutter. I keep reminding myself she’s off-limits, but my dick doesn’t give a fuck.

The forbidden fruit sort of thing.

They both laugh as they stumble along and push the women’s bathroom door open. I step in behind them.

“Cross, we can pee on our own.” Jasmine’s laughter grows when she spots me following them.

“I’m sure you can,” I say just as I see a man standing in the corner. His eyes go straight to the girls, and I square my shoulders, ready to fuck him up if need be. I stalk to the last stall and open the door for them. “Go in together,” I order.

They giggle, thinking I’m overreacting, but thankfully obey. I turn, pressing my back to the now closed door and just stand there, making sure no one fucks with them.

A few minutes later, they open it up, and after washing their hands, we exit. A man I know by the name of Mitch exits the men’s restroom across the hallway from us at the same time we do. He comes to a stop, spotting us. “Alexa?”

She freezes, bringing Jasmine to a halt since they’re holding hands, but

says nothing.

“Hey, babe.” He smiles at her.

Babe? I don’t remember her having anyone with her at the wedding. And she’s not wearing a ring because I looked. Hate to say that wouldn’t stop me anyway.

“I’ve been calling you.” He steps into her. “Just sent you a text.”

She takes a step back, bumping into me. I place my hands on her shoulders and pull her to my side, throwing my arm over her.

His eyes go to mine, and the smile drops off his face. “Cross?” He looks back at her. “Are you dating him?”

“Mitch.” I acknowledge him. I’ve known this piece of shit scumbag for several years. Now I’m interested in what kind of past they have and how long it was for. And just how much she knows about him.

She doesn’t answer his question in any way. He keeps his attention on her, going on. “Is this why you’ve been ignoring me, babe …?”

“Take my silence as a hint, Mitch. It’s over.” She finally speaks, and I’m actually surprised how put together it sounded, considering how much she’s had to drink. She’s leaning into my side pretty hard right now, needing the

help to stand.

“Because of him?” He points at me.

“No. Because of you,” she says matter-of-factly. With a smile, I pull them away and back down the hall.

We make our way through the crowd and over to the ring when I spot Grave standing beside it. His hands are fisted in a guy’s shirt. He’s holding him to his chest and shouting in the man’s face.

Fuck! “Stay here,” I order the girls as I shove them into a corner before I head over to Grave. “What the fuck is going on?” I demand when I come up to them. A quick look over my shoulder shows the girls still leaning up against the wall in the corner.

“Go the fuck home, Ethan!” Grave shouts, shoving the kid back.

“Ethan?” I ask, looking him over. Why does that name sound familiar?

He’s got a busted lip. He tosses his dark shaggy hair back, and I can see a cut on his forehead at the motion. Blood slowly runs down the side of his face. One look at his eyes, and I can tell he’s on something. Ecstasy maybe.

He’s sweating profusely, but it’s hot in here. No amount of A/C can keep up with the large crowd that’s here tonight. His knuckles are busted, so the kid was obviously just in a fight.

“Fuck you!” he shouts, pointing his finger at Grave’s face.

Grave goes to step forward to knock his ass out, but I grab him and pull him back. “He’s not worth it,” I tell him.

The kid looks me up and down, then snorts. “You Kings think you fucking rule everyone.” His eyes go back to Grave. “Just because you knocked up my sister doesn’t mean you’re my brother,” he spits out, then turns and walks off into the crowd, shouldering his way through.

Grave shrugs me off, and I let him go, holding my hands up. “What the fuck was that?” I ask.

He runs a hand through his hair. “April’s brother.” I got that. “The boy is pissing me off.”

My cell starts vibrating in my pocket, and I dig it out quickly to check to

see who it is.

Titan: How’s it going?

Of course, he’s checking on us. Instead of answering, I pocket it and turn

to go get the girls, and they’re gone.

Motherfucker!

ALEXA

MITCH RUINED MY buzz. Or at least that’s what it feels like. I hate when I’m drunk and get mad. I find myself walking faster toward the large bar by the ring.

Jasmine notices and laughs. “Slow down. The bar isn’t going anywhere.”

“I need a drink,” I state, looking over my shoulder to see if I can spot Mitch anywhere. What is he doing here? We were together for two years, and he never brought me here. Didn’t even speak of it. But that’s what guys do, right? Change their life when they get out of a relationship? Find new friends to hang out with. A new crowd to meet new people so they can get away from everyone who knows the truth about why it didn’t work.

I was the one who lost our mutual friends. All because I wouldn’t take him back. Like I was supposed to roll over and take the manipulation.

Cheating is not something that I was going to overlook. Forget the lies that were told in order to cover it up.

But then I went and fucked it all up. Literally.

A while back, I was drunk one night out with April, Jasmine, and Emilee, and he messaged me. That was when I had him in my phone under his name. He said all the right things, and in a moment of weakness, I let him in. The following morning, I woke up at his place and changed his contact from Mitch to CUNT and told myself never again! The alcohol had temporarily given me memory loss of why I left him in the first place.

I’ve done nothing but ignore every text and every call since then. Self- respect is more important than sex—especially when you don’t even get off from it.

“You okay?” Jasmine asks, her blue eyes searching my face for any sign that I’m about to lose my shit.

It’s not going to take much tonight. “Fine.” I lie.

“We can go home if you want—”

“No. I want to stay,” I interrupt her. I don’t know if Mitch is watching me or not, but I sure as hell don’t want him to see me leave now. Not after he spotted me. That would make him think I care he’s here, and I don’t. And he thought I was here with Cross. That makes me smile. They seemed to know one another and obviously don’t like each other. Nice. I can use that.

“Jasmine?” We both look to our right to see a guy coming toward us. I’ve never seen him before, but I can tell she knows him when she rolls her eyes at the sight of him.

“Trenton? We’re both having shit luck tonight,” she mumbles, then turns to face him.

He smiles at her, his eyes dropping to her chest. “It’s been too long. Last time I saw you, you were here. It must be a sign. Let me buy you a drink.”

“I’m good.” She gives him her back.

His face morphs from happy to pissy at her dismissal. And like any other man who has a hurt ego, he goes for insults. “You’re such a slut.”

Original.

“Excuse me?” She slowly turns to face him.

“You heard me.” He huffs, and his eyes now look her over as if the sight of her alone disgusts him. Typical man. “That picture you posted on social media earlier tonight made you look like a slut.”

“Don’t believe everything you see on the internet, Trenton,” she says sweetly. “You of all people should know that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demands.

“I saw a picture of you on the internet last week of you and your kids.

And we both know that you’re no father.”

His mouth drops open, and she gives him her back, once again silently telling him to fuck off. He gets the hint and takes off, letting out an audible

growl in the process.

“An ex?” I ask.

“Something like that,” she grumbles.

“We need to go out of town to party next time,” I suggest. Get the fuck away from Sin City. No matter how big some might think this city is, I promise you, it’s not big enough.

“Yes!” Her eyes light up. “I’ve been wanting to go to Miami. I’ve got some friends there.”

“I’m down for wherever.” At this point, I’ll go to another country.

“What the fuck?” a man snaps from behind us.

We both spin around. I expect it to be another stalker ex, but it’s Cross, and he looks pissed.

“I told you to stay put.” He glares down at us.

I look up at him. “I’m not a fucking dog.”

“I don’t mind walking around on all fours,” Jasmine jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

I don’t laugh. I’m just not in the mood at the moment. Not after Mitch.

Cross says nothing to that, so I give him my back and get the bartender’s attention. I came to drink, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

_______________

GRAVE WON HIS fight, but I didn’t have any doubt that he would. And to my surprise, he didn’t make us leave afterward. He’s hanging out with Cross while Jasmine and I drink the night away.

The guys stand to our left while we wait at the bar for new drinks. I’ve lost count of how many shots we’ve had, but I haven’t seen fuck-face anymore. Thank God.

We throw back our new drink, and I don’t even taste it. My lips are now numb, tastebuds gone, and my throat used to the burn.

My eyes go over to Cross while he looks to be having an intense conversation with Grave. He wears a pair of combat boots, jeans, and a plain black T-shirt. He’s covered in ink, just like the rest of the Kings. You wouldn’t know the guy is a billionaire by the looks of it. I don’t know much about the Kings other than they own Kingdom—the biggest hotel and casino on the Strip. Reaching up, he runs his hand down over his face, looking stressed all of a sudden. The action has me realizing that he has shaved his beard since I saw him last at Titan and Emilee’s wedding. Now it’s just a five o’clock shadow. I like it. Shows off his defined jawline. He’s got the top of his dark hair spiked. He’s trimmed it, the sides now short. His green eyes meet mine for a brief second, then he looks away, only to come back to mine. I don’t look away. The alcohol gives me that extra courage I need.

We already played this game at the wedding, but I was sober. Nervous about what his strong stare meant. But right now, I like it. He looks like the kind of guy you’d call up whenever you need a good time but would never introduce to your father. Good thing I don’t have one. Jasmine places another shot in front of me, and I take it, not looking away.

His eyes drop to my chest, and my heart picks up when he licks his lips, informing me he’s thinking the same thing I am. The last guy I slept with was Mitch, and I’m not going there tonight.

But Cross? I could do that. Or let him do me. Yeah, why not? I should get to have fun, right? I’m a single woman who knows what she wants, and he’s staring at me like he wants me too. He can sit on his throne while I

kneel for him.

Make me your queen for the night.

“I’m ready to go,” I announce to no one in particular.

Jasmine laughs. “Yeah, I noticed that.”

I look over at her, and she’s giving me a lopsided smile. I don’t say anything. I’m not hiding what I want. Why should I?

“Let’s go.” She slides her arm into the crook of mine, and we stumble over to the guys. “We’re ready.”

“About time,” Grave says, checking his watch. “Did you two come together?”

“Yep.” I nod, my eyes still on Cross. He’s got to be around six-two by the way I’m looking up at him, even in my heels. Now that I’m close and paying attention, I see how broad his shoulders are. His tight shirt shows me every curve of muscle that it hides. His right hand holds a cup of water. His left has a Zippo in it, flipping it open and closed. The small movement is mesmerizing in his tatted fingers, momentarily stealing my attention. I keep expecting him to light it.

Jasmine elbows me, and I look up. “I rode …” Hiccup. “With Jasmine.”

Grave turns to Cross. “You drive Alexa home, and I’ll take Jasmine.”

Fuck yes! I want to jump up and down at that, but I’m afraid I’ll fall over.

Cross agrees with a nod. “Need me to follow you and give you a ride home after you drop her off.”

Grave shakes his head. “She’s coming with me. She can drive herself home in the morning.” He then grabs her arm and yanks her from us.

“Have fun!” Jasmine calls out, laughing while he drags her through the crowd.