Page 71 of Sinners Reunion

Almost immediately, I feel like an ass. It sounds as if I’m ready to be rid of Grim and Rose. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I actually had a good time with them once Grim loosened up—whatever the fuck that means for him.

I just want to hurry up and get King back to camp so I can rip off his clothes and ride him hard.

“Sorry,” I say. “I’m not in a rush or anything. We can stay longer.”

Fuck, why do I talk? I never say the right thing. Now I’ve committed to more time.

Grim looks at the gator tank. “Were we not supposed to see the feeding?”

King winces; it’s almost imperceptible, but I catch it. Probably because I had the same internal reaction. He knows I’m primed and ready, and I know he’s hard as steel in those shorts.

Grim and Rose have their telepathy, and King and I have ours.

“Yes, I’d almost forgotten about the feeding demonstration,” King says, his charming smile back on his face. He rises from the table, and we follow suit, though he’s quick to turn his front away from us.

A staff member appears from the shadows and asks if we’re ready. King says yes, but I’m not so sure. I don’t want to see some cute little deer get eaten by one of these gators. I get that they need to eat too, but that doesn’t mean I need to watch it.

Sensing my hesitation, King tells Grim and Rosie to go ahead with the staff. They follow the worker through a narrow wooden door and into another room.

King’s finger presses beneath my chin, lifting my face. “Look at me,” he whispers.

I keep my eyes downcast.

“When will you learn to trust me?” His thumb strokes my jaw. “When have I ever given you a reason for mistrust?”

“I don’t want to watch them eat an animal, King.” I finally look into his steel eyes. “Don’t make me do this.”

His face grows serious, and he steps into me. His lips are so close to mine. Too close to mine . . .

I take a step back, but he matches it. I gain no ground, and before I know it, my back is against the glass partition holding back the biggest alligators I’ve ever seen.

And yet, I’m much more afraid of what’s in front of me.

I turn my head as he closes in. “King,” I whisper. “Don’t make me do this.”

But I’m not talking about watching an alligator eat a deer now.

“I will never make you do anything,” he says against my neck, his voice thick and rough. “When have I ever shown you differently?”

I swallow and close my eyes. “You haven’t.”

His hands ease onto my hips. “And I won’t. Now, come with me and trust that you’ll enjoy what I’ve set up for us.”

I turn my head and open my eyes. He’s no longer in kissing range, so my heart returns to a normal rhythm. Then footsteps ring overhead, and my attention shifts to the ceiling, where Grim and Rose step onto a catwalk above us. It stretches over the gator enclosure, which is sure to give us a good view.

Fabulous.

But as he turns and I follow him into the next room, I can’t shake a different sort of uneasy feeling. Underneath the panic I felt at the thought of kissing him, there was a much more frightening emotional undercurrent—disappointment that it didn’t happen.

If I kiss King, that’s it for me. I’m screwed. And so is he.

Maybe it’s time I finally tell him why this Josie’s never been kissed, and why it absolutely must stay this way.

Chapter Twenty-Two

King

We stand on an observation catwalk above the alligator enclosure. Each section is secured to the next, and long steel cables provide extra support. Jim assured me we spared no expense on the interior, but that doesn’t set my mind at ease when I glance down.