45. willow
CHAPTER 45
WILLOW
I KNOW WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS
At some point, King had to know Elijah was goading him. It was so obvious. Was he really that blind? I glanced at him again and found his dark eyes, not even trying to hide the fact they were fixed on me.
Oh my god.
"I’m so, so sorry, Willow," Piper apologized, flashing her next card. "You have to pick up the pile."
I kept my focus on my cards. "Better not feel sorry. I would’ve done the same thing, no hesitation."
"Stop feeling sorry." Adam grinned. "You’re going to upset Willow."
Piper sucked in a breath. "I didn’t?—"
"Don’t listen to him," I urged her. "Don’t you dare. He’s messing with you."
Just like Elijah’s fucking with King.
Another glance at King, another smoldering look from him.
I slipped out my phone.
Me
Elijah’s fucking with you
You’re falling for it so hard, you’re going to hit the concrete
King read my message and didn’t move.
"Did you ever work at the Hula Hula Coola Bar? " Kassie asked me, picking up her cards.
I smiled. "Nope, but I've heard about it."
"People have to email Don, not message him." She patted her cards down, throwing a pleased look my way. "He doesn’t check the socials, but he has this rain sound sequence on a timer and the singers can perform when the thunder and lightning go off inside. It’s bitching."
My phone buzzed in my hand.
King
You didnt have to take the bracelet
I stole a look at him.
Me
You’re with your friends right now
Engage
"Wake up, Willow, I have one card left," Adam reminded me and I hurried to drop mine on the pile.
King
I have a lighter in my bag
Me
I’m not burning the bracelet?
King
Why not
Me
Are you serious right now???
King
Yes
Me
Legitimately serious???????
King
Yes
"I need the cards." Ryan’s voice broke my concentration, and I passed mine over to discover that Adam didn’t win, June did. June, beaming right next to King, while he searched for something in his backpack.
There was no way.
King held up a lighter between two fingers with an expression that basically said, ‘ what the hell were you expecting? ’
"Deal them again," I quickly said.
My phone buzzed.
Ignoring it, I focused wholeheartedly on the game. Or tried to and failed when it buzzed again . I put down a wild card and swore under my breath when Ryan snatched it off the pile.
"Willow, it’s appreciated," Ryan thanked me.
"I didn’t mean to do it. Have some empathy."
"I play to win, not for empathy."
Kassie snickered. "Coach’s daughter, Ryan."
"That doesn’t mean I have to let her win at cards."
My phone pinged more and more, demanding my attention while King practically burned holes in my head with that stare of his. I could feel his discontent. How was nobody else clocking it?
My phone buzzed yet again, and I broke my resolve.
King
Cut it off with elijah
Youre mine
Im telling june the fake relationships done
I want to tell everybody right now
Right now
Now willow
WILLOW
When King’s brain was developing, several incredibly important synapses clearly hadn’t been plugged in. Whenever he was jealous, all common sense jumped out the window. I had to ignore how much that put butterflies in my stomach and bring us back to reality.
Me
King.
Elijah is TESTING YOU
Doing this impulsive shit would CONFIRM IT
King
GOOD
I could see King typing an even longer response, muttering something that definitely belonged in a swear jar. I wasn’t about to read his thesis on why we needed to do the dumb shit that could get him into massive trouble with my mom’s husband.
King tossed his phone in his bag. "I have something to?—"
"You know what?" I interrupted. "I’m putting away my phone. Because how cool is it that I’m on a bus right now, going to Austin of all places, bill free, instead of focusing on my phone and freaking out over shit that honestly doesn’t matter?"
Everyone stared and King narrowed his eyes.
"Damn, Willow." Adam lowered his phone. "I’m signing up for the gym slots. You don’t have to call me out like that."
"I was talking about myself, Adam."
"I feel very called out anyway."
"Call this, motherfucker. " Kassie slammed her last card on the pile, ending the game, allowing me to send a final text.
Me
Tell everyone what you want, I don’t care, I’ll deny it
It was two and a half hours to Austin and it crawled by, all while King kept his eyes on me. It was so hard to ignore him. When the bus arrived at the hotel, I jerked up from my seat, needing to be the first one to leave.
But King took his place behind me, faster than anyone else.
"Shit," I muttered.
He bumped into me on purpose, and it was my own damn fault for not slipping my backpack on. He pressed against my body. No space between us. I tried to inch forward, but he easily pulled me back.
The bus doors didn’t even open. I stared in disbelief as we crawled behind a van, stalling for some reason.
"Angel?" King said, his voice so quiet, only I could hear him. "What are we doing with this bracelet?"
"Nice try," I whispered.
He grunted. Unsatisfied.
Still right behind me.
His cock stirred, and I struggled to keep a normal expression on my face, heart fluttering in my chest.
Damn him.
The moment I made it inside, I’d go to my room, drop off my luggage, bracelet included. I wouldn’t carry it around Austin. If I did, King would have a fun time with his lighter and burn the bracelet to a crisp.
He stretched his arm over the seat next to me and my eyes flickered to his fingers, long and thick. The wrapping was gone—his tattoo was out for anyone to see.
But they were…leaves?
Huh.
"Stop drooling."
I paused.
Did King say that?
"What?" I whispered back.
"Stop rubbing against me. I know you're trying to get yourself off."
What the hell?
"Oh, that’s right." He slipped his finger through my belt loop. With no regard to where we were, he tugged it down to reveal an inch of skin and grazed it with his fingertips before I swatted him away. He chuckled. "You want to lick my bicep."
A blush hit me. I definitely said that in one of our mutual masturbation phone calls, a lifetime ago. Why was he bringing this up now? On a crowded bus of all places?
"What the hell is your problem?" I said, flustered.
"I know what your problem is. You’re not bouncing on my cock."
"King."
His voice was velvet in my ear. "My cum isn’t dripping down your thighs. That’s your fucking problem."
Heat pooled between my legs, but that was it . Pulse racing, I slipped on my backpack and bumped him back, catching sight of the football team lined up to leave the bus, everyone oblivious to our conversation and King feeling me up. But I wouldn’t take that for granted.
"Are you high?" I demanded, barely mouthing each word. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up."
A lofty grin raised his lips, but at least he was quiet.
The doors finally opened, and I broke away from him, finally able to breathe properly. Being that close to King messed with my head. It was so hard to think with him looking that good, and so damn close. Where the hell did all of that come from?
He grabbed his duffel bag from the rest of the luggage. Without a glance my way, he headed to the hotel.
What the hell?
My phone pinged from my back pocket.
Elijah the dumbass
can i get a pic of the band
Oh, right. The whole reason he gave it to me. I pulled my suitcase to the curb and dug into the side pocket of my backpack, coming up with…nothing.
I searched again, like the pocket was a magical wardrobe to take me to Turkish delight instead of plain fabric. Nothing. With a frown, I started sifting through my backpack.
"Willow?" Ryan called. "Let’s get going."
I wove them away. "Uh—don’t wait for me, I left something."
Maybe I dropped it on the bus?
I had to wait for everyone to depart before I hunted for it, to find…nothing. I knew I put it in the backpack’s pocket, just like I knew King was being a dumbass.
I froze, staring at the window. "That stealthy bitch ."