Just This Once (The Kings)

“I’ve got to find it,” Whip grumbled as he frantically searched the cab of his truck. His hand raked through his hair, causing it to stick up in places.

I stood back, enjoying the view. Whip’s white T-shirt was snug across his chest, and I appreciated the fit of his jeans as I stared at his muscular ass while he tore through the glove box, checked under the seats, and dug into the center console. After our boat ride and picnic, we had erased all evidence of us being on the beach, and Whip had rowed us back toward Trawler’s Cove.

Despite my offer to help, Whip insisted on hauling the canoe up the rocky ledge himself before securing the dripping boat on top of his truck. When we got there, a small note was tucked under one windshield wiper.

Good luck finding it.

Clearly a prank from one of the Sullivans, Whip was convinced they’d somehow messed with his truck. After minutes of finding nothing, a realization dawned on me. “How do you know they actually messed with anything?”

He slowly turned to me.

I nodded as the thought fully formed. “What better way to fuck with someone than to make them think they did something to your truck, but really did nothing at all. It would eat at you. Drive you mad.” I shrugged. “It’s what I would do.”

Whip stood tall and slammed the door to his truck. “Son of a bitch.”

I held up a hand. “I mean—don’t get me wrong—I’d still keep an eye or a nose out for something weird, but I’m betting it’s a mind game.”

A muscle in his jaw worked. “Psychological warfare.”

I barked out a laugh. “I mean, maybe less dramatic than that, but sure.”

More relaxed, Whip leaned against the door of his truck and peered down the quiet roadway. “Did you park nearby?”

I shook my head. “My apartment is only a few blocks away. I walked.”

He hummed and glanced down the street before settling his attention on his feet. “I could drive you home or . . .” His eyes found mine. “We could go back to my place.”

Heat bloomed in my core, and I stifled a smile. “I’d like that.”

Whip hurried around to the passenger side, opening my door as I climbed into his truck. My hair was tangled from the lake breeze, and anticipation buzzed beneath my skin. I leaned against the window as his truck bumped along the road.

It was getting late, but Outtatowner still hummed with the flutter of coastal life. Tourist season was in full swing, and the sidewalks were still bustling. I could see King Tattoo was buzzing with life and wondered if that was where Whip had gotten all his tattoos. Mentally, I made plans to trace each line with my tongue. I smiled as we passed the general store, recalling the night Whip and I met.

As the truck rolled to a stoplight, Whip stilled and mumbled, “Fuck.”

I straightened, looking around to see what he was looking at.

Just ahead at the crosswalk, my mother’s hand was tucked affectionately into the nook of my stepdad’s arm.

My eyes went wide as I panicked. “What do we do?”

He lifted an arm, taking the center console with him, opening the bench seat between us. “Get down.”

Without hesitation, I swiveled and pressed my torso to the center seat. My face was practically in his lap, and my heart thundered. After what felt like an eternity, the light changed, and Whip’s truck rolled forward. As he drove through the intersection, I watched in horror as his arm lifted in a silent salute.

“Did they see you?” I hissed.

“Oh yeah,” he gritted through a smile. “Definitely spotted.”

“Shit. Do you think they saw me?”

Whip’s arm casually rested along my back, rubbing a small circle where my shirt separated from my jean shorts.

His warm fingers dipped past the waistband and stroked my skin. “I think we’re good, but maybe just stay down to be safe.”

“Okay.” I stared ahead, directly at his crotch, and waited, my hands tensely gripping his thigh. My face was in his lap as he kept driving. As I crouched down and stayed pinned in place, I realized he’d become hard.

“Are we out of town yet?” I didn’t dare peek.

“Oh yeah, have been for a while.” His smug words had me rolling my eyes and playfully slapping his thick thigh as I sat up.

“You’re the worst.” I shifted back to my side of the truck.

Whip laughed. “Can’t blame a guy for enjoying that, just a little.” He shifted in his seat, adjusting himself in the most obscenely masculine way. A bolt of lust shot through me.

I crossed my arms, still pretending to be annoyed and to hide the fact that my nipples had puckered into hard little points. When we finally turned down Whip’s quiet stretch of road, I relaxed. The sun had finally disappeared beyond the trees, and in the twilight, I could just make out the shape of his expansive house.

When he parked near the outbuilding and not in his garage, I looked at him in question.

“I wanted to show you something.” Whip got out and rounded the truck to open my door.

I grinned at him as I climbed out. “I could get used to the princess treatment.”

A smirk hooked at the corner of his mouth when he swept the hair from my shoulder and leaned in. “I’ll give you the princess treatment now because once you’re on your knees, begging for my cock, you’ll have earned it.”

Shivers racked my spine, and my knees went soft. I gripped his shirt. “That’s a deal I’ll take.”

“Good.” Whip started toward the garage, and I followed. Once inside, he flipped on the overhead lights. In the center of his workshop was a large boat with what looked like fishing rod holders and ropes attached to the side. It was filthy and seemed to be in rough shape.

On the stern, Noble King Fishing Tours had been painted, though it looked like there was something else underneath.

I tilted my head. “A boat? Do you own a fishing company or something?”

Whip’s smile was soft as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “No. This boat was supposed to be a big fuck you to the Sullivans. Check it out.” He stepped forward, using his fingertip to outline the layer of paint hidden beneath the boat’s new moniker. It was painted over, but you could still see the outline of a name.

“Juney?” I asked.

“The late Mrs. Sullivan’s name was June.”

A twinge pinched in my chest.

Whip’s lips pressed together, and he nodded grimly. “My father has always had a hard-on for knocking the Sullivans down a few pegs.”

“Because of the rivalry,” I confirmed.

His head twitched. “It’s more than that for him. Sure, we fuck around and prank each other, but that’s all petty, harmless shit. This was personal.”

I stayed silent, feeling the weight of the room, and waited for him to continue.

“Red Sullivan—their dad—is a farmer but saw fishing tours as a lucrative tourism opportunity. It probably would have been a good one too.”

Dread oozed into my stomach. “Would have been?”

Whip nodded, his eyes never leaving the boat. “Red got sick. Early-onset dementia, I think. Dad bought the boat from under him only to slap his name on it and docked it in a prominent slip at the marina, simply because he could.”

“That’s . . .” I had no idea what to even say to that.

“Shitty?” Disgust tainted his words. “Yeah, it was.”

“And why do you have it?” I searched the side of his face, my chest squeezing.

“Giving it back to its rightful owners. A gift from my sister Sylvie to Duke. We’re stowing it here and I’m going to do a few repairs on some of the interior woodwork, if I can.”

Admiration caused a swell of emotion, but worry pricked at my brain. Whip was nothing like his father. It gnawed at me that Russell King was so heartless he would wield his influence and power over his own children. “How does your dad feel about that?”

He lightly scoffed and put an arm around my shoulders, dragging me against him and dropping a light kiss on the top of my head. “You’re pretty smart, Prim. You know that?”

I preened and leaned into his warm embrace. “The plan is to hope he doesn’t notice but deal with the fallout when he does. Come on.” Whip sighed and guided me back toward the exit before he flipped off the lights and locked the workshop. “I’ve got plans for you that don’t include talking about my fucked-up family.”

In a swift movement, he slapped my ass and I yelped, taking off like a shot across the grass to escape him. I ran, but heavy footsteps thundered behind me. A giddy zip followed by a primal squeal tore through the darkness. Despite my best efforts, Whip caught me around the middle and hoisted me up. I giggled and fought his hold.

Though I struggled and kicked, Whip jostled me until I was in a firefighter’s carry, upside down over his shoulder. “No fair! You’ve done this before!”

Whip effortlessly held me in place while he unlocked his door and hauled me toward his bedroom. With two hands, he braced my hips and let me slide down his front. His eyes bore into mine. “I promise you, Prim. I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”

A deep greediness ripped through me. I wasn’t foolish enough to think I was the only woman to ever be with Whip, but I carried an innate feminine knowing that, for the time being, he really was mine.

I pulled my lower lip between my teeth, locking my eyes with his. Slowly, I sank to my knees, never breaking eye contact. “Is this how I earn the princess treatment?”

My fingers teased the waistband of his pants, brushing the taut skin of his lower belly. He clenched at my touch.

“It’s a pretty good start.” His ice-blue eyes were hungry. Every muscle in his body went rigid at my teasing touch. I may have been on my knees, but I held the power as I slowly unzipped his pants and watched him fall apart in front of me.

The sight of his cock, even then, took my breath away. It bulged through the smooth surface of his black boxer briefs. I palmed its length, tracing over each barbell that ran underneath its width.

It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been on my knees for him, but instead of tearing at each other’s clothes, fighting for the finish line, I wanted to tease.

Torture.

I planned to use my mouth to make him see stars. I wasn’t at all worried about Whip coming first—experience told me he would more than make up for it.

“I don’t trust that look in your eye.” Whip’s voice was a rasping husk that sent tingles cascading down my spine.

I shot him a wicked grin as I lowered his pants and underwear, freeing him. “I’m going to ruin you for all other women.” I slowly licked a prominent vein on the underside of his cock.

With a deep groan, Whip’s head fell back. Then he glowered at me before his hand caressed my cheek. “You already have, Prim.”

My nipples pinched painfully in my bra. I wanted him to throw me down and take me, but I was determined to drag this out for him. Adjusting my position, I gripped him with one hand while I teased the head of his dick. Slowly, I started taking him deeper into my mouth, lashing my tongue across the metal barbells.

My eyes watered, and my head bobbed as I took him deeper still. Saliva pooled in my mouth, and I used it to suck and tease. I moaned around him, feeling my pussy grow wetter. Sex with Whip was salacious and freeing. I’d never experienced anything like it, and I wanted more.

Releasing my grip, I kept my mouth on him and my eyes glued to his. My free hand dipped between his legs, gently stroking the soft skin of his balls. Carefully sucking in a lungful of breath through my nose, I took him as deeply as I could. Whip shivered and his hips twitched. Teasing the sensitive spot behind his balls, I worked him deeper and deeper until my jaw ached.

With Whip I was wild, free. An idea bloomed in my mind, one that was filthier than I’d ever dared to imagine. I sat back, swirling my tongue across his head as I smiled up at him.

“I have an idea. Can we try something?” A shy blush heated my cheeks as my lashes lowered.

Whip reached down and hauled me to my feet. “Anything.”

I quickly unbuttoned my shorts, letting them fall to the ground, and slipped out of my sneakers. My shirt was next, hitting the floor, followed by my bra and panties. I stood, bare and humming with anticipation in front of him as he made quick work of undressing himself.

The cut lines of his abs bunched as his breaths sawed in and out of him. He reached for me, slicking a finger between my legs. “You’re fucking soaked, Prim. Tell me you’re so wet from taking my cock down that tight little throat.”

Before he could push that finger farther, I stepped back toward the bed. “I want more.” I clambered onto the bed. His eyebrow popped up when I lay on my back with my feet stretching away from him. Then I shimmied to the edge and hung my head off the bed. “Like this.”

His eyes were dark and wild as he stroked his cock with a hard tug and stepped forward. “You want me to fuck your throat?”

I licked my lips and nodded.

“Open your mouth.”

I did as I was told, pressing my tongue flat to accommodate him. “Good girl.”

My fingers found my clit, and I started working it in slow, torturous circles as he slid his cock into my mouth.

“Fuck.”

One syllable, ground out as he thrust to the back of my throat, was a jolt to my system. I wanted so badly to feel his cum slide down my throat because I made him fall apart. I hummed my approval and eagerness as he slowly dragged in and out of my mouth. I reached back and gripped his hips. He allowed me to set a comfortable pace as he fucked my mouth.

His rough palms passed over my nipples. He pinched and twisted them. My thighs pressed together as my whole body hummed with pleasure.

He gripped my breasts. “I’m going to come, Prim.”

My grip on his hips tightened as I doubled my efforts, encouraging him to let his orgasm go. His fingertips dug harder, and with a moan, I took as many inches as I could as hot, thick cum spurted against the back of my throat. I worked him and swallowed and held him deeper as the final pumps of his orgasm dripped down my throat.

He shook, his knees giving out as he slid from my mouth. I rolled to my stomach, wiping the mess off my chin and grinning at him. There wasn’t a challenge I wasn’t ready to face head-on, and dick sucking was no exception.

“That was . . .” He laughed. “Holy shit, Em. I’m dizzy.”

“A-plus work? Five stars?” I teased with a soft, excited giggle.

Whip grinned at me. “Out of this world. I think I saw God.”

Heat scorched my cheeks and I looked away.

He prowled toward me and captured my face in his hands as he looked down at me. “Why are you blushing, Prim?”

I leaned into his hands, hoping to distract him and focus his attention elsewhere, but he held me, waiting.

“It’s just . . .” I gathered my courage and looked him in the eyes. “You make me feel different. Confident. I’ve never been very adventurous in the bedroom. I’m glad you liked it.”

His mouth lowered with zero hesitation as he kissed me long and hard and deeply. “You make me feel different too.”

A wicked glint shone in his eyes as his body covered mine. “Now it’s my turn to show you,” he threatened with a playful lift of his brow.noveldrama

As I sank into the plush stack of pillows piled at the headboard, Whip’s hands caressed down my body. I expected fire and fervor, but his lips were soft and warm.

Slowly, he moved down my body, spreading my knees until I was completely bared to him. He dragged out my orgasm with his face buried between my legs as I gripped the pillows and screamed his name.

Later, when he nestled his hips in the cradle of mine, he teased my opening before slipping inside. Eyes locked, he pinned me to the bed with his delicious weight. My legs wrapped around him as my arms wound around his neck. My hands fisted his hair. Whip buried his face into my hair, murmuring my name and easing himself inside.

In the darkness of his bedroom something shifted, altered something inside me.

In his embrace I realized that it was no longer two sort-of friends fucking and having a good time. It was two souls baring themselves to each other and finding that our broken parts somehow clicked together perfectly. His name was a whisper of my breath as he finally filled me completely.