Cruel King (Royal Elite #0) by Rina Kent

“Stop.” I place both my hands on his mouth, shutting him up.

I’m not that worried about the early runners in the park as much as my stupid body’s reaction to his crude words.

With every word coming out of his mouth, a rush of heat invades me and pools between my thighs.

When the hell did I become so addicted to his dirty talk?

I look on either side of me. “Why are you here anyway?”

“I came for you.”

I came for you.

Just like that. He makes it appear so easy and nonchalant.

“I would’ve gone to your house, but I’m guessing Lord Clifford isn’t a big fan of me.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” I frown. “How did you know I’d be in this park?”

He lifts a shoulder. “I have my ways.”

Dan. That traitor. I’m supposed to be angry with him for spilling my morning routine, but I don’t have it in me now.

Levi might be a bastard, but he managed to pluck me from the dooming thoughts about Dad and what he’s hiding from me.

“Run with me.” He nudges my shoulder.

“I’m an artist, not an athlete, remember?”

“You don’t have to be an athlete to run.”

“I’m good.” I flop to an empty bench. “Thanks but no thanks.”

I try to imagine he’s not standing right in front of me as I retrieve my sketchbook.

Easier said than done.

His presence always fills the space like a hurricane brewing in the distance.

I pause opening my pad, recalling that my last sketch is from the game. I might have been working on it during the entire weekend.

“Hey,” I meet his assessing eyes. “Did you steal my sketch the other day?”

“What sketch?”

I narrow my eyes. “Just some rubbish.”

“Just some rubbish, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

There’s no way in hell I’m telling him that it was the first thing I’ve been able to sketch after months.

“Now I see it.”

I follow Levi’s eager field of vision. He’s staring at the end of my Sun-Moon-Star tattoo.

“See what?”

“That’s the reason why you have all these stars on your phone case, your bag, and even your drawings.” He tilts his head. “Do you make wishes upon the stars, princess?”

“I stopped doing that since Mum died.” I narrow my eyes. “You did steal my sketch.”

“What’s your evidence?”

“Tough luck, Levi. You just admitted to it.”

“And how, do tell, did I admit to it?”

I puff my chest, feeling smug. “You said I have stars on my drawings when you’ve supposed to have never seen one.”

He points in my sketchpad’s direction. “I meant that.”

Right. Lie to someone else.

“Let’s run,” he repeats.

“The answer is still no.”

He slides beside me, crowding my space. His eyes gleam with menace and the air shifts.

The park and its runners hush in the background. All I can hear is the thumping of my heart and all I can smell is Levi’s clean, intoxicating scent.

“We can sit here and catch up about what happened on Saturday. You know, the whole part about eating you up,” he whispers so low, it’s sinful. “Do you want to know if I jacked off to your orgasm face?”

I jerk up and start running to hide the heat creeping up my cheeks.

Did he really jack off to me?

Wrong thought, Astrid. Super wrong thought.

Levi catches up to me, chuckling softly. He must be finding all of this too amusing.

Bastard.

While I put every ounce of energy I have to run, Levi seems like he’s strolling in the park.

His legs don’t flex as much as mine — stupid tall people. While I’m already sweating like a pig, there’s not an ounce of sweat on his forehead.

When I glance at him, his hard stare is on me. He’s not even putting up an effort to run and is only keeping up with my pace. It’d be suicide to ask him for a race.

His muscles expand and move with ease. Even his breathing comes in and out with ease, unlike my choppy one.

After a few laps around the park, sweat coats my temples and my hands. My legs scream to be put out of their misery as if I just finished a marathon.

I fall against the bench, panting so hard my heart almost leaps out of my throat.

“I’m done. So done.”

Dark laughter fills my ears as a bottle of water is thrust into my face. I don’t know where he got that from, but I don’t care as I gulp half of it down in one go.

Levi slides beside me, his chest rising and falling steadily while mine nearly breaks down from the erratic breathing.

When I glance at him, he’s taking a sip from the same bottle I did, that familiar spark taking over his eyes.

I lick my lips. He’s drinking from it on purpose, isn’t he?

“How do you aliens do this all the time?” I stare ahead to distract myself from his glistening lips.

Damn his lips.

“It’s all about stamina. Besides, you’re doing it all wrong.”

I wipe the sweat off my eyebrows and my temple. “I’m doing it all wrong because I’m not supposed to be doing it at all.”

He smiles. “No, I meant that you shouldn’t waste all your energy at the beginning. You have to divide your strength and pick up slowly.”