Cruel King (Royal Elite #0) by Rina Kent

The clearing of a throat pulls me from my stupor. My head snaps to the other side. I didn’t even realise someone else was in the room.

My breath comes in short gasps. Levi sits in a recliner with his jean-clad legs crossed above each other.

He’s wearing a black T-shirt that sticks to his defined abdominal muscles. His tousled hair is pushed back giving a full view of the sharp lines in his face and the murderous look in his pale eyes.

My stupid body comes to life and tiny tingles shoot straight to my core.

Nope. I’m not going there.

Crossing the robe over my chest, I jerk off the bed, abandoning the cup of coffee on the nightstand.

A stupid little part of me is wishing for a word from him. A touch.

Anything.

But I’m not that girl anymore.

It’s the first time I take the Clifford pride seriously. Levi won’t dictate my life anymore.

Tucking in my headache and my shell of a heart, I stride to the door. The moment I open it, a hand slams it shut from behind.

A large — and a very hard — body glues to my back. And the warmth. Damn him and his warmth.

I dig my elbows into his ribs. He doesn’t back off.

If anything, he pushes his hips into me from behind, pinning me in place.

Angry tears barge to my eyes.

How dare he do this to me when he already wrote me off?

How dare he play with my body and my heart as if it’s some game?

I turn around and punch his chest. “You don’t get to do this. We’re nothing anymore, King.”

His face closes off. “Says. Who?”

“You! We were never something to be over, remember?”

“So you decided to drink with my team.” His voice hardens. “Is that your way to get back at me?”

That was my way to get back at myself. I planned to drink myself into oblivion. But at some point, I started to have fun with Ronan and the guys. For a moment, I was able to forget about this bastard.

“I’m so over you, King.” I laugh with bitterness. “Oh wait. It wasn’t something to be over, anyway.”

“Fuck, Astrid.” He growls, closing his eyes. When he opens them, there’s a chaos of emotions I can’t decipher.

What happened to you?

Why did you push me away?

Those questions slip to the tip of my tongue, but I don’t ask them because deep down, I’m afraid of the answer.

I’m afraid he’ll cut through the fresh wound and ruin me beyond repair.

“Stop acting like you can belong to someone else.” He grips both my hips and pulls me into him. “There hasn’t been a moment where you weren’t mine.”

My fists clench and I hit his chest the hardest I can. “What the hell do you want from me, Levi?” Hit. “What?” Hit. “I can’t do this anymore.”

He grabs my wrists in his hand. “You can’t do what?”

“I can’t pretend like all of this is fine. I can’t plot your demise when I’m aching to see you again. Checkmate, you won. You fucking won. Are you happy now?”

“Not even close.” He spins me around and I fall backwards on the bed. He’s on top of me, his body covering mine. My robe falls open at the bottom and his erection presses against my thighs.

I can feel myself crumbling.

My skin flushes coming alive under the friction of his clothes.

Two weeks. It’s been two damn empty weeks without him.

I’m aching to be filled again and only Levi can make that happen.

My fingers fist in his T-shirt. I don’t know if it’s to bring him closer or to push him away.

“How can I win when I’ve been losing to you since the beginning, princess?” There’s a strange vulnerability in his eyes that hits me in the chest. “Do you know how I spent the past two weeks without you?”

“I don’t want to know.”

“Too bad because you will.”

He flips me around and I gasp when I end up on my hands and knees — very trembling hands and knees. I can’t process what’s happening when his hard body covers mine from behind and his lips find the lobe of my ear. He runs his tongue over the shell and makes a trail down my neck.

A shiver covers my skin and a zap of pleasure trickles down my thighs. Oh. God. Just one touch and I’m a helpless fool.

“No, Levi… don’t… I can’t do this anymore. Stop.”

“Do you think I don’t want to stop?” He growls in my ear as he yanks the robe down my arms and tosses it away.

“I’ve been debating against who and what I am for two damn weeks and guess what?” A zipper sounds from behind me, and I swallow audibly.

“W-what?”

“I can’t win when I’ve already abdicated, princess.”

I throw a glance over my shoulder and suck in a breath. He’s all too hard. His abs, his thighs, and his cock.

A full-body shudder goes through me.

I want him inside me.

No. I need him inside me.

I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever have this reaction to someone else other than him.

When I’m near him, it’s both frightening and exciting. Even though I know there’s a dark abyss ahead, I keep walking to it all the same.

It’s crazy. It’s reckless. But it’s ours.

Levi and I haven’t started as a fairy tale and I know it won’t be a fairy tale ending, but I still crave what we have.