King of Pride (Kings of Sin #2) by Ana Huang

When I floated back down an eternity later, I was still racked with shudders from how hard I came. The echoes of my screams lingered in the air, bringing a wash of mortification to my cheeks.

“Perfect.” Kai’s voice softened. He was himself again, not the cruel, demanding master who’d forced me to dance on the razor’s edge of orgasm for God knew how long. Strong, gentle hands smoothed and kneaded away the burn. “I knew you could do it. A-plus work, Ms. Valencia.”

“Fuck you,” I mumbled, too spent to infuse my words with much venom. “I can never read Austen the same way again.”

Kai turned me around and pressed a smiling kiss on my pout. “Look on the bright side. Whenever you come across an obstacle, you know it can’t be harder than reading a full page of Pride and Prejudice out loud while someone’s trying to make you come.”

A simultaneous laugh and groan slipped past my lips. “You’re the only person I know who can turn sex into some weird motivational life lesson.”

“It’s a special talent, along with my fluent command of Latin and ability to produce amazing orgasms.”

“Huh. I don’t know about amazing…”

I squealed when he picked me up and tossed me on the couch. “Do you need another lesson?” he threatened, his eyes dancing with a playful light that made my heart melt. Sex and banter aside, my favorite version of Kai was the relaxed, comfortable one. He was so stressed all the time, and it made me happy to see him happy.

“Maybe. I’ve never been great at school.” He didn’t resist when I pulled him down next to me and draped an arm and leg over him like he was a giant teddy bear. Drowsiness hit with the suddenness of a lightning bolt. I yawned and snuggled closer to him. “But let’s…” Another yawn. “Rest first. Have to recharge.” I mumbled the last sentence into his chest.

Kai and I settled into a comfortable silence. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of mind-blowing sex and swoonworthy dates, but they didn’t hold a candle to the quiet moments in between. I could lie here next to him and listen to his heart beat forever.

“What are you doing for Christmas?” Kai asked after a while. He played absentmindedly with the ends of my hair, and warmth seeped through me at the casual intimacy of his touch.

“Binge-watching cheesy rom-coms and butchering my mom’s traditional Christmas recipes,” I said. “One of these days, I will make buko pandan as good as hers. What about you?”

“Binge-watching cheesy action movies and ordering takeout,” he quipped. Another silence fell. Then, he asked, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him, “Why don’t you spend it with me?”

My eyes snapped up to his. “What?”

“Spend Christmas with me. We’ll both be in the city, and we can come to a compromise about the movies.”

My heart stuttered beneath the blow of my surprise.

Sex and dating was one thing. Spending the holidays together was another. My family may have pushed our celebration back for logistical purposes, but Christmas was sacred to us. Who we spent it with mattered.

Plus, Kai and I were already treading a fine line with our relationship. We were having fun now, but we came from different worlds. It was only a matter of time before everything exploded in our faces.

My chest pinched at the thought.

On the other hand…if what we had was destined to end, wouldn’t it make sense to enjoy every second while it lasted?

Don’t overthink. Do what feels right. My father’s advice drifted, unbidden, through my mind.

He’d been talking about music, but the same principle applied here.

I made a snap decision. It wasn’t what New Isabella should do, but New Isabella could shove it.

I brushed my lips over Kai’s with a smile. “I’d love to spend Christmas with you.”





CHAPTER 23


Kai



KAI

As much as I looked forward to spending the holidays with Isabella, we had one more occasion to celebrate before Christmas. She insisted we roll both into one, but I wasn’t having it.

“It’s your birthday. It should be celebrated separately.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and tucked my chin between her neck and shoulder. We sat on my bed, her back pressed against my front, our bodies loose and languid after her birthday party earlier that night.

“We already celebrated.” Isabella yawned. Her friends had rented a private room at an exclusive Italian restaurant, followed by a VIP experience at a nearby nightclub. “We don’t need to do it twice.”

“Tonight was your friends’ idea. It’s not the same.” Vivian had invited me out of courtesy, but her friends didn’t know about us, which meant we spent the night acting like simple acquaintances. I couldn’t kiss her, dance with her, or talk with her like I wanted. But she’d been happy, which was what mattered. “Name your wish,” I said, rubbing a lazy thumb over her skin. She was so warm and soft I could’ve held her here, like this, forever. “Anything you want.”

Isabella twisted her head to look at me. “Really? Anything?”

“Paris for breakfast and Barcelona for dinner? I could have my jet ready in an hour.”

Her laugh brushed my chest. “Kai, we are not going to Europe tomorrow.”