King of Sloth (Kings of Sin, #4)

by Ana Huang

“Technically, you are an intruder, but a very beautiful one. If you wanted to join me in bed, you only had to say so. No need to go to all this trouble.”

“I’ll attend the gala if you promise to join me on vacation after. Three weeks in Spain. No work, just play.”

Objectively, Sloane was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever met. Blue eyes, long legs, symmetrical face…Michelangelo himself couldn’t have sculpted a better female form.

“Just shut up and follow me,” I snapped, wishing I had a wittier reply. “Yes, ma’am.” His cheeks dimpled. “I love a woman in charge.”

“Ouch. Treat a girl to a luxury spa and get verbally attacked in return. Decorum doesn’t exist anymore.”

I pushed him into a nearby bush.

“So,” he said, “you think I’m pretty.”

“You don’t know how I taste.” His smile took on a decidedly more wicked slant. “Not yet.”

I knew all of these things because despite her assumption that I paid attention to no one except myself, I couldn’t stop noticing her if my life depended on it.

“I said your hobbies are boring, not you. I don’t find a single thing about you boring.”

“I am serious. Jillian!” I called out. Her assistant poked her head into the room. “Yes?” “Has Sloane eaten yet?” “She had a banana and black coffee for breakfast,” Jillian said. “That was right when I came into the office, so around seven forty-five.” “Thank you, darling.” “Anytime.”

“I don’t want a kiss or a one-night stand,” he said. “I want you. I want to know you outside work. I want to take you on real dates. And I don’t know if it’ll work out in the end, but I want us to at least try.”

“That’s rich coming from someone who pretends she doesn’t exist half the time.” I returned her glare with a chilly smile. “Don’t stay too long, Caroline, or people might mistake you for an actual mother.”

“He emailed me about your pregnancy.” I smiled over the churn in my gut. I shouldn’t have eaten that chicken salad for lunch. “I would say congratulations, but I’m the only person here who doesn’t lie.”

“Who I date or how I run my business is none of your concern,” I said coolly. “I’d tell you to mind yours, but you don’t have a business of your own, do you?” A small tilt of my head. “It’s sad that your family can’t buy you deals the way they bought your admission into Princeton.”

“Good girl.” I gathered her hair in a fist and tugged her head back. The rise and fall of her chest quickened, and a small smile touched my lips. “I like it better wrapped around my fist.”

“I always finish what I start.” I tightened my fist around her hair and gave it another tug. Her head arched, baring her throat, and a small quiver rippled through her body as I traced the delicate length of her neck with my mouth.

Alex Volkov’s

Daddy

My mouth dried. “What—” A piece of duct tape sealed over my lips, cutting me off.

“I wish she could’ve met you,” he said, so quiet that I felt more than I heard his words. “She would’ve loved you.”

Kai studied me in that quiet, thoughtful way of his. Isabella’s face popped up over his shoulder again; this time, she gave me a double thumbs-up. Nailed it, she mouthed. “Isa, love, stop talking to Sloane behind my back,” he said without turning around. Her face fell. “How do you always know? I swear you’re not human,”

“Fuck, Luna, you look so good on your knees, choking on my cock.”

“Believe me, don’t believe me. It’s not my job to convince you of your husband’s infidelity.” My voice cooled another degree. “But there’s an old saying, Georgie: if he cheats with you, he can cheat on you.” I paused, letting pettiness take the wheel. “There’s also another saying: karma’s a bitch.”

“Worry less about my relationship with Xavier and more about your own marriage,” I said, my voice cold and calm. “It took one chance encounter for Bentley to try and come crawling back to me. I don’t want him anymore, of course, nor will I ever want him again. Unlike other people, I prefer partners who understand the concept of loyalty, but I can easily walk away and never give that man another thought. You, on the other hand, are stuck with him.” I offered a casual shrug. “Perhaps try marriage counseling or therapy. I imagine being someone’s second choice is difficult, but you should be used to that by now. You seem to want only the things I’ve had first.”

“Luna is short for mi luna. My moon. Because no matter how dark the nights got, you were always there, shining so brightly that I always found my way through.”

“I love you,” I murmured. “Más que cualquier otra cosa en el mundo.”