Ruthless Kings - Laura Lee Page 0,86
us to go with you?”
“Nah, I can handle Peyton.”
Reed gives Ainsley a small smile. “You wanna get out of here? My parents are away for the weekend.”
Her eyes widen as she decodes his statement. “Absolutely.”
“Have fun, you two.” I give them a little finger wave, trying to hold in my smirk.
Kingston stands a little taller as he notices my approach. Peyton looks over her shoulder to see what's snagged his attention, and her eyes narrow when she spots me. She says one last thing to him, but the music is too loud for me to hear, before stomping away.
“What was that about?”
“Same shit. Different day.” Kingston tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “You look warm. You wanna get some fresh air? I stashed your shoes next to the barbeque out back.”
“Sure.”
Kingston leads me through the mass of bodies with his fingers threaded through mine. I shiver when we step outside from the sharp contrast in temperature.
Kingston rubs his hands over my arms. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I point to the small firepit down below. “But maybe we can sit down there for a bit?”
Nobody seems bothered by the fact that you can’t have campfires on public beaches, so I roll with it.
He nods and continues walking until we reach the small gathering in the sand. There's only one empty Adirondack chair, so Kingston takes a seat and pulls me onto his lap. I sigh in relief as my body instantly warms. We sit there for a few moments, just looking at the flames, soaking in the warmth.
Kingston rests his chin on my shoulder. “Where’d Ainsley and Reed go?”
“I don’t think you want the answer to that question.”
He groans. “You’re probably right.”
“Have you seen Bentley?”
"About fifteen minutes ago. He was talking to some chick, but he seemed pretty far gone. I told him to text me when he's ready to leave, and we'd take him home." Kingston's finger sneaks under the hem of my top, slowly moving back and forth over my skin.
“Is he going to be okay? This overindulgence thing seems to be getting worse.”
“Hence why I’ve remained completely sober tonight.” Kingston’s chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. “On Monday, it’ll be exactly two years since someone close to us died, so I think he’s feeling it pretty hard.”
“Carissa?”
Kingston’s arms tighten around me. “He told you about her?”
“Not exactly. But Ainsley told me how she died.”
I feel him swallow hard before asking, “Did Ains tell you about the events leading up to Carissa’s death?”
I slowly shake my head. “She said the rest was Bentley’s story to tell.”
He says nothing for a long moment, before tapping my hip, prompting me to get up. “Let’s take a little walk.”
I scan the people sitting in a circle around the fire. The combination of music floating from the house and the buzz of conversation should prevent anyone from hearing us, but I can understand Kingston’s need for privacy. I have a feeling this story’s going to be a doozy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
JAZZ
Kingston and I stroll down the beach a little until we’re far enough away from prying ears. He props himself on one of the boulders edging the beach, pulls me down onto his lap again, and wastes no time getting to the story.
“Bentley blames himself for her suicide.”
I twist my upper body so I can see his face. “What?! Why?”
“It’d probably be easier to understand if I start from the beginning,” he says. “We were all in the same kindergarten class. The guys and I become friends on day one, same with Ainsley and Carissa. Since Ains and I have always been close, the five of us spent a lot of time together throughout our childhood. I think Bent and Rissa fell in love before any of us understood what that meant.”
Poor Bentley. Losing someone you love dearly is hard enough. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be when that person takes their own life.
“What happened to her?”
"Oddly enough, Bentley and Rissa were never officially a couple. Carissa refused to give them that label because she was supposedly afraid it'd ruin their friendship. That was complete horse shit, in my opinion, because whenever one of them wasn't dating someone else, they'd act like they were a couple in every way. They lost their virginity to each other, for fuck’s sake. And if one of them was hooking up with someone else, it’d never last long because they preferred to be with each other.
"It was all very strange, and probably more