‘Tis the season of Wicked Deeds (A Holiday romance Book 1)
‘Tis the season of Wicked Deeds: Chapter 36

WICKED DEEDS

1. Get risqué behavior in public.
2. I wanna be your slave.
3. Be my Daddy tonight.
4. Slut me up, Mr. King.
5. Make love in front of the fireplace.
6. No falling in love.

“You’re not Julian.”

The words freeze me in my spot in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. I’m not shocked or curious about how she found out the truth. My only regret is that it wasn’t from me. A single phone call and the damage is already done.

All I pray for is that she listens to my side of the story and forgives me.

That I haven’t broken us beyond repair.

My hand slips from the glass as I slowly turn around and face her.

The girl of my dreams, whom I’ve been obsessed with and stalked over months like a lovesick fool, stands near the entrance to the drawing room, in my shirt that dwarfs her petite frame, staring at me like I’m a stranger.

Being on the receiving end of it hurts like agony.

Yet my heart beats faster at the mere sight of her. Her gorgeous beauty with a hint of innocence steals my breath away every time I look at her. I’ve been around countless beautiful women, but none wielded the power to bring me to my knees like she does.

Silky brown hair falls in waves just below her breasts, while the olive skin of her face is flushed from the earlier orgasm. Even her pouty lips are still swollen from my rough kisses. However, her soft eyes hold none of the warmth I’ve grown to love, which is a crushing blow to my sternum.

I’m to blame for it.

The distance between us is as wide and as unpredictable as the ocean, when mere moments ago I had her in my arms.

Was it my imagination that I glimpsed hope on her beautiful face before we got interrupted? She was about to tell me something.

Did I fuck everything up more than I already have?

I take a step toward her, and cautiously say, “Twinkle.”

“You’ve been lying to me,” she accuses sharply. Her small hands ball into fists on her sides. One is still clutching her phone. Searching my apologetic gaze, she asks in a small voice, “Was everything a lie?”

I expected that question, but it still skins me alive. I answer truthfully. “Of course not, darling.”

“Then why?” she yells in frustration. I swear I could hear her heart breaking in two.

It wasn’t my intention to hurt her this way. It doesn’t matter that I was about to confess before her phone rang, and now, I’m too late. She won’t believe me.

However, it doesn’t mean I won’t fight for her, not after waiting for so long to have her.

Not when I’m so close to making her mine.

Bridging the gap because I hate the space between us, I cup her cheeks and tilt her face back until I’m peering into those expressive eyes that ensnared me from the first time they locked on mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was scared of you running away from me again. I wanted you to let down your walls first. Had I told you the truth about me, you would’ve built them even higher.”

She blinks, knowing deep down I’m right.

Even in the first few days, she kept me at arm’s length. Twinkle’s like a little bird. One wrong move, and she’ll fly and slip away. Little does she know, I don’t want to cage her, I just want to fly right beside her.

“I also know it still doesn’t excuse what I did. I just wanted you to get to know the real me.”

“Do I?” she murmurs.

I flinch. “Yes, you do, Twinkle. I may have lied about my identity and hid some things about my past, but everything else was real. My feelings for you aren’t fake. I crave you with every fiber of my being, and I need you in my life.”

“Why should I believe you? What if I’m just another girl on the long list of your past conquests? I read the goddamn articles, Kingston. Tell me they’re lying about you being a player.”

“That’s not me anymore,” I answer sincerely. I’ve never wished to erase my past more than I do right now. “I’ve changed.”

Her expression becomes crestfallen, making my hands drop as she steps away and cries out, “Oh gosh! I’m so naïve and stupid. You must have been laughing behind my back at how easily you fooled me.” Her spine snaps straight and she spins toward me. “What about that kid? It wasn’t a project you were signing. He asked for an autograph, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” I utter low.

“It makes so much sense now,” she whispers to herself while gazing at her feet. Raising her narrowed gaze on mine, she says, “Judging by your performance, you should be an actor rather than an NBA player. What else are you hiding from me?”

“Just let me explain.”

“So, there’s more?” she huffs in disbelief.

I’m afraid to tell her there’s so much more, but it’s the only way for us to move forward. She needs to know how deep my feelings for her run. “Sit down first.”

Apprehension shadows the contours of her cheeks, but she obeys and goes to sit on the couch. I settle beside her while keeping my distance so she doesn’t think I’m crowding her.

Resting my elbows on my knees, I look her square in the eyes and confess the biggest truth. “I found out you weren’t Tina the day after our date.”

“What?” Her jaw drops. “So, you only acted surprised when Hilda yelled my name?”

“Yeah.” In a moment, it’ll be the least of her concerns. “I knew after our kiss that you were fighting your attraction for me, but I couldn’t understand why. Besides, there was no way I was taking the chance on you and Julian meeting and hitting it off. Because the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. So, I went to the agency to ask about you and replace a way to reach out to you. Except, the girl they showed me wasn’t you in the picture.”

“Then how did you replace me?” Twinkle asks timidly.

“When I looked her up, I saw you next to Tina in a picture she posted online. I had never been happier being conned than I was at that moment. It was too big of a coincidence for me to guess. I’ve always had a belief that life takes you where you’re meant to be, and I knew there was a reason fate led me to you. Of course, I had nothing but your name to look for, and when I did replace it, your account was private. I wanted to explain everything by meeting you in person.”

DMing her would’ve been a risk. I only had one chance and I didn’t want to fail.

Twinkle stares at me unblinkingly, and I have to clench my hand so as to not reach out and place her on my lap. It physically pains me not being able to touch or hold her. After being inseparable for the past week, the space threatens to drown me.

I focus on getting the whole truth out and scrub my chin with a hand. “For a month, I kept checking Tina’s profile for any crumbs of you that could help me get closer to you. Until one day, she posted a story of both of you baking together in your kitchen and I learned about your business. I followed your page and watched every one of your lives to hear your sweet voice. I read your blogs religiously and loved knowing the little things about you. The universe sent another sign when I saw you mention traveling here for the holidays.”

Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to process everything. The messy curls framing her face shift back and forth as she leans back. Nervous eyes clash with mine and she licks her bottom lip, before asking in a trembling tone, “How did I end up booking a cabin in your resort, Kingston? Is it even yours?”

“It is mine.” I clear away her doubt. “But it’ll be someone else’s soon. I convinced my dad not to sell it for another year so we could stay in it together. It’s where my parents met each other and fell in love too.”

Her expression softens for a lingering breath before twisting into confusion. “I still don’t understand how I didn’t book another hotel.”

“Do you remember the last-minute cancellation you had?”

“You were behind it?” She gasps.

It wasn’t hard to replace since hotel managers keep in touch and I called in a favor. I’m not the least bit sorry about it. “I told them to recommend you mine and I also bribed every other one to show unavailability at theirs.”

“Unbelievable.”

She tries getting up but I grab her wrist, beckoning her to look at me. When she does, I stand up and gaze down at her, baring the depth of my feelings for her. “Everything I did was to bring us together, Twinkle. None of it was a game. I was honest about how much I desire you, obsess over, and adore every little thing about you. If I wasn’t serious, why would I take you to meet my family?” Cupping her soft face, I utter in a pleading tone, “You know me, darling. I’m still the same man you spent the last week with and trusted. Don’t punish me for wanting to fall in love with you. Please.”

Falling in love with her is something I had no control over because I already have.

Recklessly.

Obsessively.

Irrevocably.

“Am I supposed to replace it romantic that you cyber stalked me for months and set a plan in motion to bring me right where you wanted?” she retorts sarcastically.

“I told you I’ll do anything to make you mine.” My voice is dark and firm.

“Anything except tell the truth.”

“Because it would’ve made you run away.”

“Yes, I won’t deny I would’ve run away on my first day here, but what about the moment I began to trust you, Kingston?” she mumbles sadly. “Why did you have to wait until my last night here to come clean? It’s why you held off on talking to me during dinner, isn’t it?”

“You saw the articles online and immediately thought the worst of me. I couldn’t risk that happening a week ago while I was a stranger to you. So, I didn’t tell you that I wasn’t Julian.” Guilt darkens her pupils. I drop my hands and put them in my pockets. “At the beginning of my career, I was a heathen, and I lived a fast life because I was young. But soon, the novelty of being famous wore off and I craved peace and quiet. Everywhere I go, someone always recognizes me. When you treated me just like a normal man, it was refreshing. I didn’t have to worry about any ulterior motives. I could just be me. Once I got a taste of that, I craved another. Then we talked and I became addicted. And it wasn’t the rush of you playing hard to get, it was plain you. Your sassy tongue, the tiny flicker of shyness, your smile… The kiss was like an arrow straight to my heart and it became yours. You can be mad at me all you want, but don’t throw away what we have.”

Her eyes become glassy and a single tear escapes. Brushing it away, she nods and says, “I’m sorry for judging you by your past and thinking the worst of you. I’m also not mad at you because that would make me a hypocrite. However, you did cross a lot of boundaries, even if you had good intentions.”

Hope flares inside my chest that I haven’t completely blown the chance until I hear her say, “But I need some space and time to think about us.”

Her request is a punch to the gut and way more painful than all the hard ones I took on the court during my ten-year professional career.

There’s nothing more I can say that’ll make a difference.

I know her too well by now.

I need to be patient and let her make up her mind.

Past the heaviness in my throat and the urge to beg again, I don’t push her and simply nod. “Okay, darling. I’ll wait.”

I take the couch while she goes into the bedroom. I lie down but sleep never comes. How will it come when the person that makes me whole is in the other room?