Loving the Wild Card (Kingdom Book 5)



Josh had no idea where he was going; he just followed the directions Lux gave him. As they moved closer to the heart of the capital city, Port of Spain; the more Josh began to worry about her safety.

Pulling up before a large industrial-like structure, he cut the engine and unfolded himself out of the car. Finally relieved to be able to stretch the kinks out of his body, he arched his back and rotated his shoulders. As she walked towards the warehouse, his levels of awareness grew with each step she took.

Lux was a dancer, and he knew with a sinking feeling she was going to be a part of the huge parade that marked the final day of Trinidad’s carnival. The situation was fraught with difficulties, and his mind raced, as his eyes darted in every direction in an attempt to work out how he could keep her safe.

Once they were out of the ridiculously small car, she didn’t even spare him a glance. Standing alone, his hand resting on the roof of the vehicle, Josh took the opportunity to watch her walk and was immediately distracted. He loved to watch her move.

For him, even the way she put one foot in front of the other was a turn on. Having been born in the United States, her mother was Trinidadian of Indian ancestry, and her father was African American, and she was a fascinating mixture of both cultures. So much so that, while they were together. On an hour-by-hour basis, he didn’t know if he was going to get Trinidadian Lux, or American Lux.

Josh had always loved her dancers’ body with its long, hard defined muscles. Yet at the same time she was one of the most feminine women he’d ever know. Her eyes hadn’t changed, they were still the big, deep dark brown orbs of expression that couldn’t hide her feelings.

At five foot seven, as far as he was concerned, she was the perfect height for him. Finally his gaze came to rest on her legs. They were still as smooth and honey brown as he remembered. The hair style was new though; she now wore braids that hung down her back and swung as she walked.

One of the things that had first attracted him to her was the fact that she didn’t care how others saw her. Lux was just Lux and you could accept her or not. Josh wanted to take her in any way his mind could conceive. He knew they fit. They had fit for months. Then everything had come crashing down around him.

Pulling himself to his full height, Josh knew their separation was at an end. She belonged to him. That she would fight him was nothing more than he expected, but it was going to be worth it. The culmination of fate always was.

Finally following behind her, he entered the warehouse and was confronted by an explosion of color. The giant float took up most of the space and it immediately caught his attention. The next thing he became aware of was the throng of beautiful women, some of whom milled around in tiny costumes.

As far as he was concerned, Trinidad had some of the most beautiful women in the world, and it seemed they were currently all in this warehouse.

The sound of someone sucking their teeth pulled his attention away from the beautiful, scantily dressed women. When his eyes landed on Lux, he was just in time to see her giving him a look that would have felled a lesser man as she disappeared from sight.

****

Lux couldn’t help herself, she was so pissed with Josh, she could have happily poked him in his wandering eyes. The same eyes that only moments before were bugging out of his head as he took in her dancer’s outfits.

Disappearing into the designated changing area, Lux almost came to a decision that would go against who she was. Her outfit was already hanging on the rack with her name attached to it. Each dancer had two costumes; one with more and one with less coverage. As her hand hovered over one of the next to nothing outfits, before she could touch it, she came to her senses. She was who she was and Joshua Kingdom’s presence wasn’t about to change that.

Behind the screen, Lux changed into her outfit. When she emerged her mask and costume were in place, she was ready to go.

Unable to help herself the first person she sought out was Josh. He was standing in the middle of the warehouse with nearly every member of her troupe vying for his attention. To his credit, he didn’t appear to be enjoying the attention.

As though tuned into her wavelength, the moment she looked in his direction she felt the penetration of his green gaze boring into her. He recognized her and even with all those younger beauties surrounding him, she seemed to hold his attention.

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