Page 13 of Claiming What's His

“Fine,” she huffs, but the smile on her lips tells me she’s looking forward to today, too. “But only after I finish my food.”

“I wouldn’t dream of taking you away from your sugar.”

She sticks her tongue out, showing her sassy side, and I just shake my head, wearing the same smile I’ve had since she opened the door.

Shit, I’ve got it bad for this woman.

Chapter9

Shelby

Iknew King was going to be dangerous to the small amount of peace that I managed to acquire since trying to push Mason out of my life. I think I underestimated him. It had been so long since being with a man—really, anyone but my grandmother—had been fun. Breakfast this morning with King was more than fun. It felt natural and some of the guards I keep in place around me fell for a few minutes. I could blame it on being lulled into a super-fantastical sugar rush, but it was King. He’s rough around the edges and screams danger, but there’s these moments of humor and sweetness that pull me in and make me want more. I don’t regret today either. In fact, I still want more of him. The day with him has turned out to be perfect so far and like nothing I imagined it would be. When he asked me to spend the day with him, I figured maybe a ride on his bike and ending with a night at a club with his buddies, shooting pool or something. I didn’t have high expectations. In my experience, men who chose the life that King has chosen, live it a certain way. This is where he surprised me the most.

We drove around on his bike for hours, that much I got right. Yet, even then, it was different. We traveled across a huge mountain on a gorgeous scenic route in Kentucky. I’ve traveled a little into Kentucky, but not much and this was worth the ride. Being pressed up against him didn’t hurt either. The fall colors were in spectacular view and the scenic overlooks of Pine Mountain were begging to be put on a postcard. King didn’t rush through anything either. He let me take it all in and walk small trails, reading the overlook details and breathing in the fresh air. He even held my hand through it all, proving that under the rough edges there’s a bit of a romantic buried, waiting to be discovered.

Time doesn’t drag when I’m with him. I’m too busy getting to know him to track the minutes as they tick by.

Hours passed in the blink of an eye and after, we had lunch at a beautiful log cabin restaurant called Pine Mountain Grill. The place somehow managed to be rustic and beautiful all at the same time. He made me laugh with his dry but witty sense of humor and the time alone with him wasn’t tense or stressful. It was easy. King tells you exactly what he is thinking and what’s on his mind with a frankness that should be off-putting but wasn’t in the least. He asked about me, my job, and my life in Virginia. I was nervous he would find me boring and instead, I felt like he was really interested.

I’ve held his attention all day. Sometimes that attention makes me squirm, wondering if he’ll try to make another move. Though I shouldn’t want him to, I find myself craving more of him.

Now, we’re at Kingdom Come State Park. I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm. To me, curling up with a book is about as exciting as I want to get. Work and life have been stressful enough. If I thought about a great way to spend a day from here out, however, it will always include this place. We walked around on some of the trails and now we’re in the middle of a lake in paddle boats, feeding ducks. I never imagined King enjoying something like this, but he’s grinning and laughing with me. It feels…normal.Nothing with Mason felt normal. He wouldn’t spend the day like we have if his world depended on it. Then again, it was harder for him to belittle me if he actually tried to enjoy the day and be happy.

I hate that I keep comparing King to who Mason is, but he was really the only relationship I’ve had, and that might also be why I’m afraid to trust the pull that I feel towards King.

I look down between us, taking in King’s hand on mine once again. His dark skin is scarred and covered in tattoos. It’s so different from mine but together they appear as if we fit perfectly—although maybe I’m being silly. I want to ask him what his ink means. I have a feeling each tattoo has been purposefully chosen. They’re intricate and very detailed. Mason has a lot of ink too, but his have no rhyme or reason other than he believes it makes him look intimidating and hot. He likes to think he was God’s gift to women. At least he made a point to remind me of how lucky I was to be with him daily. My ex was so narcissistic that he needed constant assurance he was everything and people around him—especially me—were below him. We were supposed to be blessed just to have him grace us with his presence.God.When I look back at the relationship I had with him, I just feel stupid.

I shove memories of my time with Mason out of my mind and concentrate on King and being here with him. I can feel King’s body heat, and I can’t help but realize that with him I feel safe and even special. He’s got an energy about him that makes everything better—more alive. The air, color of the trees, sound of the water—it’s all more vibrant with King here.

“What’re you thinking, beautiful?” King’s deep voice grabs my attention, and I notice he’s staring at me.

“Mostly that I’ve had a really good day with you today, King. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“I guess I’m not the kind of man you usually date, huh?” His smile slowly fades. “I’m not your usual type of man, huh?”

“Not at all. Which is averygood thing.”

“I talked to Billie the other day at the diner. She said you had trouble in your past with a man.”

“She told you about Mason?” I ask in shock. She’s not one to talk about me with others. She definitely has never divulged a painful subject that I don’t want others to know about.

King looks disgusted for a minute. “Mason?Christ.Do you like them pretty boys, baby?”

I laugh. I don’t correct him. Mason is a looker, but in all the wrong ways. I wonder briefly if I should tell him he has the wrong impression. I get the inkling right now he is under the assumption I go for men in suits. For me, it wouldn’t matter if King was in a suit or not. It’s the way he makes me feel. When I dated Mason, I was naïve and bought every line he sold me. I was invested before I discovered his dark side—and boy did he have one.I don’t tell any of this to King, probably because I’m ashamed. I just wish I could forget it. Still, he deserves to know something so I give him as little as I can.

“I was involved with an asshole who liked to be mean,” I tell him, as my smile falters.

“Billie didn’t get into the specifics,” he says, as he touches my face, his thumb grazing against my skin softly. “But I wondered if that was part of the issue. You need to know that I would never raise a hand to you, ever.”

I swallow as shame fills me. I’m embarrassed that we are talking about this. I drop my gaze down, not wanting to meet his eyes.

“Despite what you must think, I’m not a weak woman.”

“I don’t think that at all. I wouldn’t think that, Shelby.”

“I’m serious,” I mutter—not wanting to be placated. I pull my hand away from his. Skin to Skin contact with King muddles my brain. This conversation seems as if it needs my full attention. Wringing my hands together nervously, I try to collect my thoughts. They are all over the place. I really didn’t want this conversation. I don’t want King to think less of me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “No woman goes into a relationship with a man thinking she’s going to allow that person to hit her and treat her like she’s less. I mean, for me, I went into my relationship with Mason thinking he saw me, therealme, you know?” I can’t force myself to look up to see his face. I don’t think I can handle it if he’s judging me. “I thought Mason cared for me. I thought we were partners because that’s what Grandma Billie and my grandfather had.”

“It didn’t work out that way,” King says, kind of matter-of-factly—probably because he already knows the answer.

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