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Dylan clungto me desperately for a few seconds when he came out of school, as if he’d been afraid I’d disappear again in the few hours since I last saw him. I gave Dylan a dozen kisses before he wrenched himself out of my arms and ran off because some of his friends were playing tag.
Kids can be so resilient, so long as they are loved by someone… and Dylan was one very loved child, now that we were in the King pack.
“He was brave.”
I turned to find Cole behind me. “What are you doing here?”
“Taking my turn on security.” He nodded at Dylan. “Stone’s always had extra security on Dylan, but now he’s got two of us all the time. We’ll be outside the house today.”
“Are you still going to sleep outside my door?” My voice came out arch, surprising me.
He took a step toward me, and my heart began to race with his gaze locked on mine. “Do you want me to?”
“I feel safe when you’re around.”
His gaze softened as if that meant a lot to him. “But you sent me away when I wanted to protect you.”
“I sent you away with Dylan.” I corrected. “I care about him more than I care about myself… and there’s no one I trust more to protect him.”
He took another step toward me. “Are you ready to start training again tomorrow?”
Even though I felt exhausted right now, the thought of that time alone with Cole was intoxicating. I’d accept the sore muscles and the bumps and bruises. “Yes.”
“Good.” We were so close now that his warmth seemed to radiate toward me. He looked down at me, his eyes warm. “Amelia, when you ran, I felt…”
He trailed off. I waited, but his lips knit together, and it was obvious that he wasn’t going to elaborate. An admission that he even had feelings must seem dangerous enough to Cole.
“You’re not great with feelings, hm?” I asked him lightly. “That’s all right. Neither am I.”
I still didn’t plan on staying. Not forever. I wanted to be sure I really was free, and I’d never know that I was as long as I stayed on King territory.
He finally seemed to struggle through finding the words. “I felt…lost.”
The words were so tender that nervous tension bubbled through me. “Because you didn’t have anyone incompetent to try to teach how to fight? I’m sure that was very rewarding—”
“Stop.” He murmured, stepping all the way into my space, his big palm resting lightly over my lips. “I’m not going to listen to you run yourself down.”
I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away. “It’s called self deprecating humor. And it is true that when I came here, I punched with all the vigor of a declawed kitten, but—”
Before I could finish, he leaned in toward me. This time, instead of covering my lips with his hand, he covered them with his mouth.
Cole kissed me soft and slow. I was still gripping his wrist, and he took my hip in his other hand. After my initial pulse of surprise, I tilted my face, my lips parting as he deepened the kiss. Cole and I traded a long, slow, tender kiss.
“That’s one way to shut me up,” I said breathlessly.
“I’m not trying to shut you up.” He rested his forehead lightly against mine, our breaths mingling. “I’m trying to get you to see yourself the same way I do.”
* * *
Karissa huggedme hard as soon as I came in the door with Dylan. I hugged her back. Her voice was high and cheerful—a little too high—as she said, “Finally! I’ve been suffering so much from the testosterone overdose in this house. It’s so lonely without you. I can’t spend all day, every day, talking about murder. There’s more to life. What about discussing the latest royal antics? Romance novels? Fall décor? No, it’s all murder-murder-murder. These men are so boring!”
Her voice cracked slightly on theboring,and she turned away, blinking hard.
I stared after her. I loved them all, but the King family was… intense.
I didn’t run away, though. Dylan headed into the living room and insisted on showing me his new Lego creations. Apparently one of the guilt-ridden King siblings had given him a Lego catalog and an unlimited budget, because I was pretty sure he had every Avengers Lego set made this year. I oohed and aahed about what I’d consider an Iron Man doll house, but I kept those thoughts to myself.
When I was sure Dylan was distracted, I ruffled his hair and followed Karissa into the kitchen. She was still at the stove, and she was apparently in the midst of a bad attack of seasonal allergies… or feelings.
