I reach over and put my hand on King’s thigh. I don’t think anyone can see it, but I know he feels it by the way his muscles bunch under my palm. “He’s definitely as charming as a King.”

  I no sooner get the words out than all the brothers start to laugh. Everyone but King. He’s looking at me strangely and blurts out, “I want you and Eli to move in here.”

  My mouth falls open as everyone at the table gets quiet. Eli’s even staring at me in confusion. I can just imagine what he’s thinking of his mother right now. “King... I don’t think...” I start.

  He interrupts me. “I want to keep you and Eli safe. You can stay here until I take care of things, and then you can go back to town.”

  I look at him in bewilderment. He really should have talked to me first before dropping this bombshell.

  Chapter 16

  King

  As soon as the words are out, I know I’m right. I won’t rest with her and Eli in town, knowing what I know now. Her face is scarlet, and I know I overstepped, but I can’t risk her safety.

  “King, thank you, but I can’t. We’re fine in town.”

  He turns in his chair. “I’m going to handle this, and when I do, chances are he will know where you’re at.” I say it as cryptically as I can, not knowing what Eli knows.

  She looks at Eli, and so do I. It’s obvious he knows by the way his face pales. “My father is coming?”

  I’ve never seen fear like this on a child’s face, and it makes me want to punch something—or better yet, someone. I hit my fist on the table. “He may come, but you won’t have to see him. Not if you don’t want to.”

  Before I finish, he’s shaking his head. “Not after what he did to Mom and me. I don’t care if I ever see him again. Should we leave, Mom?”

  I shake my head. “You’re not leaving Whiskey Valley. I understand why you had to run, but the running stops now. I’m taking care of it.”

  Natalie throws her napkin on the table in front of her. “I don’t need another controlling man...”

  I cover her hand with my own. “There’s a difference between controlling and protective, honey. I’m protective. Just let me solve this, and then you will make all the decisions. You’ll never have to run again.”

  She wants to. I can see how badly she wants the freedom.

  I look around the table, and my brothers are stunned, but with a jut of my chin, they all start to chime in.

  “There’s plenty of room here,” Ryan says.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on, but if King says he’ll take care of it, he will,” Griffin says.

  “Plus, you’ll have us. No one is getting to you or Eli,” Chance chimes in.

  Automatically, my brothers have my back. We may fight and bicker sometimes, but they always come through. “Please stay.”

  She wants to give in, but she starts shaking her head. “I still have to work.”

  I shrug. “Come to work here. Paulina was saying the other day she needed help around here. She would love it.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I can’t quit my job, King. I need something when I move back into town.”

  “I’ll talk to Levi. When I explain, he’ll understand, and he’ll hold your job for you. I just need two weeks. Two weeks and you’ll be free, Nat.”

  She looks at Eli, and he’s nodding his head. He has one of my brothers on each side of him, and I’d say he probably feels invincible right now. Which is good because they wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He needs this to happen, probably more than Nat does.

  “We’ll go home and talk about it tonight. I’ll talk to Levi in the morning and see what he says. I can’t do it unless I know I’ll have a job when all is said and done.”

  I know better than to argue. “Okay. Sounds good.”

  Ryan passes out the cookies Paulina made, and we all eat them. My brothers are still making Eli laugh, and Nat is now lost in thought. I know I’ll have to explain everything to my brothers later, but I have no doubt they’ll understand. I won’t let anything happen to Nat and Eli.

  When it’s time for them to go, I follow behind them in my truck. We pull into the parking lot, and I follow behind them as Nat unlocks the door. I do a quick sweep of the apartment and then walk back to the front door.

  “I’m going to shower, Mom. Bye, King,” Eli calls.

  “See you in the morning!” I call to him.

  “Do you want to come in?” Nat asks.

  Fuck, I do. More than anything I want her to curl up in my lap again and kiss her until I’m breathless. But I can’t. I have a lot to do, and I need to start making phone calls tonight. “I have some things I need to take care of. What time do you need to be at work?”

  “Uh, six. So I’ll have Eli out at the ranch at five-thirty.”

  “I’ll come here and pick him up.”

  “King, no. I can bring him.”

  I hold my hand up. “I have things to take care of in town. It’s no problem. I’ll be outside when you leave for work.”

  She looks at me skeptically. “Are you sure?”

  Because I can’t resist another minute, I pull her into my arms and clasp my hands on her lower back. “I’m sure. Want to know what else I’m sure about?”

  She’s already breathless. “What?” she asks in a whisper.

  “That I want to kiss you again.”

  Her chin is resting on my chest looking at me with wide eyes. “What’s stopping you?”

  I smile. “Nothing. Nothing’s stopping me, honey.” I lean down as she goes on her tiptoes. When her lips press to mine, it goes from soft to frenzied in a second. Her hands are at my waist, and I run mine up and down her back. In a fluid motion, I push her shirt up, and the feel of her hot skin under my fingertips has me gripping on to her. If we were alone right now, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself, but knowing her twelve-year-old son could walk in any minute, I pull back, breathless.

  She presses her lips against my chest, and I can feel her smile there. “You okay?”

  I wrap my hand around her hair at her nape and tug gently to force her face toward mine. “I need you, Nat.”

  She nods. “Me too.”

  My whole body trembles when she admits that she wants me too. I take a deep breath and kiss the top of her head. “I better go. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I step out the door and tell her to lock it.

  She starts to argue but stops. “Protective. I get it.”

  I laugh and nod and wait until she closes the door and I hear the lock. I go straight out to my truck and get settled in the driver’s seat and start making some phone calls.

  Chapter 17

  Natalie

  The next morning, Eli and I step outside the door, and the sun is already starting to come up. That extra sleep we got since he didn’t have to get up early to go out to the ranch was nice. When we get to the bottom of the step, King is standing there waiting on us.

  “Morning, King!” Eli says.

  King fist bumps him and tells him, “Jump on in. I’ll be right there.”

  Eli gives me a side hug, tells me he loves me, and runs over to King’s truck.

  “You slept here, didn’t you?”

  That’s the first thing I noticed. He’s rumpled and has the exact same clothes on from last night.

  Instead of answering me, he shrugs.

  “King Bryant, answer me. Did you sleep out here all night?”

  “Yes. I promised you that nothing would happen with you and Eli, and I keep my promises.”

  “King...I can’t believe you did this. You should have told me. You could have slept inside.”

  He shakes his head. “And have the whole town talking about us having a sleepover? I didn’t want to put you through that.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “You don’t think they’re going to talk if I stay at the ranch?”

  He takes the bag from my hand and puts his hand on my lower back, leading me to my car. “It’s different. At the ranch, there’s my brothers, Paulina, and Mia. We’ll have chaperones.”

  I scrunch my nose up. “All the time?”

  He laughs. I mean belly laughs, and it’s so nice to hear him let loose like that. “No, you want alone time with me, I can make it happen.”

  “Promise. Because I remember you saying you don’t break your promises.”

  He reaches for me, looks at his truck, and then drops his hand. No doubt he’s remembering Eli is probably watching us right now. “I promise.”

  I stand up on my tiptoes, but I’m still not tall enough. I grab the front of his shirt and pull him down. “Good, because alone time is something I definitely want.” And then I kiss him. It’s quick, but instantly he looks satisfied that I’m not trying to hide what this is from Eli.

  “Fuck, Nat. I’d give anything to be alone with you right now.”

  “I’ll see you at the ranch later,” I tell him.

  “To stay?” he asks with bated breath.

  I thought about it all night, and I don’t know if it’s the right decision or not, but I want to do it. I want to lean on King, and even if it’s only two weeks, I’ll enjoy those two weeks. “I have the bags packed. I’ll come get them after work and then be out at the ranch.” I hold my hand up. “As long as Levi Flynn is okay with it.”

  He hands me my tote bag and holds out his hand. “Give me the key to your apartment. I’ll go in and grab the bags so you can come right out after work. And I’ve already talked to Levi. You are training your replacement this morning, and he’ll let you come back to work in two weeks.”

  I should argue and mention the whole controlling thing, but I know I’d be wrong. He’s doing all this to protect Eli and me. I can’t fault him for it. I pull the key off my key ring and hand it to him. “You’ve been busy.”

  He nods, and from the look on his face, I know there’s more he’s been up to, but I don’t want to ask. There are just some things I’m not ready to know yet.

  He squeezes my hand. “Drive safe. I’ll see you after work.”

  I watch as he goes up to the apartment and brings bags down with him. It would have taken me two to three trips, and it looks like he got it all in one. I wave to him and Eli when I pull out.

  As soon as I walk into the Sunrise Diner, Levi meets me at the door. “You should have told me. I would have helped.”

  He’s offended, and the last thing I wanted to do was upset Levi. He hired me without any references and even agreed to pay me in cash. I felt guilty about it, but he said he understood and never asked another thing about it. “I’m sorry, Levi. I really am. And I don’t want to put you in a bind...”

  He shakes his head. “It will be fine. You can train the new girl this morning, and in two weeks, you come back. It will be fine.”

  I impulsively hug him, and he blushes, pulling away. “Okay, enough of that. But you promise me you call me if you or Eli need anything.”

  I rub at my eyes that are filling with tears. I’m so happy I chose Whiskey Valley. “I will, I promise.”

  The rest of the morning I work, training the new girl that just got into town last night and is in need of a job. She’s never waited tables before, but she’s a hard worker and picks it up quickly.

  I walk over to a police officer’s table. He came in as soon as the doors opened this morning and has been sitting there ever since, nursing the same coffee. “Can I fill you up?” I ask.

  “No thanks, I’m on duty and can’t spend it all in the bathroom.” I laugh and start to walk away. “You’re on duty... right now?”

  He blushes. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I put my hand on my hip. “Are you a friend of King’s?”

  He nods. “Yes.”

  “So let me guess. By duty, does that mean you were sent here to watch me work?”

  He’s shaking his head. “No, ma’am. Well, not to watch you work, specifically. I mean, King even warned me not to watch too close, but yeah, I’m supposed to make sure you’re safe and then make it out to the ranch safely when you leave here.”

  I stare at him wide-eyed. Well, I’ll be damned. King is taking this very seriously, and I can’t even be mad about it.

  I start to walk away, but the deputy stops me. “Uh, I was supposed to be inconspicuous. I mean, you weren’t supposed to know what I was doing. King didn’t want you mad or anything.”

  He looks worried, and I smile at him. “Oh, I’m not mad. I’ll be right back.”

  That man. How in the world can I be mad? From the minute he found out about my ex, he’s gone out of his way to know I’m safe. I can’t fault him for that. I order up a plate of French toast, and when it’s ready, I take it out to the deputy. “Here you go. You need to eat.”

  “I can’t.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, you can. I mean, you definitely look obvious just sitting here. This way you sort of blend in.”

  He nods, and I wink at him. “Oh yeah, I’ll be ready for my police escort at noon.”

  He’s already shoveling the French toast in. “Yes, ma’am,” he says between bites.

  Chapter 18

  King

  It’s like I’ve been holding my breath. I’ve been on the phone with Levi and the deputy all day, checking on Natalie. I didn’t breathe any easier until she pulled into Double B Ranch.

  I knew she was on her way, and I meet her by the car when she gets out. “Hey!” I say as I wave at the deputy as he pulls out.

  She gestures to the cop car. “Do you think all that was worth it?”

  “If it meant you were safe, absolutely.”

  She just shakes her head, and I grab her hand and start walking toward the house. “I showed Eli his room this morning when he helped me carry your bags in. I have you right next to him.”

  She’s nodding and fidgeting. “Great. I can see it later. Put me to work.”

  I stop walking, but she keeps going, and I have to jog to catch up. “Work? You just got off work. You should rest today and—"

  She puts one hand on her hip and points at me with the other. “Now listen here, King Bryant. I’m not going to just sit around. I’m going to earn our keep while I’m here, so introduce me to Mia or let me talk to Paulina so I can get started.”

  I can’t help but laugh. I intimidate most people, but obviously not Nat. “Okay. I’ll take you to Paulina, and then I’ll get back to work.”

  I take her inside, and I swear I’ve never seen Paulina so happy to have some help. I leave them to it and go back out to the barn. My brothers have the campers working on pasture maintenance, and I go check on the prize bulls and to make some phone calls. By the time the day is over, and after another entertaining dinner with all the family, I sit down in the living room with Eli and Nat to watch some more Andy Griffith. At least this time, Nat is sitting next to me instead of on the other end of the couch.

  We barely get through a show and a half and Eli is yawning, saying he’s going to bed.

  “I’ll go up with you.” Nat says, and Eli shakes his head. “I’m fine, Mom. Stay up and don’t worry; I promise to brush my teeth before I go to bed.”

  Nat hugs her son, and I get another fist bump before I’m left alone with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. “We’re alone, and I didn’t have any part of it.”

  She giggles. “Yeah, it seems my son is trying to play matchmaker.”

  Her laugh turns serious quickly, though. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I don’t want to cramp your style or anything. You can still do everything you did before we got here, and you don’t have to entertain us.”

  It’s all in one sentence telling me that she’s been worried about this for a while. I cup her face. “I like spending time with you and your son. And you’re not cramping anything. This is what I want, Nat.”

  She softens against me, sliding her arms around my neck. “Good, because you did promise me some alone time.”

  I brush the hair off her face. “Well, my brothers can walk in here any minute. Want to see my office?”

  She thinks about it for less than a second. “Yes.”

  I show her my office and lock the door before sitting down next to her on the couch. She starts to fidget, and I know she’s nervous. “I didn’t bring you in here for that, Nat. I want to kiss you. The rest can wait.”

  I pull her into my lap and kiss her until her body softens into mine. She has one hand at the nape of my neck, and the other is unbuttoning my shirt. When I feel her hand caress my chest, my whole body trembles and stiffens.

  I try to laugh it off. “Honey, it’s been a while and well, too much more of that and I won’t be able to stop at just kissing.”

  She doesn’t stop, though. She’s tugging at my shirt, trying to get closer, and I stop her with my hands. “Nat, honey. I didn’t bring you in here for this. You don’t owe me anything. I can just hold you and be satisfied,” I say, frustration filling my voice. I’m a man and it seems a weak one right now because she has me completely on edge.

  She sits back and searches my face. “I want you. I don’t want to wait, King. I feel alive when I’m with you.”

  My heart is racing in my chest. There’s no way I can deny her. With her laid back in my lap, I start to unbutton her blouse. When I open it, I can only stare at her perfect mounds covered in the white lacy bra. Her body arches, and I lift her up, pressing my mouth to her breasts through the soft material. I suckle her, and the sounds of yearning fill the room.

  I undo the front clasp of her bra and inhale deeply as her rosy nipples pucker under my gaze. I release my hold on her and pull my shirt off. The need to have her skin to skin is overwhelming, and when I bring her to me, her breasts pressing against my chest, we both moan. I pull away, breathing heavily. “We can still stop, Nat. I can wait for you until you’re ready.”

  She looks at me, unyielding. “Do you not want me, King?”

  I grunt because that couldn’t be further from the truth. I rearrange her on my lap until the hard bulge between my legs presses against her bottom. “I want you. Don’t ever doubt that, Nat.”

 

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