King's Reign (Sydney Storm MC #6)(50)

Somehow I knew that when Lily made an offer or promise like this, she meant it and would make good on her word. I also knew this was her telling me she wanted to be the one to help me. And while I had never been big on people helping me, because mostly they just fucking let me down, I also knew I’d finally found someone I wanted to allow in to help. Lily wouldn’t let me down.

“I’m leaving now,” I said gruffly. “You got beer?”

“Yes,” she said around another smile I figured they could fucking see from Mars, “I have beer.”





22





Lily





Monday night, I sat outside on my back patio, grabbing as many quiet moments to myself as I could while my kids and mother fussed over Brynn inside. I leaned back in my seat and stared up at the dark sky while trying not to think about the fact I wasn’t smoking. I’d given it up again this morning. I was sure I was already nearly dead from that. Everyone told me smoking would kill me; I figured not smoking might be more dangerous to my health. My mental health at least.

I shifted my thoughts to King and the weekend we’d just had together. He’d shown up Friday night all screwed up by something that had happened that day. I hadn’t asked him what. He hadn’t offered. I’d learnt that King didn’t like to discuss shit, and I was okay with that. I mean, I wanted to know everything about him, but I refused to try to change him to be someone he wasn’t. King had a lot of baggage, but he didn’t want or need someone to carry it for him. He just needed someone to take the trip with him, and I liked the views his journey offered, so I was all on board.

He’d worked my body so hard that night that there hadn’t been any more sex for us on the weekend. I’d taken care of him, but he hadn’t tried to fuck me again, and I hadn’t asked for it. Jesus, the man was brutal in bed, but I couldn’t get enough of him. King put a smile on my face simply by breathing. All it took was a thought of him, and I was smiling like a loon.

Adelaide had asked me on Friday why I wasn’t fearful of getting involved with a man like King, a man who ran an MC. I’d told her she didn’t know his heart, which meant she didn’t know anything. When I met King, I saw two things—that he had the kind of looks I was attracted to, and that he was a bit of an asshole. Then I saw how he cared for and looked after his sister. Then I saw a moody bastard who liked to boss people around, but who also helped people when they needed it. Through all of that, I saw a man trying to handle his business and look after those he cared for. I didn’t see the biker or club president with a dark streak that Adelaide would have run a mile from. By the time I saw King’s club and all that entailed, I’d already fallen for his heart. And for me, everything in life was about the heart.

I had been worried when he’d told me the kids and I may have been in danger. I’d definitely spent some time running through scenarios in my mind of what he could possibly have been referring to. I had also thought long and hard about what this meant for my life going forward. In the end, I’d decided to put my faith in him and his men to protect us. At the core of the matter was my heart. I couldn’t change who it led me to. And King had mine. Now he had my complete trust, too.

“Lily.”

I turned my face to find King walking towards me. Standing, I met him halfway and looped my hands around his neck. That was after I took the time to run my gaze over his body, appreciating the way his muscles filled out his clothes. My belly fluttered as I thought about those muscles. His powerful thighs straddling me, his strong arms holding me, his firm ass that I couldn’t get enough of.

After I caught his lips in a kiss, I said, “I was just thinking about you.”

He snaked his hands around my waist and settled them on my butt. “Your mother told me you’ve been sitting out here for a while now. You good?”

I liked how he always had a way of taking in the stuff I said to him without feeling the need to comment on it or engage in conversation about it. Because honestly, sometimes I rambled. King let me do that without complaint.

“I’m good. I’m taking advantage of the kids being occupied by Brynn and Mum.” I leaned in close and inhaled his scent. “Oh God, you smell so good.” At his frown, I said, “I quit smoking again today. I can smell the cigarettes on you, so you should expect me to be smelling you a lot going forward.”

His lips twitched and he brought his mouth back to mine. He then kissed me so thoroughly and for so long that I got lost in it and missed him as soon as he pulled away. “Maybe I’ll smoke more and kiss you more, just so you can get the taste,” he rumbled.

I tightened my hold on his neck as I cocked my head to the side. “Is that you being playful?”

His eyes flashed with heat. “That’s me figuring how to get my hands and mouth on you as often as I fucking can.”

I let go of his neck and slowly dragged my hands over his shoulder and down his chest and stomach. Stopping when I reached his jeans, I said, “Baby, you don’t have to engineer ways to do that. I’m down with you getting those hands and that mouth on me whenever and however you can.”

He seemed to like that, because the heat in his eyes flashed in ways that wouldn’t leave anyone confused as to what he wanted. We were interrupted by my mother, though, so the moment was broken.