Page 36 of Tempting the King

“What?”

I reach out to twist her hair in my fingers. If this is the last time she lets me touch her, I want to remember this.

“It was me. I’m a caveman. I couldn’t handle you touching other men.” I gulp, wrestling for a breath before I finish. “I didn’t know what else to do. I had Gabe at the Apple Store give me a clone of your laptop. I can get into your account. I canceled everyone.”

Her lips fall open, shaking her head, looking past me out the window. “I can’t believe this. You are insane.” Her jaw locks down, then she hisses. “That was a huge dick move.”

“Well, yeah, I have a huge dick.”

She scoffs, and I hate myself for making light of something that is so important to her.

When she doesn’t move off my lap or punch me in the face, I do as much triage as I can in the few seconds I have before she gives me my walking papers.

“Listen, baby, yeah, that’s why I came to see you, right? I’m impulsive. I don’t think before I act, especially when it comes to people I care about.” I almost say people I love, but she’s already sized me up as a madman, so I do my best to rein it in. “Like hockey, you know why I act like I do? Why I did what I did to that guy in the bar the other night?”

She’s stone still on my lap, her chest rising and falling as she rolls her lips together, giving me a silent opening to finish.

“Because, same as you, I grew up helpless. You used your brain.” I pad my fingers on her temple. “I didn’t have that, but I had this.” I lower my hand and make a fist. “I want to take care of the people in my life I don’t want to lose. I’m not a bully. I’m more like…an equalizer. I fight and hurt people when they hurt what’s mine. It’s the only way I know how to help.”

Her breath catches as her hands press to her cheeks, tugging her face down on a groan.

“I hate that I understand what you just said. How can that make sense?” She shakes her head as unbridled joy scampers through me that maybe, just maybe, I haven’t fucked up the best thing that’s happened to me since hockey. “I should punch you right in that crooked nose of yours.”

The sparkle I see in her green eyes makes my soul jump for joy.

Before the magic dissipates, I continue, hoping to make things better, not worse. “I’ll cover all the money you lost from the cancellations. I’ll double it. You can just tell them about the fire, and losing your laptop, and somehow there was a glitch and it canceled all your appointments. Give them the next one for free.” Her mouth falls open, but I press my fingers to her lips before she can speak. “I’ll pay you for those, too.”

“You’re impossible.”

I smirk on a shrug. “But I’m cute.”

She snorts on a long breath that raises her tits, and my dick fucking aches. “No more manipulating my life like that.”

I hold my hands up in surrender. “Cross my heart. I will not cancel your appointments.” Once I say it out loud, panic crushes my chest, so I add, “But, you’re not only beautiful but fucking sexy as hell. You can’t trust people, men especially. I’m one, I know. No way you are taking appointments without security from now on.”

“Security? I can’t afford security.”

“Did I say you were paying for it? You said you wanted to do your work. I know you want to earn your money, I get it. But I have plenty. I’m just…providing you with a service. I pay for security, I have cameras installed, panic buttons, all of it. That’s the only way I’ll live through it. And, I’m still not sure I will.”

“No hitting clients. Or throwing potted plants on their cars. I know that was you.”

I nod, but clarify, “If they hurt you, I can’t keep that promise, baby. Sorry, but I can’t.”

“How am I going to help you if you still think violence is the answer?”

“You have helped me. I wanted to feed that Rolex-wearing asshole his own head for dinner, but I didn’t. I just threw a plant on his car. That’s progress.”

“I can’t protect you from yourself. But, I can still show you how being touched can change things.”

Her expression turns playful, desire darkening her eyes as she lowers her head and winds her tongue around the edge of my ear.

CHAPTER 13

King

God, her hands are fucking magic.

The guilt still pokes at me as they rest on the sides of my face, and I vow to make things right, no matter what it takes. I want to tell her I’ll take care of her forever, and that includes whatever bills she thinks she needs to pay, but the way she talked about her work, I get it. She’s always relied on herself, and I sense that she needs that to feel secure.

---