Page 15 of Forbidden King (Magnolia Falls)

“I guess Speedos are back in style. Maybe it’s an Australian thing,” he said with a sarcastic chuckle.

“That motherfucker is from Jersey. This is outrageous.”

River raised a brow. “You seem pretty worked up, King. You sure there isn’t something more going on? You’ve been a little edgy lately, and for most people, it wouldn’t be noticeable. But when fucking happy-go-lucky Kingston seems moody, it’s noticeable.”

I rolled my eyes, my gaze moving from Selena back to Saylor. I couldn’t see her dipshit boyfriend’s hands, as they were hidden in the water, and I was two seconds from diving off this dock and finding out what he was up to.

“Let’s see… I’ve got two huge renovations going on, we’re trying to get the bookstore open for Saylor so she can start making money, it’s fucking bee season, so I’m constantly on the lookout, and my brother won’t stop harassing me about being edgy.”

He raised a brow and studied me. “Dude. You were stung by a bee when you were a toddler. Are you seriously going to do this every spring for the rest of your life?”

“Hmmm… I nearly died. I wonder why I overreact to bee season?” I tried to hide my smile because I knew my fear of bees was irrational. But those little black-and-yellow fuckers had me on edge.

And now this muscle man in a Speedo made me want to go all caveman. It made no sense.

“I was there, remember? Your lips swelled, and you got a rash on your face. You did not almost die.”

“Well, Grammie said it was bad. And they rushed me to the hospital, where an actual doctor told her the next time could be worse. Second-time allergies can be deadly. And I don’t remember your law degree coming with a medical license.”

“Then get a fucking EpiPen and stop whining.”

“That is a very insensitive attitude, River.” I tried to act annoyed, but the whole thing did sound slightly comical. “You better check yourself before you think about making a baby with Ruby. You can’t be a dick and a father. It doesn’t work.”

“I’ll work on it,” he said, as everyone started climbing out of the water and onto the dock.

“We’re getting hungry,” Ruby said, as she wrapped a towel around herself and dropped to sit on my brother’s lap.

Selena was next, and she did the same. I never minded a beautiful woman sitting on my lap, but for whatever reason, I just wasn’t feeling it romantically with her. I liked her enough. I wrapped my arms around her when she shivered, and I kissed her cheek. We hadn’t done more than make out, and I knew she wanted more. But something was holding me back. I’d found excuses to cut our nights short every time we went out, usually blaming work.

“Come on, lover boy. You can help me cook the burgers and dogs,” my brother said, as he pushed to his feet, and I helped Selena stand.

“Can I help, too?” Cutler shouted, running toward me as I caught him on a whoosh.

“You know it, Beefcake. And I’m a master on the barbecue, so I’ll teach you my skills,” I said, following River through the yard.

I set Cutler down when we got to the house and used the towel to dry off his hair, and he followed me into the kitchen.

This little dude was basically all of ours. We’d all been in his life since the day he came into the world, and I loved him in a way I didn’t even know possible.

Ruby followed us into the kitchen next and helped River pull out the platters of meat and started making a salad. I grabbed a beer before reaching for the milk and chocolate syrup to make my little dude his drink of choice. We all kept chocolate syrup at our homes for him, because chocolate milk was his favorite.

“I think I want to get a swimsuit like Coach has.”

My head spun around, and I gaped at him. “Abso-freaking-lutely not. Beefcake! You do not want to rock a Speedo.”

Ruby and River’s loud laughter filled the room. But I didn’t find this funny at all. It was our job to mold the little guy, and short-shorts and Speedos were not a good fashion choice.

“Why? I think it looks cool.”

“Well, if you want to wear colorful underpants that don’t leave anything to the imagination, I guess it’s a choice,” I grumped as I poured the milk into the glass and stirred in the chocolate.

“Maybe he’s got nothing to hide,” River said, knowing exactly how to provoke me.

“Listen, it’s not about having something to hide. I don’t like the look, that’s all I’m saying. You want to leave a lady guessing, Beefcake. Let your personality do the talking.”

“Uncle River says that you have a colorful personality, Uncle King. I want to have a colorful personality, just like you.”

I handed him his glass of milk and clinked my beer bottle to his. “You’ve got it in spades, buddy.”

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