Page 89 of Forbidden King (Magnolia Falls)

“Well, I want you to spend the night. I can’t risk staying over at your place with Ruby dropping in at any time. If we’re going to be sick of one another soon, I want to enjoy this time together.”

“Wow. No sex, but we’re having a sleepover.” She smiled up at me.

“I never slept as well in my life as I did those months that we shared a bed. Isn’t that weird?” I asked her, because it had always puzzled me.

I didn’t like sharing a bed with women after sex. I was too antsy. I liked my space and wanted to stretch out when I slept. But the memory of sleeping with Saylor’s hand in mine had always given me a sort of peace that I couldn’t explain.

“No. We comforted one another at a really hard time in our lives. You were worried about River, and I was a mess about everything going on with my family. And we were there for each other.”

“Always will be. No matter how much I might mess this up, just know that I will always be there for you.”

“I never doubt that, King. That’s why no one needs to know what’s going on—with our friendship or our history. Your connection with my brother and mine with your grandmother. It puts a lot of pressure on things. And I want this. Whatever this is that’s going on between us right now. For us. For me. For however long it lasts. I’m happy when I’m with you. Always have been.”

This girl, man. So earnest and genuine.

“Well, I’m yours until you tire of me.” I winked.

“Deal. I’m guessing I’ll be over it before the sun comes up,” she said over a fit of laughter, resting her cheek against my chest.

I wasn’t sure what I was doing.

My best friend was off fighting a beast of a fire, and here I was playing with fire.

Knowing that when you play with fire, someone always gets burned.

twenty-three

Saylor

I would never have guessedthat the bookstore would be this busy after opening its doors. Every day was just another surprise and proof of why Magnolia Falls was the best small town around.

The locals had rallied around me, and it meant a lot. Even people I’d never expected to see at a romance bookstore had come in to show their support. I was grateful, even if some were slightly awkward.

“I’ve got some questions for you,” Will Goldy said. He was the science teacher at Magnolia Falls High School. He hadn’t been there when I was in high school because he wasn’t much older than me, but I’d known him most of my life.

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

He was flipping through a historical romance book, and he turned to face me. “How much romance will I find in this type of book? I’m here more for the education, the historical relevance, you know?”

That’s what they all say, Will.

“Right, yes. Well, I’ve read this series, and it’s fabulous. There is a lot of detail about Scotland, and you really feel like you’re living in the 1700s when you read these books. But there is also an epic romance, which is the focus of this book.”

“I’ll take it,” Midge Longhorn said from the other side of the store. I bent down to scratch the top of Noodle’s head because she brought her dog with her everywhere now. “That sounds like a really good one.”

“Are you interested in Scottish history?” Will Goldy asked, his chin held high like he was trying to have an intellectual conversation.

Midge snorted. “No. I’m interested in hunky Scottish men getting it on with their heroines.”

Will’s cheeks pinked, and his eyes widened. “Midge. That’s slightly inappropriate.”

“Will, you’ve been coming to my diner since you were a toddler when you had the nickname Booger. I knew you when you were still shitting in your diapers. This is a romance bookstore. Lose the pretentious attitude or take a hike.”

His mouth dropped open, and I used my hand to cover my mouth and stifle my laughter. It wasn’t lost on me that Will Goldy had come to a Magnolia Falls council meeting when I was getting my permits in place. He’d tried to stop the store from opening, but he’d lost that battle.

Will made all sorts of gaspy sounds, making it clear he was completely offended. “I am far from pretentious. I just choose to read things that stimulate me intellectually.”

“And I choose to read things that stimulate me in other ways,” Midge said with a wink, and I shook my head and chuckled.

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