Page 64 of Endgame

But when she knocked again and motioned to his locked door handle, his lucidity fully returned. Lila. He hit the unlock button, and she slid inside, locking the doors again once the door was closed. She got out her phone and quickly typed out a text.

“You’ve been gone for hours, King. Knight was about to send out a search party,” Lila mused, her attention directed at the windshield.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“I made him promise to hold off until after I looked for you here.” Her smile was both heartbreakingly sad and heartbreakingly beautiful as she turned to face him. “And here you are.”

“Here I am.” He managed a wan smile as he took in the face of the woman he loved more than anything else in his life. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” she replied kindly, her brows slightly furrowed. “I read your note, and I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”

King exhaled in relief. “That’s… Thank you. Thank you for hearing me out.” His breath stuttered a bit, and Lila reached out to lace her fingers in his.

“Take your time,” she said softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

King’s heart sped as he tried to organize his thoughts. “So, you know about how fucked-up my family is. All my life, the people I’ve loved have left me, whether it was physically or emotionally. I thought that was just how my life was going to be with everyone. That I’d always feel alone.” There was a hitch in his voice, and Lila’s gentle pressure on his hand encouraged him to continue. “Then I saw you.”

He hesitated before continuing, “I’ve never told you this, but the day that Jason introduced us wasn’t the first time I noticed you. It was the year before. I had gone in to pick Jason up because his car was in the shop, and you were working the salad bar. Your hair was hanging down your back in one of your signature braids. And when you smiled at a customer, it felt like a kick right to my gut.”

King heard Lila’s breathing stall, but she stayed silent, so he continued. “After that, I stayed away for a while. At the time I had no idea why. Now I realize it’s because of the way you made me feel things. Not specific emotions, but emotions in general. I’d been so closed off that I couldn’t even identify my own feelings.”

The sun started to set, and the valley lit up with an array of oranges and yellows and purples and blues. King turned his head toward Lila’s. “I was scared to feel at all, but especially to feel for you. Because, you? You’re Lila fucking Alexander. There was no way I could possibly deserve to be with someone as wonderful as you. But damn if I didn’t want you anyway.

“When you gave me that necklace, you said I was different from my father, that I was capable of more. And for the first time, I actually felt it. I actually believed it for myself.”

He raised his free hand and gently stroked her cheekbone with his fingers. “Lila, that was the night I knew I loved you. That I always would. And after, I was an asshole and pushed you away—again—because I was scared I’d fuck it all up. That you’d eventually leave me because of it.” He shook his head, frustrated by his complete and utter idiocy. “But I couldn’t give you the necklace back, even after you asked me for it, because it was all I had left of you, of your faith in me.”

A tear slipped down Lila’s face as her glassy golden eyes looked into his, like she was trying to determine whether he was telling her the truth.

“I was miserable without you, but the memory of what you’d said to me helped inspire me to change. To heal. Which I hope you’ve seen. But I should have come clean about it. I’m still working through some insecurities, but it’s not an excuse. I should have told you once we were back on better terms. I should have given it back. I’m so sorry.”

When Lila unlinked their hands, King’s heart sank. He waited for her rejection, of her exit from his life, and convinced himself that, no matter what, he would eventually be okay. That he’d done his best to answer for his mistakes, but that those mistakes might still come at a cost. He took comfort in that, even as he dreaded her rejection.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her necklace. The tiny crown reflected the last bits of sunlight in the sky as she held it up for him to see. She leaned forward and wrapped the chain around his neck, fastening the clasp. She ran a hand down over where it now laid on his chest, circling the charm with her thumb.

“This is yours.” Lila moved her hand up to the side of King’s neck, her eyes molten gold as she pulled him closer. “So am I, if you want me.”

His heart pumped faster and he exhaled a relieved breath, words temporarily leaving him as that tiny sliver of fear tried to reemerge. The fear that he wasn’t good enough. That Lila would eventually leave. But he quashed it, his thumb reaching up to smooth the furrow that had appeared between Lila’s brows as she waited for him to respond.

Nothing would keep him from her now. Not ever again, if he had anything to say about it.

“I want you,” King murmured as he closed the gap between them and kissed her.

* * *

Later, King woke up next to Lila. After they’d made good use of the back seat of his car, they reluctantly separated so they could drive home. Knight and Bear gave them knowing smiles when they entered the house, saying nothing as Lila gave them a quick wave before King threw her over his shoulder and hauled her upstairs. Sometime after round three, she had rolled over to cuddle against King’s side, her arm draped over his abdomen as she slept. The sheets were tangled low, exposing the delicate notches of her spine.

His hand softly traveled the length of it, tracing up and down, as she roused from sleep. She looked up at him sleepily, her smile the one she reserved only for him. Her fingers started tracing the indentations of his abs, and he flexed automatically as desire pooled low and his body responded, tenting the sheets in the process.

“I love you, King,” Lila whispered.

King hauled her up so she was lying on top of him. He’d never get tired of hearing those words coming from her lips, not ever. “I love you too, La.”

“Wanna show me?” Lila moved her body against his, and he could feel how ready she was for him.

And obviously, he did, in fact, want to show her, especially when she was moving her body like that.

“Dammit, La, let me grab a condom,” King eked out, though the thought of having her bare was almost too much to process.

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