Page 7 of Taking a King

Now, I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She’d marched off with no plan for how she’d get home. That’s the Claire I know. Always so impulsive. Leap first, look later. It shouldn’t be such an attractive quality, but the truth is, I love that about her. I look over to find her watching me.

“What’s so funny?” she asks, clearly defensive.

I shake my head. “Nothing. You had no plan, but you followed me anyway.”

She shrugs. “I wasn’t going to stay there after Ronan treated you like that,” she says in a quiet voice. “You’re his best friend—practically family after everything you’ve been through together. And he basically just told you to leave.” She shakes her head. “That’s fucked up, and I intend to tell him exactly that. Later. When I decide to speak to him again.”

Her words hit me harder than I expect. She’s right, though. Ronan and I went through a lot together. Lost a lot together. Bonds like that aren’t easily broken. Or at least I didn’t think they were. After tonight and the look in his eyes, I’m not so sure. But I don’t say any of that to Claire. Instead, I point to a generic-looking white sedan.

“I rented a car at the airport,” I say, turning to walk toward the car.

Claire immediately changes direction and follows me to the car. She climbs into the passenger side before I can decide whether or not I should open her door for her. It isn’t until I start to pull out of the parking lot that I realize I don’t know where I’m going. I came straight here from the airport. I don’t have a hotel room yet. That hadn’t been me being presumptuous and assuming I’d be sleeping with Claire tonight. It had just been shitty planning on my part. I’d been in such a hurry to get to her that I hadn’t planned ahead. I’ll just give her a ride home and go find a hotel in town.

“Where to?” I ask Claire.

“Turn left,” she says without hesitation.

I follow Claire’s directions without comment. All at once, I realize that I’m nervous. Which is ridiculous. I’ve known Claire for years. We’ve spent hours on the phone, talking. We’ve written hundreds of letters and emails to one another over the years. I know her almost as well as I know myself. I’ve been waiting to see her again for nearly a year. But now that we’re alone for the first time, I find myself tongue-tied and awkward. There are any number of things I could say, things I should say. I should tell her how much I missed her. I could tell her how happy I am to be home. I want to ask her if she’s okay after the scene with her family earlier. That thought brings me back to Ronan’s reaction and the anger in his eyes. It’s been nearly 2 years since I last saw him. Any other time, he would have been happy to see me. He would have hugged me and pounded me on the back. I might have even coaxed a rare smile or a laugh from him. But tonight, he’d just been pissed off. I wonder if I ruined the one real friendship I had.

I feel Claire’s hand cover mine where it rests on the gear shift. Startled, I glance over to find her watching me. She gives me a small smile before I turn my attention back to the road.

“He’ll come around,” she says, and I wonder how she knows exactly what I’d been thinking. “Trust me. We Kings are stubborn, but we’re not stupid. He’ll see he’s wrong.”

I just nod. I hope she’s right.

Chapter Four

Garrett

At Claire’s instruction, I turn into an apartment complex and pull into a parking spot at one end of the two-story building. She points out the windshield at one of the doors on the second floor.

“That’s me,” she says. Turning toward me, she smiles. “You wanna come inside for a bit?”

There’s nothing suggestive in her tone, but my mind immediately shifts to all the less-than-innocent reasons she might be inviting me inside. Yes, we’ve known one another for years and we’ve gotten to know one another really well over this past year, but we haven’t been on a single date yet. We’ve barely shared one kiss, and even that got interrupted by her brother. Surely, she can’t mean she wants me to spend the night. Can she? I realize Claire is still looking at me, waiting for my response. I’m not sure I can trust my voice, so I just nod. Her smile widens before she turns away from me to open her door. I take a second to suck in a lungful of air and let it out. I still don’t know what Claire’s intentions are for inviting me inside, but I know I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to find out.

I follow her up the stairs to her apartment and wait while she unlocks the door. She motions for me to enter first, so I do, my eyes taking in the small living room. Everything is so unbelievably Claire that I can’t help but smile.

The brightly colored rug in the center of the room draws my attention first. It stands out most because it doesn’t seem to match anything else in the room. It’s a mix of bold blues, bright pinks and yellows and deep purples that pop against the wood floor. The couch is big and plush and covered in deep, emerald green velvet. It’s at complete odds with the stately, leather wing-backed chair in the corner. The room is filled with books, musical instruments and art supplies. They’re stacked neatly on shelves, leaning against the walls, spread out on the low coffee table. It’s hard for my eyes to settle on any one thing in the room. It’s cluttered, but it somehow manages not to be messy. It’s clear that Claire has worked hard to make this small space exactly the way she wants it. It’s so totally opposite from anything I’m used to, but I find that I like it.

I turn to see Claire watching me, a worried expression on her face. She’s twisting one of the silver rings on her fingers. She gives me a nervous smile and looks around the room.

“I know it’s a lot,” she says, moving to straighten a stack of books on the coffee table. “It probably looks like chaos to you. Sorry. I wasn’t really expecting company tonight.”

I reach out a hand and touch her arm. “I like it.”

Her movements still and she turns to meet my gaze. I’m not sure how long we stand like that, inches apart, my hand on her upper arm. Claire’s gaze travels over my face as though she’s really seeing me for the first time.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she finally whispers. “Feels like a dream.” She reaches up and touches my cheek, her hand smooth on the rough stubble.

Slowly, as though she’s testing the waters, Claire moves closer. Her arms slide up around my neck and she presses the full length of her body against mine. My own arms move as though they have a mind of their own, wrapping around her to hold her tightly. I’ve hugged her before, plenty of times. Quick, friendly casual hugs after months or even years apart. But this time feels different.

She feels so perfect in my arms. So right. I breathe deeply, taking in the subtle scent of her perfume, the clean smell of her shampoo and something else that I’m beginning to realize is just Claire. We stand like that for a long moment, neither of us wanting to end the embrace.

“I missed you,” I whisper.

“I’m sorry,” Claire says, surprising me.

I pull back so I can look at her. “For what?”

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