Page 48 of Taking a King

“Doing whatever we want.”

Garrett moves without warning, pulling me against him. His grip is firm, but not painful. I love this side of him, the side that wants to take control. It’s so sexy to be at his mercy. I trust him to take things as far as he wants, and I know he’d never do anything to hurt me. My heart clenches almost painfully with the knowledge that I love him. I want to tell him. I want him to know how much he’s changed my life just by being in it. But I don’t know how to say the words. So, I kiss him instead.

We spend the morning in bed, making love. It’s so hot I’m surprised the sheets don’t combust. Garrett is nearly insatiable today and I love it. He holds me down with one hand while fingering me until I come. Then he slides inside me slowly, almost gently. He moves so excruciatingly slowly that I’m practically begging him to fuck me before he gives me a devilish grin and begins to pound into me. When he comes, it’s with a groan that’s nearly a roar. It sets off my own orgasm, dragging cries from my throat. We collapse into a sweaty, sated heap. I can’t remember ever feeling happier.

We doze for a while, eat lunch naked in my kitchen and head back to bed for another round of lovemaking. Later, we laze around, talking, laughing and teasing. We talk about everything and nothing, learning more about one another than we ever have in all the years of letters and phone calls. It strikes me now just how much we’ve missed out on by being apart all these years. We could have had this so much sooner. Who knows where we would be now if I hadn’t been too chicken to tell him how I felt? Speaking of, I should tell him I love him. He should know. I open my mouth to say the words, but Garrett speaks first.

“What’s your favorite song?” he asks, surprising me with the subject. It takes me a second to shake off the nerves from what I’d been about to say and focus on his question. Finally, I speak.

“You’re asking a musician what her favorite song is?” I ask, incredulous. “You know that’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid, right?”

He nods. “I have a feeling you have one.” He’s all confidence as he speaks, catching me off-guard.

“Well,” I say, getting into the subject now. “It just so happens that you’re correct.”

“So, tell me,” he says. “I want to know.”

“You’ll think it’s weird,” I say.

“I won’t.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Promise not to laugh?”

He holds up a pinky. “Pinky promise,” he says in a solemn voice. I wrap my pinky around his, sealing the promise.

“Fine,” I say. “My favorite song isLong as I Can See the Lightby Creedence Clearwater Revival.”

He’s quiet for a moment, thinking. He doesn’t laugh, though. “Is there a story behind that?”

I nod. “But it’s a long one.”

“Tell me.”

“You really want to hear this story?” I ask, skeptical.

He nods. “I really do.”

"It's a long story," I say, giving him one last chance to back out.

He gestures to his naked form. "I'm not going anywhere."

I smile and shake my head. “Okay,” I say with a sigh. “You asked for it.”

Garrett just grins like he’s won a prize.

"Growing up,” I begin, “I was always closest to Ronan. I know, that probably seems strange. I should be closer to Van or Wyatt. It would make more sense. They're only 2 years older than me. But those two?" I shake my head.

"It was always the two of them against the world. Don't get me wrong. They'd go to war for any one of us. No questions asked. But they always had this impenetrable bond between them. Still do, really. And Finn? Well, Finn has always been a force of nature. An island unto himself. The protector. He's probably the best of us. Don't tell him I said that. I'll deny it 'til my dying day." I point my finger at Garrett.He holds up his hands in mock surrender and shakes his head.

“Not a word,” he says solemnly. I shoot him a smile before I go on.

“I love all my brothers,” I say fiercely. “I'd fight anyone who tried to hurt them. No question. But Ronan? He was my best friend. Still is, really. We get each other, you know? We always have. I think it's because neither of us fit anywhere else. But we fit together." I look at Garrett and I can see that he gets it. He understands exactly what I mean. My heart clenches and I roll my eyes to dispel the tension.

"So, you can imagine how pissed I was when I was 13 and he decided to join the Marines. I didn't speak to him for 18 whole days. God, I was a bitchy teenager." I shake my head, laughing at how young I'd been. How silly.

"He finally came to my room on day 18 of my silent treatment. I was pouting, obviously. He told me that I was his sister and he loved me but that this was just something he had to do. He wanted me to be okay with it, but he couldn't really explain it and he couldn't make the feeling go away. He knew that he could stay here and work for Mom and Dad, but that he'd be miserable. He'd hate it. He needed to go, to get out of this town and see who he was without being one of the King kids.

“I tried to ignore him, but he's Ronan. That's not the easiest thing to do. I kept pretending I wasn't listening, but I was. He told me about this old tradition where the families of sailors and soldiers would put a candle in the window while their loved ones were away. So they could find their way back."

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