Page 31 of Clash of Kings

“No. Nope. Nuh-uh. No Queen of mine is going to eat that shit,” he declared. Several heads turned at his tirade, but he kept walking, flapping his arms in front of him. Lydia ducked and dodged, laughing her ass off.

Dakota stopped abruptly, turning to face the maniac. She looked around, then lowered her voice, pointing a finger in his face. “When I’m Queen, I’ll make a decree that every member of our Clan eat it once a week. Bet.”

Lydia laughed harder, as Anthony gasped, clutching his heart. “You wound me.”

“I’m gonna wound you if you disparage someone else’s choice in food again.” Dakota turned to Sebastian and winked. “Now, I need one of those brisket sandwiches. Do you think they have any wash your sister sauce to go on it?”

Bas grinned at his mate, drawing her into his body and kissing her soundly while Lydia howled behind them. Anthony brushed by them muttering, “Traitor.”

“Oh, my gods, that was stellar,” Lydia said when she could breathe properly. Shaking her head, she patted Dakota on the shoulder. “Kaya would’ve been proud.”

“Kaya?” Dakota asked.

“My momma. Come on. I wasn’t hungry, but now that brisket’s all I can think about.” That was a lie. What was foremost on his mind was getting Dakota alone. While they were waiting for their orders, the realtor responded stating she’d meet them at the lodge at ten the next morning. They dug into their food, and once finished, Dakota asked if she had time to look around.

“We have nowhere to be, so take your time.” He followed his mate down every single aisle of the place, waiting patiently as she looked at everything the store had to offer. When they came to a large wall of jerky, Dakota placed her hands on her hips.

“Now that’s something.” She stared at all the different flavors, and Sebastian pointed out his favorites.

“Just grab the large ones,” he suggested.

Dakota studied the different sizes. “I want to make sure they’re really the best bargain. Sometimes the smaller sizes are cheaper per unit.”

Knowing where his mate came from, it made sense she would bargain shop. When they were alone, he would inform her she was now loaded. Until then, he reached up and grabbed the large size in his favorite flavors. “What about you? Which ones do you like?” he asked as he put his selections in the basket he carried. When Dakota admitted she’d only ever had teriyaki, Bas chose one of each of the other flavors and added them to the basket. She opened her mouth to say something, but he pressed a finger to her plump lips. “You might find a new favorite. Now, let’s see what else we can find.”

When they walked around to the sweet section, Anthony was filling his basket with one of the store’s most popular items. It was a cross between cereal and corn puffs. Bas enjoyed a few bites of the stuff, but Anthony devoured bags at a time.

“What’s this?” Dakota asked, picking up a bag, reading the name and description.

“Only the best frickin’ stuff on the planet,” Anthony answered. Dakota went to put the bag back, but Bas took it from her and placed it in their basket. “Hey, did y’all see the rack of flannel on the other side of the store? You should get matching shirts,” Anthony said without looking up from his mission to get as many bags of puffs into his basket as possible.

Lydia smacked their cousin. “Don’t be rude.”

Anthony popped his head up, eyes narrowed. “I’m not.” He gestured at Bas and Dakota. “I was being serious. Look at ‘em. Nothing says solidarity like matching plaid.”

Dakota tugged on Sebastian’s arm. “I’m good with solidarity. Lead the way.”

Bas smirked at Anthony and directed his mate to the other side of the store. “You’ll get used to Tony’s brand of smart ass. He’s an acquired taste.”

Dakota wrapped her arm through Sebastian’s as they strolled. It made it hard to dodge the other customers, but Bas was loath to care. “He doesn’t bother me. I like that he has no filter. I’m the same way most of the time. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“Not at all. Being in my position, I need to come off as diplomatic and polished. You’ll help balance that out.”

Dakota stopped in the middle of the aisle. “Are you saying I’m dull?”

Bas mentally smacked himself. “Not at all.” Not caring they were causing a traffic jam, he caressed her cheek with his free hand. “I meant you can be yourself. You don’t have to pretend where I do. The me you see now? That’s the real Sebastian Stone. Yes, I dress up when meeting with clients, but as soon as the work day is done? I’m tossing the tie and putting on flannel. If it’s summer, I’m in cargo shorts and a T-shirt while wearing work boots. Anthony gives me all kinds of shit for that fashion faux pas as he calls it.”

Dakota chuckled. “I can’t wait to see that. And I was joking about being dull. I forget you aren’t used to my sarcasm. I’ll work on it.”

“No. Do not censor yourself, especially with me. I want the real Dakota Young, twenty-four seven.”

Dakota gave Bas one of her breathtaking smiles. “Deal. Now, let’s go get matching shirts just because we can.” They did just that to mess with Anthony, but if Bas were being honest? He liked having his mate dress like him, not giving one fuck about the cheese factor.

Once they were finished shopping and paid for their purchases, they stowed their bags in the back seat of the Jeep as Anthony and Lydia did the same in their car. Anthony kept out a bag of puffs and was already opening the package. Standing between the vehicles, Bas said, “We have a meeting with the realtor in the morning at ten. We can either get a hotel here, then drive the rest of the way in the morning, or drive farther tonight and sleep late. Thoughts?” he asked Dakota. He knew which one he would choose and that was to get a hotel here so they could be alone sooner.

“I’m used to working the late shift and sleeping in, but—”

“Yes! I vote for sleeping in.” Anthony reached out his fist, and Dakota bumped it with hers while rolling her eyes.

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