Page 5 of The King's Maiden
Lemons.
The word pounded in my ears. The scent rose up in my nose. Life had been handing me nothing but lemons since my dad died. And I couldn’t keep taking the hits.
I pressed my hands to my temples like that might shield me from the blows. “Can you fill the other one?”
But before the pharmacist could respond, a voice came from behind my back—a deep, rich sound that poured over me like honey.
“Whatever the medication costs, I’ll cover it.”
If I hadn’t been tits-deep in the quicksand of panic, the offer would’ve soothed me.
Instead, I sank lower.
Shame spiraled me deeper, the humiliation occluding my throat. It threatened to bury my head completely.
But before panic could swallow me whole, my mysterious benefactor stepped forward.
My attention caught on broad shoulders and sculpted arms. A hand drawing circles on the side of his thigh. And dark amber eyes, solemn and beautiful, staring straight ahead.
Dressed in all black, he looked like an angel fallen from grace. To me, he felt like a savior. And I responded viscerally to that first sight of him, as he pulled me back to the surface.
My lungs expanded with a gasp.
Landon
On the list of ways I wanted to spend a Friday, the line at the local pharmacy didn’t make the cut.
Yet, here I was.
Most of my wait I’d spent rocking back and forth on my heels, my hands clenching inside my pockets as another question came out of the customer in front of me. I’d clocked her the second I walked up.
Female, close to my age, attractive.
Not that the last part was obvious.
Her oversized hoodie and worn-out sweatpants hardly showcased her figure, but she had curves. An ass round enough to bite. Thighs strong enough to lock me in a chokehold as she came on my tongue. Hips to grab onto while she rode my?—
No.
My fingers twitched at my side, and I shook my head to clear it.
When I’d walked up behind her, I had the strangest urge to step closer. I wanted to rest my chin on the top of her head. Just to see if she’d fit.
The messy bun she’d wrangled her dark brown hair into stopped me, and you know…manners or whatever.
But I’d thought about it.
Flyaway strands escaped her elastic, brushing the golden-tan skin that peeked out beneath her sweatshirt. I wondered what those dark curls would look like coated with sweat. Clinging to her neck as it arched back. Leading me to ecstasy between her thighs.
Idle thoughts like this plagued me.
Thoughts I wouldn’t have normally had about a stranger, if not for staring at her ass for the last twenty minutes.
Yet, again, here I was.
Adjusting the increasingly tight fit of my pants, I cursed myself for leaving my phone in the car. I’d wanted a break from the onslaught of texts I’d been getting about The Quest.
Now, I needed a distraction, so I didn’t sport an erection at the local drugstore.
