Page 39 of King
He nods and leaves. I turn back to the room full of brothers and whores. “Clean this shit up,” I say then head downstairs to check on Tongue.
Hopefully, he makes it through the night.
Chapter Fourteen
ALANA
TheheatsurroundingmeI want to sink deeper into. I moan and snuggle closer letting the comfort of the warmth consume me. A strong arm pulls me closer, and I slowly open my eyes.
“Dylan?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
I roll over and face him. He looks like he hasn’t had much sleep. I’d think he was high if he didn’t have dark circles under his red eyes and he didn’t look so stressed.
I brush the hair out of his eyes. “You look tired.”
He sighs, pulling me closer to him, then kisses me on the tip of my nose. The action is oddly comforting, but strange for someone like King. His rough, no-nonsense attitude is different than the tender person he’s showing me now.
“I already told you, I don’t sleep much. And with everything going on even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t. There’s too much shit to do.”
I cup his face. He closes his eyes, and I don’t even think he realizes he leans into my touch. “I know, but you still need to try, Dylan. You’re no good to anyone if you don’t have any energy.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I like how you changed the subject,” I say, smiling.
He shrugs. “We’ve done enough talking about me. You were the one in the middle of a shootout.”
“Don’t remind me. How’s Tongue.”
He sighs. “He’s hanging in there. Still, touch and go. Doc says we may have no other choice but to move him.”
“He saved my life. Him and David.”
“I know.”
His response is filled with anger and frustration. He didn’t have to say he was scared for us; I saw it in his eyes when he helped me out of the bullet-ridden SUV. It was in the way he gripped my trembling body as he helped me to bed and the way he held onto me until I finally fell asleep.
“Thank you.”
His brows dip in confusion. “For what?”
“For taking care of me. I’ve been in one shootout before.” His eyes widen in surprise, and I laugh. “Did you forget, I was with amade man? Anyway, he let me go through that experience entirely by myself. As a matter of fact, the bastard disappeared for nearly a week right after it happened, instructing one of his men to keep watch over me and ordering me not to leave the house.”
“He sounds like a real bastard.”
“Yeah. I wish I’d never met him.”
“Been there.”
My eyes widen. There’s something in the way he responds that makes me want to dig deeper. Maybe it’s the creative in me, but King is the ultimate villain and I’d love to learn his backstory. What makes him tick? What made him become the man he is today? And most of all, what’s this attraction between us?
“Tell me…”
“Nope,” he says before I can even ask the question. “I’m not telling you shit about my past.”
“Oh, come on, Dylan! I want to learn more about you.”
