Page 8 of King
She laughs. “You know why, Alana. The man is fucking hot. And he knows how to wine and dine a woman. I don’t blame you for falling for him.”
“Well, I blame me.” I shake my head. “If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t be in this situation. I can’t let everything in my life fall apart because of my stupidity.”
“You aren’t stupid. And everything will work out. My brother will make sure of it. He always does. Just look at this like a mini vacation.”
I roll my eyes for what seems like the hundredth time we’ve been here. “A vacation where we’re running for our lives and don’t know when or if we can return home. That sounds like the best fucking vacation ever, Amelia.”
“Look at the glass half full, instead of half empty, Alana. Yeah, we may be in hiding from the mafia, which is bullshit, but look around you. Is there any other place you’d rather be hiding? Have you not seen the men walking around this place? I might have to give up my life of celibacy with all this hotness.”
My life and hers has been turned upside down and she wants me to see the bright side of this very shitty situation. I get it. Really, I do, but despite the gorgeous men who seem to be never-ending in the place, I much rather have my life back. Beautiful men come and go. It’s something I learned a long time ago.
While normally I handle my own fuck ups, this is way above me. It’s hard to step away from the life I’ve built for myself, but I understand why I have to do it if I want to survive. And I need to remember, Amelia Grace stepped away from her life because of me as well. Even though she’s dealing with it a hell of a lot better than me.
“I’m sorry, Amelia.”
Her brows furrow. “For what?”
“For pulling you into this shit. This has nothing to do with you.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “That’s where you’re wrong, Alana. You didn’t pull me into anything. We’re best friends and you helped my brother more than you could ever know. You helped my family and now it’s time we helped you. And I’m sure Alonzo would have pulled me into it anyway. He’s going after my brother.”
I first met Amelia at the same coffee shop I met Matteo. It’s not too far from her tattoo shop in Las Vegas. Back then, I just started my career as a writer and wanted to make waves in the publishing world. I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. I decided to leave my nine-to-five and completely start over. New career, in a new city. I needed new scenery to forget the past, so I chose a city far away where I could get lost among the thousands of people. Where one person blended in with the next.
Before I can respond to Amelia it’s like the entire energy in the room shifts and the people on the floor part like Moses holding up his staff. Lust fills the women’s eyes and nothing but respect comes from the men.
I lean to the side just a little to look around the crowd of people so I can see who everyone has focused their attention on. And immediately, my eyes go wide as I watch the most attractive man, I’ve ever laid eyes on, walk towards me like he knows he has every pussy in here wet.
Including mine.
I thought Matteo was the best of the best in the looks department, but this man has my panties melting with the way his gaze devours me.
“Oh hell,” I mumble.
Amelia knows exactly where my mind went. I’m a sucker for the bad boys and this motherfucker right here is as bad as they come. Normally a man in a suit pushed all my buttons and had me salivating at the mouth, but apparently, I wasn’t averse to a man in a pair of fitted black jeans, a Henley, leather vest with a beard.
“You’re in trouble,” she snickers. “Do you see the way he’s looking at you?”
“I’m trying not to see. I do not need that kind of trouble. I’ve already got one bad boy to deal with. I don’t think I can handle another one.”
Or can I?
“Sorry to say, you may not have a choice, my friend.”
Amelia Grace MacDaniel knows the weakness I have for men like the one walking my way like he didn’t have a care in the world despite us possibly bringing trouble his way. He looks like a man who rules the world and conquers everything in his path. He looks like a man I should definitely not fuck with. But regretfully most of the time my body won out over my brain which is the reason I’m involved in the shit I’m involved in now.
While Amelia isn’t a romantic at heart like me, we hit it off immediately and became fast friends. She’s done all my tattoos and we hang out with each other when we aren’t too busy. She’s the sister I never had. And when I started dating my ex and I found out his bosses had been targeting her family, I went to her. I felt obligated too. She’s my family. I wasn’t expecting it all to end with me losing everything I’ve worked so hard for and ruining my life. But it has, and here we are in Oakland, California at a motorcycle gang’s clubhouse with hot men, women who look like strippers, and me trying not to become someone who easily gives it all up again for somebody like the man coming towards me.
“What were you saying about swearing off all men?” she asks, chuckling. “Honey, let me see if you stick to that plan with that man right there devouring you like you’re a five-course meal.”
I slap her arm. “Shut up, Amelia.”
She just laughs like a banshee then takes another sip of beer while we both watch the man walk towards us like he’s on a damn runway. With his blue eyes locked on me, I squirm in my seat. His powerful strides and muscular frame are highlighted by the fitted gray Henley stretching across his broad chest covered in a black leather vest, and black jeans wrapped around his muscular thighs. I can only imagine how one night with him will probably destroy my world.
“He must be King,” Amelia whispers in my ear over the loud music. “He looks like a King.”
I nod.
King. She’s definitely right. The name fits. He can be the King of my world any day.
