Page 16 of King's Claim
His brow furrowed, but he didn’t deny it.He just leaned back in his chair, broad shoulders rolling against the worn leather.“So?”King asked.
“So?”She threw her hands up.“You can’t just swoop into my life and fix things without even telling me.That’s not how this works,” she stated.
“Seems it worked just fine.Your mom’s covered,” King said with a shrug.
“That’s not the point,” Lena argued.
She crossed the office, her boots scuffing against the wood floor.“I’ve been killing myself to keep her afloat.Scraping every dollar, every hour I can get.And you—” She pointed a finger at him, heat flashing in her chest.“You think you can just throw money at it and make everything better?”
King’s gaze sharpened.“Would you rather she go without her meds?That what you’re saying?”
The breath rushed out of her lungs.Damn him.He had her cornered, and he knew it.
“No,” she admitted quietly.“Of course not.”Her voice cracked, raw with honesty.“I’m thankful.I am.But you can’t just ...you can’t play the monster with everyone else and then play savior with me.It doesn’t add up.”
For the first time since she barged in, King’s expression shifted.Something flickered in his eyes, something deeper than the mask he wore for the world.He rose from his chair slowly, his presence filling the space like smoke, inescapable.
He stopped just in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.“Maybe I’m both,” he said quietly.
Her throat went dry.
“You’re not just the monster everyone says you are,” she whispered before she could stop herself.The truth hung heavy between them, undeniable.
King clenched his jaw.He clenched and unclenched his hand by his side, like he wanted to touch her but held himself back with sheer force of will.
“Careful, Lena,” he murmured.“You start believing that, and you’ll forget what I am.”
Lena wasn’t afraid of him, she never had been.Instead, her gaze traced the scar that slashed across his face, the one that should’ve made him terrifying but only made him more compelling.
The air grew thick, heated, charged with something dangerous.King stepped closer, his chest brushing hers, his breath warm against her temple.She could smell the whiskey, the leather, the faint smoke clinging to him.
Her body betrayed her, leaning in even as her mind screamed warnings.King shifted his gaze to her mouth, lingered, then dragged back up.
Slow burn turned into a spark that nearly set her alight.King lifted his hand, hovering near her cheek, so close she felt the warmth of his skin without the touch.His restraint was a battle she could feel in every taut line of his body.
Her breath caught.Just one more inch and his mouth would be on hers.The doorknob rattled.
“King?”Viper’s voice came through, muffled but urgent.“We got a situation.”
The spell shattered.
King jerked his hand back, stepping away from her like the distance might save them both.His jaw was tight, his eyes darker than she’d ever seen.
Lena swallowed hard, her heart still racing.She should’ve been relieved the moment was broken.Instead, a coil of frustration twisted inside her.
He turned toward the door, already shifting back into the president, the monster, the man who ran the Devil’s Crown.Just before he reached for the handle, King glanced over his shoulder at her.The look in his eyes said everything he didn’t.This wasn’t over.
****
Lena perched on theedge of the chair by her mother’s bed, balancing a Styrofoam cup of weak coffee in her hands.She tried to smile, tried to look brighter than she felt, but the weight pressing down on her chest was harder to disguise today.
Her mother, pale but alert, tilted her head.The lines of illness had etched themselves deep into her face, but her eyes still held that sharp, knowing glint Lena could never escape.
“You look tired,” she said softly.“You want to tell me what’s going on?”
Lena shook her head.“I just want to focus on you, Mom.Not me.”
“That’s the problem.”Her mom gave her a tired smile.“You always want to focus on me.But I know when something’s gnawing at you.You forget, I raised you.What’s going on?”
