• thirty-four •

“It was deeper than blood. Stronger than a bond of family.”

Rumor

I was overreacting. I had acted jealous. Did I have that right? No. I knew that. We had been friends this time yesterday. Having sex didn’t make us more. We were adults. King had sex with a lot of women. Seemed they all did.

I pulled my feet up onto the sofa and crossed my legs, staring at the television even though I hadn’t turned it on. I shouldn’t have had sex without a condom. That was stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I should probably get tested again.

The door opened, and King came inside. His gaze swung over the room until it landed on me. He closed the door behind him, and I watched as his shoulders seemed to drop with a sigh. He’d come to check on me. Great. Not only had I acted jealous, but I’d made him feel as if he’d done something wrong. I was really bad at this.

“What are you doing up here?” I asked, wanting to get this over with.

I tried to ignore his distractingly sexy saunter as he made his way over to me. He was a chick magnet, and I had been one of his chicks. Who could blame me? The man oozed sex appeal.

“You seemed upset and left me. I was going to come up after your bath anyway,” he said as he took the seat beside me. “You good?”

“I’m fine. You can go back to your friends. I was just about to find a movie to watch.”

He leaned forward and picked up the remote control from the coffee table. “Sounds good. What do you want to watch?”

I turned my head to look at him. “You don’t have to stay up here. I’m fine. Just tired.”

He ignored me, turning on the television and leaning back. “It’s been a busy day. We need some comedy.”

“King,” I said, making him look at me.

His eyes met mine this time. “Yes?”

I could do this. Be a big girl. Act like a grown-ass woman. “I am okay. You do not have to babysit me. I acted weird downstairs. I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again.” That was as good as it was going to get. I couldn’t lay it out there better than that.

“Not here to babysit you, sweets. Came up here to hang out with you. I prefer your company. Do you want food? I’m getting fucking hungry. I can call up to the main house and get Minna to send us something down here.”

He was back to the food thing. How frustrating. I was giving him an out, and he wasn’t taking it.

“I don’t think that because we had sex that we are…are…anything more than friends. I also know we aren’t in some commitment, and you…we can have sex with other people.”

He stopped scanning through Netflix and swung his gaze back to me. “You have someone else you’re thinking of fucking, sweets?”

I shook my head. “No. But that isn’t the point I was trying to make.”

“So, your point is that you acted a little territorial down there, and you didn’t mean to. You won’t do it again. We are friends who fuck. Really well. Olympic-worthy fucking.”

Olympic-worthy? That was a good thing. Right? Yes, I was sure it was.

“Yes, I think that was my point,” I agreed.

He stretched his arm out behind me on the back of the sofa and turned his body slightly toward me. “We are friends. And if you fuck someone else, I’ll kill him.”

A surprised laugh burst from me as I stared at him. Was he serious?

“You look shocked, sweets,” he drawled.

I nodded my head several times. “That’s not exactly fair.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What?”

He was serious. He didn’t see how one-sided this was even if I had no plans on having sex with one of his friends or family or whatever.

“You can have sex with…those women down there, but I am only supposed to have sex with you?”

He reached over and ran a knuckle over my lips, then down my neck. “Sweets, if we’re fucking, I don’t need to fuck anyone else. You’re keeping me real damn sated. Am I not doing the same for you?”

I shifted and dropped my focus to my lap. “Yes, you are.”

“Good. Then, that’s settled. We are friends who fuck. A lot. We don’t need to fuck anyone else while we have this setup.”

I nodded, glancing back at him.

His hand clamped over my shoulder and pulled me against him. “Finally. Now, pick a movie, and I’ll call for food. Then, we can fuck again. I want to eat your pussy in the shower.”

Was there a woman who would turn that down?

We didn’t skip Sunday breakfast the next morning and it was more intimidating this time than it had been the first time. Even though I didn’t think King had told anyone we were having sex, I just felt like they all might think we were. Since we were sleeping in the same room. That, and I felt as if it was written all over my face when they looked at me. King didn’t sit beside me, which I wasn’t sure if I should take personally or be thankful. It made us look less…uh…affectionate maybe?

“Why can’t I sit in here beside Rumor?” Birdie asked, standing at the head of the table beside Maeme with her hands on her hips.

Her eyes, so much like King’s, locked on me, and she grinned brightly. “You want me to sit by you, don’t you, Rumor?”

Feeling trapped, I glanced at Maeme, hoping she’d come to my rescue. I would in fact love for Birdie to sit by me, but I also didn’t want to overstep. I was indebted to everyone in this room for helping me and putting themselves in danger by doing it.

“Annette isn’t here yet,” Maeme replied. “Take her seat, and she can take your usual spot. Now, give me a bite of sugar, missy.”

Bridie squealed and kissed Maeme on the cheek before running over to pull out the chair beside me.

“You never demanded to sit by me before. I’m wounded,” King said from farther down the table.

I glimpsed at him but looked away quickly, afraid I would blush. My panties were currently wet with his cum. No one knew that, but we did, and looking at him made my cheeks warm.

“You don’t like to talk about American Girl dolls,” Birdie informed him.

“Ah, well, in that case, I’ll let it slide,” King replied.

“I brought three of them with me,” Birdie informed me. “I can show you after we eat.”

“That sounds—”

“She’s going to the library with me to get some books,” Sebastian said, cutting me off.

I lifted my gaze from Birdie to look over at Sebastian. He winked at me. I didn’t mind going to see Birdie’s dolls first. I was about to say that, but King spoke first.

“I’m taking her.”

“To my library?” Sebastian challenged.

“It’s my library,” Stellan Shephard said from the other end of the table. “King will take her.”

My eyes cut from Stellan to King, who was watching me. When our gazes met, he flashed me a smug smile that made me want to scold him and kiss him at the same time. I didn’t want to be rude to Sebastian, but I preferred to be with King. All parts of my body were in agreement.

“King, you’ll let her see my dolls first? Right? I brought Evette. She has the same hair!”

King’s eyes dropped to his sister. “Yes, of course. But I’ll need a hug in return.”

Birdie grinned and clapped her hands together. “Deal!” Then, she turned her head and looked at me. “I’m a master manipula-lay-tator—or whatever that word is. Momma said so.”

I pressed my lips together, not wanting to laugh at her, and nodded in agreement. She was in fact very good at it. She knew how to work this crowd like a charm.

Barrett and Annette Kingston arrived, followed by Roland and Luella Jones. Different conversations broke out all around the room, and I listened as Birdie told me about her new bunk beds for her dolls and a diner she was wanting for her birthday. While she went on to describe it, I took quick glimpses at King as he spoke to his father and Stellan. Thatcher wasn’t here today, but Storm was, and he seemed deeply involved in the conversation too.

When King’s eyes cut toward me and he caught me looking his way, I quickly jerked mine back to Birdie. She was explaining the ins and outs of proper hair care for her dolls. I had no idea it was so in depth, but it seemed there was a lot to know about these dolls of hers.

“Rumor,” Annette said, drawing my focus off Birdie to look up at her sitting on the other side of the little girl.

“Yes?”

“I brought you a few bags of clothing. Things that Lela left at the house and never wears. Maeme mentioned you might like some more things to wear. I’ll have King go get them from the car before you leave.”

Oh. Wow. How nice of her.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I really appreciate it.”

She gave me a pleased smile. “You’re welcome. Someone needs to use them. I’m happy that you can.”

I hoped Lela was okay with this, but she wasn’t here today. I didn’t have a way to ask her. I’d mention it to King. He’d know what to do about that.

“She needs some riding boots,” Maeme announced.

“She’s not riding anytime soon,” Stellan said.

Maeme frowned at him.

“Not for the time being, Maeme,” he told her pointedly.

I thought she was going to argue, but she simply nodded her head and took another bite of her food. Maybe Maeme didn’t boss them all around after all. It seemed like Stellan was the one in control right now. Was it because I was staying on his property with King?

“I have a horse for each of my American Girls. And stables!” Birdie told me excitedly, bringing my attention back to her.

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t,” I replied honestly.

She stuck a piece of sausage in her mouth and grinned as she chewed it.

A strange sense settled over me as I scanned the people in the room. There was something here…something I didn’t know. A connection that went beyond owning businesses together. It was deeper than blood. Stronger than a bond of family. There was a hierarchy. Even if they didn’t make it clear, I could suddenly see it. I just didn’t understand it. What was it that I was missing? What made them what they were?