Page 36

Gabby

The house is quiet when I wake up. I didn’t mean to sleep the morning away.

It was late after King and I made love. I fell asleep with him inside me.

Sometime later, I woke up and I could tell King had cleaned me in my sleep.

He’d also taken his tee off me and we were both naked, his arm around me, our legs tangled as he spooned me, and his hand holding my breast. Maybe I should have been upset, but I wasn’t.

I just snuggled even more, rubbed against his more than ready cock with my ass, and went back to sleep.

I roll over to find King’s side of the bed empty.

The clock on the nightstand says it is ten thirty.

Geez, I slept the morning away. I get up and immediately find King’s tee on the floor.

I slip it over my head, then ruffle my hair as I pull it out from beneath the collar.

I need to take a shower. I’m kind of thinking about asking King if he’d like to shower with me.

I run to the bathroom to do my business and brush my teeth really quick.

The last thing I want is for King to smell my morning breath.

Then I make my way into the kitchen—lured by the smell of bacon.

When I get there, King is standing in front of the stove.

His feet are bare. He’s wearing his jeans from yesterday.

They’re hanging low on his hips, and he looks phenomenal.

His back has this huge dragon tattoo. I’d noticed that he never reveals his back.

Most guys would peel off their shirt when they are working in the hot sun, but King never does.

I didn’t understand why until I saw the tattoo.

The dragon is in a fight. His wings and scales flared out.

I found it odd. I know that until recently he didn’t really like Dragon.

Then, he told me where to look for the real message in his tattoo.

There’s a quote by Shakespeare in the intricate design of the Dragon’s smoke.

“ The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children. ” In letters that are written to look like part of the dragon’s scales, you find the words, “ Not my father’s son.

” Across from that, in the dragon’s tail are the words, “Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” King explained this was part of a Bible verse in Deuteronomy.

Finally, in bolder lettering that is colored red, and situated at the base of the dragon is a banner that is held by one of the dragon’s claws and the banner has only one word on it. Vengeance.

King admitted he had planned out exactly how to bring Dragon to his knees and kill him.

He thought the man was to blame for every wrong done to his mom.

Once he found out he was wrong, the plan died—although he admitted it kind of died after he met T.

He liked T a lot and wanted to get to know his brother.

Still, it’s a freaking big tatt. He doesn’t want to go through removal.

He had some things changed—removed his old club’s tatt and apparently Shelby’s name used to be inked on him, but King’s not done anything else.

He mentioned he was thinking of having it inked over, or at the very least, getting some of the words and message behind it removed.

It’s beautiful, but I can see why he would want to change it now.

So, I just said nothing. It’s not really my place.

I can admit, however, that I’m glad he took her name off his body.

“Sunshine, you ruined my surprise.”

“I did?” I question, still standing at the doorway watching him cook and appreciating the view, as I push away my thoughts on his tattoo.

“I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”

“I would have rather you just stayed in bed with me,” I grumble.

He looks over his shoulder at me as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“Get your ass over here, woman.”

“What if I say no?” I ask, trying not to grin.

“Then I come over there to spank you and neither of us will get breakfast until I’m buried inside of you.”

“You’re not really talking me out of ignoring your command, King,” I murmur, not really lying because with just his words, the insides of my thighs grow damp.

“Gabriella,” he murmurs, his voice dark and thready.

That’s new. I love when he uses my full name.

No one ever has and I love King does. Hearing it now, with his voice filled with demand and hunger, makes it even better.

I go there immediately, my heart rate kicking into overdrive.

He wraps an arm around me, pulls me into his side and takes my mouth in a possessive kiss that makes my toes curl. “Morning, sweetheart,” he purrs.

“I like when you use my full name. No one ever has. You make it sound beautiful.”

“That’s because you are my Gabriella, and you are beautiful.” I roll my eyes and he smiles. “I wanted to fix you breakfast while I waited for Pez to come over.”

“Pez? Why is Pez coming over?”

“I need a man on you while I’m gone to Kentucky. I’ll be back this evening, but I don’t want to leave you alone. Pez volunteered, and I know you’re comfortable with him. I’d rather send one of the married members over, but it’s pretty hectic right now with the rebuild. So, you get Pez.”

“That’s crazy, King. I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not under threat,” I point out, trying not to blow my top.

“I know that, but you might go into labor, and if that happens, I don’t want you to be here alone. I know you didn’t want to go back to the hotel where Dani and Rory are today. So, this was the best I could come up with,” he explains.

“You’re being insane,” I grumble.

“I know,” he says, shocking me he would admit it. “I need this, though. Can you let me have it? The last thing I want to do today is leave you—especially after last night. I’m still thinking about canceling.”

“Don’t do that. You might as well face them head on.”

“I’m going to tell them you’re mine. I’m not letting you go, Sunshine.”

I study his face, feeling fear, but trying not to let it show.

I reach out to hold the side of his face, letting the tip of my thumb brush against the corner of his lips.

“It would probably be better for you if you did. Being with me might make any reunion with your dad and brothers impossible. You shouldn’t have to suffer for my mistakes, King. ”

“You going to tell me that bullshit after what happened last night?”

“King.”

“Lie to yourself if you want, but we both know exactly what last night was, woman.”

“We do?” I ask, wondering why my heart is pounding so hard.

“We claimed each other. There’s not another man on this earth you would give yourself to but me, and baby, there’s not another woman I want claiming me. Last night, made that clear and when I came inside of you, that baby inside you became mine, too.”

I stare at him in complete shock. “What?”

“This child is ours, Gabriella. I want you to put me on the birth certificate. I want my last name attached to yours and the baby’s. I don’t want our little jellybean to ever worry about who his or her father is. They’ll always know.”

“Are you even real?”

He frowns, his forehead crinkling in distaste. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You want to tie yourself to a woman you haven’t spent a lot of time with that has fucked up her life and several others? She’s emotionally damaged and now you want to claim her unborn child?”

“I’m claiming a woman who I’ve been drawn to for a fuck of a long time. A woman who is rebuilding her life and doing a damn good job of it. She’s also a woman I love.”

“What?” I squeak, not quite believing what he’s saying.

“I love you, Gabby. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. It’s true just the same and I’ll prove that to you over the years. I know it seems like this started fast, but there’s no way you can deny the connection has been there since the moment we began spending time together.”

“You mean, since the moment you saved me?”

“It was intense, but it bonded us together in a way other couples can probably never understand.”

“I love you, too, King. I won’t lie about that. I’ll never lie to you. Lying isn’t the person and the mom I want to be for jellybean.”

“I know you do, Sunshine. You never would have given yourself to me if you didn’t.”

“This is true,” I murmur.

“What I need you to know is you’re safe, and I’m always going to make sure you’re safe. I’m also fucking proud you’re mine. I never want you to doubt that.”

“I don’t think there’s much about me that should make any man proud.”

“You’d be wrong. You’ve turned your entire life around. You have survived shit that would bring grown men down to their knees. I’m so fucking proud that you’re mine that I don’t even have words.”

“You just got out of a bad marriage. Are you sure you want to sign on to eighteen years of taking part in a child’s life that doesn’t even share your blood?”

“Absolutely.”

“Go to Kentucky. Meet with Dragon and your brothers. See what the fallout is of being with me up close. Then, we’ll talk,” I finally concede.

“Do you really think anything they say or do will shake what I feel for you?”

I shrug and say nothing. His mouth stretches into a thin line, showing his displeasure.

He shakes his head, but the strangest thing happens.

He smiles, his features softening. “My Gabriella has no idea how much I love her. That will be something I can show you every single day from here on out. In time, you’ll learn, baby. You’ll learn.”

He takes my mouth in the sweetest kiss I’ve ever experienced. After that we have breakfast and then shower together, where—for the first time ever —I experience shower sex. By the time Pez arrived and King had to leave, I wasn’t even upset he had a man there to watch over me.

I just kissed him goodbye and continued riding the wave of goodness that flows directly from the man that is bigger than life and the man I love with my entire heart in a way that surpasses anything I thought was love before.

He is my King.