Page 84 of The Billionaires' Gamble

“I know.” She eyes me closely as I exit the bathroom. “You okay?”

“Just feeling a little overwhelmed.”

“You need some food in your system. Not just caffeine.” She wraps an arm around my waist and gives me a reassuring hug. “There’s breakfast downstairs.”

“What about you?” I ask as she backs away.

“I’ll get there after I soak in your tub.”

“Have at it,” I say, waving her toward the bathroom.

I open my bedroom door and startle, a hand flying up to calm my heart. How long until I don’t jump any time I open a door to see someone there?

“You startled me.”

“Sorry.” King pauses from where he was pacing back and forth like a trapped lion. His hair’s damp, his skin pink beneath his tan from the shower. The bruise under his eye gives him an unexpected bad-boy appeal.

We meet in the middle of the hallway.

“You could have knocked,” I tell him.

Now that I have permission to touch, it’s like I can’t stop. My hands instinctively slide up his chest as his arms close around my waist.

“I—yeah—I know—I was just thinking.”

“About?”

There’s a hint of a pause. “Everything.”

Boy, do I know the feeling. But he’s not as anxious as I thought he’d be. His sneaking into my bedroom wasn’t much of a surprise, except for the entrance point. So much for enjoying the fresh air. I doubt they’ll ever let me leave my window open at night again. At least without a team waiting below.

“Come on. Breakfast will help.” I link my arm through his, certain that Shon is correct in this. Food will fix some of the problems.

“I was thinking about taking something over to Gabe. Maybe some coffee will fix him.”

I press a kiss to his shoulder, even though my heart aches. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll walk you out.”

In front of the house is the usual black SUV I’ve come to associate with Alex and his team. There’s a fresh crew waiting, and I give King a quick kiss before he hops into the back.

“Roman? Have you heard anything?” I ask the man holding the back door.

He nods. “Surgery went well. He’s resting in his room until he’s discharged.”

I sag with relief and shoot him a smile of thanks. “That’s good to hear. I’ve been so worried.”

He looks like he doesn’t know what to say to that, so I take a hasty step back.

“Thanks.” I wave to King. “See you later.”

I’m so tempted to add ‘hot stuff’ because I know it’ll make him happy. For as down-to-earth as Kingston Saint is, he’s also a bit vain.

But I’m still not used to having anyone else see our relationship this way.

Dad and Ford are on the back terrace beneath an umbrella. “Hi, honey. Want some breakfast?”

“Absolutely.”

It feels a little weird to be sitting down to breakfast with my dad and brother. It was a ritual when I was a kid, but now there’s more silver in my father’s hair, and my brother is a man. And so much has changed. Some of which is my fault for letting time and my mother come between us.