7. Ella
SEVEN
ELLA
E lla sat on the floor of the firehouse storage room, surrounded by boxes of canned goods and non-perishable items, carefully sorting through the donations for the upcoming food drive. She had already organized most of the items into neat stacks, but there was still a long way to go.
Not that she minded.
She liked it here. She liked that she was doing something that mattered. Something that would make a difference. Make the world a better place.
She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, sighing as she reached for another can of green beans.Maybe she should take a break soon. She’d been working all morning. Mostly because she was trying to keep her mind busy so she didn’t think too hard about the date she was going on with King on Friday. Because if she thought about it too hard, she would overthink it, and she didn’t want to do that. She liked King. A lot. Which was both exciting and terrifying.
Before she had time for a break, a familiar shadow appeared over her.
“Drink your water.”
Ella blinked, looking up.
King stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching her like a man whoknewhe was in charge, even though she hadn’t exactly agreed to that. Yet.
She arched a brow, tilting her head. “Excuse me?”
King pointed to the unopened bottle of water sitting on the table beside her. “Water. Drink it.”
Ella scoffed, picking up another can to stack instead. “You’re not the boss of me.”
The second the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake.
King’s smirk was instant, slow and dangerous, his dark eyes flashing with something downrightwicked.
“Dollface,” he drawled, stepping forward, crouching in front of her so they were almost at eye-level. “You keep challenging me like that and I’m gonna have to do something about it.”
Ella’s breath hitched.
Heat crept up her neck, her fingers tightening around the can in her hands. She knew he was teasing her, but that look, the one that said he was very aware of how flustered she was, made her stomach flip in a way she didn’t know how to handle.
So, naturally, she went on the defense.
She lifted her chin. “Oh yeah? Like what?”
King didn’t break eye contact. Didn’tblink.
And then, ever so casually, he reached over, grabbed the water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and held it out to her.
“Drink,” he said, voice deep andcertain. “Now.”
Ella narrowed her eyes. “Youwould make a terrible waiter.”
King huffed out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Little girl, you’re really testing me today.”
She grinned, grabbing the bottle, but not before muttering, “Bossy.”
King heard it.
She knew he had.
Because as she took a sip, just enough to appease him, he leaned in slightly, voice dropping so low it sent a shiver down her spine.
“You don’t even know what bossy looks like yet. But you will.”
Ella choked.
On water.
King laughed outright, standing up as she sputtered, her face heating to an embarrassing degree.
“Careful now,” he teased, patting the top of her head like she washelpless.“Wouldn’t want you passing out before you finish sorting all this.”
Ella scowled at him, glaring up from where she still sat on the floor. “I don’t think I likeyou very much.”
King grinned, reaching for the door. “Sure you do, baby.”
Ella threw a can of corn at him as he walked away.
And the cocky man caught it without even turning around and chuckled.
Crap. She was in way over her head.
Later that day, she was lost in her work when a familiar deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Dollface.”
She looked up, her heart giving its usualflutter as King leaned against the doorframe of her tiny office. His presence was always effortlessly commanding, like he belonged in every room he walked into.
“Hi,” she replied. “What’s up?”
“Remi texted me.”
Ella blinked. “Remi?”
Remi was the goth Little at the BBQ. Even though the woman had been dressed head to toe in black, she was just like all the other Littles. Bubbly, playful, and friendly. All the girls had been. Ella had stuck close to King the entire night, but whenever they were near her, they’d included her in their conversations and had even mentioned their book club to her.
King nodded. “She wants your number.”
Ella’s breath caught.
Remi wants my number?
Her stomach flipped. In New York, Ella had known other women, but she’d never called them friends. Women in her family’s social circles were never more than acquaintances. People they were supposed to rub elbows with at fancy events. It had been lonely living like that.
She was pretty sure Remi and the other women were the total opposite of the people she’d known back home. They thrived on real connections, and Ella wanted to be part of that. Was that why Remi wanted her number? Maybe?
“Oh.” She shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling shy. “She—she does?”
King arched a brow as he looked at her curiously. “Is… that a problem? I can tell her no.”
“No! I mean—” She cleared her throat, trying to play it cool. “You can give it to her.”
King chuckled, shaking his head as he pushed off the doorframe. “Okay, dollface. Don’t forget to drink your water.”
And just like that, he was gone, leaving Ella staring at his muscular backside. She bet she could bounce a quarter off his firm ass. The thought made her giggle out loud as she turned back to her laptop.
A few minutes later, her screen lit up with a new message.
Remi:Hi! This is Remi—King gave me your number. Would you want to come over tonight? We’re having our book club at the clubhouse.
Ella grinned, her excitement bubbling over as she quickly typed back.
Ella:I’d love to! What time?
Remi responded immediately, sending over details. Ella couldn’t stop smiling. She had plans . With friends .
She had to tell King.
Still clutching her phone, she got up from her chair and made her way toward the bay. She had a feeling he was going to be thrilled for her. King had told her at the BBQ that the girls would want to befriend her, but she hadn’t truly believed him. Until now. She could already picture the smug look on his handsome face when she told him.
But the second she stepped into the open space, she stopped short.
Her breath caught in her throat.
A woman stood in front of King. Close. Too close. She was tall, curvy,gorgeous, with long dark hair and a sexy smile. She tilted her head slightly, batting her eyelashes as she spoke to him, her expression flirtatious and warm.
Ella’s stomach twisted.
They were too far away for her to hear the conversation, but she didn’t need to. Shesawit. The way the woman reached out, letting her fingers trail down King’s arm. The way she laughed, shifting her weight so her body leaned in just enough to be noticeable.
Ella swallowed, something hot and ugly curling in her chest.
King didn’t push her away. He stood there, staring at her, completely focused on whatever she was saying.
Ella’s fingers tightened around her phone.
She had no right to feel this way.
King wasn’t hers. They weren’ttogether.
But for the first time since she’d met him, she felt stupid. Stupid for thinking there was something specialabout how he treated her. Stupid for believing she might be the only one getting his attention. One date didn’t mean they were exclusive.
Her throat felt like it was closing in.
Slowly, she took a step back.
Then another.
Before she could even think about it, she grabbed her bag and laptop from her office, then slipped outside through another door, making her way to her car as quickly and quietly as possible.
She needed to get out of there before she started crying. She didn’t want anyone to see her cry. Especially not King.
By the time she pulled away from the firehouse, her cheeks were wet and her excitement about book club had dimmed, leaving only a hollow ache in its place.