Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
“ I think I’m going to wait until we talk to Slade before I mention anything to Joey about going home.” Amara frowned, watching Joey stir as he slowly woke up. “I still need to get Lee’s house in order before he can go there.”
“About that…” King said, his tone was casual but firm enough to capture her attention. “You and Joey will be staying with me.”
Amara’s head snapped toward him, her brows drawing together. “What?”
“My place is big enough,” King continued as if it was already decided. “I’ve got a solid security system in place, and I had Duncan add a few extra enhancements. You’ll both be safe there.”
“King, you’ve already done so much,” Amara said, shaking her head. “I can’t ask you to open your home like that. Plus, Joey’s stuff… his PlayStation, his clothes?—”
“What are you guys talking about?” Joey’s groggy voice cut through their conversation, drawing their attention.
Amara hesitated, unsure how to approach the topic, but King didn’t miss a beat. Stepping closer to the bed, he met Joey’s half-lidded gaze. “When you’re released, how would you like to stay at my place for a while?”
Joey blinked a few times, still processing. Then, a huge grin stretched across his face. “Hell yeah, I would!”
King glanced at Amara, his expression smug, eyebrows raised in silent victory.
“You play dirty.” Amara narrowed her eyes at him, but the slight grin betraying her annoyance only widened his smirk.
“Yes, ma’am, I do.” King winked, and just like that, her heart somersaulted in her chest.
Holy crap.
Her stomach flipped and flopped like it had a mind of its own, all from a damn wink. And then, as if the moment had never happened, King’s entire demeanor shifted. The playful teasing vanished, his features hardening into sharp focus as his eyes flicked toward the door as he moved that way.
Amara barely had time to recover from the effect he had on her before Joey, who had been watching the exchange with barely concealed amusement, wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh yeah, you’re totally into him.”
“Shut it.” Amara pointed at him in warning before quickly turning toward the door as it swung open. Steve and Adam walked in and started talking to King in hushed tones.
“I’m hungry,” Joey grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. “But hospital food sucks.”
“That’s because it’s good for you,” Amara snorted, grabbing the laminated menu off the bed tray. “How about a ham and cheese sandwich?”
Joey made a dramatic gagging sound. “How about a Big Mac , large fries, and a chocolate shake?”
Amara shot him a narrowed glance before looking at the menu again. “How about some vegetable soup and grilled cheese?”
“I’d rather eat a hot turd,” Joey shot back, his expression dead serious.
“Gross,” Amara grimaced, tossing the menu back on the tray. She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. “Honestly, I can’t even argue. I’m starving, and nothing on this menu sounds remotely appetizing.”
“The food here that bad?” Steve asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He shot Joey a sympathetic look. “Last time I had hospital food, it tasted like straight-up ass.”
“Can we not talk about turds and ass while discussing food?” Amara groaned, throwing her hands up. “I’d really like to keep what little appetite I have left, thank you very much.”
“Girls,” Steve teased with a smirk.
“Yeah,” Joey chuckled, then outright laughed when Amara raised her fist at him.
“Knuckle sandwich is also on the menu, punk,” she warned.
Joey held up his hands in surrender, still grinning.
King, who had been watching the whole exchange with a half-smile, finally spoke. “What do you want to eat?”
Amara blinked at him, thrown by the question. She wasn’t used to anyone asking about her needs. It was new. And honestly? It was a little unsettling and nice at the same time.
“I’m good,” she muttered, shrugging. “I can grab something from the vending machine.”
King’s gaze didn’t waver. “You’re not eating a vending machine dinner.”
“There’s some fast-food places across the street,” Adam offered. “Steve can run over real quick and grab something.”
Steve scoffed, shaking his head. “You can’t bring fast food into a hospital. And with the luck I’ve had today, I’d get caught? Yeah, no thanks. Sloan already chewed my ass out for that TikTok of King. I guess Becky’s kid Frankie saw it and showed it to her, and then she said something to Sloan. It was a whole shitshow. My ass is still recovering.”
“I told you it was only a matter of time before someone told him.” Adam grinned with a snort. “You get yourself into more shit than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“So yeah, I think I’ll pass on sneaking food in. The last thing I need is a nurse chewing out what’s left of my ass.” Steve mumbled with a concerned frown, ignoring Adam. “I swear if it started raining boobies, I’d get hit right between the eyes with a damn pecker with the luck I’ve had today.”
Silence.
Then Joey let out a bark of laughter so loud that Amara had to press a hand over her mouth to keep from snorting.
Even King chuckled, shaking his head. “Jesus Christ, Steve.”
“What?” Steve smirked. “I speak the truth.”
“Where in the hell do you come up with this shit?” Adam laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
“TikTok, dude.” Steve held up his phone, wiggling it between his fingers. “I keep telling you to download it. There’s some funny shit on there.”
“What TikTok did you do of King?” Joey asked, still chuckling at Steve’s boobie joke.
“Oh, man, wait until you see this.” Steve practically bounced over to Joey, grinning like he’d just discovered the meaning of life.
“You haven’t deleted it yet?” Adam asked, his frown deepening as Steve passed him.
“Hell no! It’s still getting likes and views.” Steve snorted, handing his phone to Joey.
“Sloan is going to kill you, man.” Adam shook his head, looking as if he was debating whether to distance himself from the inevitable fallout.
“He doesn’t have TikTok, so he’ll never know.” Steve shrugged, seeming completely okay with the possible death-by-Sloan scenario he could be facing.
Amara leaned over to get a better look, and the second the video started playing, she almost forgot how to breathe.
King. Shirtless. Gray sweatpants hanging low. Moving like a damn warrior God with a long fighting stick, each motion precise, controlled, and powerful. His muscles flexed and shifted with every strike, his body the epitome of strength and grace.
“Holy shit,” she whispered, unable to stop herself.
As if sensing her reaction, King’s sharp gaze snapped to hers. Their eyes met, and Amara’s stomach flipped so hard she almost had to grab onto something for support.
“Can you teach me to do that?” Joey asked, mesmerized as he hit replay. “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
King’s expression softened slightly as he turned back to Joey. “Yeah, kid. I can teach you.”
Amara, however, was still stuck on the image of King in sweatpants, swinging that damn stick like some kind of action movie hero. She needed a cold shower. Or maybe an intervention.
“Jessie and Jake are coming over later to give us a break. You need to get some rest, Amara.” King’s voice was firm but gentle, leaving no room for argument. “I’ll have them pick up something on their way.”
“Oh, okay.” Amara nodded, relieved at the thought of a break. As long as Joey was doing okay, she trusted the Warriors to keep him safe.
“What do you want to eat, Joey?” King asked, already pulling out his phone.
“Big Mac, fries, and a chocolate shake.” Joey rubbed his belly like a kid dreaming of Christmas morning.
King arched an eyebrow at Amara. “Has he been cleared to eat something like that?”
Amara blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the question. “Yeah, he’s not on any restrictions.” She studied King, her gaze narrowing slightly. Most men wouldn’t even think of asking something like that. Even her brother, God, it hurt to think about him, wouldn’t have been that considerate.
King nodded, satisfied, then turned his attention back to Joey. “Alright, kid, Big Mac it is.”
Then his eyes were back on Amara, assessing. “What about you? Do you want to eat now or wait until we leave? I can get you whatever you’d like because you are going to eat.” His tone left no room for negotiation.
Amara opened her mouth, but no words came out. She just stood there, blinking at him like a total idiot.
“Hey, are you okay?” King’s voice softened, his eyes darkening with concern.
“Huh?” she said, immediately cringing at how dumb she sounded. Clearing her throat, she shook herself out of her daze. “Oh, yeah. I’ll just have what Joey’s having.”
King studied her for a second longer before finally looking away, typing something on his phone.
The second his eyes were off her, she let out the breath she’d been holding and turned to her phone, pretending to check anything to ground herself. But there was nothing.
Never in a million years would she have thought she’d like being cared for by a man. She was independent, always had been, and never needed anyone...until now.
Now, she was lost. Afraid.
For six months, she had locked herself away, living like a hermit, terrified of what she was and what she could do to someone if she lost control and killed someone for their blood, which hadn’t been the case. She did enough research about half-breeds to scare the shit out of herself.
And now, this man...this warrior was seeing to her needs. Protecting her. Making sure she ate, making sure she rested.
And she...
She liked it.
What the hell was happening to her? Her hands shook, making her fumble her phone.
Before her phone could hit the ground, King’s quick reflexes kicked in, and he caught it effortlessly. His sharp eyes flicked from the screen to her, his expression darkening.
“Has someone upset you?” His voice was a low growl, his grip tightening on the phone as he studied it. “Are they contacting you?”
“What? Who?” Amara blinked, still trying to catch her breath. Her heart was hammering like a drum. Why did this man turn her brain into absolute mush? “No, no one is contacting me. You just scared me. I was lost in thought, that’s all.”
King didn’t look convinced. His gaze locked onto her, sharp and probing as if he could see straight through every single one of her defenses.
“Amara.” His voice was a warning now, deep and firm. He wasn’t going to let this go.
With a sigh, she gave in. “Listen, I’m not used to anyone caring if I ate, rested, or was safe.” The words were whispered so no one else could hear. “It’s just taking me off guard a little bit, that’s all.”
King’s frown deepened. “You never dated?”
Amara blinked. “What?”
“You heard me.” He arched a brow.
“Well, yeah, of course, I’ve dated.” She snorted, caught off guard by the question. “What on earth does that have to do with anything?”
King leaned in closer, his presence overwhelming, his scent—earthy, masculine, addictive—filling her lungs. “Because those are only a few things a man should worry about when he’s with a woman.” His voice was smooth but edged with steel. “Sounds like you dated mostly boys, not real men.”
Amara swallowed, suddenly very aware of how close he was.
“Never settle, Amara,” he murmured, his intense gaze locking onto hers. “You deserve much more than you’ve obviously been given by... boys.”
Her breath caught when King cocked a knowing eyebrow, then—just like that—turned and walked away.
Amara let out a slow, shaky breath, but her traitorous eyes had other plans. They went straight to his ass.
Nope.
She jerked her gaze away just as fast, her face heating. Desperate for something else to focus on, she quickly scanned the room only to land on Joey.
He was grinning his mischievous, ‘ I-saw-that’ grin.
Amara narrowed her eyes in warning, but Joey just wiggled his brows again like the little menace he was. Determined to ignore him, she dropped her gaze to her phone, pretending to scroll again—wishing she could just as quickly ignore the ridiculously sexy man across the room.
The one she felt staring at her.
Her body betrayed her with a shiver, heat curling low in her stomach. Damn it. She was in a world of trouble when it came to King. And the worst part. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to escape it.