Chapter 7 Sky
Sky
“Wow.” My eyelashes fluttered open as I came back to this reality. I’d lay here boneless and content while he’d cleaned us both up, but now I turned my head on the pillow and met King’s gaze. “That was incredible.”
He bit his lip, trying to hide his smirk, but he shouldn’t have even bothered. I could see it in his dark eyes. Leaning toward me, he gave me a lingering kiss. “Hello,” he whispered as he settled onto his side, facing me.
Rolling over to mirror him, I ran a finger down his nose. “What got into you tonight?”
He studied my face quietly for a second, and I let him have it, willing to wait for the answer.
He’d flipped the whole script upside down tonight, and as much as I loved it, I wasn’t sure if this was a one-off.
Like, was he going to avoid us having alone time except in the Dream-veil tomorrow?
If that was the case, I’d be sad, but I’d handle it better if I was prepared.
“I promised myself earlier that I’d be honest with you.”
He sounded so serious that my pulse immediately spiked. I’d been so sure that tonight was the beginning of something good. Or at the very least, not something bad, but his somber tone made me feel like this might be catastrophic. Had this been goodbye sex? See you in the Dream-veil-only sex?
I cleared my throat. “I’d prefer that.”
King’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“It feels like you’re about to give me the it’s not you—it’s me speech.”
He snorted. “I am, but not the way you think.”
Huh? “I don’t understand.”
He blew out a breath and licked his lips. “As you can probably imagine, I haven’t dated a lot.”
I worked hard to keep my expression clear of my thoughts. The reality was, I hadn’t thought he’d dated at all. I hadn’t even been sure he’d had sex before. Call me an asshole, but I’d kinda been surprised that he fucked like a damn machine. Pleasantly surprised, but still…
The chuckle that slipped from his lips sounded embarrassed, and now I felt like a dick. “I can tell by your face that you didn’t assume I’d dated at all.”
My face scrunched like I didn’t have control. “Sorry, I just assumed…you’re just so shy.”
He nodded. “You’re not wrong.” He barked out a harsh, bitter imitation of a laugh. “And I haven’t really dated. I thought I was seeing someone for a long while, but it turned out I was nothing but a…”
“Friend with benefits?”
Hurt flashed in the depths of his eyes, and I wanted to pound someone’s face in. Or get Jetty to do it. “I think booty call would be a more accurate description.”
Okay, that was it. I’d send the ghosts to handle this asshole who wounded my sweet Kingston. That POS didn’t know who he was dealing with. At least… “And it was a guy?”
“Yeah, and I knew he didn’t want to come out, but…turns out I was never actually important to him.”
Ready to explode, I wondered if I asked Patchy if he’d know who this miscreant was. Maybe we could give the dude a little visit in—
“I’m not sure what you’re thinking right now, but you look murderous. I didn’t tell you that because I was in love and he broke my heart or anything. I’m not even making excuses, I just want you to understand that my resistance to us spending time together had nothing to do with you.”
I saw red. “So it was—”
He snickered. “Or him. You’ve already heard Gran talk about how my life was a little lonely growing up.
Sure, I had her, but I was a kid, you know?
I wanted friends my own age to play with.
It got harder as I got older, and my classmates were hanging out and talking about where they were going on Friday night or what had happened over the weekend.
“It didn’t help that everyone in town called my grandmother names.
It made me feel ostracized by no fault of my own.
As a shy kid who’d already lost his parents, it was pretty isolating.
Especially when some bully taunted me for being gay.
I don’t actually think he meant it, either, but by then I knew I was, and you know…
” He used a finger to encircle his face.
“How red you get when you’re embarrassed?”
“Or in that case, when I felt busted. It was just one more thing that made me different.” A small smile crept onto his face. “But then I had Jetty.”
“He’s a good man.”
“He’s the best. He changed my life. My world got bigger with him in it. Having someone besides Gran to talk to about my dreams, having a running buddy to go on adventures with…it was beyond anything I’d ever hoped for.”
“Hey, you.” I poked his chest. “Be careful there. No stealing my best friend’s boyfriend. Or leaving me for him, either.”
He grimaced so hard I pictured the green puke emoji. I got it. “That face you’re making is exactly how I feel when anyone suggests me and Chance as a couple.” I full-bodied shuddered.
He copied me, shuddering from head to toe. The difference with him was the quake of the bed. “Anyway, you’ve known since the moment you met me how awkward I am.”
“Actually, I didn’t.” Smiling, I let that first terrifying night at Willowhope Manor play out in my mind. “You made me feel safe the night I found out all of this paranormal stuff is real.”
His cheeks pinkened. “Well, uh, that’s good. Especially since I was close to freaking out myself.”
Leaning up, I pecked his lips. “Well, you hid it well.”
The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled, and he scooted closer. “So I said all that to say this. I was scared.”
“Of me?” I asked, worried that I’d put the big man off somehow. I’d been told by other men I’d dated that I was too much, too extra, too loud, too exuberant. Hell, my own parents had said that my whole life. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was best served in small doses.
Except Chance. He’d always encouraged me to be bolder, louder, more, and fuck anyone who didn’t like it.
His encouragement and faith in me had bolstered me to express myself with confidence in life and with my design ideas for my clients.
I talked a big game, but I wasn’t sure I’d have truly worked it out without knowing he had my back.
I’d always thought I had an expressive face, but the way King’s brow furrowed answered my question.
No, it wasn’t me. “Not of you. To dream. To hope that someone else could see past my shy awkwardness and my bizarre fascination with all things paranormal. It’s just not been my experience, you know? ”
“I get it,” I reassured him. “I felt like that when Chance and I first became friends. I grew up a military brat, always moving. I never really got the chance to make and keep friends, so I took on this persona of class clown to make it easier.”
He smiled softly. “It helped it not feel like it was your fault that you weren’t close to anyone, right? If you didn’t look like you took yourself seriously, how could you expect anyone else to?”
Warm affection for this man simmered right under my skin. He got it. No one but Chance and Ego had ever really understood me. “Yeah. And then, as it turns out, once I came into my own, I am a little extra.”
He leaned forward. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
I scooted in so our fronts were pressed together from chest to hips and looped one arm around his neck. “So does this all mean we’re going to try? Like, to date for real? Spend time together and have sleepovers?”
Brushing his nose against mine, he murmured, “I might be bad at it, but I’m here, Skylar Reign.
All in.” Then he fused his mouth to mine.
Just when I thought we were headed for round two, he pulled back, smacked one more kiss to my lips, and crawled over me, getting out of bed and holding his hand out to me.
“Shower?” I asked hopefully.
He shook his head and pointed to my stomach, which chose that moment to let out a yowl. How embarrassing. Clutching my hand over my middle, I scowled.
“Come on. You’re hungry.”
“Yeah, for you.” I batted my eyelashes at him, making grabby hands and trying to lure him back into my bed.
He snorted. “Okay, well, I’m starving.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” I turned my hands over, palms down, and he took the hint and pulled me up. I patted his pec. “Let’s get you fed, big guy. I gotta keep my man satisfied.”
His eyes darkened as he trailed a finger back down my cheek. “I already am. With you. More than I ever thought possible.”
Fuckin’ swoon.