26. Kingston #2
A lamp on the other side of the room flicks on. “What’s going o—King?”
Katherine blinks over at me from the other side of the bed.
“What the hell, Kingston?” LaShonda asks… from my side of the bed.
I glare at her with my good eye.
“You punched me.”
“I punched a figure standing over me, giving me a heart attack.” LaShonda presses a hand to her ample chest.
“It’s freaking dark in here.”
“Because we were sleeping, genius.”
“Why aren’t you in the guest room?” I ask, pacing away, rubbing the sore spot beneath my eye.
Katherine wraps an arm around my waist, tugging me toward the door. “Come on. Let’s put some ice on that.”
Downstairs, she gently pushes me onto a barstool and rummages through the freezer.
The under-cabinet lighting is a warm honey color, and I wish I could bottle this moment.
Just the two of us sharing a bit of peace and quiet.
Even though my eye hurts and my cheek aches, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Being here with her, like this, feels very full circle. A dream come true.
“LaShonda packs a heck of a punch.”
“Serves you right for sneaking into her room,” LaShonda says from the doorway.
“I wanted to say goodnight. You stole her.” I pout.
Katherine’s other bestie gives me a withering look. “You’ve had her all to yourself for two weeks. Learn to share.”
Sometimes it bugs me that LaShonda has known Katherine longer.
All those years that they were pen pals gives her an edge.
Maybe not in person, but they were the best of friends before Katherine and I ever met.
And every so often, I feel like they communicate in a way Katherine and I can’t.
Which is wild because Wildfire and I finish each other’s sentences on occasion.
But they don’t even have to talk to know what the other is thinking.
Katherine rounds the island with a cold pack in one hand and a kitchen towel in the other. “Let me see.”
I drop my hand, and she winces.
“She got you good. It’s already swelling.” She wraps the pack with the towel and hands it over. “Hold this on it. It’s probably going to bruise.”
“My first black eye from a woman.”
“Like I said, serves you right. Sneaking about in the middle of the night.”
There’s a soft tap at the side door, and we glance over to see Alex standing there, brows raised in question.
LaShonda gives a good-natured sigh and crosses the room. “Come on in. Not like we’re getting any sleep now anyway.” Then to Katherine, “I’ll leave you to them. Apparently, they need goodnight kisses or something.”
I smirk behind the ice pack as she heads for the back staircase.
“What’s going on?” Alex asks.
“Oh, you know. Just someone sneaking through my window,” Katherine says, telling on me.
His dark gaze swerves to me and then back to her.
“It was unlocked?”
I’ve never heard Alex sound so close to having a heart attack before.
“Unlocked. Open. Same difference.”
Now he’s close to an aneurysm.
Katherine shrugs, looking sheepish. “I didn’t realize it was so easy to scale the wall.”
Alex runs a hand through his hair, and I’m pretty sure he gives it a little tug.
“I just like the smell of the air out here,” she explains. “Especially in the springtime when things are blooming.”
Alex steps closer, ghosting a hand over her lower back until she turns, settling into his arms. With my good eye, I watch her stretch up and kiss him. The jerk groans. Fucking groans. Like I’m not sitting here wanting my own kiss. And he just stole it.
We never should have let him in. If he wants a goodnight kiss, he should have to climb through her window.
But he lifts his head and runs a thumb over her bottom lip. “Good night, Katie Bird.”
“It’s only for tonight,” she says, as if realizing just how much he misses her. And then she turns those blue-green eyes my way. “I was so tired. Shon and I were talking, and we fell asleep.”
“We don’t mind,” Alex says, glancing my way for agreement.
I nod, even though what I really want is to pull her into my lap and make her promise all her nights to us. But I guess that’s not fair.
Still, why do we have to share her? I mean, we already share her with each other.
“Enjoy your time with your friend. We’ll be here.” With that, he steps back, his hand falling away. She follows him to the door.
“Lock this behind me. And lock your window. Don’t make me put one of my guys out there.”
Her gasp is so soft because she knows he’ll do it. And because I know her so well, she hates the idea of inconveniencing anyone more than she already has.
“I will. Just as soon as I take care of this one.” She jerks a thumb at me.
The corner of Alex’s mouth tugs up into a smirk, and then he strides out into the night. Does he have to be so damned fine and thoughtful? No wonder Wildfire’s crazy about him.
“Feeling any better?” She moves back to my side, and I spread my thighs, making room for her.
“Not really.”
The truth is, my skin is ice cold, and the throbbing has lessened. But I want to see what she’ll do. Nurse Wildfire has a nice ring to it.
“Let me see.”
I drop the cold pack to my lap because it’s probably the only thing that’s going to keep my hard-on at bay.
“It’s pinker now from the cold.”
“Maybe if you kiss it, it’ll feel better.”
She smirks. “Did you get yourself punched just so I’d kiss you?”
“I didn’t know she was there.”
“Mhmm. I believe you.” She doesn’t. It’s all there in her teasing tone.
Thank goodness she appreciates my humor and puts up with me.
“I’m telling the truth,” I promise, free hand over my heart.
She leans in close, hands on my thighs, and tips her forehead against mine. For endless moments, neither of us moves. We just exist, breathing each other in.
“I know.” Then she presses a feather-light kiss to my nose. Peppering her lips up the bridge, then across my forehead, circling downward until those sweet lips gloss over my injury.
I don’t know what the science says, but I feel better instantly.
“Think you can survive a few more hours without me?”
“No.”
Her laugh is a light, tinkling sound, and I swear it doesn’t matter how pathetic I sound so long as she keeps laughing. I think once we had her safe in our arms again, my biggest fear was going to be how she’d come out on the other side. Scared? Angry? Withdrawn?
It’s early hours yet. I’m sure we’re in for an emotional rollercoaster as she processes everything, but the important thing is she’s safe and we’re here for her.
Cupping the side of my neck, she trails a thumb along my jaw. I need to shave, but she doesn’t seem to care. “I love you, Kingston Saint. Even if you do climb through my window like a spider monkey.”
“You’d better close and lock that. Alex really will have a whole army stationed outside.”
She presses a kiss to my lips. “I’m sure Shon’s already taken care of it.”
“I don’t like this,” I say as she leads me to the back door. “Being away from you. Locked out.”
“Don’t pout.” Raising up on her toes, she kisses my cheek. “Sweet dreams.”
They will be, because I’ll be dreaming of her. “Goodnight, Wildfire.”