Chapter 5
Thorne
If the looks and whispers aren’t enough to tell me that I don’t belong here. I don’t know why I came. Town activities have never been my thing. We leave that to the other side of the family. The good side. The kind of Kingsley that becomes town mayor.
It was a strange desire to see Annie again. Her bright smile and chatty ways. And then a protective feeling when I thought of her auctioning herself off to a pack of useless young bucks. The girl could probably find trouble even if it was hiding from her.
So here I am, with townspeople looking at me with surprise. And then frowning. Everybody likes the way it is, with me keeping to my mountain. I rarely come to town and if I do I certainly don’t stick around to chat.
But when I see Annie up on stage, all the other noise just fades away. She is so damn cute. Her bright eyes shining, reaching right into my soul. I don’t know why I am here, I can’t explain why I came. But looking at Annie, I feel a calm sense of purpose.
The announcer looks flustered. I can hear the murmurs go around the room. But I have eyes only for Annie.
“Oh my, that is a large bid. And is that Thorne Kingsley?”
I walk towards the stage, still holding eye contact with Annie. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn’t have bid. But seeing the smile in Annie’s eyes. The relief. There is a warm feeling in my chest and all I know is that I made the girl smile again and right now, that is all I care about.
“Thorne Kingsley.” The announcer has excitement in her voice. “Why don’t you come up here on stage and let everybody see you.”
“No.” Even to me, my tone sounds gruff. But I hold out my hand to Annie. She takes it and I help her down off the stage and then turn and make my way out through the crowd, guiding Annie along behind me.
Outside the cold air hits me.
I look down at Annie. Her big, bright smile. Looking at me like some sort of saviour again. And again, there is this strange warm feeling in my chest.
“What happens now?” I ask, looking down at our hands, still clasped together. “I guess I take you on a …..date?” I struggle over the last word. Damn, it’s been a long, long time since I asked a girl out on a date.
There was once a time when I moved in powerful circles.
As a bodyguard I met the rich and famous.
The good, the bad and the wanted. The sort of people who ruled governments and had global power.
There were fancy dinners, private jets, galas and balls.
But I was on the job. My stoic silence did the talking for me.
I never learnt how to talk to nice girls.
Especially cheeky brunettes who I’ve accidentally bought at a Valentines Day auction.
I look up to meet her eyes. “What would you like to do?”
I’m thinking we might have a coffee, or even dinner.
We can call it a date. She is saved from having been bought by someone else at the auction.
It will be something different for me. And then I can go back to my mountain and she can continue on with her life.
Probably dating someone better suited to her.
Someone happier. Someone closer to her own age.
“I want to see where you live. I want to see the mythic Kingsley castle.”
“It’s not a castle and no, I’m not taking you home with me.” Though the idea of taking Annie home with me causes a buzz of excitement to race through my veins.
“Please.” She bats her lovely long, black eyelashes at me. And then, looking back at the town hall, her face drops for a moment. “I feel the need to get out of town.”
I nod and, just like that, her smile is back in place. “We can take my car.” She says brightly.
“No. We’ll take my truck.”
“Okay." She does a little shrug. “I’m all yours.”
Again, one simple sentence and I feel a tightening in the pants. This is a bad idea. But her sweet words dance through my mind. I’m all yours.
Fuck, I am in trouble.