Page 5 of King

“Not a problem.Tell Sammy I said hi.”

“I will.”

Mia strode away from the truck toward the house, planning on giving Precious a bath as soon as she got inside.Afterward, she’d clean herself up and then start the pot of chili she planned to make.

Chapter 4

Mia

With her bath done, Precious curled up in her bed and Mia headed out to the porch.After years of living in uptown Dallas, she loved sitting on the porch at Sammy’s house.There was no traffic to be seen or heard, just the sound of the ever-present chainsaws in the distance.When they weren’t running, the quietness allowed her to listen to the birds chirping, and if she was lucky, she’d catch sight of a deer or moose across the street in the wooded lot.But her favorite sighting was of the chipmunks that scurried from beneath the porch to the bird feeder and then back again.

No sooner had Mia settled down on the porch than she heard a vehicle coming down the road.It came into view, and she watched it pull into Sammy’s circular drive, which caused her smile of welcome to quickly vanish.It was one of the trucks she’d seen earlier where they’d been cutting down trees.She inwardly groaned when it came close enough for her to see who the driver was.

King.

His name fit him perfectly—he carried himself as if he were royalty.He was arrogant, bossy, and his size made him appear intimidating.Mia couldn’t help but imagine him wearing nothing but a crown and velvet cape.She laughed to herself before meeting his eyes and cursing under her breath.

He pulled his vehicle right up next to her and leaned out the open window.“Not sure if I like that smirk,” King said, his gaze boring into her as he sat behind the wheel.

Should she tell him what she’d been thinking?No, he’d just take it too seriously and blow it out of proportion.“What do you want?Is that why you’re here?To pick up where you left off earlier?”

His dark eyebrows drew together as he studied her intently.“You got an obstinate mouth on you, woman.”He paused for just a second.“It’s gonna be fun taming you.”

Taming her?

Good lord, why did his comment bring forth a visual that gave her a definite reaction down below?Mia’s heart rate quickened with something close to anticipation as heat slowly spread throughout her body.Who did he think he was?They knew each other, but barely, and they had never exchanged more than pleasantries in passing.Yet the way King was talking to her now, you would have thought they had a more intimate history.

Or were going to have one.

Mia wanted to show him that he didn’t affect her by getting up and going inside, but she couldn’t seem to move.Besides, she’d never be that rude to someone.She was safe as long as King stayed in his truck.Right?His ruggedly handsome face and the gleam in his eyes mesmerized her and gave nothing away.Aware of the heat settling between her legs and her hardening, tingling nipples, she restrained herself from snatching the blanket that was hanging over the back of the chair next to her.Covering herself up would only give her away.

She pretended not to notice the tension between them.But it was palpable.“Um...Sammy’s at work, if you came by to see her for something.”

“I didn’t,” King replied, pushing open his door and stepping out of the vehicle.

Mia felt a spike of trepidation and braced herself to run if necessary.