Page 26 of Cold Foot King
She was going to listen to a man.
She was going to do exactly what King had said.
She was going to remember how to just breathe.
Chapter Four
I really like the last picture you sent me. I saved it.
King rubbed his eyes and squinted at the phone screen. He was so tired after the day, and his head hurt so freaking bad, but he couldn’t sleep until Kat was home safe. Not home. He didn’t mean that. To the hotel safe. Yeah.
A woman like her needed her independence, especially after that dipshit treated her like property. She’d given so many signals that she healed faster with some space, but he pretty much hated this. Hated knowing she was drinking at a bar with no backup.
She could handle herself though.
He sat up, leaned over on the side of the bed, and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, like the coolness there would ease the tension. He’d never had something hurt this long before. Even his battle scars healed up completely after a day, and didn’t hurt after just a few hours.
He never wanted to see Wreck’s fire again. Lesson learned. Wreck was the boss, and King wanted no part of pissing him off again. This sucked.
He opened up the text. It was one in the morning. She was probably drinking a bit, so he pulled a water bottle from the mini-fridge he’d stocked earlier, and set it and the Advil on the nightstand for her.
She’d said she wanted to sleep in the bathroom, but he wouldn’t let her. She could have the bed, he would take the bathroom.
Do you need anything?Send.
I like how you do that.
He squinted at her text.What? How I do what?
You don’t tell me to get my ass home, or ask me who I’m with. Rook would be losing his mind.
Woman, you don’t belong to me or anyone else. You belong to you now. If you want me to come to the bar, you know you can just ask. I know you know. I don’t need to micromanage you. Have fun. You’ve earned it. Cold Foot was brutal.
Oh.That was a weird response from her. Gah, his head hurt so freaking bad.Why are you still awake?
In case you need anything.Send.
You confuse me.
You’ll sort it all out in the morning when you aren’t drinking.Send.
He laid back down and rested his phone on his stomach, stared up at a crack in the ceiling. Admittedly, he wished he could be there, watching her cut loose. He’d seen a glimpse of her smile today, and it had been gorgeous.
You didn’t kiss me when you fucked me.
Oh geez. She was definitely feeling the drinks. He sat back up and read that text twice more before he responded.Want me to come to the door of the bar and walk you back? Feeling all right?Send.
Explain.
King inhaled deep and muttered a curse.What do you want me to say? You said we aren’t supposed to talk about this stuff.Send.
I want to talk about it now.
When you come back, we can talk. Face to face, not over text. Some conversations are too big for text.Send.
I’m braver on text. A picture came through, and it was a selfie of her and six roughneck good ol’ boys behind her.
King let off a long, low growl and set the phone face-down on the bed. He focused on inhaling, then exhaling the possessive feelings. He wrapped his hand slowly around his wrist to feel his tripping pulse. Not good.