Page 40 of Cold Foot King
“You should absolutely do that.”
“But that also means that sometimes I’m going to say the wrong thing, but I hope that over time you’ll see I don’t have bad intentions. I’m just imperfect, but trying.”
His smile had gone from amused to softer. Impressed, perhaps.
King looked around. “What are the candles for? Are you seducing me?”
“Um, apparently I have no clue how to seduce a man, so no.”
He chuckled and rolled his head back, then laid his gaze back on her. “You do just fine seducing me without even trying. Do you know how fucking tempting it was earlier when you asked me for that? It was torture walking away. I just don’t want to cross that line until you know what you’re really asking, and until you know me a little better.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “What are the candles for?”
“Silver said you’re probably going through it with the headache, and burning off the rest of the animal-suppressant meds. I know I feel like I’m really up and down right now. She said when Owen went through this, he was down for a week, no lights allowed. I remember it being awful. So! I got you a present.” She motored over to the bedside table and grabbed the insulated tumbler she’d found at a little store just down the road. It had a picture of the state of Alaska, and said Deadhorse, AK under it. “A souvenir. And also it’s full of ice water, and I talked to Wreck. He says you need to be drinking one of these an hour. I’ll refill it for you. I’m going to take care of you! No bright lights, rest, and water. We’ll get you feeling like a million bucks in no time.”
The smile had faded from his lips as she’d chattered on, and so she stopped and switched directions. “I mean. I can do that from my other room. I can set alarms on my phone. I already tried it, and it works. I could just come in here on the hour and, quiet as a mouse, refill your water, then tiptoe back to my place.”
“You want to take care ofme?”
She nodded.
“Of me?” He repeated, looking confused.
“Yeah.”
“And I just rest?”
“Yep.” She popped the p at the end.
He scratched his beard, then ran his hand down his chin. “I’ve never had someone offer to do that.”
“Well, you just kissed the coherent thoughts from me, and no one has ever done that to me, so I guess we’re both doing firsts today.”
He sat there against the dresser, a frown frozen on his handsome face.
“You look so suspicious of me right now,” she said with a laugh.
“This does not compute. I’m used to taking care of people. Do I just lay down?”
“Shirtless, preferably. Not just for your comfort. I like looking at your abs.”
That evicted the frown off his face. He laughed and stood up straight, peeled his shirt over his head, and made his way to the bed. She’d already turned down the covers.
“Drink,” she commanded as he relaxed in an upright position against the headboard. Katrina handed him the tumbler, and he drank it down. “How was your Change?”
The tension in his shoulders relaxed, and he patted the mattress next to him. Katrina hopped into the air and landed criss-cross applesauce with a hard bounce on the firm mattress. He chuckled and rested his hand behind his head, against the headboard. His biceps looked yummy like that.
“It was good. It’s been so long since I just Changed and felt like I wasn’t wanting to destroy everything. You know who stayed out there with me?”
“Reed?” she guessed.
“Yeah. He just followed me to the woods. After I Changed, I was pissed, and I charged at him. He didn’t budge an inch. And then while I stretched and did some tree work—”
“What’s tree work?” she asked.
“It’s swinging from branch to branch, tree to tree, stretching my arm and core muscles. It’s a good workout for gorilla shifters. I’ve got a lot of mass to carry, and it’s easier on my body if I stay flexible. Anyway, he just walked slowly along the ground, just trailing me. He wasn’t even wearing his jacket. He had to be freezing, but he didn’t leave. He stayed until my Change was done, and then he nodded at me and made his way back to the hotel. He didn’t say a word.”
“Well, he said words to me. He asked what I did to you, and he seemed frustrated with me when you stormed out.” She shrugged. “I kind of like him for the Crew.”
“I told Wreck that this morning.”