King's Reign (Sydney Storm MC 6)

I laughed. “You know me too well.”

“Mum!” Zara yelled out. “We need you!”

Robbie and I exchanged looks. “When does Zara ever need me?” I whispered.

He gave me a look that said he wondered the same thing, and then we headed out of the kitchen to look for her.

We found her in the lounge room with everyone. King sat on the end of the couch with Holly next to him and Mum next to her. His arm lay extended across the top of the lounge, and his long legs were stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him so relaxed. Brynn and Jamie sat on the other couch, while Zara knelt in front of the coffee table. A cake sat on the coffee table. And not just any cake. It was my very favourite six-layer chocolate cake with toasted marshmallow filling and chocolate frosting.

I looked at Mum to find her watching me with love, and it almost made me burst into tears. I held my shit together, though, and asked, “You organised this? And why? It’s not my birthday.”

She smiled, but it was Brynn who answered. “I asked her to organise it as a thank you for everything you’ve done for me. It means the world to have you for a sister.”

“Oh God, now I really am gonna cry,” I muttered.

“I organised it,” Mum piped up, “and King picked it up for me while he was out getting dinner.”

My gaze went straight to him, and I found him watching me with that intense look of his I loved. While we shared a moment, the kids scrambled up off the couch and the floor, and Mum cut the cake. When the space next to King became free, I curled up next to him, wrapped an arm around him, and said, “Thank you.”

He looked down at me, still with the intensity that told me he was going to fuck me just the way I liked it tonight. “I didn’t do anything. This was all your mum and sister.”

I smiled. “I know, but

I’m still thankful you picked it up.” I dropped my voice. “Maybe I’ll save some of it for you to lick off me later.”

His hand moved to my neck, and he swept my hair out of the way so he could run his fingers along my collarbone. “That dirty mouth of yours will get you in trouble one day,” he murmured softly enough so that only I heard.

I snuggled in closer to him. “I hope so.”

He threaded his finger under my necklace that I’d finally located. “You found your grandmother’s necklace.”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” With that one word, he’d given me a taste of his soft again, and butterflies filled my tummy. I would never have enough of his kind of soft.

“Do you want me to cut you some cake, Lily?” Mum asked.

I nodded and sat up straight, still pressed against King’s side, with one leg folded so it rested on his thigh. “Yes, please.”

Brynn caught my eye as she, Jamie, and the kids traipsed back out to the dining room to play more scrabble. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too, Brynny. You and me are gonna have a big long D&M before bed tonight, okay?”

She grinned, knowing exactly what I was referring to. “Yup, but I got shit to get back to now if you catch my drift.”

“Oh, I catch your drift, fishing girl,” I said with a laugh.

The doctors had told her she was making good progress with her recovery, and while I knew she was in pain and still had a long way to go, my sister was tough. She’d speed through her recovery and be back out there fishing in no time.

King’s phone rang, and he leaned forward a little to grab it from his pocket. As he did that, he settled his other arm over my shoulders, slipping his hand under the material of my shirt so he could rest it skin-to-skin just above my breast.

“What’s up?” he answered the phone.

Mum brought cake over for King and me. I noticed how she didn’t ask if he wanted any; she just assumed he would. She placed his on the coffee table and handed me mine.

“Thanks,” I said softly so King could still hear the person on the other end of the call.

He’d listened silently for a few moments, and I’d just taken my first amazing bite of cake when he said, “Ivy, stop. You’re working yourself into a state when you don’t need to be. Ask—”