King's Wrath (Sydney Storm MC 5)

As I walked out to the bar to find Kick, Lily’s phone rang. Her sister’s face popped up on the screen.

I answered the call. “Yeah.”

“King?” My gut tightened at Lily’s voice. Jesus, she had this fucking effect every time I spoke with her.

“You left your phone with Skylar.”

“Oh thank God. I thought I’d lost it. I’ll come back and get it. Thank you.”

“I’m on my way there with it now.” Fuck.

Silence.

And then, softly and so fucking sweet it hit my gut again—“I really appreciate that.”

Christ, I’d never done sweet. But hell if it didn’t get me hard.

“I’ll see you soon.” I stabbed at the phone to end the call and shoved it in my pocket.

Fuck, I got myself into some shit sometimes.

Lily’s sister answered the door when I arrived. “King,” she greeted, a huge smile on her face, “Come in.” She practically pulled me into the house and to the kitchen where their mother was pulling a roast out of the oven.

“You’re just in time for dinner,” Hannah said. I knew her name was Hannah because she’d spent a good twenty minutes telling me about her family the day I’d changed Lily’s locks. In that time, I’d learnt everything from what an asshole Lily’s father was to how they’d decided on Lily’s name to their favourite holiday spot to the fact Hannah was desperate to marry her two daughters off because she didn’t want them to end up alone like she was. Where Lily was straight to the point, her mother was wordy, and where Lily was practical, her mother seemed frivolous.

I placed Lily’s phone on the kitchen counter. “I’m just dropping this off.”

Hannah pulled a face and waved me off with one hand. “Don’t be silly. We have plenty of food. And besides, you will kick yourself if you don’t try Lily’s famous roast beef.” Her face pulled into a smile as she lowered her voice and shared what seemed to be a secret, “She’s also made a caramel slice that the kids love. And I have to say it really is her best dessert. My girl is an excellent cook, but sometimes her desserts are kinda so-so. Not this one, though. This one you will want to stay for.”

“You mean you don’t love my baked cheesecake, Mum?”

I turned to find Lily standing behind me, a playful smile on her face.

“Oh Lily, I was just trying to let King know that tonight he really should stay for dinner.”

Lily’s gaze met mine, her smile still in place. As her eyes dipped down to take in my body, she said, “Stay.” And fuck if that didn’t make me wanna stay.

Ten minutes later, we were seated around her dining table. It was a rowdy dining table and it threw me back years to when I sat around Margreet’s dining table with our large family. Lily’s kids were hesitant with me at first, but when her middle daughter asked me what it was like to ride a bike, they warmed to me fast. By the time we’d finished dessert, they’d asked if I would stay and watch Thor with them after dinner.

“Kids, King probably has to get back to the club. He doesn’t have time to watch a movie,” Lily said, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. She seemed a little unsure of shit, and I didn’t blame her. I had no fucking clue what we were doing here either.

“I’m good,” I said as I jerked my chin at Robbie. “Go get the movie set up. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Awesome,” he said as he ran out of the room. The girls hit me with smiles, too, and then followed him. Hannah and Brynn were busy in the kitchen, leaving Lily and me alone.

“You don’t have to stay and watch the movie,” she said, fidgeting with the tablecloth.

“Do I strike you as a man who does shit he doesn’t want to do?”

The uncertainty disappeared from her face and she smiled. “No, you do not.”

I stood. “You watching it with us?”

“Ah that would be a no. I’ve already seen it like four times. I’m going to go take a bath while you babysit.”

“Fuck,” I muttered. “I did not fucking need that mental image when I’m about to hang out with your kids.”

She grinned. “Enjoy the movie, King.”