“Natalie, honey, that kiss proved my theory. I knew one time wouldn’t be enough.”
She doesn’t want to hear it, though. “No, you don’t understand. There’s...uh, things you don’t know about me. I can’t make any promises. I could leave a month from now, next week—heck, I could leave tomorrow. I just don’t know.”
The thought of her leaving suddenly and not being able to find her has my stomach rolling. I had told myself to not touch her again, but I reach for her, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at me. “Promise me you won’t leave without telling me first.”
She shakes her head. “King, I can’t...”
“No. That’s not going to work. Promise me you won’t leave Whiskey Valley without talking to me first,” I insist almost angrily. I’m not used to being told no, but this seems more important than anything I’ve asked for before.
She seems to think about it and finally answers me. “I can’t promise you that, King. I’m sorry, but if something happens and I have to leave, I won’t have a choice.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. Now that’s all I’ll think about—that kiss and how at any time she could be gone. I know she’s hiding something, and it’s probably why she can’t make any promises. I’m even more determined now to know all her secrets.
“I’m going to prove you can trust me, Nat.”
She looks doubtful but doesn’t disagree. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell her and walk away before stopping a few feet away. I turn back to her, and she’s standing in the same spot, watching me. “Go in and lock your door, Nat.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m a grown woman...”
I nod and let my gaze roam up and down her body. “Oh, there’s no doubt about that, honey. I just need to know you’re safe before I leave here.”
She steps back into her apartment and waves before shutting the door. I wait until I hear the door lock before jogging down to my truck. One thing is for sure: I’m going to do everything in my power to keep Nat and her son in Whiskey Valley.
Chapter 11
Natalie
I tossed and turned all night thinking of that kiss. One kiss and it’s already turned me upside down and inside out. A part of me wants to run as far away from Whiskey Valley as I can get. I know what men are capable of. I thought I knew my ex-husband until the first time he laid his hand on me, and then I figured out I didn’t know him at all. And that right there is what I carry with me all the way out to the Double B Ranch to drop Eli off the next morning.
I pull in, and Eli hugs me and gets out. King is standing next to my car with a travel mug and a muffin. I roll down my window and stare up at him. He’s big—really big—but his size doesn’t intimidate me. It’s the way he’s looking at me. Almost like he can eat me up in an instant. “Hey,” I say shyly.
He leans down on my door and hands me the mug and the muffin. “Here you go.”
I instinctively take them. “What’s this for?”
He shrugs. “I just thought you’d like it. Paulina made the coffee. She said you wouldn’t like my black coffee, so it’s some kind of roast with a caramel creamer. And the muffin is banana nut... you don’t have a nut allergy, do you?”
I shake my head. “Paulina... is that your...” I pause, waiting for him to finish.
He opens his mouth, pauses, and then with a smirk, he says, “Finish your sentence.”
I can feel my face heat. “Is Paulina, uh, your friend?”
He looks pleased with himself and wraps his hand around my shoulder with a squeeze. “Friend, huh? Well, yeah, she’s my friend. But she’s also my housekeeper and she cooks. However, don’t tell her that I said that. She’s more like part of the family.”
I nod, doing my best to look innocent, but he’s not buying it.
“You were jealous there for a minute, weren’t you?”
“I wasn’t jealous. I told you last night I can’t get involved.”
He doesn’t even acknowledge I said anything. He leans in and surprises me when he presses his lips to mine. It’s quick, nothing like the kiss last night but still good. He pulls away too quick. With a wink, he says, “Have a good day.”
He’s already walking away before I remember to thank him for the coffee and the muffin. He waves at me. “Anytime, honey.”
I pull away then and think about him the whole way into town. Man, I wish things could be different, but I know they can’t. I have to be ready to go at an instant’s notice. My ex doesn’t know where I’m at, at least I don’t think he does. But that could change in a moment.