Queen of Men (King Maker 2)

“Kalen, I need you,” I yelled in whisper tones as I fisted the blanket beneath me.

My knees escaped the pallet and rubbed against the planks of the wood floor. Something struck my leg and caused a sharp sting, smashing the fantasy.

I woke with an arm around me and jerked back in response, afraid what I might find. Tousled brown hair lifted as a face turned in my direction.

“Morning,” Turner greeted, smiling at me with that damn beautiful chiseled face of his as he moved in for a kiss.

I rolled away, feeling completely wrong. I’d just been dreaming about Kalen again.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, covering my mouth from the lie that just escaped it. But it did give me the perfect excuse. “Morning breath.”

He grinned. “That hasn’t stopped me before.” He pulled me close, and I had no other excuse except the truth. His lips pressed to mine. Thankfully, he pulled back quickly. Otherwise, he may have noted my lack of response.

This only exasperated my weary mind. I couldn’t do this to him. I’d become a liability to him on the verge of breaking his heart again.

In my mind, I knew Kalen couldn’t offer me the stability that my heart knew Turner could. Look how easily Kalen had let me walk away, and now he was back for God knew what reason to interfere in my life.

With amusement dancing on his face, Turner said something that stopped me from moving toward the ladder. “I think you have an admirer.”

I jackknifed into a sitting position and nearly bumped my head on the low wood planks that created the peaked ceiling. “Who?” I asked, praying he wouldn’t say the name—

“Jeremy. Not that I blame him. He asked a lot of questions about what we were to each other.”

“What did you say?” I asked too quickly. My words may have been a bit sharp. I was giving myself away.

“You two awake up there?” my sister called from downstairs. It was a dumb question because most likely she’d heard us, which was the reason for her question.

“Yes,” I called out, not wanting to talk anymore about Kalen. I needed to be honest with Turner sooner rather than later. But I also needed the right words. And at the moment, I wasn’t sure what to say. Turner would ask about our future and I just didn’t have answers.

I scrambled to the ladder, hoping to avoid any awkwardness. Though that was what breakfast turned out to be.

Steven kept throwing looks my way like he’d pieced together who Kalen—Jeremy was to me.

Turner hadn’t stayed because he had to make sure Jeremy—Kalen had something to eat.

A disturbing thought hit me. Had Kalen noticed Turner hadn’t slept there? Would he have drawn any conclusions to where he might be?

I stood from my seat. “I should head out and start morning chores.” Really, I didn’t want to be here with Steven’s probing stare and Vi’s questioning glances. I made it as far as the window before Steven beat me to it.

“I’m late as well,” he said, bending to kiss my sister. “I’ll see you later.” Then he turned and conspiratorially winked at me before leaving.

When the door closed, Vi spoke. “Steven told me about the guy at the dance. Who is he?” she asked.

There was no point in lying. “Kalen.”

Her eyes became pools of frothy water. The white in her eyes enlarged around the clear blue. “He came for you.”

Her words were like currents on the wind. She breathed them out like it was the end of the world. Or based on the look on her face, the beginning of one.

“I’m not sure why he’s here. Turner got to him before I could ask.” I pulled my hair free from its holder and twirled pieces around my finger while I gazed out the window.

“You know why he’s here. The question is, what are you going to say to Turner?”

My back shifted and pressed against the cool window. “You say that like I’m going to choose Kalen.”

“Well, aren’t you? I saw Turner try repeatedly to get close to you this morning and you sidestepped him every time.”

I swallowed. She would be too observant. “Do you think he noticed?”

She gave me a deadpan look. I closed my eyes and turned to press my forehead to the glass.

“Turner was never anything to you but a diversion. Kalen comes and Turner is chopped liver. It’s not right, Bailey.”

The conversation had somehow shifted and become an interrogation. I could easily say a number of things to throw in her face about her mysterious husband, but I didn’t. I was guilty of several things myself. Although none of them pertained to the inhabitants of this house.

“I have to go,” I said and walked out the door. I hadn’t helped clean up the dishes from breakfast and felt guilty for that.