"Of course not," he says, his expression soft when he looks at her. "Go talk to your sister, sweet baby."

"Asher, you can wait with him," Kennedy says, wiggling out of my arms to face me. Her eyes narrow on me, her little chin coming up in a move I'm coming to recognize…one that gets my dick hard. "After you put a shirt on."

"Yes, ma'am," I say, grinning at her. I love when she demands what she wants like a dainty little queen. She doesn't ask politely, and she isn't timid. I think she knows I'm hers to command.

"Hi, Asher. I'm Caroline." Caroline waves at me.

"Hey. I've heard a lot about you." I get why she and Kennedy are so close. They're both sweet. They're both innocent. I narrow my eyes on King. "You must be King."

"I am," he says, holding my gaze.

I recognize the look in his eye, the glittering possessiveness, the warning. We stare at each other for a long, tense moment, both feeling the other out. He'll fight for Caroline as hard as I'll fight for Kennedy. He may be a dick, but he cares about her. Which means he'll keep his word to Kennedy. That's good enough for now.

I give him a nod, which he returns.

"Go talk to your sister, princess," he murmurs to Caroline, pressing a kiss to her temple.

I duck back into Kennedy's room to grab my shirt. Once I've got it over my arms, I head back out of the room. Kennedy's still hovering in the doorway.

"Go talk, baby," I murmur, buttoning my shirt. I stop to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She's so goddamn beautiful. Jesus. Every time I look at her, I find some new feature to love. "We'll be cool."

"You better be," she warns me, making me smile like a crazy person. Half a second later, she grabs Caroline by the arm and practically drags her into Caroline's room.

Their dog hops up from the couch to follow after them. He doesn't even look in my direction and he's definitely not a little purse dog, which is a relief. He's a Rottweiler. He looks like he needs to go on a diet.

The door slams behind Kennedy and her sister.

"You going to be a problem?" I ask King, not wasting time or beating around the bush.

"I love her sister and I want what's best for her," he says, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I fucked up and made mistakes. I'm trying to fix it. You want to dislike me for being a prick, I won't blame you. But not in front of the girls. It'll make them both unhappy."

"Agreed." I finish buttoning up my shirt, studying him. He's not what I expected. "She's mine to protect. You don't cross that line again, we're cool. But hurt her again, and I'm going to be the biggest problem you've ever had."

"Fair enough," he says and then frowns. "For what it's worth, I think she's the most gifted student I've ever taught. She sees the world differently than most people do."

"She doesn't trust you," I say, giving it to him straight. "She wants to believe that you mean well because that's the kind of person she is, but she doesn't like you much right now."

He grimaces. "I know. Can't say I blame her for that."

"You think she can win this Braxton thing?" I ask him.

"Without a doubt." He meets my gaze, letting me read the sincerity in his eyes. "She has a hell of a career in front of her. I believe I can help her if she'll let me."

"She wants to go to Columbia."

Surprise flares in his eyes.

"You think she has a shot?"

"If she wins the Braxton Prize, she can go anywhere she wants. Every school in the country and a few in Europe will fling their doors open wide for her." He purses his lips, cocking his head to the side. "You going to be willing to let her go?"

Alone? Fuck no. But I won't be the thing that holds her back. If she needs to go, she's going. I know a thing or two about talent and creativity. I knew early on that I wanted my art on living canvas. I got my dream. I won't ever try to stop Kennedy from reaching hers. But that doesn't mean she has to go alone.

"I'll support her no matter what she decides," I murmur to King instead of telling him what's brewing in my mind. "She's too talented for me to hold her back."

"Yeah, she is," King agrees quietly, as if he speaks from experience. I'm guessing Caroline isn't lacking talent either. She and Kennedy are going to conquer every corner of the world. And King and I? Well, we're the lucky motherfuckers who get to watch it happen.

Tags: Nichole Rose Claimed Romance
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