Queen of Men: King Maker Series Book 2

by Terri E. Laine

  John glanced back and forth between us, and Jake got a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I bet she is,” Jake said before striding off. Apparently, he was done with me. The strawberry blonde in the corner he was heading toward was all the confirmation I needed that I’d been sorely dismissed. John smiled before following in his brother’s wake.

  “Date,” I said, swiveling to face Turner.

  “Yeah, the one I was going to ask you on. But thankfully, Jake took care of that.”

  I almost contradicted him when the elders strolled in. Everything quieted and I headed back to my place by Violet with Turner in tow.

  The meeting only brought me farther back in time. It was almost as if I’d never left. According to the elders, things were good. They talked about the plans for surviving winter and preparing for spring.

  After the meeting was over, it was up to the younger generation to remove any plates or trash left on the tables. The women were huddled to the side in front of large basins either washing or drying the dishes, while others wrapped up leftover food for those who had iceboxes and wanted to take it.

  The men worked together to move the large tables and benches to one side of the hall, leaving the place empty for whatever events were to come. And according to Jake, that would most likely be a dance on Friday night.

  When it was all done, I went to find Mary.

  I found her with a gaggle of females as she held her baby close to her chest.

  “Can I speak with you?”

  She rolled her eyes, which got a lot of giggles from the peanut gallery. I ignored it because you couldn’t choose family. And though she may have hated me, I still loved my sister.

  “What is it that you want now?” she asked, sounding put out.

  “I’m staying with Vi tonight.”

  “Of course, you are, after all the trouble I went through to make a place for you to sleep.”

  My father must have talked to her before I could and warned her of my arrival.

  “I’m sorry. I can cancel.”

  She waved me off with her free hand. “It’s better this way. You won’t disturb my routine. I was only doing it as a favor to Father.”

  “Right,” I said, trying to bite my tongue. “Far be it for me to interfere in your life.”

  I walked away and tried to see it from Mary’s point of view and couldn’t.

  By the time I made it back to Vi, her husband wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  “Can I walk you ladies home?”

  Vi looked up at Turner with dreamy eyes. Of course, she’d crushed on him. Turner was closer to her age than he was to mine. Being the good-natured person she was, when she found out years ago that Turner and I had eyes for each other outside of friendship, she’d bowed out and told me I was a lucky girl.

  On the other hand, Mary had taken it badly. She’d always competed with me at every turn. I wasn’t even surprised at her choice of husband. Thomas had pursued me until he found out about my betrothal to Turner and backed off. Their wedding had been the reason I’d returned home a couple of years ago.

  “We don’t need your protection like we did when we were little,” I teased him. Honestly, I wanted time to talk with my sister before we were near her husband.

  “What kind of man would I be if I let two beautiful women walk home after dark alone?”

  His chivalry was sweet, but I needed answers. I wrapped my arm around my sister and pulled ahead of Turner.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?” I asked.

  Her cheeks brightened. “It was kind of sudden.”

  I couldn’t help but look down at her belly.

  “No, silly. Steven needed a place to stay.”

  I stopped as warning bells rang in my head.

  “How well do you know this guy?”

  She gave me a patronizing smile. “Well enough. Trust me. I love him.”

  Still, I held my ground, prepared to demand answers.

  She gazed up at Turner and then back to me. “We met at market. Several times.”

  I arched an eyebrow. There wasn’t a lot of time to talk while working. Many pairs of eyes would be watching her at all times.

  “We found a way,” she said, answering questions I hadn’t given voice to. “You should have seen him. He’d walk in and girls would surround him like he was some kind of music god.”

  “Rockstar,” I corrected.

  She nodded with her eyes glazed in that dreamy remembrance way.

  “Yeah, like that. But he would seem to find me in the crowd.”

  Vi was beautiful but lacked confidence more than even me.

  “Of course, he did.”

  “He courted me, like he knew our way. Notes and little gifts.”

  Gifts? I thought he needed a place to stay? But I didn’t ask. Not yet at least.

  “And when I found out he didn’t have a place to live…” She shrugged.

  “You married a guy so he could have somewhere to live,” I repeated and realized too late how judgmental I sounded.

  Her grin gone, she spoke with a flat tone. “It hasn’t exactly been easy after you left.”

  I found the ground in search of a hole I could jump into. “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t blame you. It was nice that someone was interested in me. It wasn’t like I had a ton of offers.”

  My father had been in talks with the Simon family for Violet to marry their eldest son before I left.

  There was really only one other question that mattered. “Are you happy?”

  Her frown immediately turned upside down, which was the answer. “Yes,” she said. “I am.”

  I hugged her and took her hand. “Then let’s go see your house.”

  The walk was long as my sister lived on the opposite edge of the community than our parents. The place was the same boxy construction as all the houses were. It was smaller than our parents’, but clean.

  “Can I offer you a beer?” Vi asked.

  My eyes widened in shock, but Turner didn’t seem surprised.

  “You have beer?”

  She shrugged. “Steven gets it.”

  “I’ll have one,” Turner said.

  Vi went to the makeshift kitchen, lifting a hatch in the floor where her icebox would be. She pulled out a couple of beers and passed them out.

  “Does anyone know about this?” I asked before removing the top.

  “I know,” Turner said and winked at me.

  “Not everyone here is a Puritan, Bails,” Vi said.

  Soon enough Steven was back, and we talked a little. I learned that he was from Utah and grew up in a very conservative religious family until his mother moved to Pennsylvania when he was a teen.

  I wanted to like him, but still I had questions.

  My sister, a complete lightweight given that she wasn’t a drinker, had become quite the chatterbox after only one beer. That is, until she turned her attention to her husband.

  I took the cue to go outside, still nursing my beer. Being so far out, I didn’t fear getting caught.

  “I don’t live far,” Turner said, coming up behind me.

  “Yeah.” I glanced around. “I remember when this was just land.”

  “Not anymore.”

  Wistfully, I stared into the distance, ignoring the cold, but just soaking in the unencumbered land as the beer spread warmth throughout my body.

  It took me a second to notice just how close Turner was. His eyes were on my mouth and I subconsciously licked my lips, feeling his heat.

  “You know, you could always say you’re staying with Violet, but stay with me instead.”

  And before I could answer, Turner tugged me closer.

  Twelve

  Kalen

  When my phone rang, I removed the hand wrapped around my bicep.

  “Excuse me. I need to take this,” I said to the woman whose red mouth pursed with annoyance at my escape.

  I didn’t wait for an answer. I headed for the pat
io doors despite the cold.

  “What do you have?” I said by way of greeting.

  Griffin’s brusque answer was all about business.

  “Someone entered her apartment.” Just as I was about to ask if it was Lizzy, he said, “And not that hot blonde. Person was in all black with a hood pulled up.”

  “Body type?” I asked.

  “Could be man or woman.”

  “Fuck. Do we know what they did?”

  “They weren’t in there long enough. I personally went by. They left a present.”

  “What was it?” I asked.

  “Dead rat.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Could be anything. I removed it.”

  “She’s in danger,” I said definitively.

  “What’s your call?” When I said nothing, Griffin added, “If you’re too busy with the senator’s daughter, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

  Just when I was about to set him straight, a hand slipped around my waist.

  “It’s cold out here. I know a place we could get warm.”

  There was a time when I would have taken her up on her offer. She’d made it clear earlier in the evening she wasn’t looking for anything serious.

  That had fit with my plans before Bailey had sauntered into my life. Now I took notice of all the sultry looks and offers that came my way. Something I hadn’t done before.

  “I can’t,” I said, surprising myself.

  First, I’d sent the temp away and now this.

  “Why not?” she said, shifting to stand before me. “I told you I’m just looking for fun.”

  “I’m not.”

  “And who’s the lucky lady, and why isn’t she here?”

  Her glossy lips begged me to refute her, but I couldn’t.

  Bailey was in danger, the predator in me yelled. Every instinct in my body told me to go find and protect my woman.

  “I have to go,” I said, slipping out of her hold.

  “You’re missing out,” she said, but didn’t follow.

  I went for my car, having made my obligatory appearance.

  “Mr. King,” someone called out as I exited the stately mansion owned by the senator.

  I didn’t turn back. “Do you have a response to the accusations that you’re funneling money to offshore accounts for personal gain?”

  I didn’t answer but walked up to the valet to ask for my car. Instead of waiting, I followed.

  Once I was behind the wheel, I called Griffin back.

  “This is what I want to do,” I began.

  Thirteen

  It felt almost sinful sitting out in the dark with Turner. When I’d lived here, that would have been a big no-no. And Turner was still one of the most handsome guys I’d ever laid eyes on. So why couldn’t I just be with him? It was obvious he still held feelings for me. Kalen was a dream. Turner was a reality.

  A sigh escaped me, and Turner came behind me and pulled my back to his chest.

  “You know, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again.”

  I reached up and clutched at his arms because I was at a loss for words.

  His chin rested on the top of my head.

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Still, I said nothing. My feelings were so twisted up.

  “I’m still in love with you,” he admitted.

  I stopped everything, including breathing.

  “Turner—”

  “You don’t have to say it back. I just needed you to know.”

  “I love you too.” Though I’d been careful not to say in love. “But—”

  “There’s someone else,” he finished.

  I stepped out of his hold so I could turn and face him.

  “There was someone else,” I admitted.

  “How serious is it?” he asked like I hadn’t used the past tense.

  “I ended things.”

  His frown lifted. “Then—”

  “I’m not going to make that mistake again. When I left here, I was still in love with you. I jumped headfirst into a bad relationship with Scott because I needed the distraction to get over you. I’m still—”

  “In love with this Scott?”

  “Scott? No.”

  “Then who?”

  There was a long pause as I considered how to answer. I wasn’t ready to give voice to my feelings for Kalen.

  “I’m not sure how I feel,” I said instead. “But that’s the point. I can’t start things with you when I—”

  “You don’t know how you feel about him.”

  I couldn’t answer that. I was determined not to feel a thing for Kalen. Instead, I said, “It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

  He reached out and I let him take my hand.

  “So let’s take this slow. Go to the dance with me. Let me show you how good things can be.”

  I squeezed his hand. “I think maybe we should go alone.” His face fell. “You need to figure things out with Margaret, and I need to figure things out with Kalen.”

  “That’s his name?”

  I nodded. “If there’s any hope of an us, we need to be sure about the rest.”

  “I know what I want,” he said.

  “And if you did, Margaret wouldn’t think she had a chance.”

  He pursed his lips, but stubbornly said, “Stay with me tonight and let me prove it to you.”

  I closed my eyes as memories of Turner and me wrapped up in each other filled my head, but they were quickly replaced with those of Kalen’s demanding mouth covering every inch of me.

  “We can’t,” I said and dropped his hand.

  He bobbed his head. “Okay. I’ll grant you time. It isn’t like I haven’t waited forever for you.”

  There was something a little sad in his expression and my heart clenched. I had no idea if I was doing the right thing. He was right there. All I had to do was walk away with him. But my feet remained rooted to the spot for a man I’d basically told to fuck off. For all I knew, he was with someone else.

  Fourteen

  A soft kiss to my neck and a warm body to my back made me squirm. “Lass, you’ve spoiled any chance of me getting a good night’s sleep without your body next to mine.”

  His lips moved lower and forced a giggle from me. “You’ll do just fine without me.”

  “Never,” he declared. His brogue so thick, it rumbled from his chest into my back. “I’ll never let you go, lass. You belong to me.”

  Lips kissed the nape of my neck and slowly slid down my spine.

  “Put that pretty ass up in the air.”

  Needy, I compliantly did as he asked, getting to my knees.

  Firm hands spread my legs and one eager finger submerged into my wet heat. I gasped, “Oh,” on an exhaled moan.

  He slid another finger inside. I felt fuller but nothing compared to his thick cock deep inside me. Preparing me for his penetration, he shoved in another and a cry left my lips.

  “Are you ready for me, lass?”

  “Yes,” I breathed out.

  It wasn’t his shaft that penetrated me. A tongue flicked across my bundle of nerves, igniting the fire that only burned for him. His mouth covered my mound before his tongue sought entrance. He worked me stroke by stroke, effortlessly switching from finger to tongue and back again. His other hand found my breast and tweaked my nipple to a hardened peak.

  The next time his tongue filled me, his finger found another entrance. My body tensed at the foreign sensation, but Kalen knew just what to do. He wasn’t rough as he glided into me with precision.

  “Yes, lass. You will love it. And soon, my cock will show you the pleasures here.”

  Just as I began to spasm, I reached for his thick black hair and found nothing. My eyes shot wide open. The memory still fresh in my mind.

  Taking in my surroundings in the dark, I could only feel, not see very much. The fire had burned down, leaving less light than before. There was a warm body at my back along with a hand on my hip. Next ca
me a kiss at my nape and said hand slipping down to my thigh.

  “Bails,” a whispered word, drawing me further out of dreamland. But the voice didn’t belong to Kalen.

  I rolled out of Turner’s embrace and onto my side as I faced him. With distance between us, the fading light showed his expression held uncertainty.

  It wasn’t that I regretted his presence. We hadn’t done anything. It just felt dirty that I’d been dreaming about another man while in his arms.

  Flashes of last night replayed in my mind. We’d gone back into the house and had another round of beers. We were all in various stages of inebriation. I’d invited Turner to stay. I hadn’t wanted him walking home alone. There had been a slim chance of him getting caught, which seemed ridiculous, as we were adults.

  “I’m sorry. I was dreaming.” My hope was that my dream moans and cries hadn’t spilled into my reality. If they had, hopefully he’d assumed they were for him. He said nothing in response, so I thought for sure I hadn’t made a sound.

  “Come here. I promise not to molest you in your sleep again unless you want me to,” he teased.

  A smile replaced my concern. I moved closer and allowed him to pull me into his solid arms. I closed my eyes again and hoped I wouldn’t dream.

  My eyes fluttered open to see daylight creep across the floor in a slim band of gold. What also stirred in the house below were voices.

  “What’s up with you and my baby sister?” I couldn’t see Violet, but there was a long pause. Not feeling Turner at my back, I knew he was in the kitchen with her.

  He didn’t answer.

  “I mean, she’d probably be really mad if she ever found out I had a thing for you.”

  It wasn’t a declaration I hadn’t already known.

  “It’s not like there are many great options around here. And I get it even if Mary didn’t,” Vi said before more pauses. “I mean, she was determined to have whatever Bailey had. When you turned her down, she focused on the other boy that vied for Bail’s attention and married Thomas.”

  “Mary’s a determined girl.” Turner’s response was almost cold.

  “That she is,” my sister said. But Vi liked to talk and she continued. “Are you sure about this? I mean, you were pretty broken up after she left you. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you be yourself.”