Page 49 of King

Joey held up his hands in surrender, still grinning.

King, who had been watching the whole exchange with a half-smile, finally spoke. “What do you want to eat?”

Amara blinked at him, thrown by the question. She wasn’t used to anyone asking about her needs. It was new. And honestly? It was a little unsettling and nice at the same time.

“I’m good,” she muttered, shrugging. “I can grab something from the vending machine.”

King’s gaze didn’t waver. “You’re not eating a vending machine dinner.”

“There’s some fast-food places across the street,” Adam offered. “Steve can run over real quick and grab something.”

Steve scoffed, shaking his head. “You can’t bring fast food into a hospital. And with the luck I’ve had today, I’d get caught? Yeah, no thanks. Sloan already chewed my ass out for that TikTok of King. I guess Becky’s kid Frankie saw it and showed it to her, and then she said something to Sloan. It was a whole shitshow. My ass is still recovering.”

“I told you it was only a matter of time before someone told him.” Adam grinned with a snort. “You get yourself into more shit than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“So yeah, I think I’ll pass on sneaking food in. The last thing I need is a nurse chewing out what’s left of my ass.” Steve mumbled with a concerned frown, ignoring Adam. “I swear if it started raining boobies, I’d get hit right between the eyes with a damn pecker with the luck I’ve had today.”

Silence.

Then Joey let out a bark of laughter so loud that Amara had to press a hand over her mouth to keep from snorting.

Even King chuckled, shaking his head. “Jesus Christ, Steve.”

“What?” Steve smirked. “I speak the truth.”

“Where in the hell do you come up with this shit?” Adam laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“TikTok, dude.” Steve held up his phone, wiggling it between his fingers. “I keep telling you to download it. There’s some funny shit on there.”

“What TikTok did you do of King?” Joey asked, still chuckling at Steve’s boobie joke.

“Oh, man, wait until you see this.” Steve practically bounced over to Joey, grinning like he’d just discovered the meaning of life.

“You haven’t deleted it yet?” Adam asked, his frown deepening as Steve passed him.

“Hell no! It’s still getting likes and views.” Steve snorted, handing his phone to Joey.

“Sloan is going to kill you, man.” Adam shook his head, looking as if he was debating whether to distance himself from the inevitable fallout.

“He doesn’t have TikTok, so he’ll never know.” Steve shrugged, seeming completely okay with the possible death-by-Sloan scenario he could be facing.

Amara leaned over to get a better look, and the second the video started playing, she almost forgot how to breathe.

King. Shirtless. Gray sweatpants hanging low. Moving like a damn warrior God with a long fighting stick, each motion precise, controlled, and powerful. His muscles flexed and shifted with every strike, his body the epitome of strength and grace.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, unable to stop herself.

As if sensing her reaction, King’s sharp gaze snapped to hers. Their eyes met, and Amara’s stomach flipped so hard she almost had to grab onto something for support.

“Can you teach me to do that?” Joey asked, mesmerized as he hit replay. “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

King’s expression softened slightly as he turned back to Joey. “Yeah, kid. I can teach you.”

Amara, however, was still stuck on the image of King in sweatpants, swinging that damn stick like some kind of action movie hero. She needed a cold shower. Or maybe an intervention.

“Jessie and Jake are coming over later to give us a break. You need to get some rest, Amara.” King’s voice was firm but gentle, leaving no room for argument. “I’ll have them pick up something on their way.”

“Oh, okay.” Amara nodded, relieved at the thought of a break. As long as Joey was doing okay, she trusted the Warriors to keep him safe.

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