Page 27 of King

“You’re the best,” she murmured against his shoulder.

He held her a second longer than necessary, then reluctantly let her go. “Yeah, yeah. Now get up in the truck bed before I change my mind.”

When he lowered the tailgate, she gasped. He’d already put cushioned mats back there along with a bunch of throw pillows, and when he reached in and turned on the battery-operated fairy lights he lined around the edge of the bed, she turned her attention to him.

“King,” she whispered. “This is… I can’t believe you did all this for me. It’s so beautiful I could cry.”

His heart pounded against his ribcage as he watched her take it all in. It was something simple, yet it meant so much to her. He would do shit like this every day for Ella if it made her this happy.

“Let me help you up, dollface.” Without waiting, he reached out and lifted her, then had to adjust his dick as he watched her crawl across the padding to get comfortable, flashing him a glimpse of her pink panties… which had lollipops printed on them. Of course.

They settled in, backs against the stack of pillows, a blanket draped over them as the old black-and-white movie flickered across the screen.

Ella sighed happily. “This is perfect.”

King tightened his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. “Yeah, baby. It is.”

He wasn’t talking about the movie, though. Not even close.

She snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest. His fingers absentmindedly traced up and down her arm, and he felt her slowly relax.

At one point, she shifted slightly, tilting her face toward his, and his breath caught. They were close—so close that all he had to do was lean down a fraction to kiss her.

Her gaze flicked to his lips, and he started to close the distance.

But just as he was about to kiss her, a loud crash from the movie made her jump slightly, breaking the moment.

King huffed a quiet laugh. “You okay, Little one?”

Her cheeks flushed as she giggled. “Yeah. Just got startled. Sheesh. What a way to ruin the moment.”

He pulled her against him, rubbing slow circles on her back. “We’ll have many more moments, dollface.”

At least, he hoped they would. If he had it his way.

By the time the credits rolled, King glanced down and found Ella sound asleep against his chest, her tiny frame curled up under the blanket.

And her thumb was in her mouth. So innocent and sweet. He wondered if she had a pacifier at home. She needed one.

His heart clenched as he watched her.

Yeah, she wasdefinitelyhis. She just didn’t know it yet.

ELEVEN

ELLA

Ella stirred as she felt herself being lifted, the warmth surrounding her replaced by the cool night air. She blinked sluggishly, her head lolling against something solid and comforting.

King.

His strong arms held her close as he carried her from the back of his truck to the passenger seat.

“Mm,” she mumbled sleepily, barely awake.

“Shh, Little one. Go back to sleep.”

But as he set her in the seat, the loss of his warmth made her stir again. She forced her heavy eyelids open just as he reached across her, pulling the seatbelt over her body to buckle her in. His face hovered close. So close that she could see the flicker of the drive-in lights reflecting in his deep brown eyes.

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