Page 9 of Broken

He leans in and he studies my face. I’m not sure what he sees, but I get the feeling he’s not happy with it. I allow myself a minute to take him in, too. He’s not changed in the last few months. Then again, I don’t suppose he needed to. He knows who he is and embraces it.

King is a good-looking man. He’s massive. His body is chiseled and firm everywhere you look. His dark skin taut and well-defined. There are scars and loads of ink everywhere. It just makes him even better. He’s also imposing. You can definitely tell he has Dragon’s blood running through his veins. The flipside of that is you can also tell he doesn’t have the same mother as T or Dom. There’s a gentleness in their features. A softness that both appealed and intrigued me at the same time. Their thick eyelashes and dimple or chin cleft—whatever it was—it was as sweet as it was sexy. King? There’s no sweet to be found. He’s not only rough around the edges—he’s jagged. It’s as if he’s been dipped and bathed in all caveman energy. It exudes from him. He’s a bull in a China shop and the man isnotgoing to make excuses for it. There’s a frank honesty about him that is a little frightening.

Still, he showed me kindness when there was really none to be found anywhere around. He listened and didn’t judge. I’ll forever be grateful to him. In a way, his gentleness gave me the courage to keep my child and rebuild my future—to make it better than my past. There’s good in this decision. King is proof of that, and one way or another, I’m going to make sure my child gets to drink from that good. I want him or her to get their fill. Rubbing my stomach, I'm lost in thought. I do that semi-smiling, because I know I’m on the right path.

“What the fuck is in Denver?”

King’s question jars me.

“Huh?”

“What’s in Denver? There has to be a reason you picked it, Gabby.”

“I’ve always been in love with the pictures I’ve seen from there. When I was in school, a friend of mine and her family went there for vacation, and I thought the scenery in the background of her photos was so beautiful that it had to be close to what Heaven would be. Back when Dom and I were good—before he began moving on a different path and I lost my mind—I used to tell him about how much I longed to see the Rocky Mountains. I told him how I wanted to take it all in and experience it. He promised to take me on the back of his bike,just the two of us. He told me when he got solid with the club and things were settled, he’d take me.”

“So, moving to Denver is tied up in some fantasy you created with Dom?” he says, staring at me, his face closed off.

I frown, so annoyed I can feel my forehead crinkling with the force of the scowl that takes over my face. “Of course not,” I hiss. I might have expected that kind of response from anyone in the world, but not King. I thought he got me. Of anyone, I felt he truly would understand my decision. I guess my dream that there were people who would understand me and not make knee-jerk assumptions was wrong. Damn it. There’s another lesson for me to file away.

“Then, what is it, Gabby?”

“Gee, I don’t know, King. Why are you here? Why were you in North Carolina? Why aren’t you back in Virginia?”

His mouth gets tight, but I think I see understanding dawning on his face. I push my plate away. I’ve had enough. I had enough when I was cornered into going to the doctor and now, I’vereallyhad enough. “Can we go? I’m worn out and I really just want to go home and lay down.”

“Gabby—”

“I’m serious, King. I’ve had enough today.”

His face tightens. There’s a muscle along his jawline that keeps jerking. I can feel his temper, but he’s reining it in. It wouldn’t matter either way. I wasn’t kidding. I really am done. He apparently decides to take me at my word and nods his head. He gets a box for my untouched food and pays our bill. I’d offer him money for my part, but since I didn’t want it and hemademe order something, I don’t really feel the inclination to do so.

“Jesus. Why are women so fucking difficult?” he gripes, as he helps me to stand. He puts a hand on my back as he leads me toward the vehicle. His other one is holding my barely touched food. I think his question was merely something directed athimself, but still, I feel the need to reply, and I do by giving him the honest-to-God’s-truth.

“Because men make us that way,” I huff, getting into the car and wishing this day was over already. Then I realize if King is going to hang around for a few days, I need to move into my rental sooner. I don’t want to wait till the end of the week. That is six days away. I need gone now. It’s time to dip into my reserves and just put it back in when I get paid. I’ll get Lottie and Iris to help me move. Then I can hide in my little house and not have to deal with King or his moods or questions.

Chapter 5

King

“You’re awful quiet,”Dragon murmurs as he plops down beside me. His gaze doesn’t even come to me. He’s staring at his old lady, Nicole, who is in a lawn chair beside Gabby and Dani. They’re going through a shitload of bags that Nicole has brought. It’s full of baby shit, and I know Gabby is overwhelmed because her eyes are overly bright as she hugs Nicole with each new find from the bags in front of her. The look on her face is happy, but there’s a tenseness in her I don’t like. I’m not sure anyone else can see it. They don’t act like they’re aware of it, but I am, and the more I see it, the more concerned I am.

“Thinking,” I mutter, shooting a glance up at the man I mostly hated until recently.

“About what?” Dragon asks, taking a drink of his coffee.

“Just thinking,” I insist stubbornly.

“To think it has to be about something, so unload it.”

“Why would I do that?” I mutter, turning my gaze back to the women.

“Because I asked.”

“You’re full of shit,” I grumble.

“I’ve been telling him that for years,” Crusher laughs, coming over to join us.

“Fuck you, old man,” Dragon tells him. Crusher just laughs.

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