Page 7 of King's Claim
Lena stiffened, her eyes narrowing.“Protection,” she repeated, her tone dry.“That sounds a lot like ownership.”
King’s mouth curved in a faint, dangerous smile.“You got a problem with me keeping the snakes off your doorstep?”
Her lips pressed tight, like she wanted to argue but knew she had no ground to stand on.She hated it, that much was clear.But she also knew she had no choice.
Rick, on the other hand, sagged with visible relief.“Good.That’s good.That’s what we need,” Rick said.
King ignored him again.All his attention stayed locked on Lena.
She unsettled him in a way no woman had in years.Most avoided his gaze, or dropped their lashes and played sweet.Lena did neither.She stared straight back, fire in her eyes, daring him to try and own her.
The air between them tightened, something hot sparking under the tension.King saw the way her breath hitched, the way her throat moved as she swallowed.She felt it too, the pull neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
For a split second, he let himself imagine Lena in his bed, that defiance turned to something else, something just as consuming.In the end, King shoved it down, locking it tight.He didn’t do attachments, and she wasn’t the kind of woman a man like him got to keep.
Still, as he stood there in the wreckage, with the Serpents’ venom staining the walls and his men at his back, King knew one thing for sure.
Lena might not want his protection.She might not want him at all, but she had him anyway.King would be damned if he let the Serpents lay a hand on her again.
Chapter Three
King was bent overthe hood of a Harley in the shop, grease on his knuckles and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, when his phone buzzed.He didn’t like being interrupted when he worked.Machines were honest in a way people rarely were.
However, one glance at the screen had him wiping his hands on a rag.Viper.
King answered on the first ring.“Talk.”
“They’re sniffing around again,” Viper said, his voice clipped.“Two Serpent bikes just did a slow roll past The Pit Stop.Didn’t stop, didn’t flash their colors.Just circling.Like they’re reminding her she’s marked.”
King tightened his jaw, the smoke from his cigarette curling up into the stale garage air.“You still there?”King asked.
“Of course I’m still here,” Viper replied.“You told me to keep eyes on her, I keep eyes.But if they want to push again, it won’t be long before it gets messy.”
King ground out the cigarette against the workbench.“Stay with her.I’m coming,” he told his VP.
He didn’t bother to clean up properly, just grabbed his cut and his keys.The ride over was short but fast, the wind slapping at him as his mind churned.
