He felt his face muscles pull and glanced up again at his reflection to assess the strange sensation. He was smiling. He hadn’t felt the urge to smile since before… King quickly shut the memory away, focused his attention on Laura, and held onto this new fleeting feeling of lightness. “Did you just call me a hotpirate?”
Her cheeks stained an even darker shade of red, but she held his gaze. The girl hadgrit.
“Idid.”
King felt his own smile widen. “I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to mebefore.”
He let his gaze drift down her body, fully appreciating her narrow waist and curvy hips. “If I was a pirate, I’d definitely kidnap you and haul you aboard myship.”
This had to be the most ludicrous conversation he’d ever had, but he’d be damned if he wanted to stop. She was fascinating, every myriad of emotion plainly painted on her open face, not one hint of a lie lurking anywhere in herdepths.
“I don’t think you’d have to kidnap me.” Her words came out at barely a whisper. She gasped and slid a hand over her mouth, her eyes once more goingwide.
Her unthinking response drew a chuckle from him. The laughter was awkward and kind ofrough.
“Well in that case, I parked my ship around the corner. Want to seeit?”
Her embarrassment died instantly, her cheeks scrunching up once more in a smile. “I don’t know about that, my brother told me to never get onto a stranger’sship.”
Chapter 3
The reminderof Dawson smashed him back to reality. He wasn’t here to flirt—he was here to work. Laura had provided him the perfect opportunity to question her. “My ship’s out of service, how aboutyours?”
She gave him a long assessing look and then shrugged. “My ship’s parked right there.” She gestured to the brick house right across the street. “We can have a cup of coffee on the porch if you’re up forit?”
She didn’t invite him inside. Smart. “I could do with somecaffeine.”
He gestured for her to lead the way, noticing more than he should how gracefully she moved, before scanning the street for any sign of Dawson. What he saw instead was Diggs frozen at the corner, glaring at him. King returned his look with a blank stare and silently followed the sister. Diggs wouldn’t move in now, but he’d be watching his everymove.
Sneaking Laura silently back to the mansion just got a littleharder.
She walked up the brick steps, turning at her front door. “You can sit here,” she gestured to the tiny wrought iron chairs flanking an equally tiny table. “I’ll get the coffeegoing.”
He leaned against the porch post. “I’ll stand, if that’s okay. Not sure that chair is meant for someone mysize.”
Hell, it was about to crumple from him simply looking atit.
Her nose crinkled the same way it had earlier, but this time King was determined not tonotice.
“Thanks for thinking of my furniture. I’ll be back in just a minute.” She disappeared inside the door, and King watched her through the window as she crossed and disappeared into herkitchen.
“I should have figured you would tail me here.” Diggs had been silent on hisapproach.
King shrugged. “Couldn’t let you have all thefun.”
Diggs gave him a long look, but he stayed at the bottom of the stairs, feet planted on the sidewalk. “She doesn’t know. I have been watching her for a couple of weeksnow.”
King shrugged again. “Maybe, maybenot.”
“You don’t need to involve any more innocents inthis.”
“Are you worried I will hurt the girl?” King asked quietly. That was not an insult he was willing to let slideby.
Two coffee cups clinked down on the counter in the kitchen and both he and Diggs turned their gazes to the open window. A normal person would not have been able to hear the soft sound, but, with their enhanced hearing, they could detect things much fartheraway.
Diggs shoved his hands into his pockets, eyeing him quietly. “Honestly, brother, I don’t know anymore. You think too much aboutrevenge.”
No, he didn’t think too much about it—it consumed his every waking and sleeping moment. “Just because I’m not blind to what the man has become does not mean I would do somethingfoolish.”
