Page 23 of Ruined By King

King stirs behind me, his arm tightening, pulling me closer. I feel his lips brush against the back of my neck.

He mumbles something against my shoulder, his voice rough with sleep. "You tense up when you're worried. I can feel it."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."

"I'm not complaining." He rolls me onto my back, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me. His hair is messy, his jaw shadowed with stubble, and he's looking at me like I'm the first good thing he's seen in years. "How do you feel?"

"Like I blew up my entire life and I'm not sure what comes next."

"That's fair." He traces his finger along my collarbone, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You're already doing it."

He leans down and kisses me — soft, unhurried, the kind of kiss that says we have time now. I sink into it, my fingers threading through his hair, letting myself get lost in him.

When he pulls back, his eyes are serious. "Whatever comes next — I've got you."

"I know." And the crazy thing is, I believe him.

A knock at the door makes us both tense. King's expression shifts instantly — soft to sharp in a heartbeat.

"What?" he calls out.

"Prez." Rogue's voice, muffled through the wood. "We've got a situation. Rocky's at the gate."

My blood turns to ice.

King's jaw tightens, but his hand finds mine, squeezing once. "Give me five minutes."

Footsteps retreat down the hall. King looks at me, and I see the question in his eyes before he asks it.

"You don't have to be there," he says. "You can stay here. I can handle⁠—"

"No." I sit up, pulling the sheet with me. "He's my father. Whatever he has to say, I need to hear it. And he needs to see that I made my choice."

Pride flickers across his face. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

He nods slowly, a hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. "Stubborn woman."

"You like it."

"Yeah. I do."

We dress quickly. I pull on my jeans and tank top from yesterday — wrinkled, but they'll do. King shrugs on his cut, and just like that, the man who held me all night transforms into the president. Shoulders squared. Jaw set. Eyes cold and calculating.

But when he reaches for my hand, his grip is gentle.

"Stay behind me when we get out there," he says. "Not because I don't think you can handle yourself — because I need your father to understand that getting to you means going through me first."

"Okay."

"And Demi?" He pauses at the door, looking back at me. "Whatever he says, whatever he does — remember that you already made your choice. He doesn't get to take that away from you."

I nod, my throat too tight for words.

We walk through the clubhouse. The main room is tense — brothers standing in clusters, hands near their weapons, eyes tracking us as we pass. Rogue falls into step on King's other side. Lock appears from somewhere, silent as always, positioning himself at my back.