Page 111 of Vicious King

“I didn’t have you with me for a long fucking time. If you think that I’ll sleep anywhere but where you are when we’re in the same house, you don’t know me at all. Besides, you might need something.”

“You’re a good husband,” she says softly. “Charlie told me to tell you that he needs you to come say goodnight when you get home. He missed you.”

Sweetest fucking thing. Yeah, my boy will keep this innocence as long as possible.

“Okay, I’ll go up and check on him, change, and come back down.”

She nods. “I’m going to make another cup of tea. Do you want anything?”

“I’ll pour some bourbon. You should put a shot in your tea.”

“Ooh, I like that idea. Done. I’m taking the next week off to heal. This bruise is a doozy.”

“Good.” I tip her face up so I can press my lips to hers. “I’ll be right back.”

Silently, I jog up the stairs and go to our bedroom first, where I change into sweats and a T-shirt, then walk down the hall to look in on my boy.

He’s kicked his covers off, and his foot is hanging off the side of the bed, so I move it back to the middle and cover him up, then kiss his head.

“Dad?” he murmurs.

“Yeah, buddy, it’s me.”

“I lost a tooth in the pool,” he says, and I grin.

“Did you fish it out?”

“Clyde did,” he replies and scoots onto his side, tucking his little hands under his chin.

“Okay good.” I kiss him once more. “Sleep well.”

“Love you, Dad.”

Fuck, these two people have cracked my chest wide open.

“Love you too, kiddo.”

I leave him be, closing his door behind me, and then make my way back downstairs, where Rina’s already settled into the chair, and I notice a tumbler with a couple fingers of bourbon sitting next to hers.

“Does this feel better?” I ask her.

“For now. I’ll probably have to move in a couple hours. I don’t want it to get too stiff. I’ve been rubbing some arnica on it, and that helps.” She sips her tea. “We need to talk about what happened at the school, Carson.”

“I know.”

“I already gave Clyde a dressing down.”

I lift an eyebrow, watching my fierce girl as she sets her mug aside.

“He wasn’t disrespectful, so I don’t want you to shoot him in the head or anything.”

We’ll see.

“I found out from the school that something had happened. Charlie’s detail didn’t call me at all. So when I called them, they said they only report to you.”

“I can’t wait to hear what you told them in response.”

She narrows her eyes, and the queen that she is shines right through, making my cock twitch.