"Bliss was just getting us-no, have a seat." Lucky scooted over, letting the abrasive woman sit down. King then noticed a small, attractive blonde turn on her heel, going to another picnic table. Evie just shook her head at him when he asked why the woman didn't return to the table. Within seconds, King had his answer as the table was completely taken over by the crew of women.

Not long after they sat down, King was taking a drink of his iced tea when s.e.x Piston's baby began crying. She picked the infant up, and without showing even a hint of embarra.s.sment, she pulled her dress to the side, unsnapping a flap before letting the baby nurse in front of G.o.d and everyone at the picnic.

"One of nature's most beautiful moments, isn't it?" Killyama said.

"That's easy for you to say; he isn't chewing your nipple off." s.e.x Piston replied sarcastically.

King choked, trying to blink back the painful tears in his eyes.

"They have that effect on everyone," Train said grimly.

"I see Willa decided to come after all. I'm going to go say h.e.l.lo." Evie jumped up, glad to take the opportunity for escape.

King grabbed Evie's hand. "I'll come with you," he said, hurriedly getting to his feet.

"Coward," Evie remarked when they were away from the picnic table.

"What are they?"

"They belong to the Destructors."

"Another motorcycle club?"

"Yes."

"And I thought Treepoint was a sleepy, little town," King muttered snidely.

"Technically, the Destructors live in Jamestown, but s.e.x Piston likes to visit, a lot."

"Sweet Jesus."

"Hi, Willa."

"Evie, King."

"Did you bring dessert?" King asked, smiling down at the pretty woman. She was as short as the other blonde, but while the other was slim and perky, Willa was heavier and more reserved. There was no comparison to King when he looked into her cornflower blue eyes.

"Yes, I brought the cupcakes with the sparklers." King started to go to the table to get one but saw the table surrounded by children.

"Sorry." When Willa laughed at his show of disappointment, King's mouth almost dropped open, staring at the woman in surprise. When she forgot to be shy, her face lit up, her smile showing twin dimples. A sharp pinch on his arm had him looking at Evie.

"Be polite," she hissed. King could see his staring was giving Willa the wrong impression, but he hadn't worked with women most of his life without knowing how to handle them.

"I'm sorry I was staring, Willa, but it's just so refreshing to see a stunning woman with such natural beauty."

As Willa turned bright red, King thought she would high-tail it away, but instead, she began asking him questions about Queen City.

"What did you do there?"

"I ran several businesses," he responded gently.

"That sounds interesting. I get tempted every so often to open a bakery, but I really don't want to be tied down to working in one every day. I already have enough to keep me busy."

"I may have a solution. Now that I'm living here, I'm thinking of opening a restaurant with a bar, and I would certainly be willing to buy your desserts for our menu on a regular basis."

"I would like that. I could create a few things just for your menu."

They continued to talk until King noticed Willa turned pale when a large man came into the picnic yard with a group of five children. He noticed her hands shake as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Even Evie noticed her behavior, giving King a concerned glance.

As the group grew closer, King saw the man look over at them. He had a pleasant face, but the look in his eyes told King he was presenting a facade. He was proved correct when he saw Willa and moved toward their group.

"h.e.l.lo, Evie, Willa." He nodded his head genially in King's direction, yet he didn't take his eyes off Willa. "I thought you said you weren't coming to the picnic. You had a big order due; that was why you couldn't come with me."

"I did-I do." Willa's voice shook. "I was just delivering one of the orders here. I stopped to say h.e.l.lo to Evie and King before I left to make the other deliveries."

"Oh." The man's accusing eyes didn't soften.

"Lewis is an employee at the factory." At Evie's introduction, King extended his hand to him, which Lewis shook before turning his attention immediately back to Willa who was trying to un.o.btrusively leave.

"You're a lucky man to have so many children. You and your wife must be very proud."

Lewis's mouth tightened. "They aren't all mine; two are my sister's."

Evie looked up at King, explaining, "His sister used to be an employee of ours before she died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," King offered his condolences.

Lewis shrugged, turning once again back to Willa, stepping closer to her. "You going to come back after you make the deliveries?"

"No, I need to get started on the orders for tomorrow," Willa said, taking a step backward.

"Willa, be careful," King tried to warn her, but the jumpy woman was trying to get away from Lewis and wasn't paying attention to where she was backing up. She collided with Lucky who was carrying a large plate of the cupcakes, mashing them into his chest. When he tried to catch himself, he took a half step backward, b.u.mping into Rider, who dropped his plate onto the ground.

"What the f.u.c.k, Lucky? Watch what you're doing!" Rider said. King put out his hand to steady Willa, helping her to regain her balance.

"I'm so sorry." Willa took the plate of cupcakes away from Lucky.

"You always were clumsy," Lewis said, taking the plate of cupcakes away from Willa and thrusting them toward King, who automatically reached out to take the plate.

"Here, let me." Evie took the plate instead, stepping to the side and setting it down on the table before grabbing a handful of napkins.

One of the children with Lewis bent down to pick up one of the cupcakes Rider had dropped and began eating it.

"No, Chrissy. That's dirty." Willa tried to take the cupcake away, but the little girl shoved her hand, making her hit Rider in the b.a.l.l.s. Willa jerked her hand away as if it had been scalded.

"Chrissy, put that cupcake down right now!" Lewis yelled.

The little girl started wailing, throwing the cupcake at her father who dodged it, so it hit Willa instead.

When Willa's bottom lip began to tremble, King grabbed her, pulling her to his side, laughing. "I told you everyone would be fighting for your desserts."

Chapter 26.

Evie closed the door to her house behind them. "I think I have cupcake in my hair," she said, giggling as she stared at King.

"You have no reason to complain. I have to get a shower. I feel like I'm covered in chocolate."

"You are. Come on; let's go take a shower."

King hesitated. "You sure?"

Evie stopped on the bottom step. "It was really sweet what you did for Willa. I didn't know you could be sweet."

"Did it give me brownie points with you?"

"Absolutely." Evie grinned, holding out her hand to him.

They continued up the steps to her bedroom. She had decorated Beth's old room in peaches and greens, going for a calming oasis and succeeding in making herself one. They took their clothes off, careful to bundle them up so the cupcake crumbs wouldn't fall onto her new carpet.

"I'll throw them in the washer in the morning," she told King as he started the shower, pulling Evie in with him. "Ugh. This is an old house; it takes time for the water to warm up." She hated cold showers.

Once the water had finally warmed and they were able to wash off the sticky chocolate, King's shoulders started shaking with laughter.

"What?" Evie asked.

"Did you see Rider's face when she hit his d.i.c.k?"

"Willa's was worse." Evie started laughing. "Lucky looked like he was going to cry over those cupcakes, too." She laid her head on the shower wall. "It's not funny; I thought Willa was going to cry. And Lewis was so jealous, he was about to have a stroke. I don't think she likes him, though."

"You think? When she tried to go to her car, he and all five kids followed." King put his hand on the shower wall as their merriment filled the room.

"Did you see how mad Lucky was? When he tried to get Lewis to back off, one of those kids actually kicked him." Evie was laughing so hard she was hiccupping.

A serious expression crossed King's face. "I think he's been hara.s.sing her from the way she acted."

Evie nodded her head in agreement. "I'll stop by her house my next day off and see what's going on."

"Good idea. Something tells me it's not a good situation."

"Me, either." The gravity of Willa's situation enabled Evie to regain control.

"I missed you, King. Somehow, when I'm around you, I feel like laughing again." She rinsed out her hair then, reaching out, pulled him under the showerhead with her. "I don't want to be lonely anymore," she admitted.

"G.o.d, Evie. You think you've been lonely?" He tugged her out of the shower, drying her off carefully before rubbing the towel roughly over his own body. He then picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, he placed her on his lap. "For the last thirty years, I've spent my life not becoming close to anyone. I even gave my daughter up, thinking I was protecting her. It was myself I was trying to protect, though; I didn't want to lose someone again after losing my sister. Instead of straightening my life out, I hid in a life that wasn't worth living. I have a lot of sins to atone for."

His tortured eyes made Evie want to cry. She reached out, cupping his cheek. "No one could hurt us worse than what we've done to ourselves."

"When you left, a part of me left with you. I thought that drive back to Queen City, leaving Lily behind, was painful; but when you left, you took my soul with you. I'm never going to let you leave me again."

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about that because I'm not going anywhere." When she leaned upward to kiss his mouth, her tongue licked his bottom lip then tugged it until he opened to her. Her hands went to his shoulders, pressing him backwards onto the bed. She placed her legs on each side of his hips, sitting on his stomach, bending down to explore his mouth.

Evie raised her head to catch her breath, and King said, "Did anyone ever tell you you're an exceptional kisser?"

"A time or two." Evie rose up on one hand, reaching back with the other to place his c.o.c.k at her opening. Wiggling her hips, she let the tip of his d.i.c.k barely enter her. Her hand then went down between her thighs, rubbing her c.l.i.t.

"Would you like me to do that?" King brought his knees up and Evie leaned backwards, placing her weight on them.

"That's okay. I've got this," she moaned, letting another inch of him slide inside her.

King arched under her, driving himself fully inside her.

"That wasn't fair. I wanted to go slow."

"I didn't." As his hands gripped her hips, sliding her up and down his c.o.c.k, Evie was surprised he was able to lift her weight. Correctly reading her surprise, he said, "I work out."

"Yes, you do," she moaned, rubbing her c.l.i.t harder and thrusting herself down on him.

King arched, groaning, and then stopped moving. "Evie, is that a stripper pole by your closet?"

"Yes."

"Why is there a stripper pole in your bedroom?"

"Because I use it to exercise," she said, becoming frustrated. "King, when I said you didn't need to do anything, I was just joking!"

"Are you going to give me a show later on?"

Evie stopped moving, looking down at him. "That depends on whether you keep me hanging much longer," she snapped.

King tossed her to her back, surging inside her in a hard thrust that tore a scream from her throat. "Baby, I'm going to make you so happy, when you dance on that pole you'll feel like you're flying."

I feel pretty d.a.m.n good now, Evie thought. Her thighs gripped his hips as he f.u.c.ked her. Evie was used to a variety of men and s.e.xual positions; none of them felt as intimate as King making love to her.

Evie felt her body building toward a climax, gripping him tighter.

"Come with me, Evie." As his command sent her over, she felt his c.o.c.k come deep within her.

As soon as he rolled off her, she ran into the bathroom, slamming the bathroom door.

"Evie, what's wrong?" She heard him but didn't answer. Grabbing a wash cloth, knowing it would be useless, she still had to try.