Part 2 (1/2)

”That's his normal personality.”

”Then I'd hate to actually see him in a bad mood.”

”h.e.l.l, Evie, what man can stay in a bad mood with you around?” Train came up behind her, putting his hand on her a.s.s.

”Plenty,” Evie said, moving away from his touch; she was too tired to mess around tonight.

She stacked her dirty dishes then went upstairs to her room, getting ready for bed. She turned out her light then locked the door. It had been a while since she had locked the men out, but she needed a good night's sleep. She was getting older; the all-nighters were becoming fewer and fewer.

She didn't know if it was because she was getting bored, but she had told Shade the truth-she was looking forward to a vacation. Working at the factory all day and partying all night was becoming old. She had begun thinking lately of going back to work with Beth or the hospital. The time in Queen City would give her time to make her mind up.

Evie rolled over onto her stomach, thinking about Lily and the expression on King's face. She had a feeling King wasn't happy with Lily's marriage. She hoped the man kept his thoughts to himself; Shade wouldn't be happy with his interference.

Evie s.h.i.+vered under the covers. She hated the thought of the two men not getting along. King and Shade both were used to getting their own way, and while King might be used to dealing with the seedier side of life, she was sure he had never dealt with someone of Shade's caliber. If he took Shade on, it was a battle he wouldn't win, and he would very likely end up out of Lily's life forever.

The next day, Henry opened the door before she could knock. She flashed him a smile as she stepped into the house, handing him the plate of food Beth had made for him.

”You'll need to reheat that before giving it to him.”

”Okay.” He walked her down the hallway, knocking on the door before opening it for her and closing it behind her.

As she entered, she saw King was sitting at a chair by the window.

”h.e.l.lo. How are you doing today?” Evie asked brightly, her chirpy voice making her wince at herself.

”Fine.” His mocking gaze had her smile disappearing. ”Do you want me to move to the bed?”

”No. I can do it where you are.” Evie set her satchel on the desk, opening it to put her gloves on. When she turned around, King hadn't unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt. ”You can unb.u.t.ton your s.h.i.+rt.”

He unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. Evie waited patiently, not letting him embarra.s.s her. When he finished, she jerked the tape off.

”Ouch.”

”Sorry.” That would teach the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. She didn't know what he was up to, but she wasn't a young girl or dependent on him for a payday; she didn't have to tolerate his behavior.

She threw away her dirty gloves and the bandages, going to her satchel for fresh ones. She then cleaned his wound and placed a fresh bandage on. When she finished, she took his temperature.

”You're healing well. No temperature.” Evie closed her satchel.

Henry came in the door then, carrying the food. Placing it down on the desk, he brought a small table to place in front of King then set the food down in front of him.

”Thanks for bringing me lunch,” King said to Evie before he began eating.

Evie shrugged. ”It was no big deal; we always have plenty. The men all have big appet.i.tes.” Evie winced at her poor choice of words.

Evie stood still, waiting silently for him to make an ugly comment.

”Anything wrong?”

”Does he always wait on you like that?”

”Henry?” His violet eyes stared back at her cynically.

”Yes. You got a problem getting off your a.s.s and doing stuff for yourself?”

”No, I went for a walk and tired myself out. Henry had to help me back to the bedroom.”

f.u.c.k. She should have kept her mouth closed; it was no business of hers whether Henry wiped King's a.s.s for him.

”Sorry, I should have minded my own business. You should have told me you weren't feeling well. I would have checked you over better.” She set her satchel back down, starting to open it.

”I'm fine. I just overdid it.”

”You're sure?”

”Yes.” His lips twitched.

Evie closed her satchel again. ”You only need to be walking around your house. It's too soon to be doing much more than that.”

”I'll keep that in mind.” Evie nodded her head, picking up her satchel again.

”Lily, Beth, and their husbands are coming for dinner Friday. Would you like to come?” h.e.l.l, no, Evie thought, about to turn down the invitation. ”I thought it would make Razer and Shade more comfortable to have another acquaintance here.”

Evie thought quickly. If King said something to p.i.s.s off Shade, it might be better to have someone else here to help pull him off King. Not that she would be much help, but at least he wouldn't punch her like he would Razer for interfering.

”Yes, thank you. I'd like that.”

”Good. I thought it could give everyone something to do on a Friday night. It's not like this town has a lot to keep you busy. What does everyone do to keep themselves occupied?”

Evie swallowed. Somehow, he knew. Like a snake about to strike, he was waiting for her reaction. Evie's face went impa.s.sive. ”We go to the movies.”

”I'm glad to provide a better option this week.”

”I'll see you Friday then. Make sure you tell Beth if you're not feeling better tomorrow.” Evie turned, leaving the room before he could say anything else. She almost ran into Henry as she got to the front door. The man was determined to beat her to the f.u.c.king door.

”Later, Henry.”

”Goodbye, Evie.”

Evie released the breath she had been holding. Going to her car, she threw her satchel into the backseat, pulling out her cell phone before she put her key in the ignition. Finding Shade's number, she hit dial.

”We need to talk.”

King looked up from his plate when the door opened again. ”Well?”