The Lonely King

Chapter Seven

It's been a couple days since he took me out of the house, and things have been almost normal between us. Almost.

Currently, I was in bed, dreaming. My body twisted and turned in the sheets as my not so pleasant dream played out.

"No." I mumbled, as I dreamed of running from mobsters down the streets of Manhattan.

I shot up, my eyes opening wide as I let out a scream. I heard the door slam open and someone running in.

I jumped off the bed and scurried off to the opposite side of the room. Nick ran to me.

He took my face in his hands, warmth spreading through my cheeks.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" He asked, worried.

I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was all a dream. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. "I'm sorry. It was just a nightmare."

He let out a breath of relief as well. "What was it about?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around me.

"It's not important." I mumbled.

"Amelia, tell me." He warned, his not-so-nice expression washing over his face.

I sighed. "Mobsters were after me." I whispered in hopes of him not hearing me, but of course, he heard. I could tell by the way he stiffened.

"I promise I will do my best to keep you safe." He whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked. His body tensed.

"You helped me that one night, and now, it's my duty to help you." I knew he wasn't telling the whole truth. I could see it in his eyes. I could hear it through his words.

"What I did was nothing. You've paid me back with more than enough." I slightly accused.

"It's also for my apology...about the whole Tony thing." He added. I could tell he felt guilty about it even though it wasn't his fault. I could also tell he was only saying this to cover up something. I decided to drop it for now.

"I know I'm safe here. It's okay." I said.

"Come with me." I didn't really have an option as he picked me up and carried me. I recognized that we were nearing his bedroom.

He pulled the covers back, put me down, and pulled the covers over my body. Then, he proceeded to get in on the other side of the bed. His warm arms reached for my waist and pulled me to him. My back hitting his chest. Heat spread through my back due to the cami I was wearing and his naked chest. I blushed. His muscular arms were wrapped tightly around me.

"Nick," I started.

"Sleep." He demanded.

"But," I tried again.

"I said sleep. I brought you here because you're safer."

I sighed and decided to snuggle into him.

• • •

I woke up to fingers stroking my hair. I moaned in satisfaction. The tingles of his movements making my body relaxed.

"Good morning." He whispered.

I fluttered my eyes open to see his naked chest and messy hair, making me want him to take me right here and now.

"Good morning." I replied.

"Go and get ready. I'm taking you somewhere." He stated, leaving no room for questions. I nodded and got out of his bed to get myself ready.

I wore something casual and came downstairs to meet him. Oh, shoot! I forgot breakfast! I quickly turned into the kitchen to see him with two plates of waffles?

"Here. I noticed you forgot." He said, nonchalantly.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

We quickly ate, and he drove to his destination. We parked in front of a gun range. Huh?

We walked inside together, and he spoke with the manager about some practice time. I got distracted by all of the guns that were here. I wasn't exactly an expert on them, but I knew quite a bit. However, I'm still not too good with one.

I saw my favorite in the glass display: A Smith & Wesson Revolver. There was no real reason it was my favorite other than all the western movies I've see it in and my appreciation for revolvers after seeing all the Dirty Harry movies.

Suddenly, a hand came into my view and took the gun away from my gaze. Huh? I looked up to see the manager giving the gun to Nick.

"I'm guessing you like this one since you were looking at it for a whole two minutes." I blushed, but he was probably over exaggerating.

We made our way inside the range.

"I wanted to come out here to teach you. I hope nothing happens to get you into a situation where you need to use one of these, but you should know...to keep you safe."

The day went by pretty smoothly. I wasn't that bad, but then again, I wasn't perfect. At the end of the day, I was decent.

However, that wasn't the main thing that had me worried. Every time he would come close—every time he would touch me— I felt sparks, tingles, and warmth. I felt butterflies rise in the pit of my stomach. I felt my heart speed up. I felt my breathing hitch. And I knew this was bad, but at the same time, I wanted it more than anything.

I wanted him.

But I shouldn't.