Fixer-Upper: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 15) Read online

  “Where did you hear that bull shit?”

  “Stop trying to distract me. Does this have something to do with your ‘kitty’ over there?” He had to admit, if his tastes didn’t run toward Jonah these, days, even King would have been tempted to go for a walk on the omega side for someone as pretty as Scott’s boy toy. “Is he as kinky as you are? Or is he not kinky enough? He doesn’t seem the type to be into all that spank me, daddy shit.” King smirked when he saw the tiny flinch in Scott’s eyes. Bingo.

  Scott gritted teeth and King got a cheap thrill out of knowing he’d irritated him. “I wish you never knew about my lifestyle,” Scott mumbled.

  “Well, I do and although I’m not into the whole tie me up tie me down thing, I’m proud you never hid you were. I respect you for that.” He looked over at Jonah and Quintus, sitting at the table and playing with Anya together. It made King’s chest ache with jealousy, even though he knew there was nothing there. Hell, Scott would probably cut off Jonah’s hand if he thought King’s maybe-mate was considering making a move for the kitty.

  “Look, just be truthful with yourself and blondie over there.”

  “Jonah,” King interrupted him. “He has a name.”

  Scott rolled his eyes. “Fine. Jonah. Tell him everything about you—and I mean everything—if he is the one. Don’t go fucking shit up because you’re scared. He has a kid for fuck’s sake.”

  King groaned. Who the hell did Scott think he was, sticking nose in King’s love life? “You’re seriously giving me relationship advice? When you couldn’t even get over the last guy you were with, who’s been dead for over 40 years. What was his name again? Al—”

  “Fuck you, King. Don’t ever think about saying his name. Am I clear?”

  “Oh, you’re as clear as fresh water, thanks.” King sighed. He wished Scott would talk about it, but he also knew better than to push that particular button too much. Still, it wasn’t as if he had to be nice about it. “I’m sorry, that was too far. But just because you’ve got your own damage doesn’t mean I have the same issues. I thought shrinks knew better than to project or some shit like that?”

  Scott closed his eyes for a beat, and King felt bad right up until Scott opened his mouth again. “I’m trying to protect you, I know how you get sometimes.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” King scowled. He knew how his family saw him, but sometimes he wished someone would have faith in him. Jonah would, if I gave him the chance. “I’m a grown-ass man, you know. And just because I have a shitty track record with relationships does not mean you have any right to start lecturing me about how I should handle my absolutely 100 percent platonic friendship with a guy you just met ten minutes ago.” King cleared his throat, trying to shake off the traces of his childhood dialect. Jonah might think King’s Jamaican dialect was sexy, but the rest of his family only seemed capable of seeing King as a kid when he spoke like he was raised, even though it had been decades since he’d been home at all.

  “You’re so fucking hardheaded!” Scott snapped.

  “And you worry too damn much,” King told him. “I have things under control.” A part of him wanted to tell Scott how he was pretty sure Jonah was his fated mate, and that was why he was taking things slow and careful. But if he did, there was no way Scott would be able to resist meddling. Nosey asshole.

  “And you’re also a shitty ass liar,” Scott said. “But, when you fuck things up, my door will be open.”

  King leaned up and kissed Scott on the cheek. He meant well, even if he was a condescending shithead. “Thanks, cousin. But it will be fine, I promise.”

  “If you say so.” Scott didn’t sound like he believed King, but at least he was willing to let it go for now. “Anyway, you’re not the only family member I’ve been seeing lately.”

  King groaned. Their extended family bred like rabbits, and he should have known better than to think Vale Valley would be safe from the horde. “Who else is here besides us?”

  “The Trickster. And the Mutt.”

  “The Trickster? What the hell is he doing here? I thought he hated… people?” King barely caught himself from using details that weren’t fit for public conversation. “And what did the Mutt do this time?”

  “The Mutt is looking for a puppy he misplaced.”

  “How the fuck do you misplace a puppy?” Newly-turned werewolves weren’t exactly known for their subtlety, and a part of King really wanted to know how their canine-inclined cousin could misplace one. But he didn’t want to know badly enough to risk getting involved with what was sure to be some truly messed-up drama.

  “It’s the Mutt. Do I need to explain any further?” Scott looked annoyed about being surrounded by fuck-up relations. King had no sympathy for him. “Whatever trouble he’s in, I don’t want to know. But he seems more agitated than anything else, and that concerns me.”

  “That’s not good,” King said, pretty sure he was getting a headache from the family shit already. “He has a way of making things worse. What about the Trickster?”

  “He told me he wanted to change,” Scott said.

  “And you trust him?” If Scott said he trusted that particular uncle, King was going to have to punch him to knock some sense in where it belonged. “Do you really think that asshole can change after all the shit he’s done?”

  “I’m not that fucking stupid.” Scott rolled his eyes. “Just watch your back. I’m sure he knows you’re here, too.”

  “I’ve never been on his hit list before.” King hesitated, and looked over at Jonah. If their uncle was in town, making trouble, he didn’t want that trouble to find its way to that particular shore. “Is that what the whole bit about telling Jonah all our family secrets was for? Does your kitty know who you are?”

  “Yes and no,” Scott answered, then looked at his guy, eyes going soft. “I tried telling him the other day but he freaked when I told him what my family did for a living.”

  “That’s never a good pick up line,” King said. Privately he worried Jonah would take it just as badly, if not worse. “Hey my family’s filthy rich and oh, yeah we’re super powerful too. And let’s not forget the Uncle that’s always trying to kill everyone to get to the top.”

  Scott chuckled. “Anyway, I’m just giving you heads up, I would hate for anything happening to you or anyone you care about. The Trickster is fucking unstable, and I’m not sure what the hell he’s up to.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already fucking know.” King shook his head at their messed-up clan. “He’s no longer invited to the family barbeques for the shit he pulls.”

  That got a smile from King’s sour-puss cousin Mission accomplished. “Don’t ever fucking change.”

  King heaved a dramatic sigh. “Make up your damn mind. Change, don’t change. What the hell, Scott?”

  Scott’s smile only grew. “Come on, let’s go back to our guys, before they start to worry.”

  “Not my guy!” Not yet, at least.

  Scott snorted. “Yeah, I don’t believe you.”

  King decided to be the bigger man and ignore him as they made their way back over to Jonah. “Whatever. I hope you’re going home to screw your kitty, because I want to eat my dinner in peace.”

  “Does the thought of me getting laid actually help you with your appetite?” Scott looked far too amused at the thought. “Maybe I should have my assistant book you for a session. You’re really starting to worry me.”

  “Fuck off and go home,” King growled.

  When Scott laughed and left, holding his pretty omega close as they left the diner, King breathed a sigh of relief. He loved his cousin, he did, but Scott was so exhausting. Then again, most of King’s family was exhausting, what with all their abilities and the obnoxious way they were all convinced they knew better than King when it came to his life, as if they were all a bunch of seers and not a bunch of—

  Oh shit. Seers. Katarina.

  Scott’s right. Listen to him about your love.

  �
��You look like you saw a ghost,” Jonah said, bringing King back to the present. “Did he say something to upset you?”

  King shook his head. “Not him. Just something Katarina said last week suddenly makes sense.”

  “And?”

  “And I really wish it didn’t.” King was not ready to have that conversation with Jonah, no matter what Scott and Katarina said, but he could feel the weight of it in the back of his mind, looming. It wasn’t going to hold off much longer, not with Scott’s news that they had even more family in town. But it could wait a little while longer, at least. He hoped. “I’ll tell you later,” he finally said. “It’s not exactly dinner conversation.”

  Jonah’s eyes narrowed like he knew King had no intention of voluntarily revisiting the conversation, but he let it go as they grabbed a table and ordered their food. Once they had Anya settled in a high chair and their food on the table in front of them, though, King managed to relax despite the lingering tension from his conversation with Scott.

  “So,” Jonah drawled. “Your cousin’s mate seems nice.”

  King choked on his drink. “Boyfriend maybe, not mate,” he said quickly, laughing. “Scott’s not exactly the long-term sort.”

  “Huh.” Jonah looked thoughtful. “No, I’m pretty sure they’re mates. Or they will be soon enough. There were some serious goo-goo eyes going on.”

  But King was already shaking his head. “It’s a nice thought, but no. Scott’s made being single into an artform over the past 40 years. When were kids, before things went to shit for him, maybe. But not so much now.”

  “You talk like you’re the same age as him,” Jonah said. “But he’s got to be, what, mid-forties? And you’ve got to be young enough to be his kid. Then again, so is the boyfriend. I’m not judging.”

  King decided to test out the least crazy aspect of the truth Jonah was inadvertently poking at. “I’m only 10 years younger than Scott,” he said. “He lost someone when we were younger and it hit him pretty hard, but generally speaking, my family doesn’t exactly have to worry about wrinkles.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jonah offered Anya one of his French fries, but she only smashed it against her tray and giggled. “There’s no way you’re in your mid-30s.”

  “You’re right. I’m not.” He still wasn’t ready for this conversation, but he’d be an idiot to waste a perfectly good opening like that. King took a steadying breath and glanced around to be sure no one was listening to him. With Scott gone, most of the locals were back to ignoring him, which was just as well. “I’ll be 90 in December.”

  “Bullshit,” Jonah said, a little too loudly. King had the strongest urge to shush him, but knew it would only draw more attention.

  “No shit,” King said. “And we should probably stop swearing in front of your baby or no one in this town will trust you with their kids. Just a thought.”

  “There’s no way you’re that old. That’s more than twice my age.” Jonah gave him a narrow-eyed glare.

  “What? Don’t like older men?”

  “Dick,” Jonah said, and sat back in the booth. “Look, if you don’t want to tell me how old you are, you don’t have to lie about it.”

  “I’m absolutely telling the truth.” King leaned forward. He’d never tried to explain this to someone who didn’t already know about his family, so this was both harder and a lot more fun than he’d have thought it would be. “I’m a gorgeous 89 years old. And fortunately for you, I like younger guys, so I don’t mind robbing your particular cradle.” He could see the denial about to pass Jonah’s lips, and put up a hand to stop him. “We’re in a diner, surrounded by shifters, witches, and more than a couple ghosts. You really want to tell me it’s impossible that I’ve got amazing genes?”

  “True.” Some of the fight left Jonah at that. “But I’ve got a hell of a lot of questions for you, in that case.”

  King laughed. “Later. When we’re alone. This isn’t the kind of thing I talk about with just anybody, you know.”

  “Is that so?”

  For a moment, King was tempted to laugh it off, but then he made eye contact with Jonah, saw how important it was to him that King meant this. Jonah didn’t know exactly how serious King was. There was no way he could even guess at what King was dancing around, but Jonah clearly understood enough for this conversation to mean way more than just the casual dinner conversation King had been planning on. King held Jonah’s gaze and managed a half-smile.

  “Yeah. Usually only with the kind of people who are planning on sticking around.”

  “Like what kind, King?” And okay, yeah, King could see how Jonah needed the words. And with Scott’s warnings not to fuck this up still ringing in his mind, King couldn’t have helped himself if he’d tried.

  “The kind with vows, usually,” he said quietly. “Or mating bonds. At the very least serious significant others.”

  “Is that what we are? I thought we were just friends.”

  “That depends.” King looked down at his plate and pushed his food around. “How do you feel about this being a date?”

  Jonah’s smile was huge, dazzling like sunlight on the open water, and King couldn’t help but smile back. “Friends don’t date.”

  “No, they don’t.” King bit his lower lip. “Then again, I don’t think either of us wants to settle for friends. Not with how good it feels when we’re…not acting like friends.”

  “True.” Jonah laughed. “But I stand by my earlier statements. I don’t want you to feel like this is something you have to do to make me happy. I want you happy, too.”

  “Being with you makes me plenty happy,” King said, then rubbed his hand over his head. “So what do you say?”

  Jonah licked his lips. “I think,” he finally said, “I think we should get the check. I have desert back at the house. Then we can talk about other things friends don’t do.”

  “Raincheck on the pie, then?”

  Jonah only rolled his eyes and flagged down their server.

  Chapter Nine

  King

  They finished their dinners quickly and left, King relieved Anya had managed to fall asleep during the final, quiet minutes of their dinner. As much as he loved Jonah’s adopted daughter, the things he had in mind definitely weren’t child appropriate. Then they piled into Jonah’s car, driving in silence back across town.

  “I can’t believe it’s still light out this late in the evening,” King said as they neared the lake, and immediately wanted to kick himself for sounding like a nervous idiot.

  “Well, the solstice was only the other day,” Jonah answered easily. He put his hand on King’s knee, no higher, and squeezed gently. “You can change your mind and leave as soon as we get there, if you want. I want you to be ready, you know?”

  In answer, King grabbed Jonah’s hand and pushed it up his leg. “I want this,” he said, forcing the words out for both of their sakes. He didn’t think he’d ever be ready, not like how Jonah meant, but this was close enough, as far as King was concerned. “Doesn’t mean I’m not scared shitless about it, but I want it. Want us.”

  “Good.” Jonah’s broad hand squeezed King’s thigh, body heat seeping through King’s clothes. “Good.”

  When they got back to the house, King followed Jonah inside, still quiet, still unsure what to say in general. Hell, it had been long enough since he’d been with anyone besides a quick and dirty one-off, he wasn’t sure if there was some kind of protocol he was supposed to be following. The uncertainty drove King nuts, and he almost backed out half a dozen times before they got Anya settled in the second bedroom. The deliberateness of it was nearly too much for King by the time they found themselves standing in the hallway between that room and Jonah’s temporary bedroom, but he pushed through it and wound his arms around Jonah’s neck, kissing his jaw.

  “Is there where you tell me I’m at my last chance to change my mind?” King teased, but Jonah was having none of it.

  “No, you can change your mind whenever you want,”
he said. “Although I’d definitely rather you don’t, I don’t know how else to prove to you I won’t push you into anything you’re not ready for.”

  “I’m definitely ready for the sex,” King said, that part coming easiest. “The relationship you want, though…I’m probably going to fuck that up. And you’re not the one I want to fuck up with. I think you could be—” Damn it, he couldn’t say it. “There’s something there. You have to feel it.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Jonah kissed him, slow and lingering, with just enough tongue King’s knees went weak. “No one’s ever felt this good in my arms before. Touching you is enough to make me want to push you up against that wall and take you as mine. It’s why I need you to be sure.”

  King sighed, melting into Jonah’s warmth. “My parents are thousands of years old, we have powers most mortals can’t conceive of, and I’m not supposed to tell anyone about it unless we’re mated.” He felt Jonah still against him, but he didn’t pull away, at least. “There’s more, but I’m hoping that makes the point better than any pretty words you might be looking for.”

  “Yeah.” Jonah smiled even as he pulled King into another kiss. “Yeah it does.”

  The feel of Jonah’s large body against his electrified King, and he groaned, nipping at Jonah’s lower lip. This was taking far too long and there was far too much talking involved. “Bed,” he said, fingers curling in Jonah’s beltloops and tugging. “Take me to bed right the hell now.”

  “Yeah,” Jonah mumbled against King’s mouth, and they stumbled the few feet down the hall to Jonah’s room, the door crashing open and nearly slamming into the wall.

  “Shh!” King laughed when Jonah caught the door. “Do not wake your baby before I can get off.”

  Jonah eased the door closed and prowled closer to King. “Not until we’ve both gotten off,” he promised. “At least twice.”

  Weak in the knees at the thought, King managed to struggle out of his t-shirt before fumbling his jeans open and shoving them down past his hips. “Naked. Fucking. Now.”