“What happened?”

  “You fainted,” King replied. “Let me help you sit up so you can have something to drink.”

  Leo groaned and shut his eyes tight. He put a hand to his head. “I feel like the Hulk is smashing my skull in.”

  “You’re dehydrated.” King stood and slipped his arm under Leo’s shoulders, then gently helped him sit up. Leo carefully pushed himself back to sit against the headboard.

  “Great. Because they don’t hate me enough.”

  “They don’t hate you,” King said, handing Leo a bottle of water. “They simply don’t understand you.”

  Leo glanced at him but didn’t respond. He took the bottle of water, placed it to his lips, and took small sips at a time, like King instructed.

  “When did you last eat?”

  “Um, I had those Goldfish crackers you gave me this morning before your meeting.”

  It had become King’s way to try to tempt Leo to get out of his shell. Every morning he had a packet of Goldfish crackers waiting for Leo when he emerged from his room.

  “I mean a full meal.”

  Leo’s cheeks turned that lovely shade of pink King was so fond of. Wait. King narrowed his eyes. “Have you not eaten anything today besides your crackers?”

  Leo winced.

  “What’s the last meal you ate?”

  “Um, dinner yesterday.”

  “What?” King snapped, then held his hands up in apology when Leo flinched. Control. He needed to center himself. Calm. Control. “Why?”

  “Because they ordered sandwiches for lunch today, and I asked for no tomatoes, but I guess they forgot. I know I could have taken it out—they wanted me to take it out—but I can’t. Sliced tomatoes make me feel sick. It’s the slimy factor. I can’t eat slimy food. Once the tomato was in there, sliding all over my food, I couldn’t. I should have said I was allergic. It’s easier that way, but I thought it would be okay. There were potato chips, but they were barbecue instead of plain, and they don’t really sit well with my stomach, so I couldn’t eat those either. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s perfectly understandable. I feel the same way about oysters. And okra. Don’t care how it’s cooked.”

  Leo looked up at him, his hopeful smile breaking King’s heart, like maybe he wasn’t such a freak if King felt the same way about food. “Really?”

  “Yep. Not a fan of liver either.”

  Leo made a face. “Does anyone outside of Hannibal Lecter actually like liver?”

  “What happened with breakfast?”

  “Um….” Leo opened his mouth, the denial written all over his face until King gave him a pointed look. With a heavy sigh, Leo shook his head.

  “Tomato?”

  A nod.

  “So you didn’t eat? Why didn’t they get you something else?”

  “Because the first day they got my order wrong, Bowers got all pissed off and made a big production about it. Like I was some precious princess for daring to want what I ordered. I have issues, I know, and that translates to my food as well. I’m picky about what I eat, but I’m not unreasonable. There are certain things I won’t or can’t eat. Anyway, it was embarrassing, so I didn’t ask again after. They seem to get my order wrong. A lot. When you showed up it stopped happening. Except when you’re in a meeting.”

  Calm. Control.

  Breaking Bowers’s nose would feel great but getting arrested for it wouldn’t help Leo. Speak of the devil. A fierce pounding at the door made Leo flinch, and King once again found himself in need of centering. He stood and unlocked the door, barely having enough time to step out of the way before Bowers thundered in like a charging bull.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Bowers fumed. “Fainted?”

  “Of course he passed out,” King growled, putting himself between Bowers and Leo. “He’s dehydrated and hasn’t eaten anything since dinner yesterday. What the hell kind of operation are you running here, Bowers?”

  “Hey, we buy him food. If he doesn’t eat it, that’s not my problem. What? You want me to feed him now? He’s an adult.”

  “Who’s being targeted by a bunch of petty, bitter individuals. He didn’t ask to be here.” King let the words hang in the air, and Bowers met his gaze. That’s right. I know what you did. “You and your organization are the ones who want him here. You brought him into this, so it’s your job to make sure he has what he needs to do it, whether it’s equipment or food. If he asks for something, your job is to get it for him, no questions. I suggest you and your team sort yourselves out and stop fucking this up. Without him, there is no project, so it’s time for you to get. It. Done.”

  Bowers gritted his teeth, his hands balled into fists. King remained silent and calm, waiting for Bowers to make the first move. He would not hesitate to put Bowers on the ground if that was how he wanted to play this. Nostrils flaring, Bowers snarled at Leo.

  “Get back to work.”

  King crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not happening.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m sorry, were you not present for the conversation that just happened? Because I’m pretty sure your mouth moved and words came out. You’re going to send someone to get him some food that he can eat, and then when he’s feeling better, he’ll get back to work. I would suggest that whoever deals with the meals around here pays better attention.”

  “Are you telling me how to do my job?”

  King shrugged. “Do I need to?”

  Bowers opened his mouth, but King cut him off, his voice low.

  “Choose your next words carefully.”

  “You think I can’t have you removed?”

  It was an empty threat, and they both knew it. King removed his cell phone from his pocket and held it out to Bowers. “I have the General’s personal cell phone number if you’d like to give him a call and let him know that the man he insisted be here to look after his son, and rightfully so, is being removed because he asked that you provide his son with food he can eat.”

  Bowers spun on his heels, left the room, and slammed the door behind him. With a heavy sigh, King turned, cursing under his breath when Leo got out of bed, a wave of dizziness almost knocking him over. King caught Leo and held him up. “What are you doing? You need to stay in bed until you’ve eaten and are feeling better.”

  “I need to get back to work,” Leo insisted groggily. “I’ll be fine.”

  “You can barely stand.”

  Leo sighed and let his head fall against King’s chest. “I’ve caused you enough trouble.”

  “First of all, you haven’t caused me any trouble at all. Second of all, you haven’t done anything wrong, Leo. What you’re asking for isn’t outrageous. They should be taking better care of you.” He ran a hand over Leo’s head, his fingers slipping into the soft brown locks now that Leo’s hat had fallen off when King had laid him down. Leo clutched at King’s shoulders as King wrapped an arm around his waist and held him firmly. King felt Leo tentatively place his fingers on King’s waist before he slipped his arms around King. It was almost as if he were afraid of getting too close to King. What was Leo afraid of?

  Maybe the same thing you’re afraid of.

  King swallowed hard and tightened his hold around Leo. That’s not what this was. He was just concerned for Leo. His affection toward the young man had nothing to do with personal feelings. He’d been sent to look after Leo, and that’s what he was doing. Nothing more, nothing less. His duty.

  “This op has been a disaster from the start,” Leo murmured.

  “Bowers probably wasn’t the right guy for this assignment.”

  “Bowers?” Leo tilted his head, his big brown eyes searching King’s for something. Why did Leo have to gaze at him like that? Like King held all the answers, could do anything, make everything better. No one had ever looked at him in such a way. Like he was everything they needed.

  “Yes. Something like this requires patience, the ability to understand and adapt, which you’d think someone in his position would have spades of, but—”

  “He’s never met someone like me.”

  King laughed softly. Talk about an understatement. “I’ll bet he hasn’t.” He shrugged. “His loss.”

  Leo’s smile was radiant, and it thawed something deep inside King. Not wanting to let his thoughts wander into such dangerous territory, he opted for remaining silent.

  “Thank you, King.” Leo buried his head into King’s chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  King closed his eyes. What the hell was he doing? Putting his trust in anyone outside of Leo would be foolish, but the question he worried about most was, could he trust himself? “I think you should sleep in my room.” That certainly wasn’t a step in the right direction. Jesus.

  Leo’s eyes were so huge they looked like they might pop out of his skull. “What? Your room? Why?”

  “For one, your room is bugged. Two, outside of you, I don’t trust anyone here, which means I don’t want you out of my sight.”

  Leo licked his bottom lip, and King stifled a groan.

  Control. Calm. Control.

  “And, uh, where are you going to sleep?” Leo asked, his voice almost a whisper.

  “Floor.”

  “What?” Leo’s scandalized expression was sweet. “It’s concrete.”

  “I’ve slept in worse places, believe me.”

  Leo frowned at him, his expression resolute. “No.”

  “No?” King tilted his head, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  Leo peered at him. “I mean, no. I’m not sleeping in your room if it means you sleeping on the floor.”

  King arched an eyebrow at him. “Where else am I supposed to sleep?” The bed was barely big enough for him, much less both of them, and why the hell was he even contemplating the possibility of sleeping in the same bed as Leo? Bowers would love that. March in here and find King spooning Leo. Christ, he wasn’t helping himself at all.

  “What if we bring in my mattress?”

  King blinked at him. “Your mattress?”

  “Yeah. You sleep in your bed, and I’ll sleep on my mattress on the floor. Deal? Great.” Leo beamed up at him. “You have the best plans.”

  “Wait, what just happened?”

  “We came up with a plan.”

  King’s lips quirked up in the corners. “Is that what that was? Seemed like I came up with a plan, you shot it down completely, came up with your own, insisted it was my idea, and now we’re bringing your mattress in here.”

  Leo squeezed King’s biceps. “Actually, you’ll be doing the heavy lifting. I mean, it’s just a twin mattress. Not like it’s a couch or anything.”

  King’s laughter echoed through the room. He helped Leo over to the bed, shaking his head in amusement at him. “All right, smart guy. Sit your butt down. You need to rest.” King pointed to the end of the bed. “You mind if I stay?”

  “You want to stay?”

  Why did Leo sound so surprised? Did he not believe King when he’d said he didn’t want Leo out of his sight? “If that’s okay with you. I want to make sure you’re okay and that they bring you the right food order.”

  “Oh.”

  King peered at him. “That sounded like a disappointed oh. It’s okay. I can go and come back once you’re up.”

  “No, that’s not it. I’d like you to stay.”

  “Okay.” King sat at the end of the bed and pulled himself back until his back hit the wall. “So why the sad-puppy look?”

  Leo grimaced.

  “Talk to me, Leo.”

  “Nothing. It’s stupid. I was kind of hoping you wanted to stay because of me.” His eyes went wide. “I didn’t mean that how it sounded. I meant maybe you wanted to spend time with me, like hang out. Oh God, that sounded even worse. How lame is that? Like, hey, do you want to come over to my house and play video games? Man, I suck at this.”

  “At what?”

  Leo flailed his arms. “At this whole peopling thing.” He winced and put a hand to his head. “Ow.”

  “I’m people?” King asked, holding back a smile. Did Leo have any idea how damned cute he was? He was nothing like any of the guys King had ever been with. Leo reminded him a little bit of Jay, his executive assistant. They were about the same height and build, but Jay was far feistier and sassier. People often underestimated Jay, believing his slighter frame and pretty features made him an easy target, until they pissed him off. By the time they realized they’d been messing with a tiger and not a kitten, it was too late. King hadn’t seen Leo’s fierceness yet, but he knew it was in there. There was a hell of a lot more to Leopold de Loughrey than even King knew about. Yet.

  “Well, yeah. No, I mean, you’re not regular people,” Leo stammered. “Not that you’re not normal or something, but what is normal anymore? I meant, you’re… um, I’m not sure. What were we talking about?”

  “How about we start with friend?”

  Leo smiled. “Okay. Um, friend?”

  King chuckled. “Yes?”

  “What if you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?”

  King moved his gaze to the small patch of floor where the mattress would go, between Leo’s bed and the bathroom. “Well, since you’re going to be on the bed—did I forget to mention that in my plan? No? Anyway, try not to step on my head.”

  Leo blinked at him before bursting into laughter, the sound warm and infectious.

  “Now get some rest. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

  With a nod, Leo lay curled up on his side, his back to King, and within seconds, his breathing evened out and he was asleep.

  Outside of his family, King had never felt so at ease around anyone. His head told him it didn’t make any sense—Leo was a stranger—but his heart told him that wasn’t true at all. Leo wasn’t a stranger. King had been hearing about him for years. It was as if the young man had grown up around him without actually being there. Over the years, since King and his remaining brothers had returned, the General kept in touch with King. He was the only one who checked up on them, who offered to help in any way he could, the only one King believed when he expressed his deepest regrets. King hadn’t accepted the man’s guilt or his offers to pay medical bills, but he accepted stories of his family because they always lifted his spirits.

  Even now, thinking back on those conversations made him smile. When King had been at his lowest, when the darkness seemed ready to swallow him up, as if knowing, the General would call and regale him with tales of Leo’s latest adventures. The General had invited King to his home in Michigan several times, but as much as it pained him, the General was part of his past, a past he’d wanted to leave buried where it belonged. Never in a million years would he have expected to find himself here, with the young man who’d brought brightness to his days without even knowing it. Leo had been an extraordinary little boy who’d grown into an amazing man.

  Leo let out a little sigh as he rolled onto his back, straightening his legs and draping them over King’s. His lips were slightly parted as he slept, his hair a mess, and he’d forgotten to remove his glasses. King leaned in and gingerly removed them so they wouldn’t get crushed. He closed one end and stuck the other into the collar of his shirt. Looking at Leo, he was just a regular guy. Brown hair, brown eyes, a slightly crooked grin, which made him appear younger than he was. But inside was a brilliance that could outshine the sun. Leo was kind, sweet, awkward, and… scared. He needed King, and King would do everything in his power to see Leo through this.

  Chapter 4

  Don’t stare. Don’t stare. Don’t stare. And definitely don’t drool!

  Was this a test? It had to be. Had he expected King to sleep in his tactical pants and boots? He hadn’t been thinking about it when King went into the bathroom with a change of clothes. It really wasn’t fair. How was Leo supposed to think, much less sleep, when King was dressed in a snug long-sleeved gray henley and loose pajama pants that very clearly outlined his perfectly rounded ass. His feet were bare, and his hair was a mess from having washed it when he showered. King looked up, saw him, and stopped in his tracks. His eyes traveled over Leo, and Leo could have sworn he felt the caress as if it had been King’s fingers. He shivered, despite not understanding the reason behind King’s reaction. It couldn’t be because of Leo. He wore what he always wore to bed, a comfy baseball tee and charcoal-gray pajama bottoms. King was the one obscenely dressed. Okay, not obscenely, but definitely distracting.

  What did it say about Leo’s social life that today had been one of the best days he’d had in forever? Maybe not that whole fainting incident, but everything that came after. As instructed, lunch had been brought to them, and the food had been amazing. All stuff Leo liked. They ate on the floor picnic-style and talked. King told him about his brothers—the four Kings, Jack, and Joker. Leo couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much. He’d never known anyone who was as easy to talk to as King. Leo didn’t have to try to explain himself. Somehow King knew what he was trying to say, and making King laugh quickly became Leo’s newest mission in life. There was something about seeing those little lines appear at the corners of King’s bright blue eyes that brought Leo inexplicable joy.

  After eating, King insisted Leo take another nap. If Leo were honest with himself, the one thing that made this whole experience bearable was in the form of a no-nonsense ex-Green Beret with a stare that could freeze the balls off you, and a smile that Leo could fool himself into believing appeared around him.

  Earlier that afternoon, once Leo was feeling better, he’d gone back to work, and as promised, King never left his side. Even when Leo had to go to the bathroom, King accompanied him, waiting outside for him. He’d become Leo’s shadow. No one harassed Leo, and Leo was able to finally immerse himself, coming out of his trance when he got thirsty or hungry, and then whatever he needed was there, King made sure of it.

  The rest of the day flew by, and Leo would have stayed at his desk into the wee hours of the morning like he had every day before King’s arrival had King not brought him out of his mind cave with a gentle touch to his cheek. Leo had blinked up at him, and at King’s soft “Time for bed,” Leo stood and followed him without hesitation. He hadn’t even been fully awake, but he hadn’t questioned King. Leo would follow him anywhere. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? He didn’t know anything about this man, only what few details his father had given him. No, that wasn’t true. In the short time King had been here, Leo had learned more about King than he’d learned about the majority of the people in his life outside his father and sister.