Mr. King [Book 1]

Twenty-Nine

"Your naked body is exquisite, Miss Mason," Mr. King breathed against the bare skin of her collarbone as his body pressed against hers.

Katherine shuddered as his words, so low and sensual, caused goosebumps and tingles to skate across her flesh. She watched as he leaned up, and noticeably cocked his eyebrow at her.

"Do you enjoy the sound of my voice, Miss Mason?" He asked in realization, sliding his fingers up her arm.

"Mmm," she purred. Very much.

"Does it turn you on, Miss Mason?" He implored, his low voice dropping an octave, causing dopamine to tingle in her brain. Oh, god. So much.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed, answering truthfully.

"The sound of my voice... does it make you wet?" He breathed huskily against the sensitive flesh of her neck as his lips skated across it, his stubble causing her over-stimulated skin to burn as it made the same journey as the face it was attached to.

"Oh, god," she moaned lowly, her body shuddering again.

She felt the palm of his hand slide down her belly and sink into the front of her panties.

"Just as I thought," Mr. King breathed in her ear before he nipped at it. All she could do was moan. This man had her hook, line and sinker. She was a mess for him.

"Always a pleasure, Miss Mason," he breathed against her earlobe, and the words reverberated through her mind.

Always a pleasure. Always a pleasure. Always a pleasure.

Katherine's eyes opened quickly, realizing almost immediately she had been dreaming. As far as she could tell, it was still night. The sky was still dark, the moon still high. But after a dream like that, sleep was the last thing on her mind.

She tip-toed out of her bedroom, on a quest to get a glass of water, when she noticed a dim light coming from the living room. She quietly walked toward the light and found Mr. King sitting on one end of the large L-shaped couch looking pensive and sad. Her heart broke a little bit seeing him look so lost, knowing he was thinking about his ailing father.

She took another step closer, but immediately stopped herself. Was it really her place to comfort him? She wasn't his partner. She wasn't his family. She was just the hired help. But she couldn't seem to stop her own two feet from bringing her closer and closer to him. She was so drawn to him, she couldn't help herself.

Her heart was beating heavily in her chest as she walked around the couch, coming into view. Mr. King's attention was on her instantly, though his facial features didn't change, almost like he wasn't surprised to see her.

Without a word, she sat down next to him on the couch, leaving just an arms length between them. He didn't react to her presence, he didn't speak, he didn't move a muscle.

She wanted to ask him about his father, but she didn't want to burden him further. She knew he left the UK while his father was still not fully recovered, but she wondered if he had received more news since then. Katherine could read the worry all over his face and knew she couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Are you okay?" She asked carefully, trying to read him.

"Yeah—" he replied, his voice cracking from disuse. He cleared his throat and looked up momentarily at her.

"I'm alright," he assured her.

"Okay," she whispered, nodding her head in understanding.

They both fell silent for a few moments, her heartbeat never evening out. There was a lump in her throat from the back-up of words she wanted to say to him.

"Do you want to talk?" She offered.

His vision met hers again, sending her another stoic look. She wished he would just open up. She knew it would help him.

"No, love. I don't want to talk," he answered quietly.

Her whole body tingled from the nickname. He had never called her 'love' before. She'd never heard him use the affectionate epithet before in all the time she'd known him.

"Okay," she breathed, falling silent again.

The apartment was so silent. It seemed foreign to her. There were always people moving about, whether it be her, Mr. King or the security staff. It just seemed so eerie to only be able to hear her breathing and the beating of her heart.

"You're playing with fire wearing so little around the house at night," Mr. King commented, pleasantly surprising her with his words. She bit her lip as she looked at him, every nerve in her body reacting to their meaning.

Katherine watched as he leaned toward the side of the couch and pulled out a gray cashmere blanket, draping it over her bare legs.

"It's cold in here," he added, letting his hand linger on her thigh for a few moments before he finally pulled it away.

"I wouldn't think you'd have an issue with what I'm wearing," she quipped under her breath as she adjusted the blanket to cover the entirety of her lower half.

"You have no idea," he remarked curtly, making her mouth go dry. But with another look in her direction and the sideways smirk that came with it, she relaxed next to him, leaning her head against the back of the couch.

Minutes tick by as the two of them sat next to each other in the dimness and quiet. Katherine wanted to say so much. She wanted to do anything to make him feel better. But somehow she knew that her just being there next to him, being there for him was enough.