Forbidden King: A Small Town, Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 3)

IT WAS like something straight out of a movie. Kingston let out a scream, and Cutler shouted at us.

“Uncle King got stung by a bee!” The concern in Cutler’s voice was impossible to miss.

“No fucking way,” River hissed and jumped to his feet.

Nash moved quickly, as well, and ran to grab Cutler to calm him down. Demi and Peyton were consoling him, as the rest of us followed a crazed Kingston into the house, screaming about needing someone to grab a credit card.

River pulled a credit card from his wallet, as a frantic Kingston dropped to sit on the toilet.

“They release venom after they sting you. Get the fucking stinger out of me.” He yanked his shirt off, chucking it onto the floor before pulling the waistband on his trunks down low enough to expose the stinger. My eyes widened as I took in his impressive six-pack before moving down to the deep V, leading to a large red circle with a white center that was already starting to swell.

“Dude. You need to relax, or I can’t get the stinger out if you’re acting like a fucking lunatic,” River hissed, and I heard laughter from behind me and turned to see Romeo and Hayes, and I shot them a warning look.

This could be serious.

Before I could process what was happening, Kingston slapped the credit card right out of River’s hand, and it went flying through the air before landing at my feet.

“Holy shit,” Ruby said against my ear. “He’s losing it.”

“Don’t fucking touch me, River!” Kingston was frantic, and it felt like I was in the midst of a rom-com gone bad.

I picked up the credit card, and his gaze locked with mine. “Let Saylor do it. Everyone needs to get the fuck out. Now!”

“Good luck,” River said, as he slipped past me, and I stepped forward.

Someone must have pulled the door closed because we were suddenly alone. He sat on the toilet, dark eyes blazing. “Do you see it?”

I dropped to my knees, moving between his thick thighs, and handed him my phone after turning on the flashlight so I could get a better look.

“Keep the light right there. I can see the stinger,” I said, as my fingers grazed over the little patch of dark hair leading down to his… bee sting.

He sucked in a breath as I moved closer. My heart raced, and it sure as hell wasn’t because I was worried about getting the stinger out. I placed a hand on his muscular thigh before realizing I was dangerously close to his penis, which was now straining against his swim shorts. My eyes shot up to his.

“Fuck, Saylor. I can’t help it. Just get the damn stinger out.”

I nodded as I positioned the hard plastic just above the base of the stinger. I didn’t want to drag it out because I knew he was freaking out. I pressed the credit card beneath the point of the stinger and lifted. The stinger came out on the first try. “Got it.”

“Oh my God. It’s swelling. And it fucking hurts. What if the venom goes to my dick, and I have to get it amputated?” His voice was part tease, but I heard the fear that he was trying to cover.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. It seems to be working just fine.” I glanced over at him as I dropped the stinger onto a piece of tissue. I reached for my phone and stood beside him. “Let me google it and see what we need to do.”

“How bad is it?” he asked, his head falling back and eyes squeezing shut.

“It’s definitely swelling,” I said, as I looked in the cabinets and found a washcloth and some hand soap and turned on the water. “The first most important step is removing the stinger, which we did. You were correct. The venom pumps into you until you remove the stinger. Did you know that only female bees can sting you?”

“Well, that makes sense. Typical woman. She had her eye on my dick,” he said, his voice quiet as he sat completely still, waiting for me to tell him what we should do next. “I think River keeps Benadryl here for me. Can you look in the medicine cabinet?”

I searched through the cabinet until I found the bottle of Benadryl.

“Okay, found it.” I handed him two pills and filled the little cup beside the sink with water, and he popped them into his mouth and took a sip.

“Thank you,” he said.

“I need to clean the area with some soap and water.” I grabbed a washcloth and turned on the water before moving back between his thighs. I gently dabbed at the swollen area as his head fell back, and he closed his eyes again. I blew lightly across his skin to try to soothe him, and his head shot forward, eyes open now.

“Jesus, Saylor. You can’t do that.”

“Oh.” I startled, noticing something else swelling beneath his trunks once again. My God. This thing had a mind of its own. “I’m so sorry.”

He leaned back again, staying completely still as I set the washcloth on the counter and dropped to sit on my butt. I leaned my back against the wall, putting some distance between us.

“Sorry about that,” he said with a chuckle. “He clearly likes you. Don’t tell Hayes about this because he’d probably cut it off before the doctors amputate it.”

It was my turn to laugh now as I continued reading on my phone. “That’s a little dramatic. Nothing is getting amputated. We just need to watch for a bit to see if you have any other symptoms.”

“Such as?”

“Shortness of breath is the big one. You’ve got some swelling, and I should probably go get some ice for that.”

“No. Please don’t go. And I don’t want everyone coming in here and giving me shit right now. I know I’m ridiculous about bees, but I’m not in the mood to be razzed at the moment.”

I nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at me. “How about we just sit in here for a while and wait to see if anything happens? I’ll text Ruby and ask her to bring a little bag of ice, and I’ll tell her not to let anyone come in here right now. Would that work?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” He was quiet, which worried me because Kingston was rarely quiet or at a loss for words. But his breathing was fine, and the swelling wasn’t getting any worse, so I figured that was a good sign.

I sent the text to Ruby, and she said she’d be right over.

There was a light knock on the door. I opened it, and she peeked inside. “You okay, King?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Just don’t bring that dickhead brother of mine in here right now. I need a minute, okay?”

“Absolutely. Can I tell everyone that you’re okay? Cutler is pretty freaked out.”

“Yeah, tell my little dude I’m fine. I’ll be out in a little while.”

She nodded and handed me the bag of ice and she mouthed the words thank you. I gave her River’s credit card before she turned to leave.

She pulled the door closed, and I moved back over to kneel between his legs. I traced my fingers lightly over the skin around the raised area, wanting to soothe him any way that I could. I set the bag of ice on the swelling and continued tracing around the area with my free hand.

A light moan left his lips, and I sucked in a breath. “Is that bothering you?”

“No,” was all he said, his voice gruff. “It feels good.”

“Good, I want to help,” I whispered.

Why was I breathing so heavy? Why was I touching him?

As if we both realized it at the same time, his head shot up, and his hand took the ice from me. “I’ve got it.”

“Okay. Great.” I pushed to my feet and moved to the sink, washing my hands, just because I needed a distraction.

Pull yourself together.

I dropped to sit against the wall again, leaving distance between us. I wanted to know why he had a dandelion tattoo, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask about it.

“Do you remember the first time you got stung? It must have freaked you out to make you this anxious all these years later.”

“Yeah. It was maybe a year or two after my parents were killed. River and I were playing outside, and I’d climbed a tree and must have run into a hive or something. I don’t fully remember. But I do remember them flying around me and surrounding me, and River yelled for me to jump down and run. I only got stung once, which I guess was lucky. But it was right on the rim of my eyelid.”

“Oh my gosh. That’s terrible,” I said. “What did they do?”

“I don’t remember much aside from my grandmother crying hysterically after they removed the stinger. They rushed me to the hospital because I’d swelled up. I just have this vivid memory of hearing her say over and over that she couldn’t lose me, too.”

I knew that Kingston and River had moved to Magnolia Falls and were raised by their grandparents after their parents died in a car accident.

“And you were okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. They kept me overnight because my tongue and lips swelled, and they just monitored me. I’m probably being a big pussy. I’ve been in bar brawls that left me in much worse condition than this,” he said with a chuckle, lifting the ice pack and shaking his head.

“Hey, don’t do that.” I pushed up on my knees to inspect it.

“Do what?”

“Make less of what you went through. That’s scary for a little kid. And allergies are no joke. I think it’s best to be cautious.”

A wide grin spread across his face, all the anxiety gone now. “Of course, you do.”

I found another clean washcloth and dabbed at the area, drying off the remnants from the melted ice. My eyes scanned up his ripped abdomen before I could stop them, and I cleared my throat and forced my gaze back to his. “It looks like the swelling isn’t getting any worse.”

“Yep. I think I’m going to live.” He reached down and grabbed his tee and pulled it over his head. “I guess I’ve got to go out there and face the music. They’re going to have a field day with me, aren’t they?”

“Just ignore them. They just like to give you a hard time. But I saw the concern on River’s face.” I dropped the washcloth into the wicker hamper.

Kingston pushed to his feet and leaned down and kissed my cheek. “It’s all good. Thanks for putting up with me.”

I nodded, and he pulled the door open.

Everyone turned to look as we walked into the room.

“Do you still have all your parts?” River asked, his voice all tease.

“Yeah, thanks to Saylor, everything is still intact.”

The room erupted in laughter, and everyone started hugging him and making their rounds. The party had come to an end, but they’d all waited to make sure Kingston was okay.

As much as they joked and teased one another, these friendships ran deep. I’d known these guys most of my life, and they were loyal to the core.

“I see medical skills are also one of your many talents,” Jalen said, as he smiled down at me. He really was a beautiful man, aside from the horrific choice of swimwear. I’d been stunned speechless when he’d dropped his shorts and donned the bright red banana hammock. But he was clearly proud of his ripped body, and he liked showing it off.

“I don’t know about that. I guess I’m good with credit cards.” I chuckled.

“You want a ride home?” Hayes interrupted and moved to stand beside me.

“I brought her here, and I’d like to take her home, if that’s all right with you, Saylor?” Jalen asked.

“Yeah. Of course. I’m ready when you are.” I shot my brother a look to back off.

I hated that he treated me like a child. It would take time for him to adjust to me living back here and realizing I was a grown woman now.

The guilt I had regarding my brother was heavy. He’d been forced to grow up at an early age, and he’d stepped up for me. Over and over again. He’d taken on a parental role when we were young, and I think he’d found it difficult to accept that I didn’t need him to do that for me anymore. But as much as his being overly protective bothered me, it didn’t compare to the fact that my brother had been robbed of a childhood in order to preserve mine.

So, at the end of the day, I could tolerate him being ridiculous at times, because he was the only family member I had who had showed up for me without fail, time and time again.

I ran my fingers over the dainty gold evil eye necklace that he’d gotten me before I left for college. He’d said it would keep away all the bad guys when he wasn’t around, which had made me laugh. But I’d worn it every day since, because I loved it, and I loved him.

We said our goodbyes, and everyone walked out together. I watched as Selena linked her fingers with Kingston’s, and for whatever reason, my hands fisted at my sides. I was used to seeing him flirt with women, and I knew that he was not the settling-down type, but I didn’t like seeing someone hold his hand, which was outrageous of me.

I had no claim over this boy.

This man.

I never had.

I never would.