King's Treasure (Oil Kings Book 3) by Marie Johnston (great novels .TXT) 📗

sun streaming through the small window, Savvy’s exhausted face was clear. I hadn’t noticed the circles under her eyes before. She was ready to drop.

“Here.” I dug a clean T-shirt out of a drawer. “I’ll go grab your bags and see what they have for food.”

“Thanks.” She sounded as tired as she looked.

I left before her naked body gave my dick any more ideas. She needed rest more than she needed sex. I grabbed her bags but didn’t stop for food. I could find something while she was getting dressed.

As I jogged back upstairs, I hoped things didn’t get awkward between us. Or that our lust-induced haze didn’t make barely having a roof over our head seem less dire than it was.

I pushed open the door. Savvy was curled on her side, fast asleep, wearing my shirt with the towel over her long legs.

She was on top of the covers. I set down the bags and took an extra blanket from the closet and covered her. Then I sat on the bed and let my mind wander. It wasn’t often that I got the place to myself.

Savvy breathed softly beside me. We were together now. Newlyweds with our whole future ahead of us, however long or uncertain it was. And we had no idea what we were doing.

Chapter 14

Savvy

My muscles strained. I pulled, tugged, shifted my weight, but I couldn’t reach my goal. If only . . . All I needed was another inch, maybe two, but I couldn’t fucking do it.

“Need help?” Rina’s catty voice broke into my concentration.

It was just the push I needed to get the heavy limb I was dragging over the mound of earth that’d been tilting my way.

“Nope. I got it.” I had no clue how much farther I could pull this log.

Xander appeared next to me, frowning. “Let me grab a hacksaw and get those branches off for you. It’ll be easier to drag.”

“What about your work?” Rina’s pout made me fantasize about scraping it off with those branches Xander was going to cut.

“It’ll get done,” he said tightly. Annoyance crossed his features as he shot a glare at Rina.

Rina could’ve mentioned that these branches and fallen trees would be easier to clear away if I cleaned up the limbs first. I should’ve thought of it myself, but my scraped and bleeding hands were telling me that no parts of me were used to this.

“I can do it.” I dropped the ragged end of the branch. It was longer than I was tall and the base wasn’t bigger ’round than my thigh, but it was heavy—for me. Xander could’ve cleared it within minutes.

“You . . .” Rina moved her arm back and forth. “Saw?”

“I can saw.” How hard could it be?

Xander’s expression went neutral before he turned to grab the saw. Rina stalked off.

It’d been a week since I’d arrived. I’d been put to work the next morning. Eris had had me help with dishes. At least I knew how to do that. Mostly. She had some tips and was a patient teacher.

There was only so much to do in the house. Kosovo had four seasons and there was a lot of work to be done to get the cabins up and the trails manicured for campers. They needed me outside more than sweeping the already clean floors.

“Here, let me show you.” He squatted and he couldn’t look sexier if he tried. Muscles flexed under denim and his shirt stretched over his shoulder. Today was cool, but with the work we did, there was no need for sweaters.

“I can do it.”

He looked up and squinted at the sun dappling through the healthy trees. “I know you can, but I’m not Rina. I’m not going to throw you into the fire and walk away.”

She’d do that too. Rina didn’t flirt with Xander anymore. She’d given up on him. Her focus was me. Hector’s initial insight had been correct. Rina wanted a challenge, and scaring me off of manual labor and out of Kosovo was her next one.

It wouldn’t work.

It might work.

My arms shook each night when I carried my plate to the kitchen and helped Xander do dishes and clean up the meal. Then I gave myself a cat bath to keep from using their well water for a fifth person in the house they hadn’t planned on. I was usually asleep before Xander entered the room. No chance to test how quiet I could be when we were having sex.

I brushed stray hair off my face. I’d thought about cutting it twenty times in the last week, but Rina kept her hair long and managed not to look like she was dying every day. So no haircut. I kept it piled on top of my head and hoped that I didn’t miss brushing out the bits of debris that got caught in it before I went into the house.

Rina liked to point them out.

Xander positioned the saw. “These limbs are pretty small, so it shouldn’t take too long. I know it seems self-explanatory to just saw back and forth, but you have to get a sense for pressure versus speed. The blade is thin and can bind if you wiggle as you’re sawing.” He moved the blade, adjusting the angle a few times before the limb hit the ground.

“Looks easy enough.”

He rose and handed the saw to me, handle first. “It is. Don’t worry.”

I was more worried about looking inept in front of Rina.

The girl got under my skin. I couldn’t pinpoint why. It wasn’t because she’d tried for Xander. I mean, look at him. Wide shoulders. Powerful legs. Hair long enough to give him the bad-boy appeal, but anyone who talked to him would see what a good guy he was. Besides, I knew what he looked like naked. In the shower. In bed. On top of me. Behind me. She didn’t.

Yeah, so jealousy wasn’t it. But Rina’s treatment bothered me.

I squatted like Xander and started to saw. It was simple, but there was a