Forbidden Fate (Crowne Point 3)

“You have no idea what I’ve been doing. What I’ve done. What I will continue to do for you.”

“Then tell me. Don’t keep me in the dark any longer. Don’t lie. If you lie to me again—”

“Tomorrow I’m forcing my grandfather’s hand.”

Tomorrow.

That sounded too good to be true.

Suspiciously like a happily ever after.

“How?” I didn’t like how he was speaking, the darkness in his eyes. “Grayson, how?”

He looked away. “I don’t want to lie to you again, little nun. But I know if I tell you, you’ll try and stop me.”

Panic crawled up my chest. “Then don’t do it.”

He gripped my cheeks between his palms. “I’m not letting you go anymore. You can’t stop me. I’ll marry you, Snitch. We’ll finally be free to love and start our family in the way we’ve always dreamed.”

“I-I…” I stuttered, frozen between needing that dream to come true, and being deathly afraid of whatever Grayson was about to do. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Run away with me, Snitch. Be my wife. Be mine.”

“I can—”

“Don’t say you can’t.”

Grayson crashed his lips against mine.

The snow froze in the air, the world melted away, and all I knew were his lips. He tangled his hands into my hair, pulling me closer.

We’d been denying it for so long and giving in was stardust in my veins. His groan was whiskey down my throat, rough and sweet. His grip was iron, and I could feel the restraint even as he dragged me closer.

I sighed into his mouth. “More.”

I felt the faintest quirk of his lips against mine.

A smile.

He slanted his mouth, diving deeper, giving me more. More tongue. More teeth. More Grayson. Before I realized it, my hands were fisted in his rose gold hair, my thigh across his. He pulled back, a dark, needful look in his eyes, as though he was two seconds from laying me flat to the bench.

“You are it for me,” he said roughly. “You will always be it for me, Story Hale.”

“How do you know? How do you know we’re not just bad? I’m…” I’m kissing another man…in love with another man… “I’m a terrible wife. Maybe we would be bad together.”

“All I’ve done with Lottie since day one is fuck up my marriage. I’m the worst husband. But I know I would be great to you. I know I would, Snitch.”

“Maybe we’re just bad people,” I whispered.

“You would be the be

st wife, Snitch.”

“How do you know?”

His eyes dropped to my lips, jaw tight.

“Because I wouldn’t have to keep restraining myself. I’d have what I want. She’d be in my bed every goddamn morning.”