Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

I watch King’s face in the moonlight, taking in his clenched jaw, not appreciating the way I challenge his friendship. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Oh, no?” I question, putting myself in front of him once again and raising a questioning brow, the excitement pulsing through my veins like a raging fire.

“No,” he says firmly, stopping me short. The fuck does he mean no? I was so sure. I know I didn’t read his signals wrong. Maybe I crossed a line, but I haven’t said anything that should set him off yet, especially considering that these guys are supposed to be able to handle it all. A comment like that should have just been shrugged off.

King takes my finger that still rests against his chest and throws me across the room, coming right along with me until my back slams up against my closet doors, his large body pressing up against mine. “I didn’t come here to fuck you, but if the offer of your sweet pussy is on the table, I’m not going to say no.”

I meet his eyes, my breath coming in hard, fast pants. “Then why the fuck are you here?”

He pulls back just an inch, his tongue rolling over his lip. “I came to warn you.”

I shake my head and let out a soft, disappointed sigh. “Well, there was no need. I got Carver’s warning loud and clear in the parking lot, but too bad for you, I haven’t changed my mind. If he’s going to insist on fucking with me, then I’ll be right there, ready to throw it straight back at him.”

He shakes his head. “Good, I hope you do. It’s been a while since Carver’s met his match, but just so you know, Carver doesn’t lose. None of us do, and we will end you if you push us to it.” King leans into me, his lips roaming over my skin. “That’s not the warning I’m here to give you though.”

“And what is, dare I ask?”

“Knox,” he says flatly. “Keep the fuck away from him. It’s one thing fucking with us, but screwing around with that prick is only going to get you into the kind of trouble a girl like you couldn’t handle.”

My brows furrow as I stare at him in shock. He’s got to be kidding me. My hands press against his chest and I push him away from me. “Okay,” I say with a roll of my eyes, stepping out from his hold. “This little game of yours just got old really fast.” I point toward the window as I cross my room and find my pack of cigarettes. “Get out of here. It’s one thing breaking into my room in the middle of the night and throwing yourself at me, but telling me who I can and cannot hang out with, that’s crossing a line. That’s some next-level Carver bullshit right there, and I’m so not down for it. I’ve got myself this far in life, I don’t need some douchebag coming and telling me what’s best for me.”

I pull a cigarette out of the pack and grab the lighter before slipping straight out of the bedroom window, sensing King following behind. I walk around the side of the house and light my cigarette before taking a deep drag. “What’s it to you anyway?” I ask, regretting not finding a pair of pants before coming out into the fresh air. Hell, even a pair of shoes would have been nice.

King grabs the cigarette and throws it to the ground before putting it out under his boot. He shrugs his shoulders, backing me into the wall once again. “It doesn’t mean shit to me,” he tells me, and from the harshness in his eyes, I’m inclined to believe his every word. “Hang out with the fucker if you want. It makes no difference to me if you get screwed over. That’s your business, but let it be known that I did my part. I warned you, and when it all goes to hell, no guilt will come down on me.”

His eyes bore into mine and the intensity instantly spikes between us. I study his stare for a moment, the silence growing between us, neither of us ready to say a word, but with each passing second, the desire pools within me.

I raise my chin, knowing that there has to be something more here. How could there not be? I know I only met the guy today, and so far, he really hasn’t said a single kind thing to me, but what does it matter? The sexual tension is off the charts, and if I don’t take him now, I fear that I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

“You don’t scare me,” I murmur into the night, hearing nothing but the sound of an owl hooting in the distance.