Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

My lips press into a tight line and I shake my head. “Why’d you bring me here?”

Cruz shrugs his shoulders, his lips twitching right at the sides. “I don’t know. I figured you’d be happier scowling at me all day here than spending your Saturday in that shitty house you’ve been staying at.”

Fuck. He has a really good point, one that I can’t deny holds every ounce of my interest.

“So,” he continues, holding up the keys to my Ducati, a cocky little shimmer lighting his flirty eyes that I can’t seem to resist. “What’s it going to be? Are you coming in or do you want me to put these keys back where I found them?”

His eyes shine with laughter and I remember that the dickhead had somehow pulled them straight out of my bra, though how and when that happened, I have absolutely no idea.

Without another word, I find myself sliding off my bike and balancing my helmet over the handlebar before following Cruz up the steps. By the time we reach the top, my thighs are burning and I can’t help but stop and turn around, taking in the impressive view, one that I’m sure would be even better from the top balcony that sits three floors above my head.

My position from the top of the stairs allows me to see right down the long, private street, overlooking each house, like I’m standing in some kind of boss house.

“Come on,” Cruz rumbles from behind me, irritated with how long it’s taking me to get from point A to point B.

I glance back to find the massive front door wide open and watch as Cruz walks into his home. I follow behind, gaping and gawking with every step I take. I’ve never seen anything like it.

The foyer alone is bigger than Irene and Kurt’s entire home, and the sound of my heeled boots echoing off the marble floor just tells me how much more of this place I have to explore. Though I can’t deny the one thing I notice about it—it’s quiet, like deathly quiet.

“Are your parents home?” I ask, following Cruz through to the main part of the house while being equally as blown away.

Cruz scoffs. “I haven’t seen those assholes in at least six months.”

My eyes bug out of my head, and for some reason, I feel as though maybe I have just one thing in common with this guy. I haven’t seen my parents in forever, though that’s because they were killed in a fire, not because they chose to be away from me. “That must suck,” I comment. “Being away from them for so long … I don’t know, if mine were still alive, I’d do everything I could to have them in my life.”

He shrugs off my comment and walks deeper into his home. “It really doesn’t suck as much as you think it does. Parents like mine … sometimes it’s just easier without them.”

“So … what? You just live in this big empty house all by yourself?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, most of the time I just crash with the boys. Our parents … they’re all … they work together,” he states, almost struggling to find the right words to use. “They’re all gone, so me and the boys just stick together, but the older we’ve gotten, the longer they seem to stay away, which is fine. We learned to survive on our own and we like it better this way.”

I nod, feeling as though the conversation isn’t open for comments, and when he doesn’t look back and just keeps walking through the house, that becomes startlingly obvious. I’m left wondering if the absence of his parents is a little touchier than he’s letting on, but more so, what the fuck is it that all of their parents are doing to afford properties like this?

I silently follow him, taking in all its glory as I go until he walks into a beautiful sunken living room with the biggest TV I’ve ever seen. He looks down into the room before nodding to one of the couches. “Here, make yourself at home. All the remotes for the TV are in the drawer of the coffee table and the kitchen is fully stocked, so feel free to rummage through it.”

I start walking down the three steps into the sunken living room when I notice he’s not coming with me. “You’re not staying?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I have a few things to do, but I’ll be around if you need me. Just call out.”

“Okay, cool,” I say watching as he turns on his heel and stalks out of the room. I flop down onto the massive couch and instantly sink into it. A groan slips from my lips and my eyes roll into the back of my head. “Hooooly fuccccccck,” I moan under my breath. I don’t think I’ve ever laid on a couch this comfortable in my life. It’s like falling into the softest clouds, clouds that I never want to get out of.