Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

The very thought of feeling weak has my gaze shifting across the quad to the four boys who hover around a table, all four of their eyes already on mine. No wonder I feel so freaking weak all the time. What girl wouldn’t with their intense stares on them like that?

I seek out King, knowing that when I look at him, a sense of power usually shoots through me, and when his stare turns into one of pure desire, I get exactly what I’m looking for. I raise my chin, finally beginning to feel somewhat like myself.

I slept over at the non-Cruz mansion. It was nearly eight last night when Ember finally decided that it was time to go home, and after offering me a lift, I kindly declined and somehow ended up crashing in the massive master bedroom. It was the first good sleep I’ve had in … shit, I can’t even remember how long, but knowing the boys were close by had me feeling safer than any girl in my position ought to feel.

Despite my usual confidence slamming back into me by means of a male’s appreciation, I can’t help but finally feel good about myself. I spent the night sulking about my situation after drinking way too many cocktails by the pool with Ember, but now I’m ready to get back on track.

I have four random guys wanting to play hero in my life, two of them blatantly hating me, one wishing he could hate me, and the other hoping he could flirt his way into a good time. Though, I bet he could. With eyes like that, mousy brown hair, and a smile that completely knocks me off my feet, all he’d have to do is promise me a good time and I’d be all his. Well, for the night that is. I’m not into the whole boyfriend thing. Being stuck with the same possessive guy night after night isn’t my thing. I’ve tried that too many times to count and every time it’s failed so hard that the few days spent together wasn’t even worth the struggle.

A grin begins creeping across my face, and as King’s eyes bore into mine with the overwhelming reminder of the two times we’ve been together, everything clenches within. “Hey, do you have King’s number by any chance?” I ask Ember, wondering if King would be down for a quick screw behind the bleachers or maybe in the back of Carver’s Escalade.

“Umm …. I don’t know.” Ember’s face twists as she tries to remember exactly whose numbers she has stored in her phone when she looks back at me, her brow slowly raising as a smug grin pulls at her lips. “Why?”

I feel my cheeks flame and feel like such a dork. I don’t think my cheeks have ever blushed so much in my life. I swear, before I came to Ravenwood Heights, I didn’t even think I was capable of blushing, but here I am.

My gaze flicks back to King’s and I bet he can tell by the grin on my face exactly what I’m thinking. “Umm, so I can—”

“Umm … hey Winter,” a timid voice cuts through my musings and I whip my head back around to find Knox stepping into my side, hovering over me with his arm in a sling, a crutch under his other arm, and his face all different shades of black and blue.

I instantly get to my feet, my sudden need to have King bend me over and fuck me until I cry completely gone from my mind. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snap, grabbing Ember who stands beside me and dragging her ass away from this creep. I sense four imposing bodies creeping in behind me, and although they keep far enough away to let me run the show, I still want to throat punch each and every one of them. “I thought the message to stay the fuck away from me was clear.”

“Yeah, I … yeah, it was,” Knox stammers out. “I guess I was hoping that we could talk.”

A throat clears behind me and I watch as Knox snaps his gaze up to Carver’s. His eyes bug out of his head and he starts to back away, but this isn’t over yet. For Knox to think that he can come and talk to me the very day after I kicked his ass, then he clearly didn’t receive my warning very well. I have absolutely no intention of hearing him out, but if anyone is going to scare him away, it’s going to be me, not any of the imposing asshats behind me.

“Say what you need to say,” I demand, taking an obvious step to the right and placing me right in front of Carver, making a point that I run this show, not him, which only serves to make something clench deep within me, knowing my move would have Carver raging on the inside.