Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

Carver stands and takes a step toward me as I slide the half-eaten plate of spaghetti onto the coffee table. He perches his ass right on the table beside the plate and meets my stare. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but that spare room upstairs is all yours. You can stay there as long as you’d like.”

I nod, feeling as though I’m in some kind of daze. “Thanks, I … how … how do you know that?” I ask, my brows furrowed. “There’s no way Kurt came right out and admitted to that.”

“He didn’t,” Carver says, something darkening within his stormy gaze, something sinister and downright scary. “We got it out of Knox. After what happened last week, he was more than helpful in handing over the information we needed.”

“But he … he told Sam where to find me?” Carver nods and something dies within me. I let out a sigh. “I guess some people never learn. I hope you really beat the shit out of him this time.”

A breathy scoff flies from between Grayson’s lips and I can’t help but look over at him to see a grin pulling at the side of his mouth, his eyes sparkling with a peculiar darkness that has something warming inside of me. How have I never noticed just how fucking handsome Grayson is? Don’t get me wrong, he blew me away the second I laid my eyes on him, but when that darkness flashes in his eyes, mixed with that lethal, teasing grin, it just hits right. It’s a shame he hates me so much.

I stand up and watch as all four of the guys stand with me. “I just, umm … I think I need a little space to take it all in,” I tell them before reaching past Carver and grabbing the spaghetti. I turn on my heel and start stalking out of the room, bypassing the kitchen to dump the plate.

I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do now. I can’t go back to Irene and Kurt’s place. If they knew I’d been saved and returned, they’d only try to sell me off again. Besides, what’s to stop Sam from trying to get another five million out of me?

I’m screwed. I need to figure out where the hell I go from here because there’s no way I’m staying here for much longer. The guys have been amazing, and for some reason they have had my back since the second I came to this godforsaken town, and while I feel that I can start to trust them, I don’t trust whatever this Dynasty bullshit is. I want as far away from it as I can get, only I don’t think that’s going to be possible, seeing as though Dynasty now owns me. I’ve suddenly just become one of their interests, and I’m sure after paying so much for me, they’re going to want me to pay back my debt sooner or later.

I find my way back to the stairs and am about to start making my way back up to the spare bedroom when Cruz appears from across the foyer. “Hey, wait up,” he murmurs, keeping his voice low.

I pause on the bottom step and wait for him to catch up. “What’s up?” I ask as he steps into me, his hand on my lower waist.

“I just wanted to check in,” he says, keeping a straight face for only a second before his usual flirty grin stretches wide across his face. “That was probably a lot to take in, and just so you know, I’m here if you want to talk, or maybe need something to get your mind off things.”

I step back and smirk up at him. “My, oh, my. Cruz Danforth, you wouldn’t be trying to get into my pants the day after I was rescued from a sex trafficking ring?”

His eyes bug out of his head. “Oh, fuck. When you put it like that, I sound like a fucking dick.”

I can’t help but laugh and step up onto the next step to put me eye to eye with Cruz. I lean into him and press a kiss to his cheek, unable to resist him. I don’t know what it is about him, but something keeps pulling me in. He’s dangerously lethal and intimidating as hell, but there’s also an innocence about him that I so badly want to protect.

“Thanks,” I whisper, watching as Grayson passes behind us, his stare heavily on the way Cruz’s hand lingers at my waist, making me wonder if, to Cruz, this is a little more than just innocent flirting. “Maybe I might take you up on your offer. I always love a good … chat.”

A grin stretches across Cruz’s face, and before another word can slip from between his lips, I make my way up the stairs and find my way back to the spare bedroom, which has now been declared as mine. I close the door behind me, and as a wave of unwanted and haunting thoughts and memories take over my mind, I crash down onto the soft bed and desperately wish that things could be different.