Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

Without another word, he unlocks the doors and gets out of his car, making his way up the stairs. I stare after him. There’s no way I’m going anywhere with him, not after that bullshit he just pulled outside the club. Who does he think he is manhandling me like that? I’m not his little toy to just throw around whenever the fuck he wants.

Carver reaches the top of the stairs before I finally let out a sigh and climb out of his stupid car. I make my way up, assuming that he’s given up and left me the hell alone, but as I push through the door, I find him waiting right in the foyer.

His stare filled with authority and promising that if I were to do anything but follow him, I’d quickly regret it. He turns on his heel and I follow his lead, my fists pulsing at my sides as I imagine just how good it’d feel to knock him out. But something tells me that the four guys who live under this roof are the kind of guys who I couldn’t even come close to in a fight.

Carver leads me right through his home until he’s pushing into a dark room. He steps around the open door and flicks the light, filling the room with clinical brightness. I stare around the home gym, equally as impressed as I am confused. What the hell does he think he’s doing bringing me in here? Does he plan on tying me to his stupid weights and closing the door so no one can hear me scream, making it impossible to sneak out again?

I walk deeper into the room, and Carver silently closes the door before walking over to a set of cupboards and rifling through it for a minute. He holds something in his hand as he makes his way back over to me, and when he grabs my wrist, I try to yank my hand free, but he’s far too strong.

Carver starts wrapping my hand in tape before moving onto the next and all I can do is stare. He peels off his shirt and stands before me with that lethal stare in his eyes and I can’t hold my tongue a second longer. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“You wanted a fight, so fight. Hit me.”

A blank stare sits over my face. “Are you fucking stupid?”

“No. But you clearly are,” he snaps back at me. “Now fucking hit me. Work out all your bullshit anger so I can go to bed without worrying that you’re going to sneak out again.”

I shake my head. “No. I—”

“You need to hit something to feel better. So, take it. Stop being such a little bitch about it and take what you need. HIT ME.”

My fist slams against his rock-hard chest and he takes it like a fucking man, but I don’t stop, laying into him over and over again until my body starts growing weak. Carver doesn’t relent, he doesn’t even flinch even as my fists start to turn his chest and stomach an angry shade of red.

Tears fall from my eyes and the anger pulses around me, easing with each blow until I can no longer hold myself up. I crumble, falling to the ground, but before I hit rock bottom, Carver catches me, scooping me into his capable arms.

I curl into his chest, panting, desperately trying to control my wild emotions as he walks us straight out of his home gym and up the stairs. Carver bypasses my room and takes me straight to his, placing me down on his bed and taking off my tight clothes.

He pulls one of his big white shirts over my head, and I go crashing down into his blankets as he moves in behind me, holding me as I quickly fall into an exhausted sleep.

CHAPTER 25

“Ohmigod,” Ember screeches as she bulldozes her way through the students early on Thursday morning, the high shrill tone of her voice eating right through my skull and instantly reminding me that I spent the majority of my night sneaking out of a mansion, killing an asshole, going down on Cruz, making a dick of myself with Carver, only to then sneak out again, get called a whore, and then attempt to hand the same douchebag his ass and epically fail.

My night sucked. But it’s a new day and all my issues are put behind me, at least I hope. Starting from this afternoon, I can go back to Ember’s place and try to figure out what the hell to do from there. I doubt her parents are going to let me crash in their spare room for much longer, not that I’m ever there much. The majority of the time, the boys find a way to make me stay with them.