So why the fuck does he think he has the right to touch me after all the bullshit he’s put me through? Fuck him.
My jaw clenches as the door fully opens and Cruz looks back at me as the guys start making their way out. “You coming?”
I pause a beat, still looking into the shadows and feeling Carver’s silent, deadly stare on me, wishing more than anything I could find him just so I could make him feel even an ounce of the pain I’ve been suffering through over the past four days.
Not able to figure out where the fuck he is in this big elevator, I reluctantly turn back and walk out with the guys. Feeling the first rays of sunshine to hit my skin in days, I’m instantly pissed off that I can’t enjoy it right now.
“What’s wrong?” King murmurs, making the other two glance my way with concern marring their devilishly handsome faces.
I look back at the elevator, but just like everything else that’s gone down between me and Carver, I keep it to myself. I don’t know why I do it. It’s not like Carver has ever asked me not to say anything, and King and Cruz have already expressed that they’d be cool with Carver sharing too. So why do I find it so hard to talk about?
There’s always been something deeper with Carver. It was a different kind of intensity than what I experienced with the others, but he made sure to destroy that. There will never be anything like that between us again, despite how fucking magical it felt having his lips against mine.
“It’s nothing,” I tell them, continuing down the long path that leads to the main entrance of our crazy little world. “Now, get me home. I want to shower and feel human, and then you assholes need to tell me exactly what’s been going on around here.”
CHAPTER 8
The hot water rushes down my skin as the soapy loofah roams over my body and helps me feel human again. I tip my head back and close my eyes, groaning as the shampoo rinses from my hair.
“Fuck me,” a low groan sounds from the bathroom door.
A sultry smile cuts across my face and I don’t bother opening my eyes. I’d know that low, raspy tone anywhere. “Are you coming in?”
Within seconds, Cruz’s clothes are lying scattered around my bathroom floor and he steps into the warm shower, his hands instantly taking my body. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he tells me, his voice soft and filled with lust. “I don’t know if you’ve worked this out yet, but I’m so fucking happy that you’re out.”
I step closer into Cruz and open my eyes. “Careful,” I tell him. “It sounds like you’re dangerously close to falling.”
His eyes become hooded as he watches me, his thumb gently moving up and down on my waist. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
My heart swells, his words sending butterflies soaring through my stomach and making me feel things that I don’t think I’m ready for. I place my hand against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath. “Maybe,” I murmur, watching as his brows slowly draw down. “Your father seems to think it’d be the end of the world.”
“My father doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about,” he tells me before letting out a sigh and bringing his hand to my chin. He runs his thumb across my bottom lip. “I heard what he said to you, but I have to admit, I didn’t think you were the type to get pulled into the bullshit traditions.”
“I’m not,” I whisper, moving in a little closer and feeling his body pressed right up against mine. “I don’t give a shit about their stupid rules of having babies and creating an heir, but despite how much you play it down, it means something to you.”
Cruz’s gaze drops from my eyes and I can practically see the thoughts filtering through his mind. He lets out a soft sigh and leans against the cool tiles of the shower before pulling me with him. “You’re right,” he murmurs. “I do. I’ve been raised with these values and it’s always been drilled into me that producing an heir to carry on the Danforth name is the most important thing in the world.”
“So, why’d you let yourself get so close to me?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “To be perfectly honest with you, I didn’t even realize it was happening until it was already too late. It was just innocent flirting. It was fun and we both fucking loved it, but now you’re making me question everything.”
“How so?”
His tongue slips out and runs over his bottom lip, and I realize he’s trying to give himself a second to consider his response before accidentally saying the wrong thing. “I’ve told you before, Winter. I’d fucking do anything for you,” he tells me, pausing a moment to let that sink in. “Even if it means giving up my seat at the table.”