I drag myself up off the floor, and as I make my way out of the master bedroom, I hear the soft thud of the front door closing. I pause, my heart beginning to race. Who the fuck would that be? Realizing that it’s most likely one of the four morons from down the street, my wild heart begins to ease and I listen out as I cautiously make my way back to the grand staircase.
“Yo, Winter?” Cruz hollers through the house with a flirtatious invitation drumming through his tone. “Where is that sweet ass of yours?”
A grin stretches across my face, remembering the afternoon we shared with King and the agreement we made to allow this thing to work.
“Upstairs,” I call back, listening to his soft footsteps as he makes his way through the house.
I reach the stairs and instantly make my way down them, stopping halfway when I find Cruz approaching, taking in all the handsomeness of his fine body. He really is a work of art, all four of them are. “Can I help you?” I ask, slowly picking up my pace again and walking down the stairs at a snail’s pace.
Cruz raises an intrigued brow, watching my every step. “You can hurry up and get your ass down here so I can make sure you’re alright.”
“Alright?” I question. “Why the hell wouldn’t I be alright?”
Cruz’s stare tightens and a flicker of worry appears in his eyes before it’s instantly dismissed. “Carver told us about your night, and you know ...” he says, indicating around the massive foyer. “I’m sure it was a lot to take in.”
“Understatement of the year,” I grumble, reaching the bottom step and walking right into his arms. His hands fall to my waist as he looks down and meets my eyes. “You should have told me the second I got here. No—” I cut myself off. “You should have told me years ago instead of letting me get swept up in the foster system. I’ve always felt lost, never knowing who I was. You guys could have done something about that.”
“Believe me, I know,” he tells me, his thumbs moving back and forth over my skin. “I’m not thrilled about the whole situation either. I wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t my place, it wasn’t even Carver’s to share this with you last night, and I don’t doubt that he’s going to get his ass handed to him for coming clean.”
My lips pull into a tight line. “What is this? Are you hoping that I get down on my hands and knees and kiss Carver’s feet for stretching the rules for me? Get stuffed. I’m not going to worship him for telling me something that you all should have been honest about from the very start. Sure, I’m grateful that I finally know, but I’m kinda pissed.”
“I know, babe, and no. No one expects you to go and kiss his ass for telling you. You’re completely right. Dynasty never should have put you in the foster system. You should have been here all along, right here with me. You’re one of us.”
I let out a heavy sigh and drop my ass to the bottom step. “It’s just … I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in. Twelve hours ago, I was the poor orphan girl with a shitty life, and all of a sudden, I have this whole world that I never knew existed, and I finally belong somewhere. I’ve never belonged anywhere.”
Cruz drops down beside me and instantly pulls me into his lap. “You’ve always belonged here,” he murmurs, his hand curling around my neck as his eyes bore into mine. “You just never knew it.”
He pulls me in until my forehead is resting against his. A beat passes before he raises his chin and softly brushes his lips over mine. “You never did tell me if you were alright.”
“I think I was avoiding the question.”
Cruz just nods, reading me like a book and sensing that I’m not ready to talk it through “What do you need from me?” he murmurs, his gaze boring into mine, filled with an intensity that I can’t quite handle.
“I just need you to help me forget.”
“Consider it done.”
And just like that, his lips press firmer against mine, swallowing any further conversation and wiping every last thought from my mind. All that exists in this world is him and the way he touches my body.
Cruz’s hands roam over my back, sinking down to my ass and squeezing it tight as I grind down on his lap. He pushes my hair over my shoulder, freeing my neck for his lips to travel down and claim it for himself.
I feel his cock hardening beneath me, and I groan as he grinds it up against my pussy, my head tipping back as my eyes close with overwhelming pleasure.