Page 66 of Tormented Kings
I’m gaping at him. “What?” he laughs.
“I’m just... wow.”
“What’s yours?”
“The same.” I laugh, my face lighting up with a smile. “For the same reason.”
He grins. “Huh. Seems like we’re meant to be, if you ask me, Pretty Girl.” He takes a fork full of pancake, covered in whipped cream, and brings it up to my mouth. “Try it now. It’s so much better when it’s sweeter.”
I shiver at his husky tone. Parting my lips to let him feed me, I hum with approval, enjoying the taste. “It’s different,” I whisper.
“Had caramel mixed in,” he tells me. When I’m done chewing, he grips my chin, eyes locked on mine as he holds me still so he can lean in. My breathing is shaky as he grows closer, tongue slipping out to lick my lips. My belly cramps, remembering the sinful things that tongue can do. “Had a little bit on your lip,” he murmurs, licking his lips as he pulls back.
“You’re killing me,” I whimper. The fucker just grins.
“I know, Pretty Girl. I love teasing you, getting you going and seeing you melt under my touch, my gaze.”
“That wasn’t smart to do. My mom or your dad could have walked in.” I lean back, hoping there are no staff members watching.
“They left for work about an hour before I slipped into your room to wake you up.”
“I thought they would sleep in after staying up so late. How did everything go with the cottage?”
“Good. They were able to get all the water out. Not much has been damaged item-wise, but the floors need to be ripped up and replaced. As for the pipes, it looks like they were just old and also needed to be replaced. They have some dehumidifiers drying everything out, then they can start working on it.”
“How long is it going to take?” I ask, continuing to eat my food.
“Eager to leave already, Pretty Girl?” he chuckles. “You just got here. Looks like I’m going to have to find some more creative ways to convince you to stay for as long as I can have you here.”
“I’m not eager to leave,” I correct him. “I think me staying here might actually be a good idea. With the guys’ crazy-ass father out to get me, being inside a secure property is probably the best option.”
“What changed your mind? You seemed so adamant before about staying at the cottage.”
“I think that was mostly because the idea of more change scared me. So much has happened in such a small amount of time; I felt overwhelmed, you know? It was too much at the time.”
“And now?”
I shrug, picking at my food. This stuff is filling after only a few bites. “This is my life. I think I need to come to terms with an ordinary life no longer being possible for me.”
“Oh, Pretty Girl.” He pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me and placing his head on my shoulder. “An ordinary life is no life for an extraordinary person. You deserve more, the whole damn world, if I can help it.”
And just like that, I think I fall in love with Grayson Taylor, my stepbrother. I’m so screwed.
The weekend is here, and I’m so excited for Halloween Horror Nights! This is my favorite time of the year.
With everything going on, it’s not just me and the girls this year. Declan, Grayson, and Preston are joining us, along with Emma’s boyfriend, Brent.
Collin was not too happy about the fact that he couldn’t come too. I wish he could, but being out with us like that, in the open, is too much of a risk.
He said that it was a risk for me to go anyway, but I shot that down. I’m with a group of friends and I don’t plan on separating from them. I don’t think their dad is gonna come after me tonight; there hasn’t been a new reason for him to do so. I’m not going to stop living my life in fear of that man. I’ll agree to the compromises with the guys about having someone with me so I’m not alone, but I won’t stop going out and living my life altogether.
If I did, I’d lose my mind. There have been so many changes already that I don’t think I’d be able to handle something like that.
“I love this place,” I sigh, the sun pressing down on me as we enter Universal Studios.
“Me too.” Declan steps up to my side. “I’ve never been to Halloween Horror Nights, though.”
“What!” I gape at him. “It took us less than two hours to get here. How have you never come here before?”