Crown of Ghosts (Lost Kings MC Book 19) by Autumn Jones Lake

Author:Autumn Jones Lake [Lake, Autumn Jones]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ahead of the Pack, LLC
Published: 2021-07-14T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Serena

I’ve never cuddled with someone this much. Grayson and I are like magnetic Velcro. Neither of us strays far from the other. While I’m in his arms, all the possible problems seem far away.

The lighting in my bedroom is low, so I reach over to tap the lamp on my nightstand.

“Fuck, that’s bright.” Gray squeezes his eyes shut while I stretch and press the button to dim the light.

“Better?”

He cups my breast, rubbing his thumb over my nipple. “Much. Goddamn, woman. You’re perfect in every light.”

Laughing, I push him back and sit up. “You’re not so bad yourself.” I tap right below the newly inked skeleton key on his chest. It’s a heavy, dark piece. “I like this a lot, by the way. That’s why I turned on the light. So I could study your new ink better.”

Instead of sharing some tidbit of information about the meaning behind the design, he sighs and absently rubs over the key. “I wanted to cover Rose’s name as soon as possible.”

Did he? Wait. “Is that why you didn’t want to…sleep with me for so long?”

He stares up at the ceiling for a few heartbeats. “Maybe.”

“You didn’t have to cover it for me.” That had to be expensive and painful. “I would’ve…understood.”

“It was time.” His voice turns distant.

An ugly thought snakes into my head. “Grayson?”

He’s busy studying my tits again, and I blow out an annoyed breath to regain his attention.

He lifts his eyes. “Have mercy on me. You’re gorgeous, and I haven’t had much beauty in my life, Serena.”

Now I feel even shittier for what I’m about to ask. “I’m not a way for you to get over your ex-wife, am I? A placeholder or substitute?”

His eyes widen in shock and he stares at me.

“No. Fuck no. Jesus.” He tugs on my hand. “Get over here.”

I shift closer but not close enough for his taste. He grabs my hips and lifts me, guiding me over his legs until I’m straddling his blanket-covered lap. Vulnerability scratches at me like steel wool. I’m not only nude, but I’ve exposed one of my biggest fears with that question.

He brushes my hair out of my face. “Is that how I make you feel?”

“No.” Cherished is how I feel with him but that’s too big to say out loud. “Were you disappointed that she wasn’t waiting for you?”

“Disappointed isn’t the right word. In the moment, I felt foolish. But now, I’m relieved.” He shrugs. “We hadn’t seen each other in fifteen years so I should’ve seen it coming.”

“She never came to visit you?”

“I didn’t want her to see me in there. Or get targeted by anyone inside. I did enough to ruin her life. I didn’t need people coming after her when I wasn’t there to protect her.”

“Then why did you…?”

“We wrote letters.” His mouth twists, and he glances away. “Hers were superficial and short.”

“And she never mentioned she had a husband and kid?” It seems a bit cliche to criticize his ex, but that’s so cold.

“No. Not even a hint.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.