Page 34 of Royal

I jumped off the couch and ducked beside it, hiding even though there was no way anyone could see me. The blinds were closed and the curtains pulled shut over them. No one could see into my house.

The knocking continued.Thump, thump, thump.

“Royal?”

Sharply releasing the breath I’d been holding for the past million years, I went to open the door. Grayson stood on the other side of it, not looking like his usual cocky self. Something had happened. My gut tightened as I thought of the possibilities.

Another dead body, maybe?

“What in the hell is so important that you come to my damn house at two in the morning and—”

Grayson grabbed my face with both hands and crushed his lips to mine, pushing me into the house as he did. I was too stunned to do anything but let him. He kicked the door closed and reached to lock it before shoving me against the wall in the living room.

He tasted even better than I remembered, but he felt just as warm.

His lips melded to mine in a heated kiss, taking away every reserve I had about why it was such a horrible idea.

I whimpered against his mouth as memories flooded back to me: Grayson kissing me under the stars. How he looked at me like I was the sun and he the planet merely orbiting it. On a planet with over seven billion people, we’d managed to find each other. We’d fallen in love, and I’d felt like I found my missing half.

Then that half had been ripped away from me, leaving me shattered and lost.

Grayson’s lips moved on mine—slow, then fast. Hard and then soft. His short beard tickled a little, but I didn’t mind. I wound my arms around him and tugged him closer. His front pressed to mine, and my dick filled.

Then, I remembered Grayson lying on the bed, as a half-naked twink straddled him. How he’d seen me walk into the room, and yet he kept kissing the other guy, knowing how much he was breaking my heart.

I broke the kiss and shoved him away.

Grayson stumbled back a bit before righting himself. He didn’t say anything. I could tell from his expression that he knew why I was pissed. He couldn’t expect to kiss me and make all the fuck-ups from the past any better.

“Why are you here, Gray?”

His eyes stared into mine, eyes that’d always been my weakness. He’d gotten his way so much in the past because of those big, brown beauties.

Well, he won’t be getting his way tonight.

“I needed to see you.”

“Why?” I crossed my arms over my chest, creating a barrier between us. A physical one to match the emotional one he’d often thrown up to keep me away from him.

“Can we cut the shit?” He slowly walked toward me but stopped when I moved out from the wall and went to stand near the couch. “I know you feel it, too.”

“Feel what, exactly?” I asked, putting as much bite into my tone as possible. “Confusion over you being here? Yeah. Anger over you kissing me and trying to act like you didn’t fucking break my heart all those years ago? You gotta be specific, Gray, because I’m chockfull of feelings right now, but none of them are good.”

Grayson’s jaw tightened.

“What about you?” I asked. “What areyoufeeling?”

He only stared at me.

“Typical. Hiding behind your wall again.”

“I’m not hiding,” he snapped, coming toward me.

I didn’t flinch or back down. His intimidation techniques didn’t work on me.

“So, say what’s on your mind.” I glared up at him.

Gray’s nostrils flared as he breathed through his nose and pinned me with a hard stare. And then he did what I never expected him to. His face crumbled, and he slumped to the hardwood floor.