Page 69 of Cruel Crown

He smiled at me, pressing a kiss to my cheek before he kissed my lips. He was a maximum contact kind of guy—it wasnice.

“I quite like the feeling. Keeps me on my toes.”

“You like that I hurt you?” I raised a brow.

“I like that you make me feel.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

“Fuck, Petal, why do you have to make me hard when I can’t fuck you?” He said it whining. That warmness I felt earlier came back, spreading even further on my body. There were many sides to Gideon, and this one was one I wasn’t used to, but if I wasn’t careful, it was the one I would let myself attach to the most.

I’d been denied affection all my life, and I was afraid I was going to suck it all up and leave him with nothing.

Because I wanted to fuck with him, and I got off on the fact that he reacted so easily to me that I reached out for him. My hand went to his chest, and I glided my hand down feeling the contours of his chest. His abs constricted as I made my way down them.

“Petal,” he said in a husky tone.

I didn’t say anything, just let my hand wander to his crotch where I caressed his hard dick through his jeans.

Before either one of us could say anything, the door opened. I was about to remove my hand, but Gideon grabbed my wrist before I could and held me in place.

“Well, if you two are about to fuck, I guess you’re feeling peachy,” Bas said, voice laced with humor.

Since Gideon wasn’t letting me go, and I had a feeling it had more to do with a pissing contest more than anything, I craned my neck so I could look at Bas.

“Brief me,” I said, ignoring his comment and the fact that Gideon seemed to grow under my touch. I glared at him, and he just smirked.

“Are we going to pretend like you aren’t stroking his dick?” Bas said before he jumped on the bed. The action made the bed shake and made me whimper.

Gideon let go of my wrist only to smack Bastian on the head. He then sat next to me.

“Whoever did this to you isn’t fessing up. No one has gloated about it, and I’m not sure if Damian knows, but he seems to be busy with an arrival. The only one who I’m sure knows something or was involved is Francesca.”

That didn’t shock me. Since I’d thrown it in her face that I was an original, her hate for me had grown deeper. It wasn’t just jealousy because I was better than her but because she wanted to know why Damian was so fascinated with me. Like Gideon, I was sure she had come to the wrong conclusion.

“Why do you say that?” Gideon asked.

“Because she’s been looking for Daphne all day.”

I nodded because that was so like her.

Gideon and Bas shared a look, and it was weird seeing the two of them interact like they had known each other for a long time. I’d noticed Gideon could do that with anyone, and I wondered if it was because he was used to reading people and emulating their emotions that it created a sense of ease and trust.

Mostly I wondered if all the things I read on his file were true.

“What don’t you want to tell me?” I asked.

Bas was the one who spoke while Gideon looked thoughtful. “Damian gave the announcement that we leave for our camping trip tomorrow.”

Our camping trip was more of a war zone preparation. We got divided into teams, took rubber bullets to fend off the enemy, and then we had another weapon in case we ran across wildlife.

We were one well-oiled machine.

“Get Roman in here,” I told Bas. He turned to give Gideon an “I told you so” look.

“For fuck’s sake, you’re not going into the fucking wilderness. You are in no condition to be out in the open.” There was irritation mostly but with a hint of worry.

I looked at him, and I wondered if what we were doing was even worth it? I had much to do, but I couldn’t worry about his reaction every time I stepped on his toes. He had to learn to deal with the sting of pain because he knew who I was, and he should know that he couldn’t change me.

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