Page 32 of Ruthless Queen (Crooked Paradise 3)

Kaige just grinned, unoffended by his friend’s domineering act. “Got it, boss. I’ll keep her way too busy to even think of setting foot outside these doors.”

Wylder’s grip tightened just a smidgeon, but whatever jealousy he might still have over my connection with the other guys, it wasn’t much. He released me and motioned to the others.

Gideon grasped my hand and squeezed just for a second, a show of affection that was unusual enough coming from him to startle me. “I’ll get everything worked out—better this time.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said, but he didn’t reply to that.

Rowan stopped in front of me, holding out the piece of paper he’d been doodling on. “Just… a reminder that there were better days before, and there’ll be better days again,” he said awkwardly. The second I took the paper, he hurried out after the other guys, shutting the van’s back doors behind him.

I unfolded the paper, and a softer smile crossed my face. It was a cartoon drawing of a sun and a cute little kitten lying on its belly under its rays. Yeah, someday, maybe I could be that relaxed.

I turned to Kaige and noticed he’d laid out the sleeping bags not beside each other but fully unzipped with one on top of the other, like a single mattress topped by a blanket. I raised my eyebrows at him. “You just assumed we’re sharing a bed?”

He aimed one of his cocky grins at me, as if nothing in the world could be all that wrong. “Don’t go telling me I was wrong now. You’ll break my heart.”

I snorted, but I didn’t actually mind anyway. Being in this small space so close to him, feeling the heat of his gaze on me, a little of my tiredness fell away behind a flare of desire. Maybe a little of his bedroom skill was just what I’d need to put all the craziness of the night behind me.

I slipped under the top sleeping bag, and Kaige scooted over beside me. He slipped his arm behind my head. His fingers stroked over my shoulder, but his voice softened. “You know, it’s okay to be scared once in a while. I’m fucking scared of this Xavier dude every now and then. It keeps us humble.”

I tipped my head toward him, letting my forehead rest against his cheek. “Since when are you humble?”

“Oh, all the time. I’m just very quiet about it,” he teased.

His other hand drifted over my thigh, drawing more heat over my skin through my jeans. But I couldn’t quite settle into the moment. Too many worries were niggling at me.

“How big of a problem do you think the whole thing with the waterfront property is going to be?” I asked.

Kaige shrugged, but I felt his body tense beside me. “Beats me.” The casualness of his tone sounded forced.

I turned over so that I was lying on my side, my gaze focused on him. Kaige looked down at me. Though adorable was not a word I’d normally associate with Kaige, that’s exactly how he looked tucked beside me in the van’s cramped space.

“Something about what happened there bothers you,” I said. “And don’t you dare say I’m wrong. I can tell.”

He made a dismissive sound, but his gaze flicked away from me. “It’s nothing.”

“Kaige,” I said warningly.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “It’s all in the past anyway. I just don’t like being around druggies or the people who turn them into druggies. My parents were… deep into some pretty hard stuff, and I saw how it changed them. I hate seeing other people pissing their lives away like that.”

My throat constricted. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Why’re you sorry? You didn’t do anything.”

But it obviously affected him a lot. “I know,” I said, struggling to find the right words. “But I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Tell me more about them. You know you can talk to me about anything.”

His voice turned teasing again. “Why would I want to talk when I can just do this?”

His fingers trailed downwards to my pussy. My breath caught at the sudden contact. I knew he was trying to distract me, but it was awfully hard to remember why I should mind when he was stroking all kinds of sparks through my nerves with his fingers running over my slit through my jeans. I wanted those fingers inside me.

He obviously wasn’t ready to talk. I could respect that. I’d get him to open up to me eventually.

I nudged my head up to kiss him and he met me halfway, pulling my body on top of his. He moved my hips up and down so that his crotch was lined up to mine, taking charge like he always did, and just like that I had no interest in talking anymore either.

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