by Lacey Silks
“How do I know you don’t have copies?”
“You don’t.” Hunter’s voice carried like a winter’s breeze.
My father swallowed the rest of his drink, set the glass aside, and asked, “If we agree on this, can I count on you to take care of Gracie? As of now her name’s clean of this family. But enemies have a way of finding what they want.”
“Of course. As long as you keep your end of the bargain, that’s all we want.”
I nudged him with my elbow in his rib cage.
“And she gets to see her mother, without you guys. Anytime she wants to.”
They all looked at each other. For a moment I felt like my veins, wound like guitar strings, were about to snap from the tension. This was definitely a kind of family reunion I had never seen before.
“Deal. You can lower that gun of yours, Mr. Reeve. Accidents happen too often.” And with those last words, which seemed more like a warning, my father adjusted his suit and left the room. Ace and Axel followed him out, while Cash gave Scar what looked like a look of approval before grabbing the papers off the table. He turned to me, saying, “I meant every single word of our earlier conversation, Grace. My door is always open to you and I swear I will never do anything to harm you or make you afraid.”
I nodded. I did remember his words. The promise of a clean business and the need to have me in his life. While I wasn’t yet ready to give Cash the chance he was asking for, I would definitely keep an open mind.
The atmosphere in the room shifted as a long exhale of relief sounded. I wasn’t quite sure whether it was me, or someone else, or all of us, but for the first time since the day my salon was attacked, I was able to feel the tension leave my neck and shoulders. Soon after, Scar had left as well. Julian shook Hunter’s hand and patted him on his back before heading home. Tristan remained behind cleaning the place up, wiping any and all prints off chairs, tables and counters. They sure took their jobs seriously.
“You okay?” Hunter asked, wrapping his arm around me.
“Why would you do that, Hunter? You gave up everything.”
“No I didn’t. My everything is still here.” He lowered his mouth to mine for a lingering kiss.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered against his lips.
“It was the only way to get your father to back off. But I’m sure it’s not the last time we hear from them.”
“Me too,” I sighed. “What happened to Scar?”
“It was his idea. Everything.”
“Getting beat up?”
“Grace, he didn’t have a real cut on him. When he called me after we left the restaurant earlier this week, and explained his idea, I knew it was the perfect time to talk to your father.”
“Is it wrong for me to have hope for them?” I asked.
“Life without hope is life not worth living.” He kissed me again. “I, for example, hope to spend our one month anniversary in bed, with you.”
“It’s been one month already?” I asked, feeling my mood suddenly lift.
“Why do you have that wicked grin on your face?” he asked, as I stepped out of the room to where my good friend was waiting with open arms.
“I just need a few words with Emma,” I said to Hunter. “And then you can take me home. I love you, Hunter Reeve.”
“And I love you, Grace Brooks. I’ll see you downstairs.”
Once the elevator door closed I hugged my friend. “Thank you.” I couldn’t let go. Emma was the reason I’d been introduced to Hunter. I owed her one, and I’d make it my mission to find a man who was as right for her as Hunter was for me.
“You’re welcome. You don’t have to stress anymore.”
I bit my lip. Either Emma hadn’t realized that as of tonight I’d officially been seeing Hunter for one month, or she was playing it cool.
“Uh-oh. I don’t like that look in your eyes, Grace. What is it?”
“I always knew you had good instincts.”
“Why do I not like the sound of that?” she asked nervously. I pulled Emma to the side, making sure we were out of earshot of Tristan. If one of her brothers heard me, we’d be toast before I even got a chance to drive her out of the city to fulfill her side of the bargain.
“You’ve lost the bet, Em. I’ve been with Hunter for a full month now, and this relationship is not slowing down. It’s time for you to strip down and move those hips.”
“I hate you,” she said.
“I know,” I smiled back, thinking about the scummiest hole I could drag Emma to and make her strip. This was for the skydiving, kissing a stranger, letting a tarantula walk on my face, and anything else that Emma Cross would come up with in the future. She would definitely pay for it all.
* * *
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Grace and Hunter’s story. Crossed is a prequel to the Crossed Series. You can read about Emma and her experience on a strip club stage in Layers Crossed, then follow the series with Double Crossed and Crossed Off. As always, I love to hear from my readers. Feel free to shoot me an email or message me on Facebook at any time.
Lacey
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About the Author
Author of Erotic Romance, Lacey Silks writes her stories from life experiences, dreams and fantasies. She likes a pinkish shade on a woman’s cheeks, men with large feet and sexy lingerie, especially when it’s torn off the body. Her favorite piece of clothing is a ‘birthday suit’.
When she’s not thinking about writing steamy stories, which is a rare occasion, Lacey enjoys camping and skiing with her family (not at the same time of course). She’s a happily married wife blessed with two kids who adore going to the library. She’s an early bird by nature, but loves the nightly adventures with her hubby which provide good content for her books.
If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review. All authors depend on the support of their readers to find an audience. Make your opinion count!
More Work by Lacey Silks:
New Adult/Erotic Romance Novels:
My First, My Last: a stand-alone erotic romance novel
Dazzled By Silver(a prequel to the Layers Trilogy – FREE!)
Layers Deep (Book 1)
Layers Peeled (Book 2)
Layers Off (Book 3)
Crossed Series is a spinoff from the Layers Trilogy:
Crossed (prequel to the Crossed Series)
Layers Crossed (Book 1)
Double Crossed (Book 2)
Crossed Off (Book 3)
Short Stories
My Only One (Free eBook) | Bossy Request (Free eBook) | Dance With Me
Teacher’s Pet | Over The Limit | My Neighbor’s Will
Reality in Each Fantasy (Erotic Shorts 1-3) Collection
Reality in Each Fantasy (Erotic Shorts 4-6) Collection
Mistresses Series: Meet Claire, Casey, Lexie, Paige and Amber in 5 connected shorts in the “My Reason To Cheat” Series.
Coming Soon
When Things Go Wrong (short story)
Cheaters Anonymous
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Connect with Lacey Online:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laceysilks
My Blog: http://laceysilks.com
Facebook
Acknowledgments
Switching things up a bit :)
Writing this section is always most difficult. I’ve repeated the same words in most books, because honestly, you’ll always thank your parents, friends, children, spouses, editors, cover designers etc... And of course – I do. I thank them all for their invaluable input, support, faith and encouragement.
But I also want to say a few words about the fellow authors in my AA group (you know who you are). No, the AA has nothing to do with alcoholism ;) I’ve never met a better bunch of people from all over the world, who without judgement on where you
are in your career, share their knowledge, provide support, and encourage, making this publishing journey an exciting adventure. I will be forever grateful to you all. I look forward each day to chatting with you and learning from you. You inspire me to keep my butt in the chair so that I write.
To my readers: I love your emails and adore your excitement. Believe me when I say this, I not only write for myself, but also for you. There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve enjoyed my work.
To anyone who took a chance on my books – thank you!
To my family, I could not do what I love without you. Mom, your go getter attitude has rubbed off on me. Dad, your humour is infectious. Mike, “all you need is love”. Maya and Alex, you are who I live for. You are my life.
Back to Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
More Work by Lacey Silks
Connect with Lacey online
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