Page 26 of Cross’s Reckoning

His mouth takes mine as he rolls us, but I shove his shoulder.

"No."

He immediately stills. I push him onto his back again and straddle him. Understanding flashes in his face, and his hands stay on my hips while I guide him inside me. This time there is no stretch of uncertainty, no moment where either of us needs to stop. My body already knows his.

I set the pace and Cross lets me, at least for a while. His fingers eventually tighten against my skin. "You're killing me."

"Seems a bit dramatic."

"You've met me."

I laugh, and he uses the moment to pull me down for a kiss. Pleasure builds beneath the humor, slow and heavy rather than frantic, until talking takes too much effort. His hands move over me without taking control away. When I change the rhythm, he follows. When I need more, he gives it.

This isn't surrender, and it isn't victory either. It's us finally meeting in the middle. The thought is dangerously close to sentimental, so I stop thinking and move faster. Cross swears, one hand sliding between us. The extra touch pushes me over first. I bite down on his shoulder as the orgasm rolls through me, slower than last time but deeper, leaving me shaking against him. Cross lasts only a few movements longer. He pulls me down against his chest afterward, both of us breathing hard.

I smile into his neck. "I win."

His laugh vibrates beneath me. "You were keeping score?"

"Always."

"Should've known."

Suddenly, things get noisy outside. Shouts start across the yard, and a few minutes later somebody pounds once on the door.

"Perdition on the road," Judge calls from the hallway. "Five minutes, maybe less."

Every trace of warmth inside me turns sharp.

Cross sits up. "I still want you to stay here."

I climb off him and reach for my clothes.

"Not a chance." He looks at me while I pull on my shirt, and for a second I think he's going to argue again.

Instead, he grabs his cut. The stripped leather goes over his shoulders, only his name left where Perdition used to be. I walk toward him and smooth my fingers once over the CROSS patch.

"Ready?"

"As ever," he says.

Outside, the compound is already moving toward the gates because my father is coming to finish the war he started. This time, I'm going to be standing on the other side when he arrives.

CHAPTER 6

CROSS

By the time Lola and I reach the front of the compound, Kingdom Come is already in position.

The rushing around is over. Bikes have been moved away from the gates, weapons are out and men are spread across the yard instead of bunched together waiting to become easy targets. Kane stands at the front with Judge beside him, both of them watching the road.

Kane looks at Lola. "You sure?"

"Very."

He nods and leaves it there. I could probably learn something from that, but I still move closer to her.

The first engines carry through the trees less than a minute later, and Lola stiffens beside me. I glance at her. "Last chance."