Page 1 of Kinks of a Billionaire
Prologue
Willow, 18 Years Old
Ikneed my boyfriend in the balls—hard—and grabbed my purse.
“You fucking…” he wheezed, but I didn’t wait to hear the remainder of his words. I bolted out of his room as he doubled over in pain, my pulse roaring in my ears while my brain chantedstupid, stupid, stupid. I shouldn’t have come, but I never could have fathomed Hudson would get so handsy. So violent.
I ran from the manor, overflowing with drunks and debauchery, holding my ripped shirt together. It wasn’t until my feet hit the wet grass that I realized I’d forgotten my shoes. I pulled my phone from my purse, tripping over the flat ground in the process.
Coming to a stop at the lookout, I gripped my phone tighter. The pounding rain soaked me to the bone as I looked up at the lightning scattering across the gray sky.
The storm cast an ominous glow over the Bethesda skyline, and if I squinted, I could probably pinpoint where the apartment I shared with my best friends sat in the distance.
There were probably worse things than being stranded an hour from home in the middle of a storm while wearing a torn-up shirt and having to call your parents for a ride. But right now, I couldn’t think of a single one.
Standing on the grassy hillside, I could hear laughter and music coming from inside the home, the party still in full swing. After my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—attempted to manhandle his way into my panties, I kneed him so hard his howl could have been heard all the way in Virginia.
I couldn’t stop shivering, my teeth chattering both from the cold and my deep-seated anxiety. Tears stung my eyes as I hovered my finger over my mother’s number. She would be so disappointed, but I was out of options. I couldn’t call Sailor because her sister, Anya, was due to have a baby any day now. She might be my best friend, but I wouldn’t let her risk missing the birth of her niece or nephew. Aurora had an internship she’d just started, so she would be tied up until at least ten o’clock, which would mean standing outside this godforsaken estate for another three hours. No way.
I mentally scrolled through my options, but I knew there were none. I’d have to bite the bullet and call my mother if I didn’t want to stay by myself, alone, in the middle of nowhere after dark.
Just as I was about to press the call button, a name flashed across the screen, and my heart stopped. I scrambled to answer before my brain could process my motions.
“Royce,” I murmured into the phone, my voice quivering. I’d never been happier to hear from my best friend’s brother who I’d had a crush on since my first year of high school. There were so many days and sleepovers we’d had at Aurora’s place, her gorgeous brothers overseeing it. But none of them were as gorgeous as Royce with his bad-boy vibes.
“What’s wrong?”
My defenses instantly flared. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“Your quivering voice is a pretty good indication.” It didn’t surprise me he’d caught on to my inner turmoil. Royce had a sixth sense for trouble, and he’d known me and my friends to get into trouble once or twice. “Besides, I can tell when you’re lying and upset.”
I sighed in resignation, pinching my brow.
“I… I went to this party. With a b-boy.” My stuttering was embarrassing, but the fact that I put myself in such a stupid position was even more so. “H-he… t-tried… and I didn’t w-want?—”
Thunder boomed, shaking the ground, and I whimpered, searching for any possible shelter other than the damned house I just came out of. The wind swept through, bending the branches of nearby trees.
“Where are you?” I winced at the anger in his tone, but I told him anyway. I had nothing to lose at this point. The raindrops splattered, making my words tremble. “Drop me a pin with your location. I’ll come and get you.”
My shaky fingers made it a nightmare to pull up the app, but I managed to eventually. I dropped the pin and heard a beep on his end. Screeching tires followed right after, telling me he was more than likely breaking one—or a few—traffic laws.
“Y-you got it?”
“I did. Stay on the phone with me. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Th-thank you,” I murmured, my teeth clacking. Aurora’s brothers were the most reliable; they’d always had the ability to put us girls at ease growing up. Yes, they were overprotective and a tad scary at times, but I wasn’t going to complain about that in my current desperate state. “How come you called?”
A rustling noise came from his end just as the rain began to ease, turning into a soft drizzle.
“Aurora and Byron are on the way to the hospital. Anya’s having her baby.”
My eyes widened in horror. “Now?” I shrieked.
Byron was Aurora’s brother, but he took care of all of us. When Sailor’s sister, Anya, got pregnant, he didn’t judge. He didn’t coerce her to tell him who the father was. He just ensured the best OB/GYN in the D.C. region had tended to her. The Ashford name had opened a lot of doors for him, and he never hesitated to use that benefit to help others too.
“Yes.”
“Where? Did someone call her sister?”
