Crowne Legacy

Sly smirk. Heated glance. I knew I was hooked from the first moment our eyes connected. But I'm not the type of woman to give in easily. Especially when his offer is dripping in rule breaking notions threatening to consume me.

Deliciously dangerous and addictive. That's how I felt when I kissed her. My gut knew she was trouble before my heart did, but she betrayed both. I swore on my Crowne family that trust was something I'd never give twice. But with the past creeping back to light - and her along with it - it seems my world might fall victim to the messy kind of secrets I'm usually so good at cleaning up.

HIM. My demons are mine to slay. My burdens are mine to carry. I've never been a knight in shining armor. More like a savage in dusty timbs condemned to spend my existence taking lives. Therefore, the last thing I want to do is save hers, even if my family dictates I'm the best man for the job. HER. He doesn't think I deserve his help, and I don't blame him. He doesn't like that I'm not from his world, and truthfully, he's right. He's the only Crowne I didn't want to help me, and yet he's exactly who I got. While his eyes may seem murderous, there's something else there.

Ever meet a beautiful soul and know that your life has been changed from that encounter? A rose amongst the thorns. That's what Creed always referred to me as. We were never supposed to be together. Him and me. Us. My life was cut too short. I wasn't finished leaving my mark. You think you know my story, but everyone has secrets.

Him: She walked into the room like she owned it, demanding that I pay attention before she even voiced a word. When faced with the brown beauty, I almost forgot my number one rule: trust no one. I can't afford any distractions right now, especially when my latest obsession has secrets that can do more harm than good. Her: He has every reason to be uncertain about me, and yet I can't help but be drawn to him in every way. I don't want to crave him like plenty of women already do. He's a Crowne. We'd never work. So why can't I seem to remember that whenever I'm near him?

My world was built on lies and secrets, eating away at the good parts of me. When knowing too much incriminating information could get you killed, your only choices are to adapt or die. There are things about me others would never understand. Yet, one knowing look from her and I realize that my world just got more complicated. She could be my sanctuary in more ways than one. Or she might just be the siren leading me to my demise.

In my family, I wear a lot of different hats all centered around the same role. Comedian. Life of the party. The jokester. Everyone's favorite fool when I wasn't getting on their last nerve. But without me, my family wouldn't be the empire we are today. As one of the best hackers in the country, I'm the one that uncovers any secrets our enemies are hiding, no matter how big or small. My entire life, I've been able to hack my way ahead of any situation. Yet, somehow I didn't see her coming.

Every family has a fixer. The person who is always expected to solve every problem. Even as a kid, I knew the role I had in my Crowne family would force me to live a life in solitude, surrounded by people, yet alone in many ways. After convincing myself that I was fine on my own, I finally found my person. A man buried so deep in my soul that it broke me a little inside every time we connected. As I was always reminded though, my role was to fix others. Not become the one who needs fixing.

Everyone has dark secrets, yet mine are the kind of life-altering skeletons that could threaten the very mission I've spent my entire life fighting. My children think they know my story, but they don't. Not all of it. Not the parts that would make them question everything they know in life. My constant has been my love for Stan and that's a truth I'll always share.

Everyone has some darkness lurking inside of them. The ability to convince themselves what's right is wrong, and what's wrong is right. All my life, I got great at hiding my demons. But you know what they say. Buried demons have a way of clawing themselves to the surface. For a man like me, those demons eventually became my only family.