Chapter 24 #2
The alcohol curdles in my stomach, threatening to make a reappearance all over Justin’s face and chest.
I don’t think. I just act. I gather saliva in my mouth and spit it directly onto his face.
Justin’s jaw tightens, and he shoves away from me. I rock forward and scramble away from the banister so he doesn’t put me in that position again. He removes a cloth handkerchief from his pocket and swipes the saliva from his face, all while keeping his fiery gaze on me.
I raise my chin.
“I really don’t want to do this,” he says as he calmly slips the handkerchief back into his pocket, “but you’re forcing my hand here.”
He lunges for me, and I yelp as he snatches me by the hair to keep me in place. He swings his other arm, fingers extended and palm flying toward my cheek.
Skeleton fingers catch Justin’s wrist, stopping him right before his hand collides with my face.
The night stills, like it’s holding its breath as a new danger makes itself known. No wind. No insects chirping. Just the sound of my labored breaths.
“I’d let her go if you wish to keep your hand.” Ryder’s expression is flat, like he’s bored and would rather be anywhere else but here, but his stare says something else as he burns a hole into the side of Justin’s head.
Justin turns to my stepbrother while still fisting my hair. His eyes widen a fraction, then narrow. “Get your filthy hand off of me.”
Ryder cocks his head, his fingers tightening around Justin’s wrists. His lips slowly curve into a smile, stealing my breath. His smiles are always terrifying, but my god, they’re so beautiful.
“Interesting you say that. My sister told you to get off of her not even five seconds ago, and you didn’t listen to her.” He steps closer to Justin. His grin slips, and shadows creep over his features. “Let go of her.”
“Go back inside,” Justin snarls as he tries to jerk his hand out of Ryder’s grip. He puffs his chest out to look tougher than he really is, but fear trickles over his face the longer Ryder stares at him. “This is between me and your sister.”
“You didn’t make sure you were alone. It wasn’t between you and her. It’s between you and me. Now let go of her, or I’ll take your tongue as a souvenir as well.”
Justin’s fingers tighten in my hair. I hiss through my teeth as strands pull from my scalp.
Ryder shifts his attention to me, a muscle thrumming in the corner of his jaw as Justin scowls at him.
Justin’s lips part, like he’s about to argue some more, but he thinks better of it and clamps them shut before releasing my hair and stepping back.
“Good boy,” Ryder murmurs. He lets go of Justin and slips his tall, lean frame between us. “Run along, now.”
Justin rubs the spot where Ryder had a death grip on him.
With one final glare at Ryder, he storms back inside.
He’s probably running to my dad right now to tell him a loose version of what happened.
After lying to my father about the other day, it won’t surprise me if he twists it to make himself look like the victim.
Ryder faces me, his gaze sweeping over my trembling body for any injuries. He steps closer and pauses when I stumble backward.
“You’re afraid of me.” He cocks his head.
I swallow hard. “No, I’m not.”
It’s the opposite, actually. I’m more afraid of what I’ll do if he touches me. We can’t be caught together, and he knows this.
Ryder doesn’t move a muscle as he towers over me. He’s ripping me open and pulling back all my layers to discover my secrets.
I shiver despite the warmth from the booze.
Ducking my head, I stumble past him and fall into his side as my feet have a hard time deciding which direction to take. Ryder catches me, his touch gentle but demanding as he guides me down the stairs and into his bedroom in the pool house.
I don’t know why I’m not fighting him. Nothing good will come from being alone with him in his bedroom. Arousal soaks my panties at the thought of grinding on Ryder again.
I squeak as he shoves me against his closed door and cages me in with his palms flat by my shoulders. Only a sliver of space exists between us, but it feels like miles because of how badly I want to feel him against me. Heat crawls up my neck as the heady scent of amber and cypress fills my lungs.
This is so wrong. What happened the other night was a mistake—one that can’t happen again—but the reason is being drowned out by the alcohol.
“The next time the shit stain tries to hurt you, fight back,” he murmurs. “Or at the very least, scream for me, little sister.”
His words send me back to five years ago, when he told me to scream for him after Mickey strangled me in the high school’s hallway.
“How?”
“You don’t know self-defense?” Ryder frowns.
“Not really.” After talking to Minnie yesterday about how my grandfather taught her to fight, I’ve thought about nothing else. I’d kill to know how to punch and defend myself from creeps like Justin.
Ryder’s frown deepens. He straightens to his full height and gently grabs my hand, then places my palm over his cheek, right below his eye.
“You go for the eyes.” He lowers my hand to his neck.
“Throat.” My knees threaten to give out as he lowers my hand to his groin, his cock pressed against my palm. “Dick and balls.”
“Ry-Ryder.” Everything spins as he squeezes my hand on him. He’s already hardening, and it jerks beneath my touch as I curl my fingers around his shaft from outside his pants.
He bends over me, his face hovering above mine. I sway as he leans in, until his lips are dangerously close to mine, until I can feel his every breath puffing against my parted mouth.
“Don’t act so innocent, sis,” he murmurs. “It’s not like you haven’t felt me before.”
Blood rushes to my cheeks, and all the fight leaves my body. “We can’t do this.”
Ryder leans his forehead against mine. His pupils dilate as I stroke his cock once, then fumble with his button and zipper.
I don’t blame him for not believing anything coming out of my mouth. Actions speak louder than words, and I’m trying so hard to fight this attraction toward my brother. It’s difficult when he’s looking at me like I’m the sexiest woman he’s ever laid eyes on. Like he wants to burn the world for me.
“Madison.” His chest rumbles against mine from his hushed plea.
I slip my hand into his pants and grab his erection. Ryder groans, his fingers digging into my love handles as he resists touching me anywhere else.
I can’t stop touching him, though, just like I can’t stop silently begging him to kiss me.
I awkwardly shove his pants down his thighs, freeing his cock so I can stroke him at a better angle.
My head tilts back, as does Ryder’s, and he groans as I brush my thumb over the pierced tip.
An ache builds between my legs as I lazily stroke him with one hand and thread my fingers through his hair with the other.
He lets out a shaky breath and shallowly thrusts his hips to fuck my fist.
Ryder tilts his head like he’s about to kiss me. My heart skyrockets, and I close my eyes, waiting to feel his lips on mine.
“I want you.” My words come out in a drunken slur.
“Fuck,” Ryder grates in a whisper.
Disappointment tightens my chest as Ryder pulls away from me. He gently removes my hand from his cock before he tucks himself away.
I open my eyes. “What did I do wrong?”
He steadies me with his hands on my shoulders as I stumble toward him. “You’re drunk.”
“Don’t tell me you’re also mad about me drinking?” I swat his hands away. “I’m an adult.”
Ryder ignores my slaps and picks me up like I weigh nothing. I squeeze my eyes shut as gravity becomes nonexistent. Even behind my closed eyelids, everything spins. My back meets a soft mattress, and I peek at Ryder as he lays me on his bed.
“Get some sleep.” He eases my shoes off my feet, his fingers brushing over my ankles. “I’m not touching you while you’re drunk.”
I push myself onto my elbows and plop back down when the spinning returns with a vengeance. “Ugh. Isn’t this what you wanted? For me to want you?”
He slips the blanket over me, his expression blank while he tucks me in like I’m a child.
Angry tears sting my eyes as he walks toward the door without a word. He picks something up from his dresser, along with his motorcycle helmet. I sit up and breathe through the nausea slamming into me.
The emotional pain hits differently this time. I threw myself at him, and he denied me.
“I thought this was what you wanted, Ryder!”
He stops at the doorway and glances at me over his shoulder. “I want you willing. If you need liquid courage to touch me, that’s the opposite of willing. Get some sleep.”
“Where are you going?”
A secret smile tugs at his pierced lips. “I’ll be back later, doll. Behave.”
He turns and leaves without another word.