CHAPTER SIXTEEN #2
Back on the ranch, I was pretty sure he’d slept with Chloe. One night, I went up to his room to leave him a chocolate, and caught her coming out, wearing nothing but a T-shirt. I’d never really felt jealous before, especially not of her. But that night? Chloe won.
“Did something happen?”
Holy crap, did he say something?
Think, Sarah! Say something cool.
Instead of saying anything, my face turned as red as the sun, and my eyes stayed glued to his abs—those perfectly carved, ridiculously firm abs. I couldn’t stop staring. Not until he tilted my chin up and I finally looked into his blue eyes.
God help me.
“Sarah, tell me what I can do for you.”
Oh boy. Everything. You can do whatever you want with me.
But did I say anything? Nope. Not a word. My brain had officially shut down. Then he pulled me into the room and gently pressed me against the wall.
His body heat wrapped around me, and the faint scent of his sweat on his skin was definitely not helping the whole funny-things-to-my-body situation one bit.
If anything, it only added fuel to my arousal.
My pulse was out of control, and my thoughts weren’t far behind.
My mouth watered, and before I could stop myself, I bit my lip.
I had no idea what to do with my hands. I mean, okay, that’s a lie.
I totally knew what I wanted to do with them.
His bare chest was right there, like a damn wall in front of me, and all I could think about was running my fingers over those muscles.
My palms started sweating, and of course I didn’t have my jacket to hide them in.
And my skirt didn’t have pockets. Seriously, why do skirts never have pockets?
“Sarah?” he asked again, his brow pulling into a confused little frown.
Oh my God, nobody goes this long without saying a fucking word!
Say something smart.
Say something sexy.
Say something that doesn’t make you sound like an eighteen-year-old.
“You have a really nice body.”
What?! Jesus Christ, not that!
I stiffened, absolutely mortified. But instead of looking annoyed or laughing in my face, James just smiled. Smiled. Not a smirk, not a tease, but a real, genuine, sweet-as-hell smile.
“Sorry,” I muttered quickly, my face on fire. “I didn’t know you were… uh… almost naked—”
Oh, for the love of God, stop talking!
I snapped my mouth shut and tugged at the hem of my shirt, suddenly convinced the room had shrunk to half its size. My eyes darted everywhere except at him, which wasn’t easy, considering he looked like some kind of Greek god: broad shoulders, bare chest, the whole package.
Then, as if he hadn’t just heard me embarrass myself, James leaned closer into my space. And my pulse skyrocketed again.
“So… what’d your brother do this time?” he asked.
“You… heard that?” I mumbled, finally daring to look up at him.
“The whole state of Colorado heard that.”
I let out a surprised laugh. He chuckled too, and for a second, everything felt easy again. Then he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He was so close, our arms brushed, and even through my tank top, I could feel his heat.
“Are these arguments with Michael a regular thing? Should I start getting used to the fireworks?”
“Oh, yeah. Pretty much. That’s what brothers are for. Driving you absolutely insane. And trust me, Michael’s basically a pro at it.”
“Can I at least ask what happened?”
I rolled my eyes. Just thinking about it annoyed me all over again. “It was about yesterday. Michael told me to stay in the school, like I’m five or something. But I wandered off to grab the beers, and he found out today. Boom, end of the world.”
James frowned. “You left the school without him?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it wasn’t a big deal. Just a store down the street.”
“Sarah!”
“James!”
I mimicked his tone perfectly because no way was I letting him win whatever game this was.
“Come on, Sarah. You know, ever since the cave, Michael can’t stand having you out of his sight. Do you remember what he looked like when we found you in that cave? I do. What do you think would happen to him if he lost you again?”
“How could he lose me when I knew exactly where I was?” I lifted my eyes to meet his just as I finished. His eyebrows went up, and—oh, sweet mercy—he leaned in closer. Yes, closer.
“Sarah!”
“James!”
A mischievous grin played at his perfect lips. “We’ve been down this road before.”
“I knew I’d seen that sign.”
It was the same argument, the same playful banter we’d had the night before, and I loved it. Because James got me.
We both laughed, then, like it was the most natural thing, his hand found mine. And everything from the night before rushed back: his fingers tracing my lips, the squeeze of my thigh, the way we fit together when I was curled up in his lap.
James’s fingers started moving, tracing soft circles on the back of my hand.
I couldn’t look away from his face, his stupidly gorgeous face.
The soft flush in his cheeks. That strong jaw.
The curve of his mouth. The way his brown hair curled with sweat.
He looked like he’d stepped straight out of one of my dreams. You know, the kind that ruin real guys for you. Even his nose was flawless.
Who the hell has a perfect nose?
His gaze drifted slowly to the red strap of my bra peeking out from under my tank top, then lower, traveling down to the curve of my cleavage like he was admiring a sunset.
He stared, and not in a quick, whoops-that-was-accidental kind of way.
No, this was steady, focused, and completely unbothered by the fact that I was watching him watch me.
Maybe he thought he was being slick, that I hadn’t noticed the way he looked at me these past few months. But oh, I noticed. Every time he looked at me, it felt like he was staking a claim, marking every inch of me as his own with nothing but his gaze.
And now, it wasn’t just his eyes doing the claiming.
He pressed his body right up against mine. And I felt him. All of him. His cock, hard and undeniable, pressing into my stomach. I froze, not because I was afraid, but because every part of me lit up at the contact.
And the craziest part? He didn’t move away. He didn’t hide it. No, James wanted me to know. He was hard because of me. He wanted me.
Am I still staring at his cock?
Yes. I. Am.
Did he notice?
I looked up, and judging by the amusement stamped on his lips, yeah… he definitely noticed.
His eyes lifted to mine, then flicked briefly to my mouth as his hand moved up my arms. Every inch he touched left a path of fire and goose bumps in its wake, and I could barely breathe.
When his hand paused at my cheek, hovering there, I could almost feel the debate going on inside his head. Should he kiss me soft and sweet? Or just rip off my clothes and pin me against the wall and make me his?
Just the thought of surrendering to him sent heat spiraling through me. Delicious. Toe-curling. Reckless heat.
I wanted it. I wanted him.
Go on, James. I’m already yours.
But then he looked away, breaking whatever spell he’d cast over me.
“Hey, Outsider.”
The voice caught me off guard.
Nathan.
James stepped back a little, enough to leave space between us, but his hand stayed on my back, like he needed the contact as much as I did.
“We heard noises near the south entrance of the school last night,” Nathan said, his tone uneasy. “What should we do?”
James straightened up. “Give me a minute. I’ll meet you there.”
Nathan hung back in the doorway, his hazel eyes flicking between James and me. It wasn’t hard to figure out why. Everyone was afraid of Outsiders. Nathan was no exception, even if James was the only reason any of us were still breathing.
“Is everything okay, Sarah?” Nathan asked.
I gave him a quick, reassuring smile. “Yeah, Nathan. All good. Just… talking.”
Nathan was just as good-looking as James.
Tall, built like a wall, with shoulders that filled a doorway and arms that looked like they could punch through one.
His hair was brown too, but shorter. Neater.
And he had this thin beard that made him look older—not like James, who always kept his face clean-shaven.
Nathan was seven years older than James, but when I looked at them side by side, they both had that same quiet, haunted look in their eyes, like the world had taken something from them and never given it back.
Nathan rubbed the back of his neck. “I heard Michael arguing with you. Was it about the beers? I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.
My brothers and I were already heading to that store, and we thought you’d want to come.
If I’d known Michael would flip out like that, I wouldn’t have invited you. Do you want me to talk to him?”
And just like that, he casually dropped a grenade into the room.
Oh, shit.
That was the one little detail I’d purposely skipped when I told James about the fight with Michael. And now Nathan had gone and spilled the beans.
James’s hand tensed on my back, and I knew he’d put two and two together.
Oh, double shit.
Now he knew exactly who had helped me get those beers, and judging by the way his entire body went rigid, he was not happy. Not one bit. He seemed to be… jealous?
“I-I—” I scrambled for an excuse, any excuse, but I didn’t even know what I was trying to say.
“You’re the one who took her to the store?
” James cut in, scowling. Or maybe that was just how his face looked when he was furious.
Still looked stupid hot. “She’s not supposed to leave the school without Michael or me.
If I were you, I’d make sure her brother never finds out you’re the one who took her.
And while you’re at it, tell everyone to stay put after dark.
That noise could’ve been someone scouting the town. ”
Nathan’s face went pale. “Oh, right… okay. I, uh, guess I’d better go then.” He looked worried, though I wasn’t sure if it was because of Michael or the man next to me, who was currently burning holes into him with his glare. “See you later, Sarah.”
“See you—” I started, but James didn’t give me the chance to finish that either. His hand slid from my back to my waist, and before I could even process what was happening, he tugged me closer.
Nathan pressed his lips into a thin line, stealing one last look at James before disappearing down the hall.
As soon as he was gone, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Then I made the mistake of looking up, and James’s eyes were on me again. Dark. Hot. Intense.
He leaned in close, so close I could feel his breath on my lips. One hand stayed firm on my waist while the other slid up to the back of my neck, holding me right where he wanted me.
“It seems you caused more trouble than you told me about,” he murmured.
Oh boy.
The muscle in his jaw ticked, and I knew better than to say a word.
“Are you hanging out with Nathan?”
Panic flared.
Lie. Lie, damn it!
“Yes, and his brothers,” I blurted out, because apparently I had lost the ability to lie to this man.
James took a long, deep breath, his chest rising against mine.
“That doesn’t make it any better.” He pressed his forehead against mine.
“You’re talking to Nathan… to his brothers…
letting them think they can…” He trailed off, his eyes traveling to my lips.
“You know you’re making it hard for me, don’t you? ”
I gasped.
Holy shit!
His gaze dropped, trailing from my mouth to my breasts, then back up. His hand flexed, fingers tightening on the curve of my waist, enough to make me shiver.
I squeezed my thighs together, my body practically begging him to take control. But he held still, torturing me.
Finally, his eyes locked onto mine again, full of heat, full of promises.
“I’ll be watching you very closely from now on, little danger.”