by Alex Grayson
“Hey, sis.” Disdain drips from his voice. “Me and the bestie here were just getting to know each other a little better.” His gaze goes back to Savannah.
“You are quite possibly the worst human being I have ever met,” I spit at him, balling my fists at my sides.
“Then perhaps you haven’t looked in the mirror lately.” He lets out a low chuckle, spinning around to grab his drink off the counter.
I open my mouth to say more, but Savannah stops me with a gentle touch to the arm. “Don’t,” she mouths, shaking her head. “He’s not worth it.” She glares at him over her shoulder.
“Come to my room later tonight. I bet I could change your mind. Trust me when I say, I’m very, very worth it,” Oliver calls out as she slides past me toward the hallway.
“Somehow I doubt that.” She stops in the doorway, turning to give him the biggest fuck you smile I’ve ever seen. “From what I’ve seen, you don’t have much to work with. Or did you think you were the only one who knew how to operate the record feature on your phone?”
With that, she grabs my arm and together we leave Oliver standing in the middle of the kitchen, speechless for probably the first time in his entire life.
ZAYDEN
THE HEAT OF RYLEE’S confused stare burns the side of my face.
“Umm… Zayden, you were supposed to turn left back there,” she says after I turn in the opposite direction of her house.
I grip her hand, tangle our fingers together, and place them both on my thigh. “I’m not taking you home yet.”
“Okaaaay.” She slowly draws out the word. “Where are we going then?”
I glance at her. “My place.”
She frowns and licks her lips. “Why?”
It’s not until I stop at a stop sign, check both ways, and press on the accelerator that I answer. “Because I’m not ready to drop you off yet. You okay with that?”
Her features soften and she gives me a small smile. “Yeah. I’m okay with that.”
I put my eyes back on the road. It’s been a week since the video fiasco, and except for the pit stop we’re making to my place today, we’ve formed a routine. I pick Rylee up in the mornings, hang with her as much as I can during the school day, then I take her home. I want to claim the only reason I’m doing this is because of the guilt I feel for my part in the shit she’s been through, but it’d be a lie, and if there’s one thing I hate more than spoiled rich people, it’s liars. Guilt may be a small part, but I’m doing it for more selfish reasons. I like being around Rylee. She quiets all the bad shit going on in my life.
“When is your next fight?” she asks, breaking the silence.
“Why?”
Her shoulder moves against mine when she shrugs. “I want to come watch.”
“That’s not a place I want you to be. You don’t need to see the shit that goes on there.”
“I know.” She starts trailing the tip of her finger over the back of my hand, her voice turning quiet. “But I like watching you fight. Or I did the one time I was there.”
I glance at her, raising a brow. “You liked seeing a guy beat on my face?”
Her lips quirk. “I liked seeing him try. I liked even more seeing him lose against you.”
“So, you’re bloodthirsty, then?” I chuckle. This girl surprises the hell out of me.
“Um… I wouldn’t really say that, but I don’t know….” She trails off.
I stop at another stop sign, and when I see no one behind me, I turn slightly toward her. “What?”
Her face turns a pretty shade of pink and she avoids my eyes. I grip her chin and turn her face toward me. “What is it?”
She chews on her bottom lip. “It uh… kinda turned me on,” she admits quietly.
Those words send all the blood in my body south, leaving me mute for a couple of seconds. It doesn’t really surprise me, but what does is her admitting it. I’ve fucked plenty of girls after fights. There are tons who turn into horny fiends from watching the action. Fucking is one of the more satisfying ways to come down from an adrenaline rush.
I knew from Rylee’s expression that night at Hart’s that she was turned on, but to have her admit it, that shit makes it really fucking hard to concentrate.
“Do you have any clue how much hearing that turns me on?”
She dips her eyes away before bringing them back up, smiling shyly. “So, will you let me come to the next one?”
I press my lips into a firm line. Can I say no to her? Do I even want to say no to her? I won’t lie and say I don’t like the thought of her being there, her pulse racing, her body quivering, getting wet while watching me. But I don’t like the thought of her being near so many rough people.
“You can go. But,” I stress the word when she smiles triumphantly, “only if Pierce will be there, and you promise to stick with him from the moment I leave you until I get back to you. I’ll also want you right at the front with one of Hart’s men, so I can make sure no one fucks with you.”
“Hart?”
“The owner.”
“Okay.” She nods. “I can do that, and I know Pierce will go with me.”
Right as I steal a kiss, a horn blares from behind us. Gritting my teeth, I let up on the brake and propel forward. The rest of the trip is made in silence, save the low tune of the rock song playing from the radio.
I haven’t seen much of Oliver over the last week. If he wasn’t being such an asshole, I would have preferred him to be with Rylee during the fight, but there’s no way I’ll trust him to protect her. And I’m pretty sure he’s been avoiding me; despite his claim he won’t let Rylee come between our friendship. If I’m with Rylee, he keeps his distance. If I’m with him and Rylee appears, he makes an excuse to leave. Whatever. He’ll come around eventually. What counts the most is he’s stopped fucking with her.
Pulling to a stop in my driveway, I shut my truck off and climb out. Rylee slides across the seat and exits through my door. I’ve never been ashamed of where I live—Dad, Danielle, and I make do with what we have—but as I lead Rylee up the sidewalk to the front door, I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. The old, small brick home isn’t even a quarter the size of the house she lives in now. And with her mom being a surgeon, I’m sure the house she lived in before was still a hell of a lot bigger and nicer than my small, three-bed, two-bath house. The yard is kept mowed and the inside kept clean, but there’s still no comparison.
I stuff my keys into my pocket and kick the door closed behind us the moment we enter. Rylee stands in place and looks around the small living room.
“This is nice,” she remarks.
“Yeah,” I grunt.
She turns to face me. “I’m serious. It feels like a real home in here.”
I seize her hand and pull her into the kitchen. Grabbing a couple glasses from the cabinet, I fill them both with water and hand her one. As she tips the glass to her lips, she walks to the fridge.
“I assume your sister did these?” She gestures to the pictures hanging by magnets on the fridge door.
“Yeah.” I come up beside her.
“She’s really good.”
“Danielle is good at everything she does, but drawing is her favorite.” I clear my throat of the lump that’s suddenly formed. “She wants to be an artist when she grows up.”
Rylee smiles. “It’s great she already knows what she wants to be. And if these drawings are any indication, she’ll be a damn good artist one day.”
If her fucking lungs last that long. And if the goddamn insurance company will approve her for a transplant. I keep those thoughts to myself and go set my glass in the sink.
“Where are they, by the way? Your dad and sister, I mean.”
“Danielle had an appointment today. They won’t be back until later.”
“Oh.”
She sets her empty glass in the sink beside mine.
“Come on.”
I lead her down the ha
llway to my room. She takes off her jacket and drops it on my desk chair before she walks around the small space, checking out the shit on my desk, the posters on my walls, and the books on the small bookshelf. She picks up the framed picture I have on my dresser.
“Is this your dad and sister?”
I pull my keys and wallet out of my pockets and dump them on my nightstand, setting my jacket on top of hers. “Yeah. Danielle was three then. It was taken in Florida during the one and only vacation we could afford to take.”
I take the frame from her hand and set it back on the dresser. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I pull her down on my lap so her legs straddle me.
She smiles and her eyes dance playfully.
“So, this is the reason you brought me here. You wanna make out?”
I don’t smile back at her, just grip her hips and hold her to me. There’s so much more I want to do with Rylee than just make out, but I know she’s not ready for that. And I haven’t earned that right. At least not yet, but I will.
The look in her eyes changes. Going from mischievous to something more sensuous. The look has my dick going from semi-hard to rock hard in seconds. I’m still ramped up from what she revealed in the truck earlier. When her eyes drop to my mouth, I can’t hold back anymore.
I slide my hands up her back until my fingers tangle in her hair, and I tug her forward. Our lips meet in a crushing kiss.
Heavy kissing is as far as I’ve taken it with Rylee, and it’s been killer on my control. Tasting her, touching her, feeling her against me, it all puts me closer to the edge than I’ve ever been before. I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want her- as much as I have wanted her since the first moment I saw her; even when I hated her.
Her arms lace around my neck and her chest smashes against mine. My hands move to her ass, and I squeeze the plumpness through her jeans, grinding her against my erection. She releases a whimper, the sound vibrating against my mouth.
I nip and suck on her tongue, then swirl my tongue against hers. Her unique sweet flavor explodes in my mouth, and I want more. I want to taste her all over; lick every delectable inch of her.
Leaving her mouth behind, I trail my lips over the underside of her chin and make my way down a few inches. The shirt she has on rises to the base of her neck, and I finger the edge of the material. I look at her, letting her see my need. When she doesn’t say anything, and I don’t get the sense she wants me to stop, I gently tug the fabric down a little. There’s a bit of give, and I drop my eyes down to see her bare flesh. Just a shadow of the hidden valley between her breasts shows, but damn if it isn’t enough to make my mouth water.
I kiss the top slopes of her breasts, and her breath hitches. Lifting my head, I lightly rub the stubble on my chin over the tender skin.
“Has anyone ever had their face buried between your gorgeous tits, Rylee?”
She lets out a breathy, “No.”
“Hmm… I like that. I like knowing I’m the only one.” I dip my chin, scraping my chin firmer against her breasts. I slip my hand between her open thighs. “What about here? Has anyone touched you here?” I grind the heel of my palm against her clit through her jeans.
Her lips part and her eyelids lower. She slowly shakes her head.
“Fuck,” I groan. “I like that even more.”
I grip her waist and flip her to her back. Her legs fall open, and I settle between them. This can’t go much further than it already has—I know this—but I want to feel her beneath me for a moment.
Her hands grip my biceps, her nails digging into the muscle. I watch her as I hike her leg up over my hip, opening her up more. I press my hips forward, thrusting against her pussy, letting her feel just how hard I am for her.
“Oh, God,” she moans, tipping her head back and closing her eyes.
Dropping my face to her neck, I run my lips up the column until I reach her ear. “Feel me, baby. Feel what you do to me. Feel how hard you make me. I can’t fucking wait to slide inside you and see how tight you are.”
I pump my hips, wishing there wasn’t any clothes between us, imagining her bare flesh against mine. My dick feels like it’s going to break off at any second from all the blood filling it. I’m so close to exploding that I know it won’t take much more. I need to stop before it gets to that point. I don’t want to come in my damn jeans. Fuck, I want to be inside her. What I wouldn’t give to be inside her.
I slip my hand between us, forcing myself to not go for the button on her jeans, but instead rub her through the stiff material. I don’t trust myself to touch her bare pussy. I may be putting a stop to my own orgasm, but I damn sure want Rylee to have hers. I fucking crave to see her come undone.
Her hips buck against my hand. “That feels so—”
“Zayden! Where are you? Dad and I got some good news!”
I stiffen at the sound of my sister’s voice, my head whipping to the door. “Shit,” I mutter. “That’s Danielle.”
Rylee’s eyes widen at the same time she tries shoving me off her. “Oh my, God,” she whisper yells. “Get off before she comes in here.”
I chuckle, enjoying the panic in her eyes. “Relax. I locked the door.”
Her eyes narrow to slits. “So? Your sister may not realize what a locked door means, but your dad will. I don’t want him thinking we were… doing stuff in here.”
“Doing stuff?”
“Yes,” she hisses, shoving my shoulder again. “Seriously, Zayden. Will you please get up?”
I decide to take it easy on her, but before I do, I lean down for one more kiss. By the time I pull back, her eyes are back to that lazy look. Using my fists, I hoist myself up. The doorknob jiggles right as I’m pulling Rylee off the bed.
“Zayden? You in there?” comes Danielle’s labored voice.
“I’ll be out in a minute!” I holler back.
Rylee is nibbling on her thumb nail when I turn back to face her. She looks nervous as she darts her eyes back and forth between the door and me.
I pull her hand down.
“I didn’t expect to meet your family today.”
“I didn’t expect you to either.”
She looks over her shoulder. “Umm… I can probably sneak out the window if you want me to.”
“Why the hell would I want you to do that?” I don’t give her time to answer before I pull her to the door. “I may not have banked on you meeting my dad and Danielle, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to.”
She pulls me to a stop when I grab the doorknob. “Wait. Are you sure about this? This is kind of a big deal.”
I grab the front of her shirt and pull her to me. “I’m sure.”
After a moment, she nods. “Okay.”
We follow the sound of Dad’s and Danielle’s voices into the kitchen. Danielle is being more vocal than usual, indicating she’s having a really good day.
They both stop talking when Rylee and I walk through the door. Danielle looks at Rylee curiously, while dad has a slight frown on his face. When Rylee said it was a big deal for her to meet dad and Danielle, she didn’t know how true that was. I never bring girls here. Rylee is the first.
“Dad, Danielle, this is my girlfriend, Rylee.” Rylee’s fingers twitch in my hand at the word girlfriend.
Dad steps forward, extending his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Rylee. I must say, I’m surprised to see you here.”
Rylee laughs nervously and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Michaels. Zayden was just showing me around. I’ll be out of your hair shortly.”
Dad smiles, the look making the wrinkles around his eyes stand out. “No need to rush home. I just meant Zayden never brings girls around. I was starting to think he was embarrassed of us,” he jokes.
“Oh.” She glances at me for a brief moment before turning to Danielle, who’s sitting sideways in one of the kitchen chairs with her oxygen tank tucked under the table. “It’s nice to meet you, Daniel
le. I absolutely love your hair.”
Danielle fingers the end of the long thick braid. Dad mentioned cutting it once and she about flipped, claiming she was never cutting her hair. She said she wanted to grow it down to her knees. It’s already over halfway down her back.
“Thank you,” Danielle says shyly.
“I saw some of the pictures you drew on the fridge. You’re really good.”
“You really think so?”
Rylee nods, offering a smile. “I do. I love nature. Maybe you could draw me something sometime?”
Danielle grins, her cheeks puffing out. “Nature is my favorite thing to draw.”
I walk over and plant a kiss on Danielle’s cheek, then ruffle the top of her head. “You’ll have to show Rylee your room sometime. I bet you can’t guess who her favorite singer is.”
Her eyes dart from me to Rylee. “You’re a Swiftie?” she asks excitedly.
Rylee grins. “Yep.”
She looks to dad next. “Can we keep her here always?”
We all laugh.
“I don’t know about that, but she’s welcome here anytime,” Dad answers.
I pull out a chair for Rylee to sit, and I take the one beside Danielle. “So, tell me about this good news you were hollering about.”
“Can I tell him, Dad?”
“Go ahead, sweetie,” he says over his shoulder as he pours some juice in a glass. He brings it to the table and sets it in front of Danielle, then takes the seat on her other side.
Danielle’s eyes dance with more life than I’ve seen in a long time.
“I got approved for new lungs.”
I’m speechless for a moment. We’ve been battling the insurance company for almost a year. Danielle’s health has declined dramatically during that time, and they didn’t seem to care. Hopelessness and helplessness have been the two dominant emotions ruling our lives for so long.
I look to Dad. “Is this serious? They approved her?”
“Yes. Apparently, the company recently fired several of its approval board members for not properly investigating all medical claims. They said that Danielle should have been approved months ago.”
“Are you kidding me?” I fist my hands on my thighs in anger. “And they think this is okay? What the hell would have happened had it been too late? What are they going to do to make up for this?”