His hand is still outstretched, palms up. “It’s the rules, kitten.”
“Don’t call me that,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Hand me the cellphone.”
“No!” I say, looking up at him. I feel small in front of him, but I’m not intimidated. I could get a good hit to his balls if he tried anything. He steps closer, and I feel my heart thud in my chest. So much for bravery.
“There are many ways I can get that phone from you, Ash, and I’m not above any of them.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?” The fucking nerve. I smirk, then slip the phone down the front of my dress and into my bra. That surprises him for a second, but he grins in a way that tells me that he finds my little stunt amusing and keeps advancing on me. “Oh, you wouldn’t dare.”
“I would, kitten. If I must, I’ll back you into a corner and fish out that phone from those tiny tits.”
My face heats at that comment. I want to say that my tits aren’t that tiny, but who am I kidding? They’re barely a handful.
“You stay away from me. I’ll scream,” I hiss, backing away. When my back hits the cold concrete wall, his hands cage me on either side of my head. I reach into the pocket of Marcy’s dress for my pepper spray; grateful she chose this one.
“You can scream all you like. I’m king around here.” His voice is low. My eyes land on his plump lower lip and the tongue darting across it. I catch a glint of silver, and I hate how it makes my heart pump harder against my ribcage. “And that means I make all the rules.”
He crooks his finger and lifts my chin to meet his gaze. I’m momentarily speechless at the storm clouds that have darkened in those depths. A lock of dark hair falls over his eyes, and heat radiates from his bare chest. He’s so close that I can smell mint on his breath. Why did I think he was drunk before? There isn’t a hint of alcohol.
“I don’t conform to rules made by assholes like you.”
He lets out a dark chuckle, sending shivers down my spine.
His touch is like fire on my skin and ice through my veins.
“Oh, little one, I will have so much fun breaking you. And I will.”
My hand wraps around the pepper spray, and I draw it out just as someone calls my name. Marcy.
His hand drops, and he backs away from the wall, stalking away into the shadows. I’m trembling all over and have to suck in a shaky breath before I take a step forward.
“There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Marcy emerges from the opposite direction. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was…uhm…reading.” I don’t know why I feel like I’m lying to my cousin. That is what I was doing. “Would you mind if I took a cab home? I’m kind of tired.” It beats telling Marcy that I can’t stop thinking about how Ryder smells, or that he was so close I could feel his breath on my skin. That my skin still tingles where he touched me. Things I should never think about a guy like him.
“I’ll come with you. Dylan’s gonna crash here, anyway.”
ChapterFour
RYDER
I push myself harder than I need to at practice, so hard that Coach had to intervene.
“You’re already starting, Rothwell. No need to try to impress me.”
State Champions are next month, but that has nothing to do with my current mood and everything to do with Asher Hawthorne. I can handle Ash in her checked skirts and chucks, hair tied in a ponytail or hanging limply over her face. Friday night Ash? No, Friday night Ash is a fucking phantom menace. Those cherry-scented lips and sweet-scented hair. The chocolate of her big eyes staring up at me, the feel of her breath against my lips.
Dylan should never have brought her to my party, and I should never have sought her out when she walked out of that pool house. But the girl intrigues me. I chalk it up to intrigue and fascination with the new. I need to sink my balls deep inside a girl in my social circle. Ash is an outsider, a freshman, for fuck's sake. That doesn’t stop me from putting the first phase of my plan in place.
“Gates!” I stroll up to the school photographer.
“Rothwell, looking good out there, man. Ready for the big game?”
“I always am. Hope you got my good side out there.”
Porter laughs, camera raised. “Every side is your good side, my dude.” Porter Gates is gonna be perfect for what I have in mind. He’s smart, attractive, and a hit with the ladies, and he owes me one.