He turned to face me, staring directly into my eyes. I took a steadying breath and decided to face him head on, refusing to break his glare. He slid across to the middle of the bench seat, invading my personal space until he was inches from my face. He sat so close I could feel the heat from his body, the intensity from his stare making my stomach flutter. We were having our own staring contest, and I wasn’t about to let him win. Not this time.
I wasn’t above changing the rules of the game either. What I really wanted to do was kiss him. I wanted to make the first move and throw all caution to the wind. I wanted to feel his lips, his hands, and his body pressed to mine.
I didn’t understand how it could be possible I felt this way since all he and his brothers had done was insult me since they first met me, and I wasn’t even sure if I preferred Rye over the others, but damn if I didn’t want to savor the taste of this incredibly strong sexual attraction.
Before I could muster the courage to lean forward, Rye took his turn, robbing me of that first move of the game. He grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled my lips to his. Tunneling his hands into my hair, he drove the kiss even deeper. The kiss was passionate, intense, and filled with so much promise of what else this chemistry could create I forgot to breathe.
When he slid his hand to my shoulder then softly down my side until it rested on my hip, I started to tense up, only to have Rye pull my body closer to his. Forgetting this was supposed to be a game played by my rules, I didn’t push him away. Instead, I splayed my fingers against his muscled chest, desperately wanting to remove the cotton shirt blocking my access to his skin.
Without breaking the kiss, he picked me up, placing me over his lap so I was straddling his hips. His hardness pressed against my stomach, driving my need to a whole other level. Rye reached for the buttons of my blouse and began to unbutton each one, causing a warning bell to go off in the back of my head.
Fast.
Too fast.
Too fucking fast!
This was crazy; I barely knew this man. I didn’t make out in cars, didn’t jump into intimacy, and yet neither did I moan as I heard myself doing now. Impulsive, reckless, and absolutely insane, was the only way to describe what was happening.
Rye kissed my neck and whispered in my ear, “Tell me what you want, Goldie. Tell me exactly what you want.”
I struggled to find my voice. I sure hadn’t expected this when I’d climbed into the truck. I’d expected some yelling, perhaps some name calling, but not this. I really had no idea if I wanted him to stop or continue.
Not able to articulate what I wanted verbally, I reached between us to the button of his jeans, tugging to release the contents. Sliding my hand between the denim and the flat plane of his abdomen, slipping my fingers into his briefs, I could feel the hair of his groin beneath my fingertips. Before I could explore what lay nestled in those curls, he grabbed my wrist.
“Let me be clear. This,” he said, palming my breast with his free hand and running his thumb across my nipple, “is not going to change a damn thing. So, let me tell you whatIwant. Exactly whatIwant,” he growled.
I looked into his eyes, taken aback by the ferocity I saw there. He evidently wanted exactly what I did. His hold was like iron… unbreakable, keeping my hand trapped, my knuckles brushing against a rod of steel I could swear was throbbing against my skin. Giving him what I hoped was a sexy smile, I was about to suggest we take this inside, to my bedroom to be exact, when he spoke.
“I want you to leave Kit alone. Stop seeing her. This is not a request,” he said, every word enunciated with a firmness that seemed to snap in the small confines of the truck’s cab.
What the hell! Was he fucking serious? I was practically holding his cock… hishardcock, and this was how he reacted? He couldn’t tell me that while I kept my clothes on? My blouse hung open, my boobs were practically falling out of the demi-cup bra I was wearing, and my nipples were as hard as pebbles. He didn’t even glance down or break eye contact. No, instead, he’d chosen to treat me like some slut he picked up on a darkened street corner. He’d chosen to stomp on my dignity.
Well, fuck that.
Furious, I yanked my hand out of his pants, climbed off his lap, and moved as far away from Rye as I could. As quickly as my fingers could manage, I jabbed buttons back into their holes to close my blouse. “You’re a real dick, you know that?”
Rye’s smile made me want to slap him. “When it comes to protecting my family, I’ll be whatever I need to be, sweetheart. Consider this your last warning.”
“You don’t scare me,” I said, jumping out of the truck. “Go to hell!”
Slamming the door and never looking back, I stormed off to my car. What had I been thinking? That he was different? Hell, he was just like every other man in my life.Dickwasn’t a strong enough word for this man. He was a fucking asshole!
6
Rye
“Did you go scare the shit out of her?” Jay asked as I entered the kitchen to join my brothers who were all sitting around the large dining room table.
“Not exactly,” I mumbled as I walked over to the fridge to pull out a beer. I looked about for Kit and didn’t see her around like she normally would be when we were home. “Where’s Kit now?”
“She’s upstairs packing,” Banks answered. “We actually are starting to get her excited about the move. We told her how we’ve been trying to fix up the old family cabin and land, and that she’s going to love it.” Banks took a long sip of his beer. “I’m not sure I believe my own words, but I said them anyway.”
“What do you mean, not exactly?” Jay asked, zeroing in on my answer. “Did you tell that chick to stay away from Kit and truly terrify her, or not?”
I sat down and glared. “I said no!” I snapped. “The only thing I managed to do was get a hard dick and a bad case of blue balls.” When I noticed both were looking at me confused, I added, “I was weak, all right? I went with the intention to make the girl cry and promise to never even look at Kit again, and well”—I took a drink of my beer—“I failed. I ended up nearly fucking her.”
“Are you kidding me?” Banks interjected with a sneer. “You couldn’t keep your dick in your pants?”