Untouchable: (Unstoppable - Book 1) (The Unstoppable Series)

by Danielle Hill

  He’d splayed himself open by admitting it. I had backed him into a corner, and he’d battled his way out, but it sounded like he’d lost the war. This was no victory cry. And we both knew it. I tasted salt on my lips and my entire body trembled, because I didn’t know where that left us.

  Turning slowly, I faced him, looking up through blurry eyes. I couldn’t disguise my confusion, or how lost I felt in that moment. I also knew he’d see the inkling of hope that I couldn’t seem to snuff out, because for every time he fought me and pushed me away, he came back.

  “Then what do you want from me?” I whispered.

  Head deeply furrowed, his eyes scanned over my face for half a second before he muttered, “Goddammit, Riley.”

  And then his mouth was on mine.

  Thirty-Two

  Riley

  My head was still spinning from the events of the weekend. From whatever Reno’s goddammit, Riley and that bruising kiss might have meant. I obviously wouldn’t know since he didn’t stick around long enough to enlighten me. Forty-eight hours and change was not long enough to figure out what it was exactly that Reno wanted from me. Not sure I’d figure it out given forty-eight years. I questioned whether he even knew.

  Distracted, I shouldered my way into fourth period U.S. Government, keeping my face averted because I was tardy and naively hoping Mr. Stenson would cut me some slack if I didn’t look directly at him. Not a chance.

  “How nice of you to join us, Miss Mason. Class is almost over; I wonder why you bothered.”

  Man, he was an ass. Averting my face to hide my eye roll, I muttered a lackluster apology and hauled my persistently preoccupied self to the desk I usually sat in at the back of the class. Glancing to the last cuckoo clock in existence hanging on the far wall, I noted I was four minutes late. Drama Queen. It took some effort to resist coughing out my newly formed opinion of Stenson under my breath. Approaching my desk with my head down, and far less haste than I should have, given the circumstances, I finally glanced up... and my heart slammed into my rib cage. My brows hiked to my hairline and my sneakers squeaked loudly on the linoleum as I ground to a halt.

  Reno.

  In my class. Again. Sitting at the desk right by mine. My reaction might have been comical: saucer wide eyes, mouth gaping like a fish, frozen in place. Except every eye in the room now focused on me, awaiting a reaction, and every set of flapping lips murmured under cupped hands.

  An exaggerated tut sounded from the front. “Miss Mason? Are you determined to disrupt the entire lesson? Take a seat. Now.”

  Shaking myself out of my stupor, I swallowed hard and took the final three steps necessary to reach my desk. Reno didn’t look up, nor did he attempt to speak to me after I took my seat. I heard not one thing Mr. Stenson droned on about, instead I spent the duration of the lesson stealing discreet glances at Reno every few seconds. Okay, every other second. So, I had thought I was being discreet. As usual, I was wrong.

  In one of the brief interludes between my staring sessions, a small wadded up ball of paper smacked the side of my face. Frowning, I palmed it, bringing it quickly onto my lap under the desk to open. And then I sucked in a breath, my cheeks heating. My eyes slid closed with embarrassment and my teeth clamped together. I refused to look at him. For a whole thirty seconds. Then I folded. Crossing my arms over each other on the desk, I dropped my head forward and turned to find eyes like melted chocolate honed in on me. But that wasn’t why my breath caught in my throat or why my pulse kicked up a notch… or ten. He was smirking. A half smirk, lacking some of his normal cockiness and vitality for sure, but it was there. My neck snapped back around. What the hell was going on? My fingers crushed the crumpled paper in my palm like it was a stress ball. I might not have a clue what was happening, but I knew that I wanted to wring his thick neck.

  I jumped to my feet the second the bell rang, hastily stuffing my crap into my backpack, intent on making a speedy getaway. I didn’t think I was ready for… whatever this was. I had emotional whiplash from this guy. He couldn’t order me out of his life one minute, then kiss me and disappear on me the next, and then throw notes at my face and goddamn smirk at me. All with no explanation. He couldn’t because I didn’t know what the hell to do with that. My phone vibrated in my hand, drawing my gaze as I paced down the hall.

  Liss: Running late. Prickman the douche is having his daily fucking meltdown! Get my usual pleeeeeease...

  Mr. Pickman, universally known amongst the students as Prickman, was an adult-sized toddler. He’d throw a massive tantrum and hold the entire class hostage if some dickwad forgot their homework or undermined his authority. Which everyone did, all the time, because while it was irritating being held back, it was damn entertaining watching his pointed little ears turn red and spit balls shoot from his mouth. Attention diverted, my fingers tapping out a quick response, I wasn’t prepared to react when a hand gripped my elbow from behind, smoothly steering me from the stream of bodies and through a set of doors toward the stairwell. Hard body pressed to my side, Reno bent so his lips brushed my ear and his warm breath misted over my skin. I fought to control the tremor that shot through my body.

  “We need to talk.”

  He tucked me into an alcove under the stairs, releasing his hold on my arm and positioning himself opposite me with a chunk of distance between us. I sank back into the wall, needing its solid form for support. My mind was a hive of activity—feelings, thoughts and decisions buzzing around up there, butting into one another. I couldn’t decide what I was toward him in this moment. Part of me resented the way he’d treated me, and yet, I could understand his behavior. He’d hurt me, but he had his reasons. I sympathized with every one of them, but I wasn’t sure my heart could take any more of this hot and cold. I sighed, my lips pursing. I loved him. That’s what I felt. So I stood. And I waited.

  His expression was slightly closed off, gaze roaming idly over the contours of my face, but it was softer, less guarded, than I’d seen it in a long while. Dragging it up to my eyes, he pocketed his hands.

  “I’ve been doing some thinking the past few days,” he started, watching for my reaction. I didn’t know how to react, not yet. “I owe you an apology.” And there it was. My shock must have registered on my face because his chin dropped to his chest and he inhaled heavily, his face a mask of contrition. “I took shit out on you. You didn’t deserve that.”

  My chest constricted. He took a step closer.

  “I get why,” I croaked. Damn tears pricked at my eyes and my stupid throat swelled with emotion. Man, I was a wreck these days. I’d never cried so much in my life. I steeled my spine against the wall at my back, refusing to break down. My breath held as he inched forward.

  He moved until the toes of his sneakers kissed mine. My neck craned to look up at him. Resting his forearm on the wall, he leaned over me, his warmth and smell invading my senses, making it difficult to think. His features were half in shadow, but there was a tenderness in his eyes that wove around my heart as he continued to stare silently down at me. My breath shuddered under his quiet scrutiny.

  I blinked, swallowing. “You didn’t answer my question the other night,” I whispered, finding my voice, my heart fluttering behind my ribs like a bird’s wings.

  “I know,” he murmured softly, never taking his eyes from mine.

  “Are you going to?”

  His fingers drifted toward my face, the backs of them tracing the side of my cheek. “What if I don’t have an answer?” I shifted my head to the side, breaking the contact, leaving his fingers hovering an inch from my skin. His eyes sought mine, narrowing in resignation. “Not good enough, huh?”

  I couldn’t do this again... go round in circles. I loved him, I did, and I wanted to support him, but not as his emotional punching bag. I needed him to let me in, even a little.

  “Give me something, Ren. Anything.”

  Fear flared in his eyes, clear as day, and it struck me straight through the chest. He sighed, his hand coming
back to my face. I didn’t bother moving this time.

  “What do I want from you?” He repeated my question from Friday night softly. I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth. His head swayed from side to side a couple of times. “I miss you. Spending time with you, sparring with you. More than anything, Ri, I just fucking miss you.”

  “But…?” I sensed it. I knew there was one.

  His brow furrowed. “I can’t give you what I was offering before.” Palms flattening against the wall on either side of me, he lowered his head. I pressed my lips together, sucking in a breath. His nearness, like this, was overwhelming. “But I can’t keep you at arm’s length anymore either.”

  “What are you saying, Ren?”

  His stare was intense, tone gruff, but there was vulnerability there. This wasn’t easy for him, and my heart ached with the need to comfort him. “I need you in my life.”

  “Okay.” Agreement. Just like that. Air burst from my lungs in relief. He’d offered me a doorway back into his life. It was all I’d been asking for. I could work with that.

  His brow pinched, muted surprise settling over his features. “I don’t even know what I’m asking you for.”

  I bit my lip to stop it curving into a smile. “I know.”

  His eyebrows came together in question.

  I shrugged, expelling a long breath before admitting, “I want to be in your life. We’ll figure out the rest.” Maybe it should have worried me that I’d take him anyway I could get him, but the feeling of contentment seeping through me swept away any concern.

  His eyes hooded, concealing his emotions, and he lowered his head. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and he cleared his throat roughly before dipping his head in a curt nod. “Thank you.”

  I reciprocated the gesture, inclining my head. He backed up and extended his arm, hand out. My gaze fell to his outstretched hand and my lips twitched. I placed my palm in his and his strong fingers closed around it. Electricity danced between us. I had to fight a gasp.

  One thick brow arched, lips hitching up on one side. “Friends?”

  I grinned, shaking my head lightly as the warmth of his hand cocooned mine. “Sure.”

  We separated slowly, but our gazes held. Reaching into my pocket, I snagged the crumpled piece of paper. Closing my fist around it, I tossed it straight at his face. He caught it mid-air, some crazy cat like reflexes at play there, and brought his puzzled gaze to mine. I raised my brows, silently communicating with him to open it. His eyes lowered as he pulled it open. On the side facing me was his messy scrawl from earlier:

  Clearly spent too much time looking at my dick lately if you need to stare that hard to remind yourself what my face looks like.

  His lips formed the most beautiful smirk as he read my response. When his eyes met mine, I saw some of my Reno in there. That playful, arrogant guy I loved to hate, but loved to love even more. Lifting from the wall, I strode past him with a wink. Holding the door open, I stopped to glance over my shoulder before walking through. He stared after me, his gaze burning as it locked onto mine. “Don’t worry, Ri. I’ll make sure I stick around long enough that you get a real good look next time.”

  My breath hitched, catching in my throat. I spun away. My teeth dragged over my bottom lip, caging my smile. Friends. Weren’t supposed to look at each other’s… bits. I blew a stream of air out through my lips. God only knew what I’d gotten myself into, but my steps were lighter than they’d been in a long time. I almost floated down the hall.

  Thirty-Three

  Riley

  “Why Reno?” I asked, as I sat cross-legged on his couch.

  “What?”

  “Reno? Why does everyone call you Reno now? I don’t remember where the o came from. It was Renner or Madd when I first moved here. I remember that because I thought it suited you.”

  He raised his brows, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Which?”

  I grinned, twisting my hair into a messy bun and threading my pen through it to keep it in place. “The latter. You’d have been so much cuter as a kid if you weren’t constantly scowling.”

  His lips curved into a smirk. “That right?” I tipped a shoulder, a smile playing over my mouth. “I still scowl all the time now, and we all know how hot you are for me.”

  My face heated, instantly verifying his claim. He leaned forward on one elbow, chuckling as his pen lid pressed softly into my warm flesh.

  “You blush so easily, Ri. So fucking adorable...” his voice trailed off. Our gazes clashed. All traces of humor vanished.

  Feeling my heartbeat speed up, I backed away from him, squeezing into my corner as I tucked a section of loose hair behind my ear and averted my gaze. Moments like this reminded me we were undefined. He’d offered me friendship, and we were nailing that part of our arrangement, hence the current study session in his trailer, but he’d sort of also offered to show me his penis at the same time. And that was where it got complicated. Being just friends was a damn minefield. Every inadvertent touch sent electricity shooting through me. Every heated glance, or reference to anything even remotely sexual, resulted in this charged tension that neither one of us knew how to deal with. Eventually someone would change the subject to the weather, or school, or something equally mundane, and we’d carry on like there hadn’t been an entire minute where we’d imagined tearing off each other’s clothes.

  Yeah, it was great.

  Ren cleared his throat. “So, Reno, huh? You wanna know where it came from, right?” His rushed words brought a grin to my lips. I liked seeing him flustered. I nodded, chewing my thumbnail. “I got into it with some shithead from Dalton.” He broke off abruptly, hitting me with a stern glare.

  That was still a sore subject. I rolled my eyes and mouthed let it go.

  “So yeah, some prick from Dalton. I’m sure you know him,” he muttered sarcastically.

  My brows lifted. “Really? We’re going there again?”

  He shrugged. “It was damn irresponsible, Riley.”

  “So, you’ve said. Please continue.”

  “Anyway, this guy’s ugly. Like fucking ass ugly. I beat on him a bit and he went down faster than a hooker's panties.”

  “Erm… eugh.”

  “Don’t act like a prude, Ri. We both know you’re not.”

  My mind immediately went to all the non-prudish things he’d done to me—all the non-prudish things I still wanted him to do to me—and my breathing grew shallow. I turned my gaze to Reno. Hunger burned in his eyes and his nostrils flared. His thoughts had gone in the same direction as mine. And there came the sexual tension again.

  “The damn story, Ren!” I all but yelled, as my head launched a slew of x-rated images at me.

  “Fuck. Right.” He gave his head a firm shake. “Yeah. He’s ass ugly, I kick the shit out of him. The guys are spewing some shit about how I rearranged his face, and then someone pipes up with how I improved it. Next thing, I’ve renovated it. Renner, Reno. You get it. It’s dumb as fuck, but it stuck.”

  His words came so fast, I could barely keep up. I’d lost interest in the topic, anyway. We were both breathing heavily by the time he finished, and our heated gazes locked. Reno’s burned like hot coals.

  “The fuck are we doing, Ri?”

  Practically panting, I shook my head. “Being friends?”

  “Screw this.”

  We both lunged. My hands clutched his hair, his fingers tunnelled through mine, knocking the pen loose and sending it cascading over my shoulder as our mouths fastened together. It was frantic, our movements desperate. Rising to our knees, our bodies aligned. My breasts crushed against his chest, where his heart raced like a train, matching mine beat for beat.

  “Fuck, Riley,” he groaned against my lips.

  I nodded frantically. “I know,” I gasped. My hips arched into him, needing to be closer. His hands dropped to cup my ass, pulling me in. A moan tore from my lips. “We shouldn’t.”

  It was the weakest protest ever uttered.

/>   “I know,” he agreed. But his grip tightened, tongue plunging between my lips while a hand grasped my thigh, lifting to curl it around his hip. The angle positioned him right where I needed him most and my head fell back on my shoulders, heat flooding my core. “That good, baby?” he murmured.

  Eyes squeezed shut, my head bobbed wildly. “Uh-huh.”

  “Yeah?” Hand splaying over my butt cheek, he thrust against me. Lids half mast, I gazed up at him. The fire in his eyes could have set me alight. His lips captured mine with a ferocity that was mind blowing. My bones went limp as I sagged into his hard body, all control gone.

  My back hit the cushions, Reno’s lips stayed on mine as he sank between my thighs, still holding my leg up around his waist. His free hand found the hem of my shirt, swiping it up to reveal my bra. He hastily tugged it down, freeing a breast and closing his palm around it while his hips ground into me. I was delirious, head rolling, sensation building like a storm. God, I needed to feel him. My fingers roamed his back, grasping handfuls of fabric and tearing at it. Reno broke the kiss, reaching above his head to pull his shirt off, then did the same with mine.

  Without stopping to process my actions, I reached down. My fingers fumbled with the buttons on his jeans, roughly jerking them over his ass. Reno dipped to catch my lips again. Our mouths opened as we breathed into each other, our eager hands working to remove our clothes. Raised on my elbows, I kicked at the black fabric caught around my ankles, trying to free my legs. On his knees, Reno reached behind to snag the material and pull it from me, throwing it aside. Bending over me, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of my panties and peeled them down over my thighs, before sinking a finger into me. My sigh was sheer exhilaration and relief.

  He eased back, his black, hooded gaze locked onto where his finger slid slowly in and out of me.