by Lexi Cross
“Great. So you just sit in your room watching me on camera?”
“Would you rather I follow you around everywhere?”
“Definitely not.”
“Okay then.” He pulled his head back and closed his door.
She walked into her room and went through her evening ritual. Brushing her teeth and her hair, washing her face, moisturizing, applying eye cream and pimple cream and wrinkle cream. Then she rubbed lotion all over her skin, gave her feet a thorough washing and exfoliating, then slipped on the yoga pants and t-shirt that she usually slept in.
When she got into bed, her soothing eye mask over her eyes, she couldn’t make her head stop racing. It kept replaying the day. The feeling of the man grabbing her from behind, his rough hand on her mouth. Seeing Ryder jump in to save her. Then everything horrible he’d said to her all night. And everything horrible she’d said to him.
It was like a crappy song stuck on repeat. She wanted to advance it or shut it off so she could go to sleep. She kept seeing Ryder’s face, remembering how his body had felt pressed against hers. How he’d almost kissed her. He had almost kissed her, right? She hadn’t just imagined that?
Stranger, though, was that she wanted him to. Something about him turned her on. He was so far from her usual type. She liked clean cut, wealthy men from a decent upbringing. Someone with manners and class. Someone so far from what Ryder was that they weren’t even comparable. Ryder was broke, rude, dirty and scruffy looking, and who knew who his family were. Yet, the way he’d grabbed her and pressed her against the stables…she’d never been turned on like that before.
The other men she’d slept with had been fine enough. It was a decent time. Nothing life shattering by any means. But nice enough. With Ryder, though, just the thought of him made her wet. She had never felt that way about anyone before. Usually, she got off more on how badly they wanted her, how they’d beg to be let inside her tight little body. But Ryder? He wouldn’t beg her. He’d probably almost force his way in. And that thought excited her even more.
Her wired up brain jumped into fantasy mode. She imagined him pressing her against the stables, but this time ripping her shirt off. Or saw him driving her somewhere, then pulling over and jumping into the backseat where she was. Or following her into a room and bending her over a table. Or coming into her room while she slept and surprising her.
She’d gotten herself so excited, she did something she rarely found the need for. She touched herself. Once the rush of pleasure took over her, she got up and washed, then tried again to go to sleep after drinking some water. But she still tossed and turned. Maybe she needed something stronger than water.
Usually, red wine made her sleepy. She preferred white for that reason and she had to be careful if the occasion called for red, not to drink too much. She’d almost fallen asleep at a boring dinner party once, years ago, and her father had scolded her for it. But tonight, it would be perfect. Just one glass. Enough to make her sleepy and shut up her mind.
She padded softly down the hallway, pausing to look back at Ryder’s door before going downstairs. Was he asleep? Or was he watching her right now? She wished she still had her panties and bra on under her robe instead of this t-shirt and yoga pants. What was she thinking wearing this out of her room? She’d go shopping tomorrow for some cute nighties. Who cared if everyone said cotton sleepwear was better for your skin. She had to look cute at all times now. Especially if she wanted to trick herself into thinking any of her fantasies could come true.
Her feet hit the tile floor of the kitchen. She looked up, shocked to find someone standing there, leaning against the island counter, looking at her.
“Aren’t you missing out on your beauty sleep right now?” Ryder asked.
He was shirtless. Her eyes traveled over the bulges of muscles on his chest and stomach without her even thinking about what she was doing. He wore only boxers, his legs thick and dark under them. He was like a solid piece of rock, and she wanted to dig her fingers into him.
“It’s not sleep that makes me so beautiful,” she said.
“Then what is it? Cosmetic surgery?”
She glared and reached up to get a wine glass. She couldn’t reach easily and as she stretched on her tiptoes, Ryder came over and grabbed the glass to hand it to her. His body was so close when he did, that he brushed against her, sending heat rushing over her skin.
She snatched the glass from his hand. “What are you doing down here anyway, in my kitchen?”
“It’s your father’s kitchen, first of all. You’ve paid for nothing in this house. And second of all, I’m staying here for as long as I’m stuck watching you, so it’s my kitchen for now.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help remembering the way his body felt, strong and hot, pressed against hers outside by the stable. “Like you would even know what to do in a kitchen like this.”
“Kitchens are pretty much the same. It’s not rocket science.”
Pia laughed. “Hardly. Have you ever even been in a kitchen this size?”
He said nothing, but his expression fell into a glare and he crossed his arms.
“That’s what I thought. Do you know what a double oven is or why it’s used?”
He continued to glare, so she continued to push.
“I bet your mama’s kitchen didn’t even have a dishwasher. We have two. And a smart refrigerator and a walk-in freezer. Oh, and the coffee makers. They practically make your coffee for you.”
“Like you would know. Don’t you have people who do that for you?”
“Well, yes. So, I guess the coffee makes itself for them. It does tea also, but I guess you don’t drink tea or wine or anything that would indicate any sliver of class. It’s all beer and sugary sodas for you, isn’t it?”
“Don’t act like you know anything about me.”
“Oh really? Okay, Mr. Hotshot. What’s the difference between French press and drip coffee? Or between green tea and black tea? Did you even know there was black tea or were you raised in a barn with the other pigs and nasty animals?”
“Enough,” he growled.
His eyebrows lowered and one of his eyes gave a slight twitch. She almost smiled at this. She’d managed to irritate him and she liked it. Good. He needed to be shaken up and agitated. He sure did a fair job of annoying her. What was a little payback?
Pia suddenly had a burning desire to see what he was like angry. For real angry, like he was ready to fight. Would he hit her? That would get him fired real fast. But maybe, just maybe, he’d throw her against the wall again and press against her. Maybe he would kiss her and her fantasies would come true.
Her mouth pulled into a crooked smile. What was the worst thing she could say to him? What would get him the maddest? She would push every one of his buttons until she hit it. Until he exploded.
There was no losing for her. This could go one of two ways. One, he’d flip and hurt her, which would get him fired, probably even killed, but certainly out of her life forever. Which was fine. She still didn’t need him tagging around her all day. Or, he’d kiss her, maybe even force things farther. At that thought, she felt the wetness between her legs. It half disgusted her that she wanted him so badly. This trashy low class grunt. He’d taint her if he entered her, yet the idea of feeling his strong muscles around her and him inside her made her so hot, she couldn’t stand it. If he kissed her, she’d get what she really wanted. And she could still get him fired by telling her father if he ever pissed her off and she needed more serious payback. There was no losing.
She crossed her arms, cocked her hip to the side, dropped her head slightly, and took aim, focusing in on him with her cold stare. Then she fired. “I don’t know how a little white trash boy from the ghetto got a job with the mafia anyway. You don’t belong here. You belong in a trash heap. Why don’t you go back there and play with someone your own class?”
The rage flickered in his eyes. He stepped toward her. She breathed in and her ar
ms fell. Her heart jumped as he came closer. Part fear, part exhilaration, all desire.
He reached out and grabbed her waist with both hands. He yanked her close, until his face was just inches from hers.
Kiss me, she pleaded. But she held her glare and pushed against him to break free. “Let go of me,” she demanded.
She put her hands on his hot forearms and pushed. He didn’t budge. She pushed against his chest with all her strength, but gained only an inch of freedom. He was so strong.
His hands tightened on her waist. It was starting to hurt. She might even have bruises.
“You need to learn when to shut your trap,” he said, hissing into her ear. “I will kill you in your sleep so your attacker doesn’t have to. I will slit you up and down and watch you bleed. Just for fun. Then, I’ll smear your blood over your father’s face as I kill him, too. Is that what you want? Would that make you happy?”
She gulped. The fear was starting to overtake her. He was strong. Too strong. She wouldn’t be able to escape from him if he did try to hurt her. She’d gotten herself in too deep. Assumed she knew more about him than she did.
If he really was as trashy as she said he was, then he probably didn’t care about things like going to jail or getting fired. He would kill her. He would kill her father. He was paid to kill people all the time. What were two more deaths on his hands? She struggled against him for real.
She wanted him to let go now. She wanted to run back to her room and hide from him, where he couldn’t hurt her.
“Let go,” she said, pleading to the point where her voice was almost a whine. Her throat went thick, like she was going to cry.
No, she couldn’t do that. That would show too much weakness. She’d already given in too much by showing her fear, by letting down her guard and letting him see that she was afraid of him. It gave him too much power. And it seemed that now, he was going to use it against her.
He didn’t let go. He moved one hand to her back, pressing hard enough that she couldn’t move from him. He dug his other hand into her long blonde hair. Then, slowly, he pulled back.
“Stop,” she whimpered.
He laughed darkly and pulled harder. Her throat was exposed and her face was straight up in the air so she was forced to look at him. She could barely swallow. She blinked fast to keep the tears away, but it hurt now. She could feel the places in her scalp where his fingers held her head back.
His eyes were cold and hard and so close to hers. “You will never talk to me like that again. Do you understand?”
She couldn’t nod her head. She tried. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “My father will hear all about this,” she whispered.
***
Ryder didn’t think he could contain himself. He was so hard, his dick throbbed. He should have worn something besides just boxers when he left his room, but he certainly hadn’t counted on this. What a pleasant surprise it was, to have her appear so suddenly, to walk down the stairs wearing what she was wearing.
He’d assumed she would sleep in some cute little nighty. Some little lacy thing that made her look like a sex goddess. But, somehow, the t-shirt and pants made her look even hotter. Her hard nipples stuck out of her shirt, calling to him. Too much of her was covered. If she’d worn lace, he would see what he needed to see and that would be it. But like this, there was too much mystery. He needed to shred those pants and see all she had to offer him.
Now, with his fingers tangled in her long hair, her neck exposed to him, her breasts pushed against him, her body hot and quivering under his touch. His cock was ready to explode. Could she feel him? There was so little fabric between her pussy and his dick. So little effort to tear it away and shove deep inside her.
His head spun. He couldn’t take it. But she was such a bitch. All the things she said to him. He wanted to strangle her. He wasn’t kidding about slicing her up and watching her bleed. It would give him just as much pleasure as fucking her brains out would. Hell, maybe he’d do both and feed both sides of his twisted nature. He’d have her, then he’d make sure no one else ever would.
When she looked up at him like that, all scared and fragile, he wanted to crush her. To take out all his anger on her and damage her forever. Her eyebrows pulled together in fear. Tears welled in her eyes, but didn’t overflow.
“I don’t know whether to kill you or fuck you,” he said through clenched teeth.
She let out a small gasp and his mind was made up.
He gripped the back of her head and forced her lips to his. She tried to pull away, tried to push him back, but he refused to let her. Then he didn’t need to.
As his lips moved over hers, she moved hers back. She stopped trying to get away. She brought one leg up to wrap around his waist and pull her closer. She pressed her hips into his waist.
He stepped forward until she was against the counter. He rubbed his hard dick against her pants and he swore she was already wet. He would just take her right here, right now.
She slipped her tongue into his mouth and he sucked on it. She let out a small cry of pleasure when he released it. His hands found her breasts and he squeezed and pinched.
She didn’t try to get away from him now. She wanted him, too. Just as badly as he wanted her. Maybe worse. She’d probably never been fucked properly in her life. All these little rich boys with their tiny limp dicks had no idea how to please a woman. Not like Ryder did. He would make her scream and forget her own name.
He moved his hand from her back to her ass. It was perfect. Round and soft and fit nicely in his hand. He squeezed and pulled her hips against him, rubbing himself up and down her front. He might come right now, all over her. Why did she have to be so hot and such a pain in the ass? Maybe he’d be a pain in her ass right back. Literally.
His head spun and he couldn’t see straight. The anger he’d felt transformed into pure lust. He slid his hand inside her pants to feel the bare skin of her ass. Her body was so perfect. How much money did it cost to get a body like that? To keep it so firm and tight and smooth? She probably went to the spa every week.
He started to move his hand around to her front, to feel her wetness run over his fingers, but he stopped. She probably did go to the spa every week. And all the other things that rich girls did.
He slid his hand out of her pants and pushed away from her.
She stood against the counter, breathing heavy and looking at him, confused. Her lips were redder than normal, swollen slightly from his rough kissing.
Everything about her said she wanted him. She leaned forward slightly, her lips parted, and she pulled half her lower lip into her mouth, held by her perfectly straight, crisp white teeth. One hand covered her stomach and the other fell to her chin, where she let a piece of her hair slip between her fingers.
No. She was too perfect. And that was because she was the mob boss’s daughter. He’d gone too far. He’d forgotten who she was and who he was.
If Matteo knew what he’d just done, that he’d touched her and kissed her—even if he only knew what Ryder wanted to do, and imagined doing to her—he would have him killed. And no piece of ass was worth that. Especially not when it was her. When she’d be thrilled to see him killed for her sake. She’d probably grin at his funeral and smile over his grave, knowing that she’d won in the end. Upper class triumphed again. Who was he but a trashy kid from the streets?
He wouldn’t be that stupid. Not over her. If he was going to screw up his life even worse, it would have to be worth it. It would have to be for someone who was worth it. Not this spoiled brat.
“Get up to your room and stay there,” he commanded. “Do not come out until morning.”
Her arms fell into a crossed position over her chest and she glowered at him. Was she going to challenge him on this? Didn’t she know how dangerous this game was? He could play all day. Love. Hate. They were the same to him. Just like lust and anger. Interchangeable. One was as good as the other. Not for her, though. She’d do something stupid
like fall in love with him. Then it would get messy and emotional. He wanted none of that. He could go find a street girl, pay her a few bucks, and get his kicks that way. Most of them let him get rough. The good ones, anyway. He’d find a blonde one and fuck her good and pretend it was Pia and that would have to be enough.
“Go.” There was no question, no wavering in his voice. He left no room for discussion or compromise.
She huffed and pushed off from the counter. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned from him, walking with drama, throwing her hips out as she flounced up the stairs.
His dick throbbed. He tucked it back inside his shorts, took a last chug of water from his glass, and put it in the sink.
In his room, he checked the monitors. There wasn’t a camera in her room. Matteo had said she’d insisted on that, and it seemed fair when he explained it. But now, he wished desperately that there was one.
