Riley watches me with a smug expression, one I plan to knock right off his face. He knew exactly what he was doing and once again, I’ve just played right into his fucked-up games.
“Holy hell,” the new chick breathes, her eyes flashing toward Arizona. “Who the fuck is that?”
I don’t wait to hear the response as my attention is solely on Brielle and the way she flies up off the sun lounger, anger burning in her narrowed stare. “Who let you in here?” she spits, striding up to me and putting herself right in my way, her chin tilting to meet my gaze.
I don’t dare look away, capturing her stare with my own and holding her captive. Most chicks break, unable to handle the intimidation. They have no choice but to look away, but she doesn’t back down, just dares me to continue. Can’t lie, I’m impressed. “What’s the matter, Killjoy? I figured you’d be the last person to bitch about breaking and entering.”
Amusement flares through her bright blue eyes, and without a doubt, she knows that I’ve seen what she did to my room. All eyes fall on us, their heavy, concerned stares lingering and waiting to see how this is going to go down, waiting to see who will break first.
“Not at all,” she tells me, stepping in even closer and lowering her tone. “I just have issues with assholes like you making yourself welcome somewhere that you’re clearly not wanted.”
I move in closer, just as she had done, leaving barely a breath between us, and I don’t hesitate, reaching out and curling my fingers around her throat, trailing my thumb up and down her soft skin. I feel the rapid beat of her pulse beneath my thumb and a wicked satisfaction tears through me. She’s coming alive for me, her eyes are wide, all of her attention on me as her breath catches in her throat, unlike when talking to Riley. Just as I told Jax, I’m already in her head. They can try all they like, but she’s already mine.
To fuck, to torture, to play. I will get whatever I want from this girl. She will fall at my feet, and I won’t even need to try.
“Not wanted?” I question, leaning in even closer, feeling the sharp inhale of her chest as it presses up against mine. I lower my voice to a soft whisper, letting my breath brush across her skin. “Quit lying to yourself, Killjoy. You might not want this, but your body sure as fuck does. I bet you’re soaking wet for me, aren’t you?” she leans in, her head tilting to the side, inviting me in. “You want to feel my tongue brushing over your clit, my thick cock pushing up into that tight little cunt. You’re desperate for it. Tell me, baby, did you fall asleep thinking about what you saw? Did you fuck yourself while thinking about the way I stroked my cock and watched you through your window?”
I pull back just a fraction to see the way her eyes become hooded and her tongue rolls over her bottom lip, and I almost falter, my knees threatening to fall out beneath me. She’s so fucking gorgeous. Hating her is going to kill me, but it’ll be so worth it.
Brielle’s gaze drops and her fingers slip up under my shirt, pressing against my abs. Her fingers flare against me and then slowly move up to my chest. “Tanner,” she breathes, and just like that, she has my complete, undivided attention. I wait for her, wait to hear whatever the fuck she has to say, hanging on her every word. “Quit kidding yourself. I would never lower my standards and fuck someone like you, but please keep trying. Your desperation is the best entertainment I’ve ever had.”
She pulls back from me, her eyes as hard as glass as her hand falls from my chest, and I realize that the panting breath and hooded eyes were all part of her game. She fucking played me just as I was trying to do to her, but unlike never before, she bested me, and I don’t know whether to fall to my knees and worship her or make her pay. Instead, I just meet her smug grin with one of my own, undoubtedly impressed.
Before I get a chance to remind her where her place is in all of this, Riley approaches, moving in just behind her, his hand falling to her waist and slowly curving around until the tips of his fingers are slipping inside the top of her waistband. My stare falls to his touch and I barely resist curling my hands into fists and giving myself away. “Yo, Tanner. Everything chill over here?”
She pulls her hand from my chest and swings it back, nailing Riley right in the junk and dropping him to his knees. “Ahhh, fuck,” he groans, holding on to his balls for dear life.
Brielle whips around to face him, bending over to grip his chin and force his stare to hers. “Riley, is it?” The fucker nods, trying to breathe through his pain, and she gives him a dazzling, sugar-sweet smile that nearly knocks me off my fucking feet. “Let’s set some ground rules, shall we? I don’t give a shit about whatever fucked up game you two have going about who can fuck the new girl first. It’s perverted and quite frankly, ain’t ever going to happen. So hear me, and hear me loud and clear, if you ever put your hands on me without my consent again, I will pull your testicles out through your throat, pulverize them into dust, mix it with whatever steroid powder shit you inject yourself with, and feed them to you. Is that understood?”
Riley’s eyes go wide as he gapes at her, his balls almost forgotten. “Holy fuck,” he breathes, unable to tear his gaze off her, watching her with wonder. “I think I just fell in love with you.”
Brielle scoffs, her gaze flickering to mine as a smugness pulls at the corner of her lips. “Join the club.”
I can’t tear my eyes off her as she barges past me back into the house and goes about fixing herself a drink, and it sure as fuck doesn’t go unnoticed that not once in the past few days when I’ve touched her has she had any objections. She all but welcomes it, she breathes me in, she leans closer, and there’s no feigning the feel of her rapid pulse beneath my fingers.
Riley gets to his feet, peering inside at Brielle as he shakes his head in disbelief. “Holy fuck, bro. No chick has ever dropped me like that.” He can’t look away from her, watching her with a strange mix of awe and confusion as an uncalled-for panic spears through my chest. I’ve seen that look before. It’s the look he had when he saw the twins’ mom in a bikini for the first time after she had her tits done, the same look he gave her before spending the next six months obsessing over her and convincing himself that he was in love, and I don’t fucking like it.
“Get the fuck out of here, man,” I tell him, giving him a shove into the house and watching as he goes. “Go get cleaned up. You have your father’s dinner tonight.”
Riley groans, the mention of his father like a bucket of ice water tipped over his head. “Fuck, I’d almost forgotten about that,” he says, turning back and glancing at Brielle in the kitchen as she pours herself another drink. “It was a pleasure, but I must see myself out.”
Riley tips his imaginary hat to her and she narrows her eyes as she watches him leave, not bothering with a goodbye. Riley takes off and I turn back to my boys outside. “I’m out,” I tell them, not giving two shits if they stay and fuck Bri’s friends. As long as they keep their filthy hands off her, I’m good.
Turning around to head back in the house, I find Killjoy trailing toward me, sipping on her fruity shit. “Leaving so soon?” she smiles. “What a shame. I was really looking forward to whatever riveting conversation I’m sure you’re capable of.”