Page 30 of Savage Truth

The need to argue with Riley propelled me up the stairs and to her door. I banged on the wood then shoved it open as she came out of the bathroom, wearing a black bra and panties.Goddamn. Never in all my life had I seen a sexier sight.

I couldn’t say anything, so I reacted. Two steps, and I was in front of her, pulling her into my arms. I shuddered from the feel of her body pressed to mine. I buried one hand in her thick dark hair, the other secure at the small of her back, keeping her where I wanted her.

I’d had a half-naked girl in my room a while ago but had felt nothing. All I would have had to do was kiss Eliana, and she would’ve fallen into bed with me.

With Riley—I feel everything.

I dropped my face to her neck and inhaled. She was like a drug. An electrical current passed through me, heating my blood even more. I hungered for her. I had to know if she was equally affected and if the thought of me with anyone else also drove her mad. “Were you jealous?”

She shuddered, and I grinned against the softness of her skin. “No.” Her voice was raspy, tormented. “I’m only sorry I slept with you in the first place.”

Bullshit.I tugged at a fistful of hair at the nape of her neck, not too hard but enough to make her arch into me. She was just as affected as I was. With a gentle nip at her neck, I told her how it was. “You belong to me. Even if you deny it with words, your body says otherwise.”

“I don’t belong to anyone”—hands flat on my chest, she shoved—“especially someone who had another girl in his arms a few minutes ago.”

She pushed at me again. I released her hair and caught her wrists, pinning them behind her back before my mouth slanted over hers. She struggled. I tightened my hold, backing her against the wall before deepening the kiss, exploring and taking my time. Desire raged through my body. When she moaned, I growled into her mouth, releasing her hands.

Free, she explored under my shirt, her fingertips tracing my abs. Everywhere she touched, I burned with need. I wanted to sink into her warmth more than I needed my next breath.

She sucked in my bottom lip, and I groaned. The girl drove me crazy. Then her hands were in my hair, her nails scraping lightly against my scalp. Then she gave a sharp tug, breaking our kiss.

A rush of raw need flooded my system as I stared into her passion-darkened eyes. The thing was, her actions only made me hotter. I would never get enough.

I brushed the pad of my thumb across her kiss-swollen bottom lip before tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear then releasing her. I stepped back to the door, where I paused and leveled her with a heated look. “This isn’t over.”

I’ve got her right where I want her.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

RILEY

He’s an asshole.But holy hell, can he kiss.

For the tenth time, I brushed my fingers across my lips, which still tingled from yesterday’s encounter with the jerk. Trapped in the same house, I barricaded myself in my room, reading a romance novel I’d swiped from their library. It was all I could do to stop myself from jumping him. Because that kiss played on repeat, heating my body to unbearable temperatures.

I hate him, but I want him. It never ended.

With two days left of suspension, nothing to do, and the knowledge that Cole was in the house, I sat and watched the rain pelt my window. Every once in a while, a flash of lightning would tear across the sky, followed by a boom of thunder. I tossed the book onto my bed, having read the same paragraph twice and still having no idea what it said. My stomach growled for the tenth time as a knock sounded on my door.

“I ordered a pizza if you want to share.”

“I don’t.”Good thing he didn’t open the door.I wasn’t sure how I would’ve reacted. I eyed the cover of the romance novel. It might have been a bad choice since I was already heated.

I grabbed my phone and watched mindless videos. Another half hour passed until I couldn’t ignore how hungry I was. I dropped my phone onto the bed next to the book and tiptoed out of my room, stopping in front of his door. I pressed my ear against it and listened for any sign that he was inside. Hard to tell. The heavy rain was noisy.

My stomach growled again, and I cringed, swiftly backing away from the door. I took care to avoid the steps that squeaked on my way down. Once in the kitchen, I caught the faint sound of the TV. Cole’s eyes went from the screen to his phone and back again.

I pressed my lips into a tight line, annoyed by his presence. He didn’t have to be there. If his brother or cousins weren’t in school or football practice, he would have been with them. Things in the house weren’t fair. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. If Mom had delivered that mandate, I could have accepted it, but Lucas had thought he had the right to boss me around before the two had left for some client thing.

I got it. I did. If Nick was closing in on us, I shouldn’t have been running around where he might spot me. I wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t my first brush with my dad being in the same town.

Mom still hadn’t said a thing. I was beyond pissed. We needed to talk whenever she returned to the house that wasnotour home despite how much she pretended it was.

I gritted my teeth as I opened the fridge to see what there was to eat. I was all kinds of worked up from the constant memory of Cole’s kiss, the romance novel, and being stuck with him in such close proximity.

After scanning the shelves for the pizza, I turned. He was right behind me. I tilted my head back to give him the full power of my scowl. “You need to wear a bell so people know when you’re coming and can get out of the way.”

Green eyes flashed in amusement as he crowded me even more. “You’re not in my way.”

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