Page 31 of Ride Hard
“I dropped the balltoday.”
Freezing, I looked up, our gazes meeting. Something had changed. Something I couldn’t quite put my fingeron.
“It doesn’t matter,” I murmured. “We got out ofit.”
“We shouldn’t have been in it at all.” His eyes were sad, his mouth curveddownward.
Chaser admitting he’d made a mistake? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who owned up to anything unless it waswinning.
Leaning closer, I picked up his hand and grabbed the cloth. Wiping at the blood on his forearm, I sighed. What a fuckingmess.
“Sloane…”
“Shutup.”
“Sloane.”
Glancing up, I sucked in a deep breath as I realized how close we’d actually gravitated toward one another. I practically sat on his lap and his lips… My gaze shifted to his mouth, and everything wenthaywire.
Heat surged between my legs, my nipples tightened, and I slid my leg over his and climbed onto his lap. Justso…
Burying my fingers into his hair, I tugged his face upward as his palms settled on my hips. Grinding into him, I swore he was hard. His eyelashes fluttered, and I lowered my lips toward his. I bet he tasted like blood andwhiskey…
Our breath mingled… Then he turned his face away and pushed meback.
“Why won’t you kiss me?” I exclaimed, humiliation and frustration pulsing throughme.
“You’re still the daughter of the president…” he began, not even looking me in theeye.
“He’s never been my father.” I snarled. “He wants me back because it’ll save his precious reputation. It isn’t a gesture of fatherly love,Chaser.”
“Orders…”
“Fuck orders. I have no allegiance toFortitude.”
“I do.” He stared me down, his eyes burning with anger or desire, I wasn’t surewhich.
“Is itvoluntary?”
He glancedaway.
“Chaser…”
“Get off me,Sloane.”
“I see the way you are when you talk about them,” I went on. “Your lip curls and your mood goes south. Big time. You hatethem.”
“You don’t knowanything.”
He grasped my waist, and in one deft move, he tossed me off his lap and onto the bed behind us. Landing on my back, I was dazed for a moment but shoved to my feet as he did thesame.
“I know enough to see this isn’t all there is to you,” I exclaimed, getting up into his face. “You accuse me of being a petulant little bitch? Look in themirror!”
“Don’t push me,Sloane.”
“Or what? You’ll spank my ass like a littlebaby?”
He growled like a beast, a sexy as fuck grunt that had my knees trembling, and pushed me back against the wall. My head cracked against the plaster, but I didn’t feel it. I was too aroused to care. Pain was borderline orgasmic rightnow.
