Page 11 of Ruse
I adjust my pants to hide the bulging erection caused by the unruly thoughts that have been circling my mind since I watched her shimmy her ass as she walked out earlier. Now it’s throbbing once again as I watch her drop her keys repeatedly, her short dress hiking further up her legs as she bends over, giving me a nice glimpse at her lace panties.
Stepping up behind her, I can’t help myself and lean in, inhaling the delicious scent of her perfume. Subtle citrus notes, coconut, and floral undertones. Fuck, she smells incredible, like an ocean breeze on a warm sunny day in paradise. I close my eyes and can hear the waves rumbling outside, or maybe it’s just my heartbeat thundering in my chest.
Regardless, I open my eyes and watch Phoenix step out of her heels making her stumble nearly failing to the floor. Instinctively, I reach out to steady her, my hand gently grabbing her by the waist.
Phoenix gasps in surprise, or maybe it’s a faint moan which slips out, either way, before I can react, she turns to face me, pushing me back, her knee coming up to greet my throbbing cock. No, let me rephrase that, to assault my cock.
“Fuck,” I curse, nearly falling to my knees as I double over in pain. The damn bitch has good aim, I’ll give her that. “What the fuck was that for?” I yelp, my voice a silent croak as I try to catch my breath.
Her face pales in shock. “What the fuck Maverick? You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were an intruder.” However, once she realizes where she’s maimed me, a mischievous grin appears on her lips. “Serves you well for sneaking up on a girl in the middle of the night. Didn't your daddy ever warn you against that?”
“I was inside the goddamn house. Why would I be an intruder?” I groan, still trying to catch my breath. She got me good, making my erection ache both from pain and arousal.
She scoffs in annoyance. “What if you followed me here and inside my house? How was I supposed to know? Besides, you grabbed me. I wouldn’t have kneed you if you hadn’t touched me. Daddy didn’t teach you about consent either, apparently.”
A small chuckle escapes me at her fervor. “You were about to fall. I was doing you a favor.”
“Next time don’t.” She brings her hands to sit indignantly on her hips, making her look awfully adorable as she tries her hardest to look intimidating.
“Oh, I sure as hell won’t make that mistake again. Fall on your ass for all I care.”
She pouts, “Fine,” turning back toward the alarm system still blaring loud.
“Fine.” I stand and reach behind her and enter the code into the keypad, shutting off the alarms just in time before it sends the emergency signal. “Go to bed before you wake up the whole damn neighborhood. It’s a school night, and it's almost midnight.”
She rolls her eyes, annoyed, but then turns and grins wide like she’s just remembered something amusing. “Whatever you say,daddy,” she leers, picking up her heels, and heading toward the staircase.
I shake my head, finally able to stand up straight, and watch her flaunt her ass as she walks away. Fucking tease.
How I’d like to smack that perky little ass of hers and teach her not to disrespect me. She may be a little disobedient brat toward her father, but to me, she’ll learn to show respect. Although I’d have a hell of a good time punishing her snarky little ass.
ChapterFive
PHOENIX
The next morning, as expected, after a night of drinking with Donovan and Olly, I woke up with a raging hangover. I may have gotten a little carried away, particularly because of a certain dream I couldn’t get out of my head, and a certain stepbrother who has crawled his way under my skin. Two days I’ve known the cocky bastard, and in those two days I haven’t been able to get him out of my mind. It didn’t help that the guy who’s quickly becoming the bane of my existence, and the star of the damn dream that made me consume so much sake at dinner, wouldn’t stop texting me and getting me all hot and bothered, and I mean it not only in a bad way.
It also may not have helped that when I arrived back home from our celebratory sushi and sake dinner, stumbling, and a little buzzed, he snuck up on me and nearly gave me a heart attack. I’m not used to anyone watching my every move and frankly, if this is the way things are going to go from now on, we have ourselves a major problem.
Luckily, my father left the house early in the morning before anyone else was awake, so I didn’t have to deal with his sudden need to set rules and bark out ultimatums. Brooklyn took off to football practice, and Daphne also left for the office, leaving me all alone to enjoy my breakfast in peaceful silence.
For a moment, I was afraid Maverick was still lurking about the house but was pleasantly surprised to find his car wasn’t in the driveway either.
After a delicious and nutritious breakfast of coffee and nothing else, I jumped into my white Range Rover and drove the mile and a half to Malibu Cove High. Living so close to school has its perks, and one of those is waking up fifteen minutes before class starts and still making it in on time.
The first half of the day was a breeze. Although Maverick was in my homeroom class, he never once bothered me. Not that I’m complaining, it was nice not to have to look over my shoulder every five minutes to see if he’d glued my hair to the table or cut off a strand. The asshole just sat in silence behind me, grunting every so often.
I was on high alert, breathing steady, and ensuring I didn’t slouch or lean too far back. I acted as if his daunting presence behind me was the most normal thing in the world, when in reality I was terrified about how I really felt.
Like I said, the gorgeous bastard is under my skin. Lucky for me, I don’t date bad boys, nor am I looking to date anyone.
“Hey Phoenix,” I hear come from behind me as I head over toward the table at the edge of the courtyard Olly and Dee are waiting for me at. You have got to be kidding me. A day and a half, not two full days, is all the peace I was privy to. I’d recognize Chad’s voice even if the scent of his Aqua Di Gio perfume weren’t making me increasingly dizzy as he approached me.
A staple in his mundane morning routine, Chadwick Hollingsworth III, has not a hair out of place, not one wrinkle on his perfectly ironed ensemble, and not a blemish in sight. Thick golden blond hair combed over to one side and gelled in place, golden tan skin, natural from hours spent in the sun, and honey-colored eyes that look like they have specs of sunshine woven into the light brown shade.
He’s every girl's dream guy. Money, class, power. Bred by the patriarch of the Hollingsworth Dynasty, a family of powerful men who dab in everything from banking, hedge funds, and oil, the youngest of the Hollingsworth boys is a paragon. Until you peel back the layer of perfection he wears as a cloak and find a tar black soul, slimy, and emitting a putrid stench.
Chad showed me his true colors the day he left me, instead of comforting me after my father’s affair. Not that I cared much when I found him three inches deep in an unsuspecting pussy. Yeah, I said three inches.
