Ryder stops directly in front of me, leaving only two feet of space between us, which he could easily cross by bending over and grabbing me. I shudder at the thought—not in repulsion, but excitement.
“Don’t be shy now, sis. There’s no need for it after everything we’ve done,” Ryder murmurs. I don’t need to see his face to know he’s smirking.
I barely shake my head. “I’m not being shy.”
Walk away.
Walk away.
Don’t do this.
“Yeah?” His breathy laugh goes straight to my heart and between my legs.
Jesus. What is he doing to me? I haven’t heard him laugh in . . . I’m not sure how long.Too long, to be exact.
“I don’t want to see my brother naked, is all,” I say without thinking.
Liar, the tiny voice in the back of my mind whispers.
Goddamn right, I’m a liar. I need to lie when my heart is on the line.
Ryder bends down and lays his huge palms flat on the mattress. The tips of his fingers are mere inches from touching my toes. He doesn’t move any further than that, purposefully drawing this out when we both know what’s about to happen.
“How long are you going to lie to yourself?” he murmurs. “Because we both know I turn you on.”
The fresh memory from the other night floods my mind—Ryder’s husky moans and him urging me to come while calling me hislittle sister.
If I lie to him and myself until I’m blue in the face, will it erase what happened, as well as his memory from that night? I don’t think it will, but my resistance toward him is weakening at a blinding rate.
Ryder’s fingers inch closer to my feet. His chest expands as he inhales, and when he lets out his breath, a growl joins it. “I can smell your wet pussy from here.”
A wave of dizziness slams into me, and I catch myself before I fall over and make a fool of myself. I’m not the fainting type. Blood? Doesn’t make me light-headed. Gore from scary movies? Meh. Ryder talking filthy to me? Yep. That’ll do it.
“We can’t do this,” I say.
“Is that right?” Amusement laces his voice. “Let me guess . . . because you’re my sister?”
“Step-sister.”
The corners of his eyes crinkle with a hidden smile. “Such a good girl.”
I scowl. “I’m not some dog you can talk to like it’s stupid.”
Ryder falls silent for a beat, then says, “Oh, you’re a brat. It’s a shame that I love taming brats. If you don’t like praise, would you prefer I insult you? Would you rather have me tell you that you’re a dirty slut I plan on using as my personal fuck-toy?”
I sway from the impact of his words. If I were normal, I’d get grossed out by him admitting that he plans on using me as a sex doll. But I guess I’m not normal. I never was, and that’s okay.
Wait. No. It’snotokay.
My mouth takes over before I can process what I’m saying. It’s my last stand before everything explodes, and there won’t be any coming back from it. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Ryder, but I’m not fucking you. You’re beneath me.”
It’s a low blow, considering what’s between us isn’t one-sided.
Ryder grabs my ankles, yanks me toward him, and hovers over me with his face above mine. I expected to see anger in his gaze. Instead, I find only amusement.
He lowers his head until his masked mouth is centimeters from my parted lips. “Beneath you. Over you. Behind you. All the positions. Don’t worry, doll, I’m a giver, and you’ll be screaming for me in no time.”
The fight I’ve been clinging to shatters into thousands of pieces at my feet.
