Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
“Whoa, I would never call you ugly—”
“Hey!” Ryker’s voice from behind me nearly causes me to jump. I hear his footsteps but refuse to turn. He strides right past me and leans down to get in Kane’s face. “What’d I tell you? Huh?”
Kane raises his hands like Ryker has a gun on him. “Relax, man. I was just trying to be friendly…”
Pulling a cigar from his pocket, Ryker snips the tip and lights it.
He looks back at me, but I turn away. I’m absolutely boiling inside. I’ve already got his mark on my neck that he’s forced me to cover, and now he’s marking his territory to other men?
Who does he think he is?
Moving quickly, Ryker strides past me toward the east wing. Kane raises his eyebrows at me as I follow, my heels echoing across the marble floor.
“Hey,” I call after him, but he doesn’t stop moving. “Hey!”
Without hesitation, I slam my body into him and drive him up against the wall, just like he did to me.
His lips twist into a cruel smile around his cigar, which I slap from his mouth.
“That was expensive, you know—”
“What you did to me,” I hiss, getting right up in his face, “was unacceptable and will never happen again!”
Ryker nods, a look of amusement on his face, almost the way a father looks at his young daughter when she’s acting out. He shrugs. “Sure. Whatever you say.”
His words streak through me like a poison, causing the already flaming hot anger in me to swell like a typhoon.
“Listen, dickhead, touch me again and you’ll see what I’m really made of!”
My teeth are clenched and my cheeks are burning as I stare him down. My hands are on his shoulders—solid slabs of muscle against my palms.
His scent is more powerful this close, and I start breathing from my mouth to avoid it.
“What’s going on here?” Dominic’s voice rings out from the foyer.
Shit, I curse, pulling away quickly. I glance his way and see Mom standing beside him, frowning at the two of us.
“What did we say?” she asks. “Do we need to hire someone to police you guys’ activities?”
“No, Mom,” I reply, turning away.
I walk to the door, grabbing my purse from the hook. I need to get out of here—go for a drive or something so I can get my head right.
But even as I step outside, I know his eyes are on me…
…watching, checking out every one of my curves.
My heart skips a beat, and I instantly curse myself out.
No, this can’t happen. Not again. Not with him.
He may have taken the upper hand, but he didn’t break me. He may think he’s tamed me, but this is far from over. I don’t submit.
And he’s going to learn that one way or another.
6
SABLE
It’s been five days since I pointed a gun at my new step-brother. Five days of torture.
I still can’t sleep. Ryker invades my dreams every night, haunting me like some evil spirit bent on my destruction.
I wake up sweating, dripping, and have started taking two a.m. showers just so I can get back to sleep.
He may not have broken me, but he did awaken something inside me. Something dangerous I can no longer ignore.
Every day I avoid him. I take my meals in my room and go shopping all day. Anything to get out of the house and away from him.
But I’m over it. This is no way to live my life.
I’m reacting—not acting. Burying feelings that are completely natural all because of what society says. Because of what my parents say.
Burning with intent, I get out of bed and go to the shower, cranking the water on as cold as it will go.
The chill takes my breath away but does nothing about the warmth between my legs or the tension in my belly…
…or the images of Ryker that seem to have been stamped into my mind.
Okay, so he’s hot—gorgeous even. That’s fine to admit, right? Even if he is my step-brother, it’s not like we’re blood-related. We didn’t grow up together. Why can’t I be attracted to him?
I know he’d be smirking right now if he knew what I was thinking, that son of a bitch. But I’m not going to let that affect me.
I’m Sable Noir. If I see something I want, I take it. That’s who I am, and people know better than to screw around with me.
And if I want Ryker, goddamn it, I’ll have him.
It will be purely physical—no feelings whatsoever. And no one will find out.
Smiling, I shut the water off and grab a towel. If he could only see me now.
He won’t be able to deny me. He already tried to kiss me, and I’ve seen his eyes blazing back at me when we fought.
I don’t even bother with underwear. I just throw on a loose pair of sweats and a T-shirt and make my way down the hall to Ryker’s room.