Well… that was something…
820 Words
Riley:
Julie walked out, and the slam rattled the picture frame on the wall. Her footsteps faded down the hall, swallowed by the thrum of bass downstairs.
And then it was just me and Cade.
I sat up on the bed, grinning like I still had the upper hand. But the second I met his eyes, my grin faltered.
He didn’t look embarrassed. Or amused. He didn’t even look angry.
He looked like a storm about to break.
“You’re not drunk,” he said finally, his voice low, certain.
The smirk wobbled. “Whaaaat? Pfft. Totally wasted. Hammered. I can barely see you right now. You’re like… two of you. Which is tragic, because one’s already bad enough—”
“Cut the act, Riley.”
He stepped forward.
My breath caught. The air between us shifted, heavy and suffocating.
“You knew exactly what you were doing,” he said, each word deliberate, precise.
“Cade…” I could barely whisper above the thundering of my pulse in my neck.
My hands were shaking, my heart stuttered every other beat, and my legs were ready to let me hit the floor.
But inside, in the quiet, fragile corners of my mind, I was begging this man, this sexy, tattooed psychopath, to use me.
The moment my back hit the wall, I forgot how to breathe.
His face—otherworldly and devastating—was void of emotion. He inched closer until I could feel the warmth of his whisky-soaked breath brushing my lips.
“I… I didn’t mean to.” I lied.
He could see right through me.
“Do you really expect me to believe you didn’t plan to interrupt me before I could f**k her?”
The words sliced me open, jagged and cruel.
“Don’t kid yourself, Cade. I couldn't care less what w***e lies on her back pretending to come for you.” My voice was venom, sharp enough to cut, because if I let my jaw unclench for even a second, the truth would slip out instead—the truth that it gutted me to see him touch someone else.
His smirk was infuriatingly calm.
He leaned in closer, pressing his body harder against mine. “I am a gentleman, Riley. You should know that by now.”
I tilted my head back instinctively, hating myself for the way my body betrayed me. “Then your definition of gentleman must be different than mine. Because from where I stand, you’re nothing more than a self-centered piece of shit.”
“My definition,” he said, voice low and silken, “includes never leaving a woman unsatisfied.”
His hand clamped around the nape of my neck, rough, unyielding. He shoved me forward, face pressed into the mattress that still smelled like Julie’s perfume.
“Do you see this spot, darling?”
The hard bulge pressing against me made me moan before I could stop myself.
“Had you not interrupted me, this is exactly where another girl’s come would be.”
Jealousy roared hotter than desire. I pushed, tried to wriggle free, but he was immovable.
“What’s wrong? Please tell me you’re going to cry. I love it when you cry.”
He kicked my feet out, rolling me to my back as tears blurred my vision.
“I hate you so much!” The words tore from my throat.
Again, his lips brushed my ear, sending fire racing through my veins.
The truth trembled on the edge of my tongue. I wanted to scream it, confess it, damn myself with it.
But the door crashed open.
“Brooo, is this the bathroom?”
Both our heads snapped toward the intruder. A partygoer I barely recognized staggered in, clutching a half-empty beer. His eyes were glazed, his grin sloppy.
“Oh, s**t,” he muttered, swaying. “My bad. Didn’t know this room was, uh… occupied.”
Cade didn’t move. His body stayed flush to mine, hand still wrapped around my throat. His voice came out dark, lethal.
“Get. Out.”
The guy blanched, nearly tripping over his own feet as he backpedaled. “Right, right, didn’t see a thing. Nope. Totally blind. Goodnight!”
The door slammed shut behind him, rattling in its frame.
Silence crashed back into the room.
Cade’s gaze cut back to mine, sharp and burning. Slowly, his mouth curved into a smirk, making my entire body shiver.
“Looks like you’re safe,” he murmured, lips brushing my ear, “for tonight.”
His grip loosened just enough to let me breathe.
“But don’t forget this moment, Riley. Don’t think for a second I’ll let you walk in here, test me like this, and not make you pay for it.”
He peeled himself away at last, leaving me trembling against the bed, every nerve raw and alive.
And then, without another word, he was gone.
- Writer
