Page 32 of Hate To Love You

Ryker stands above Ashton’s body on the ground. I’m too stunned to move. I’d forgotten all about Ryker and the fact that he lives in this house.

He looks down at Ashton, his face pulled into a furious expression, one I’ve never seen before. He looks like he wants to kill Ashton. Ashton looks up at Ryker with his arms up in surrender.

“What the fuck, man?” he asks. Ryker appears to be holding back his anger, but I can see it emanating off of his large body.

“She said no. Now get the fuck out of my house before I drag you out of here myself,” Ryker threatens. Why am I finding this side of him so attractive?

Also, why is he protecting me? I’ve been such a bitch to him, and even though sometimes he deserves it, maybe I’ve been a little too harsh on him.

Maybe I’ve been so blinded by the rage I felt the first few times we spoke to realize that Ryker isn’t that guy. Not all the time, at least not with me.

Ashton crawls backwards a bit until he’s out of reach. Ryker watches him intently, fuming, as Ashton stumbles to his feet but doesn’t seem to be making a move for the door.

Oh, you idiot. Just leave now before the situation escalates.

But Ashton doesn’t leave. Instead, he steps closer to Ryker whose fists are clenched at his side.

“What, are you two fucking or something?” Ashton taunts. “We could share, ya know, she doesn’t look like she’d mind.”

My cheeks heat and my own hands ball into fists as I hold back the urge to punch this guy in the face. Who does he think he is? I step up to yell at him for his disgusting comment, but before I can, Ryker rears his fist back and punches Ashton in the face. The sound of something crunching and a splatter of blood let me know that Ashton’s nose is likely broken.

Ashton’s hands fly to his bleeding nose, blood sputtering out as he says, “Not into sharing, huh?”

This guy doesn’t stop. If he had even a sliver of a brain cell, he’d turn around and walk away.

Ryker takes another step forward, raising his fist like he’s ready to punch Ashton again, but I grab him before he can. As much as I want to see Ashton suffer, Ryker doesn’t need to defend me. I don’t want him to.

Ryker’s eyes meet mine, then move down to look at my tiny hand on his massive arm. I feel his body relax a bit under my touch as he backs up to stand next to me.

Grabbing my hand, he begins to drag me to the exit. I’m still so intoxicated I can barely walk in a straight line, and I do want to leave. But I have to find my friends to tell them I’m going home. I wonder if they saw what just happened.

As we come up to the door, I tug my arm away from him and stop in my tracks. My mind is foggy and the room around me seems to be spinning more than it was a few minutes ago. The adrenaline I felt mere moments ago has begun to dissipate, and my inhibitions are questionable at best.

I don’t know how I feel about Ryker stepping in and saving me. I’m pissed that he thought I needed saving. I’m thankful because I did need saving. I don’t know what would have happened if Ryker didn’t step in, but I’d never admit that to him.

But the reaction that has me questioning what the hell is wrong with me is the way my heart feels like it’ll fly out of my chest at any moment, the way my nipples pebbled under my small top, the pressure building low in my belly.

Am I seriously turned on by Ryker Steele?

Chapter 20

Ryker

The house is packed wall to wall with people in costumes, screaming, drinking, and dancing wildly. The party is a raging success, which isn’t a surprise since Holland, Mason, Pat, and I were in charge.

The group of freshmen consisted of Austin, Teddy, a kid I’ve never spoken a word to, and one of Logan’s friends, Max. They did well with the set up and nothing seems to be going wrong, so I’d say they did a good job this year.

There are fake spider webs all over the large spiral banister, some hang from the chandeliers, and more are spread out over various countertops. The lights are dimmed, and flashing orange and purple beams fill the large space.

The DJ in the corner blasts music as people surround the space, grinding and dancing with each other without a care in the world.

The Elite parties are usually wild, but the Halloween party is the most anticipated event of the year, and it looks like this year will be no different than the past.

I stand in a small opening in the corner of the large living area with Holland, Logan, and Pat. Who knows where the fuck Mason went. Probably hitting on some freshman who doesn’t know any better.

As my eyes scan the room, I notice a lot of the girls are wearing similar costumes and most of the guys aren’t really dressed up. Some have random masks on, some have full costumes, but the majority look like they didn’t even try. Much like me and the guys.

We’re all wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, and black boots that make our white and red masks stand out on our faces. The guys and I don’t usually dress up for these things, so we decided on something small this year and masks took the win.

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