Page 14 of Rivals

Reign drives onto the main road heading toward the landing. It’s an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town that butts up to a sprawling hill and race track. I’ve never participated in a car race out there, but I know it’s often populated with students from All Saints. My phone vibrates in my hand, but I shove it in my pocket.

Reign glances over at me, his gaze so intense I can feel my skin burning from the attention. “I figured it out, you know.”

I side-eye him. “Figured out what? How to handle a puck correctly?”

“Trying to sidetrack me won’t work this time, Riles.” He reaches over, his fingers pinching my chin and turning my head. He’s wearing a wolfish smile, his eyes darting from mine to the road.

“It didn’t make sense to me at first. I knew you loved what we were doing. Every time you came, I had to shove my hand over your mouth so you wouldn’t wake anyone. You got on your knees pretty quick too, sucking my cock like a pro by the end of the week.”

“I don’t really understand your point here, Thorn.” I manage to grit out, while pushing my thighs together, hoping he won’t notice how his words are affecting me.

“You said what a tempting offer for the first time. In my mind you were just talking about our first time and it seemed ridiculous given I ate your pussy for the first time in the sand, but whatever, I was going to let you have your moment. But you messed up, Riley.”

We pull into an empty parking space at the landing and a crowd is already forming by the hill in front of us. Reign parks so no one can see us through the windshield, but that does nothing to calm the erratic beating of my heart.

“Want to know how you messed up?”

I let myself turn to fully look at him. His eyes are smoldering and he smiles faintly, taking off his hat and running his hand through his hair. “Fine. Stubborn as ever I see. You went back to ignoring me. You left without saying anything and you’ve been avoiding me all week.”

“How is that messing up? Didn’t we agree that it was out of our systems and we would go back to our respective lives?” I argue, feeling my neck heating up, my pulse still firing.

Reign’s hand reaches forward, sliding along my neck, his thumb brushing over that spot where my pulse is. “You went cold and distant, which is what you do when you’re keeping something from me. So I thought it over again, and I replayed your words in my brain when it clicked. You didn’t say our first time. You said a first time. And since you haven’t dated anyone in the past few years–”

“I could have hooked up with someone without it getting back to you, Reign. I could have driven outside of this forsaken town and hooked up with a college guy,” I cut him off. But all my words seem to do is drive him a little crazier.

Reign’s eyes go almost pitch black, and his hold around my neck tightens. “I know you, Riley. I know you almost better than I know myself. You’d never settle for a hookup or a quickie in some dickhead’s dorm room. This right here...” His thumb runs along my pulse point again. “It always beats harder when you’re feeling intimidated or nervous. I almost forgot it was doing it that night as well. I didn’t forget how tight your cunt was around my fingers either, or how you gasped when I slid two fingers inside. I was stretching you, wasn’t I, babe?”

“Reign.” I manage to say his name, almost pleading that he doesn’t say the words out loud. How much worse will my life get if he knows.

His eyes flare. “You’re a virgin.”

The words sound harsh in the space between us, but it could also be the gravely way he says it. Like it’s an impossible notion. Like it’s the greatest thing he’s ever discovered. My eyes close and I breathe deep, trying to keep tears from leaking. I’m so screwed.

“So what?” I let my gaze return to his.

“So now I know what would really be enough to get you out of my system. Because you aren’t, Riles. Not by a long shot. All I do is think about you. So much that I feel like I’m going insane. I saw you the minute you got to the party tonight, you know. I watched you try to ignore me. Ignore the pull between us and it made me angry. Before Leif came to me with the keys, I was this close to throwing you over my shoulder and finding the nearest bed to lay you out on.”

“How charming.” My voice is full of snark even while my insides are gooey for him. I’ve seriously hit a new level of depravity that this is turning me on. I can’t let him finish. I tear out of his hold and throw open my door.

Outside the car the chilled September air blows my hair and cools my heated face. I start booking it across the lot, needing the distance between myself and Reign. I hear him curse behind me while he jogs to catch up. His legs are longer than mine and it doesn’t take much. Reign’s hand grips my arm and he pulls me to a stop, turning my body toward his.

“Not here. Everyone is watching.”

His eyes scan the crowd behind us and his nostrils flare. “I don’t give a fuck about them or what they think.”

“I do!” I almost scream and yank my arm. “You made your choice about me a long time ago, Reign. Remember? I can’t date anyone else because of your ban and you’re right I’m not down to hook up just to lose my virginity. So yes, I am still as pure as snow. But fuck you for thinking that I’ll just give it to you so you can fuck me out of your system.”

I yank again and this time I slide out of his grasp, fully intending on putting as much distance between us as possible. It doesn’t work though because Reign’s arms band around my waist, my feet leaving the ground while he turns my body in his grasp.

“Are you a caveman now?” I growl out the words, but all it earns me is a smirk. My arms are banded behind my back, and once again I’m at his mercy.

“What part of you not being out of my system did you miss? Or the fact that maybe I don’t want you out of my system. But yeah, you are right, Riles, you will give your cherry to me. I’m going to enjoy seeing your blood all over my cock and knowing that I took what has always been mine. Because you have always been mine, Riley.”

His words cause heat to build in my stomach and spread up through my chest. It feels wrong and right at the same time, but I can’t help but think this is all just a challenge to him now that we’ve upped the ante. I’ve tried to be soft for Reign before and all it got me was harsh words and years of rivalry. My brain speeds up looking for an out in this situation. Thankfully we’re saved when Leif jogs over to us. His brows shoot to his hairline when he sees how closely Reign is holding me.

“Ah, we’re on a time crunch here, guys.”

I shrug off Reign’s hold, putting some distance between us. “Let’s go.”

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