Page 30 of Ruthless

“I have to get ready for work. If I’m late, my father might show up.” I attempt to distract him, but he has an answer for everything.

“Connor called. They gave you the rest of the week off.”

My stomach plummets. Foiled by my own flesh and blood.

“I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know what came over me.” It sounds childish, but it’s the truth. I grew up with four brothers and had to hold my own. That means I usually go on the offensive first.

He doesn’t say anything as he steps deeper into the room. The closer he gets to the foot of the bed, the faster my breathing becomes. My pulse pounds against my ears in time with his steps. Once again, he’s managed to dominate my space completely. I’m trapped with nowhere to go.

“Not yet, but you will be.” His low voice skates across my skin, leaving chills in its wake.

My nipples harden at the commanding tone of his words, drawing his eyes straight to my chest. In all of my haste to get to the door earlier, I forgot to put a damn bra on. He has a front-row show of exactly how I feel about his little threat. His tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip as I see the rigid outline of his dick through his gray sweatpants. I bite my bottom lip to keep from clenching my thighs together, but Zane can see every emotion on my face clear as day.

His nostrils flare as he creeps up closer to the foot of my bed, caging me in. “Now we’re gonna play by my rules.”

Shit. I’m in serious trouble.

CHAPTERTWELVE

Kennedy

I fake like I’m going left in hopes of tricking him, but my feet get tangled up in the mess of blankets on top of my bed, and I end up tripping. My hair falls in my face while my knees hit the mattress with a soft bounce. Before I can even right myself, Zane’s on me. His rough fingers circle my ankle and drag me down toward the foot of the bed. My T-shirt rides up the closer to the edge I get, exposing my lower body to the cool air in the room. I ignore the fact that my ass is on display for him and attempt to crab crawl away, but I don’t even make it a single step.

Zane has me flipped over onto my back in a matter of seconds. He pins my arms above my head as the weight of his body comes down on top of me, cautious of putting too much pressure on my stomach and keeping me in place. His hips nestle between my legs as the few long strands of hair that fell out of his bun drape down, sweeping across the top of my chest. The hard ridge of his dick rubs up against my bare ass, and my insides tremble. A shudder of need rushes through me as I bite my lip to avoid letting out a moan, but it’s pointless.

My heart pounds against my ribs from the heat of his skin seeping into mine. Each deep inhale I take pushes my breasts deeper against his rock-hard chest. My toes curl into the mattress as I fight the onslaught of emotions overcoming me. This position is far too intimate for the tongue lashing I want to give him.

Deep blue eyes bear down on me as he watches my every move, waiting to see what I will do next. I bare my teeth at him as I press my heels into the mattress and push with all the strength of my lower body in a poor attempt at flipping him over. I fail, and I can hear Connor telling me I fucked up the second Zane got me on my back. I know better, but Zane has my head in knots, throwing me off my game.

I try to push him off me once more, but he’s like a ton of bricks weighing me down and doesn’t budge. The only thing I succeed in is rubbing myself even deeper against him—my core clenches from the contact. Nothing is separating us but the thin, soft cotton of his sweatpants.

Zane’s fingers flex around my wrists as he stares down at me, but he’s not even out of breath from our struggles. The bastard.

“You done?”

“No.”

I squeeze my hands into fists, ignoring the weight of my wedding ring digging into my finger and how my glasses are pushing up against my nose. I attempt to twist to the side to throw him off balance, but it’s no use. He isn’t going anywhere. I end up winded and pissed the hell off.

My heavy breathing is the only sound in the room as we remain locked in our stare down. The rough material of my T-shirt brushes against my nipples, making them even harder, sending a shock wave of tingles through me that I feel down to my toes. The fine hairs on my arms stand on end as I clench my thighs tighter around his waist, trying to soothe the building ache. Everything inside of me is like a live wire ready to snap at any moment. Blood pounds in my ears as the sweetness of his gum mixed with a hint of cedarwood invades my senses and sends them into overdrive. It’s earthy and sweet and all him.

“Fuck me. You’re stubborn.” He shakes his head, but there’s a softness to his features that contradicts his words.

“You’re just now figuring that out?” I raise an eyebrow at him, determined not to give in. The sensations that are starting to overtake me are making that almost impossible.

I expect him to argue, but he surprises me. His head dips down, and he kisses me. I’m a goner the second those warm lips connect with mine. They’re soft and firm all at the same time. My eyes close, becoming lost in him as his tongue slips inside my mouth and intertwines with mine. The fine hairs of his beard scrape against my face as he tilts his head to the side, deepening the angle. His tongue continues to stroke and play with me until I’ve forgotten where we are or why we’re even in this position.

He pulls back and whispers against my mouth, “Do I have your attention now?”

I open my eyes to find his hooded ones burning into mine. “Yeah,” is all I can manage to say. I’m still in a Zane daze and only partially coherent at the moment.

“Good. Tell me why I shouldn’t spank your ass for that shit you just pulled?” he growls out. The vibrations of his voice send shivers through my body, but I ignore them as my anger storms to the forefront.

Heat floods my cheeks as I shoot him a death glare. “Because you’re an asshole, and you deserved it.”

“I am.” His chin dips in agreement.

My body tenses underneath him. “You’re unbelievable.” I let out a hollow laugh and shake my head at him. All the feelings I had for him moments ago disappear, and I fight with the urge to punch him. If my arms weren’t still pinned to the bed, I would. “I tell you you’re being a dick, and you just agree with me? No explanation.”

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