Page 15 of Into Ruin

That doesn’t make me feel shitty or anything. I grab a beer and toss it to him.

“I’ve got a paper to work on before I pass out,” I say. “Have fun babysitting.”

He scoffs, but I’m already gone.

I had a fifty-fifty shot,and tonight, the odds are in my favor.

Royal has passed out on the couch, and his sister is, presumably, tucked away in his bedroom. I make sure he’s actually asleep, listening for the deep sounds of his almost-snores, then tiptoe back upstairs.

I open his door and step inside.

Close it behind me.

Lock it, just to be safe.

I can blame it on Harper if I need to. The blinds are shut, but little dots of warm light from the street come in and create a path across the bed. Across Harper’s bare leg. One is on top of the blankets, the other hidden under it.

She’s on her stomach. The bare knee is brought up on her side.

My heartbeat picks up speed. I approach and climb on the bed, hovering over her. She’s in panties and a t-shirt.

She doesn’t wake up at the dip in the mattress.

Like this, her lips parted, her breathing slow and even, she seems too peaceful.

She’s a beautiful little butterfly, wings wet from emerging from her cocoon, and I am the spider.

All at once, I drop my weight onto her. My hips press to her ass, my knee keeps her calf from sliding down. My dick goes stiff immediately. I run my hands up her arms, finding her wrists. Holding them down.

And my mouth finds her ear.

She startles awake, and at the first thrash, I sink my teeth into the shell of her ear.

She stills.

“You’ve got some instinct, after all,” I breathe. “Pity, I was hoping for more of a fight.”

It takes me saying it to realize it. I want her to fight me. I want her angry eyes. I want tomake her.

“Now we’re going to find out if last night was a fluke,” I continue. “If the voyeurism did you in, orme.”

I release one of her wrists and trail my fingers down her side, shifting my weight just enough to get between our bodies. I yank her panties aside and run my finger down her center, and I smile at the wetness that awaits me.

“Stop,” she says in a low voice. “My brother?—”

“Is asleep downstairs. And even if he comes up, the door is locked.” I nip her ear again, and she shudders against me. “Will you yell out to him when he jiggles the knob? Will you pray he puts a stop to this? Only for him to break down the door and see you come on my cock?”

She fights me harder. Her head lifts, knocking into my chin, and I raise my head out of the way. I snicker and withdraw farther, until I’m knelt between her parted legs.

I shove my sweatpants and boxers down and wrap my hand around my cock. I find the condom I brought with me and take a moment to roll it on. There’s some deeper temptation to forego it entirely, tofeelher…

Maybe another time.

“Up on your knees,” I order softly. “Head in the pillow.”

She rolls on her back and kicks at me. Her heel lands in my abdomen, and I grunt. I catch her foot and yank.

She slides across the bed. Her other leg comes up, and I manage to grab her ankle. I rise, holding both. I put her calves together, banding my arm around them. Her ass lifts off the bed.

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