Page 3 of Ramsey & Emerson

Listening to her finally speak, my arm almost snaked out to snatch her up. Emerson’s voice sounded like it belonged on the other end of a sex telephone hot line. It was raspy, light, and feminine; it was also full of balls.

I watched as Bailey stepped to her, no doubt putting on a show for me. “I only said that so you wouldn’t feel like a total loser, Emerson,” she huffed. “My mommademe bring you. Just like she made me go shopping with youand go over your school schedule with you. Do you really think that I want to hang out with a poor loser whose father is a murderer?”

My eyes darted back towards Emerson, and I added to Bailey’s cruelty. “Do you actually think you belong here? That we just pick up random charity cases at will?”

Emerson switched her attention from Bailey to me, and when she straightened her back, drawing herself up to her full height, I wanted to throw her down, then fuck her in full view of everyone in a show of ownership.

Goddamn, she was fucking stunning.

She stared right into my eyes as she said, “You’re absolutely right. I don’t belong here.”

I watched-absolutely stunned-as she turned to walk out of the house.

To walk away fromme.

Those few words were all that she’d given me.

Now, I was used to people backing down from me, so that wasn’t the issue here. Sands Cove boasted of only ten-thousand people, all very wealthy and all very powerful, including Bailey’s family. However, my family was the wealthiest and the most powerful, not to mention the most sinister. So, no one ever really dared to challenge me because everyone knew better.

Until now.

Though my father’s rise to the top had been to use money and connections to control people, once he’d brought me into the fold at only fourteen years of age, I’d gone in a different direction. My power came in the form oftruefear, and I wasn’t talking about kicking your ass or lame intimidation tactics. I was talking about the power to destroy your entire life.

Learning from my father’s shortsightedness, I’d spent a lot of my early years stalking everyone in this town. I had learned everything that I could from the mayor to the police chief to the Nelson’s maid. It was while I’d waded in the deep end of all these people’s lives that I had learned what true fear really was. True fear wasn’t being worried that your wife might find out that you were fucking the nanny. No. True fear was your wife finding out that you were touching your nanny’s underage son, and you were paying her to let you.

Well, I had spent years gathering proof on the most depraved acts committed by our upstanding community, and it was because of that why most everyone feared me and let me do whatever the fuck I wanted. Because of that, there was no way that I was going to let Emerson Andrews come intomytown and not fear me.

So, ignoring the gasps, I ran outside after her.

Chapter 2

Emerson~

There was only one other time that I could remember ever feeling this kind of rage, and it’d been the day that I’d found out that my father had killed my mother. They’d already arrested him when I’d found out, so he’d been safe behind bars, far away from me. However, all I could remember was feeling so much rage at the fact that I couldn’t get to him. I’d wanted to beat him to death with my bare hands, and I was feeling that level of violence now.

Not just because of Bailey, either.

I’d spent my entire life under the violent hands of my father, so these spoiled, entitled, rich assholes were out of their minds if they thought that they could intimidate or bully me. Just as much as Bailey’s fake ass didn’t want me here, I didn’t want to be here. I had begged my aunt to just leave me in the trailer until I turned eighteen in a matter of weeks, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Suddenly, she’d been attacked with a case of human conscience, and she’d wanted to make it right by my mother, though I had informed her that it’d been too late, and I hadn’t minced words, either. I’d told Aunt Constance that her only sister had died alone, believing that she’d been the trash that her family had made sure to make her feel like. Constance had blanched, but it seemed like the harsher that my words had been, the more determined that she’d been to ease her conscience. So, I’d gone from poor, needy, trailer park trash to rich, privileged, upper-crust teen in a matter of a week. Still, just because my clothes were brand-new…well, that didn’t mean thatIwas. So, if these people wanted to test me, I was more than ready.

I was halfway across the green, rich, manicured lawn when I felt a hand latch onto my arm, then whip me around, and I knew that I was in trouble when I looked up into the dark brown eyes of that asshole, Ramsey. My skin burned from where his hand wrapped around my bicep, and I wasn’t sure if it was from rage or something else. Even as furious as I was, I couldn’t deny that the boy was hot as hell. Even his name had been created to be screamed out in bed.

Ramsey’s hair was dark brown-a bit darker than my own shade-and it was cut short on the sides, but it was still long enough up top to run your fingers through. His brows were thick and arched, and they sat above a pair of keenbrown eyes. His lashes were long and full, and they gave him that bedroom eyes look. There was also a scar that started at the arch of his right brow, then slashed through his eye until it stopped at the edge of his nose.

It made him look like Satan in the flesh.

As for the rest of his gorgeousness, his nose was straight and perfectly centered in between two sharp, high, smooth cheekbones. His lips were full and sensual, and his jaw was strong and pronounced. Fitted all together, his face was pure masculine perfection.

In addition to that face of his, Ramsey was wearing a formfitting, expensive, blue Henley shirt that showcased his wide shoulders, bulging arms, and chiseled chest. His waist tapered down to his hips, and you could tell that he had a six-pack decorating his abs. He was tall, and his body was held erect by a pair of legs made up of powerful thighs and calves. He was also wearing jeans that actually fit him, and a pair of sneakers that probably cost more than the rent on our trailer back home.

Ramsey was sex on a stick, and he knew it.

Too bad I wanted to spit in that perfect face of his.

I tried to wrench my arm out of his hold. “Let go of me,” I hissed.

However, instead of letting me go, he yanked me towards him, and even though all my focus was on him, my brain was registering the gathering of people behind him. Butterflies took up residence in the pit of my stomach, and adrenaline coursed through my body, preparing me for whatever was about to come.

Fucking. Bring. It.

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