Page 25 of The Rivals' Touch

“Smile, babe!”

Click!

I blink my eyes open and scream when I spot Zayd next to me in bed with his shirt off. I pull the quilt over my bare chest. “What the fuck are you doing in here?! Get out!”

He pouts, sitting up in bed. His light blue jeans are unbuckled and hang low on his hips. “Is that any way to talk to your new brother, sis?”

I stare at him in disbelief. “Get out!”

His eyes fall to my chest, and I look down to ensure my boobs are covered up. They are.

“What the fuck are you doing in here? And in my bed?” I motion to him. “Dressed like that?”

He stands up and pockets his phone. “Check your messages, sis.”

“For fuck’s sake, stop calling me ‘sis,’” I reply tiredly, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. The minute I unlock it, the blood drains from my face.

Zayd plants his hands on the bed, his dark eyes roaming my face before settling on my lips. “I’m not someone you want to play games with, sis. You’re going to cheer for my team and me.”

I sit frozen, my hands trembling in my lap as he walks out. When the door shuts, I look down at the screen. It’s lit up with a picture of us, naked from the waist up. I’m asleep next to him, my hand on his bare chest. He’s smirking at the camera. At first glance, it looks like a sweet selfie, but it’s more sinister than that: it’s the perfect blackmail material to keep me in line. If Bennett sees this picture…

My blood boils. I throw off my quilt and get out of bed. Then I remember I’m only wearing panties, so I grab one of Bennett’s jerseys out of the drawers and put it on.

“Fucking jerk!” I mutter, storming out of my room and throwing open his door without knocking. He’s putting a white t-shirt on over his head. I ignore his rippling abs and shout, “You think you can blackmail me, you dick?!”

His head pops out of the hole, and he pulls the t-shirt down over his stomach. Then he walks up to me and shuts the door. I’m pressed up against it with nowhere to run. “It’s simple,sis.You do as I say, and the photograph stays a secret between us.”

When he starts to play with strands of my hair, I slap his hand away. “You’re sick! I always thought you were a self-centered idiot, but this…?”

He presses a finger to my lip, silencing me. “Ssshh! You haven’t seen anything yet, babe.”

My skin tingles as I move my face away from his touch. “Go to hell, Zayd!”

He steps even closer and slowly slides the jersey down my shoulder. I pull it back up, making him chuckle. His warm breath fans my skin as he whispers, “I heard you last night.”

I swallow thickly, pinned to the door like a butterfly by his dark gaze. He cups my jaw and shifts his leg between mine. “I can fuck you so much better than him.”

His seductive words dance over my tingling lips, and I whimper when he grabs my thigh and slides his hand over my skin, inching up the hem of Bennett’s jersey. “I can make you feel so fucking good!”

I push him away, and he lets me this time. “Don’t ever touch me again!”

“Hey, sis!” he calls after me as I leave. “Try to keep the noise down when you scratch that itch!”

Fucking smug asshole!

I slam the door shut and walk downstairs to grab a bowl from the kitchen cupboard. I’m so angry I don’t notice my father seated at the island. Placing the bowl down on the counter, I stiffen when he clears his throat.

My father’s eyes are on my bare legs. He folds the newspaper and puts it down on the kitchen island. “Word got back that you sat out yesterday’s practice.”

I try to act indifferent as I open the pantry and reach for a cereal box. Bennett’s jersey rides up my bare legs. “Legacy told me to.”

My father gets out of his seat and walks up behind me. “Is that so?”

My heart starts racing in my chest, and I clear my throat but don’t turn around, scared of what I’ll see in his eyes if I do. “Yes, she doesn’t want me on the team.”

His fingers brush up against the back of my thigh as he snakes his hand underneath Bennett’s jersey.

“Are you not a Burke?” he asks, tracing his touch over my panty line.

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