Page 38 of Reckless Rebel

“You mean Rick?” I ask cautiously, fully aware that although I’m her brother, she has been around Rick a lot more and a lot longer. I don’t want her to judge him based on my feelings towards him, but it is one of the reasons I don’t like him. He never seems to respect the fact that she is around.

She nods slightly with a shrug. “Him, boys at school, but not you though.” She must see my frown because she continues, "Tommy at school said I'm dumb,” she admits quietly, and for the first time ever I feel the need to want to punch a kid.

"Yeah well Tommy sounds like a little punk,” I huff out in annoyance, wondering how easy it would be to make a kid disappear. Irrational? Maybe. Do I care? No.

"He told me I can't play on the climbing frame because it's for boys." Her lips start to quiver as she speaks and I see moisture gather in her eyes. What a sexist little punk.

"Listen up, you don't ever let a boy tell you what to do alright? You're a little warrior and warriors don't cry over stupid boys." I wipe the tears that she allowed to fall and think about asking Elle to use her knife skills on a kid.

She sniffs back her tears as she shoves back the blanket and throws her arms around my neck, "I love you, Jacey." The words pierce my hardened heart, words I haven’t heard in a long time.

Now it's my turn to fight back tears as I reply with words I've come to feel myself. "I love you too, Fifi."

She pulls back from the hug with a shy smile on her face and I want to keep it there so I add, "Want me to teach you how to punch so the next time Tommy talks shit you can deal with him yourself?"

She laughs, which is weird because I'm not joking. "Mom and dad say we aren't allowed to punch people," she replies innocently.

I smile at that, they're such good parents."I mean your mom and dad are right, but it can be our little secret, promise." I hold out my pinky for her and she smiles as she hooks hers with it.

"Now go to sleep so I can let your mom and dad yell at me for spoiling you so much today." She laughs as she snuggles down into her duvet.

"I'm so excited for you to come on vacation with us,” she admits and I smile wider.

"Me too, sis, me too." I drop a kiss to her head as she lets her eyes close, and move to make my way out of her room.

I slip into the hallway and close the door quietly, only to turn and find Riley waiting silently by her door. She attempts to smile at me, but it doesn’t hold any real merit in comparison to her genuine happy smile, the one I have been treated to all day. The tear tracks staining her cheeks make me want to introduce Dicky to The Ring until it’s his tears that are pouring.

“Everything okay?” I ask stupidly.

She nods, but more tears start to fall and then she shrugs as she choke out a cry. I move and put my arms around her. “Hey don’t cry, I promise you he’s not worth it.” I don’t think I have ever meant any words more. That little prick wouldn’t know how good he’s got it if it knocked him in the face.

She chokes out a laugh as she speaks into my chest in a muffled tone, “You would say that, you hate him.”

I shrug, she isn’t wrong. “In my defence he hated me first.” I mean do I think he’s a prick? Yes. Would I have given him a chance because of Riley? Probably not, but I would have at least attempted to be civil with him if he hadn’t acted like a little bitch first.

“So did I,” she mumbles and now I can’t hide my smile. Anytime I think about how she tried to hate me when we first met, it amuses me. I mean it was mid-orgy so I suppose I can’t blame her, but still.

I pull back and mock disbelief. “Are you finally admitting you don’t hate me anymore, Red?”

She pulls back, rolling her eyes. “You’re alright I suppose.”

I force a smile to my face at her words, wishing they didn’t affect me so much. A few weeks ago Riley was just the girl giving me shit for trying to get to know my sister. Now she is becoming the girl I think about when I fuck other girls. Instead of the guilt and flash of black hair I have become accustomed to, my thoughts are now clouded with the need for her. I’m not sure when it happened, I mean after the sexy picture she sent me for sure, but probably even a little before that. Like my body knew how hot she was before my mind caught up. I’ve been drawn to her from the second we met.

I’ve tried to stop it, ton control myself because I know she doesn’t feel the same, that she has a boyfriend, that she is Sofia’s sister, but apparently my dick doesn’t care. Thankfully I only spend time with her when I am painfully sober so it’s easy for me to keep myself in check around her and not blur the lines.

I can still see the sadness lingering in her eyes so I spin her around. “Come on, time for bed.”

She laughs again and I find it soothing, and I hate that she is becoming one of the only people who make me feel okay. Like when I’m around her it doesn’t feel so hard to exist. It’s dangerous, letting her get close to me. People around me only end up getting hurt, but she is becoming addictive.

“Jace Conrad is going to put me to bed?” She asks with amusement, and I pinch her arm, I should be pinching myself because she is only add fuel to the fantasies in my mind with her words. Fantasies I can’t indulge in.

Even sober I can’t stop myself from leaning forward and whispering in her ear, “If you want to see me naked again, Riles, all you gotta do is ask.” I shouldn’t flirt with her, but I can’t help myself, and I relish in the goosebumps that break out on her arm.

“Trust me when I say I don’t need the reminder, that image is permanently seared into my brain of you and your magical orgy penis,” she snorts in sarcasm.

“Been thinking about my penis a lot then?” I tease, and she freezes as I push her through her door and enter her bedroom for the first time.

“What!” She freaks out, “No of course not, I just meant you know, like it was a memorable meeting, I wasn’t thinking about your penis, I didn’t even see it, I mean I didn’t even look,” she rambles on getting flustered and I laugh.

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