Page 23 of Unwrap Him

“End of discussion?” I scoff. “What am I? Four?”

“No. You’re eighteen, but you’re acting like an ungrateful little brat,” he seethes at me, shooting icy rage in my direction.

It’s crippling, but now my adrenaline is jacked up sky-high. I have no idea where this stern fatherly attitude is coming from, but it’s pissing me off. He’s never treated me this way, even when I was a kid.

“Why are you being such an asshole?” My fists ball at my sides. “I just wanted to go out for a few—”

“It’s Christmas,” he says again, like that suddenly means something, even though we’ve barely looked at each other today.

“So?” I huff. “What’s the big fucking deal? I’m an adult, I can come and go as I please.”

He takes a step forward, squinting at me as he holds firm. “As long as you’re living under my roof, you’ll obey my rules.”

What in the name of baby Jesus in a manger??

Apparently, me sucking him off turned him into the stiflingly strict Dad I never had. Or wanted.

“Are you fucking kidding?” An outraged chuckle slips out with my words. The audacity right now, I swear.

“No.” He steps forward once more. “I’m not fucking kidding. I’m deathly serious.”

Fury bounds through my limbs, unexpectedly. I haven’t been this heated since I was thirteen and he wouldn’t let me play PlayStation until I finished my chores. This is beyond ridiculous.

“You’re not my real father…” I mutter under my breath, sounding exactly like that thirteen-year-old brat.

Some sort of realization dawns on his face, and in this moment, he seems to hate it and love it at the same time. He lurches forward, stalking closer to me slowly, like a predator. My pulse is pumping so hard in my ears I can’t tell if I’m struggling for air or breathing too much.

“And a real father would let you go out on Christmas to get laid?” His voice is eerily quiet, eyes alit in their darkness.

Chills sheet my skin as I back up. “I’m not going to… I just wanted to hang out with—”

“Say his name to me,” he snarls, surging closer with threatening strides. “See what fucking happens.”

I’m trembling from head to toe, my eyes wide in a frightful shock. Where is this coming from? This over-protective dominance that’s turned him into some feral beast, coiled and ready to strike.

A small voice, in the back of my mind, throws out a suggestion…

Is he… jealous?

No. No way. That wouldn’t make a lick of sense.

But when my shivering lips utter the response to his challenge, “Tanner…”

He erupts.

Launching forward, he grabs me by the shirt and pushes me backward. I stumble past the Christmas tree, knocking a glass ornament that shatters on the floor by our feet as my back connects with the wall behind me, and I grunt, no time to react before he’s pressing himself into me.

Our bodies are flush, his face mere inches from mine as he practically foams at the mouth, the gray in his irises turning obsidian, iridescent with wrath. Both of our chests are heaving, and I can taste his breath on my lips, peppermint and chocolate, winding me up and sending a jolt directly into my balls.

He uses the grip on my shirt to haul me even closer, mouth hovering over mine. “I told you you’re staying right the fuck here, Jesse. You are not going to see Tanner, do you understand? You’re. Staying. Here.”

“Y-yes,” I stutter, arms lying limp at my sides as I gape up at him. My heart is leaping so hard behind my ribs, I’m sure he can feel it on the solid wall of muscle that’s pressing into me right now. “Fine. I’ll st-stay.”

We’ve become one with the wall. His body is draped over mine, and as cold as I’m sure he was just moments ago, there’s blazing heat moving through us both.

“I want you to want to stay,” he growls, vibrating me with his deep voice and unkempt rage.

“I do,” I murmur, unable to keep the tremors out as I speak. “I want to stay.”

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