Page 115 of Mad As Hell

“You’d do that?”

I nodded, and she sprang off the bed to wrap her arms around my waist. “Thank you, Maddie.”

I stroked her soft hair. “Wait here, okay?” I turned and hurried from the room and down the hall to the last door. Pushing it open, I stepped into Ryan’s world.

It was a shame I didn’t have time to dive into what was clearly teenage Ryan’s domain. The room was dark, the navy painted walls and black wood furniture making it seem like a cave. The massive king-size bed stood prominently across from a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that were covered by heavy drapes that blotted out the sun.

I gave the room a cursory look, taking in the sitting area with a recliner and a sofa in front of a massive TV mounted to a wall. Several gaming consoles and controllers sat on the cube shelving unit beneath it. There was an empty desk and a bookshelf full of old textbooks and framed photos. I spotted an en suite through a door near the bed, which meant the door near the desk was probably the closet.

Pulling it open, I searched for a light switch. Of course it was a massive walk-in closet. And it smelled like Ryan as I entered and started looking around for the old football bag. Finally spotting the beaten-up blue bag, I pulled it out and unzipped it. Tucked under an old PCA playbook was Majesty.

I yanked the dog up and started to stand when I heard someone in the bedroom. Thinking it had to be Ryan, I poked my head out.

My heart dropped when the wrong pair of blue eyes stared back at me.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked Beckett, dropping the stuffed dog and kicking it under a rack of shirts.

Beckett smirked at me. “I own this house, remember?” He nudged the door shut, and my insides clenched.

Not liking how I was backed into the closet, I came out.

“Why are you in here?” he asked in a soft tone, a strange sort of smile on his lips.

I lifted my chin. “Where’s Ryan?”

“Busy.” He glanced around the room. “Looking for something else to use against my son?”

My eyes narrowed. “No.”

He chuckled. “Pity. That last stunt…” He slowly walked toward me, pausing when he was inches away. His hand came up and touched the ends of my hair. “That was brilliant.”

“B-brilliant?” I stammered, my heart thundering in my chest. I took a step back and hit the door.

His smile grew as he closed the space between us, his hand sliding around to cup the back of my neck in a way that was wildly inappropriate. “And the look on your father’s face… Fucking genius, pulling that shit at the engagement party.”

I was too stunned by what he was saying, what he was doing, to move. Hell, I was barely able to breathe as my hands hung limp at my sides.

His hands had no such issue; the hand not wrapped around the back of my neck settled on my hip and squeezed.

“When you proposed humiliating Gary and Ryan months ago, I never imagined that you would be so creative.” His cheek pressed against mine, his teeth nipping my earlobe. “You really are my good little whore, aren’t you?”

I shuddered as the words of his initial greeting took on a whole new meaning. Unfortunately, he clearly misunderstood my horror and revulsion for permission. He pressed against me, rubbing himself against my stomach.

“I deposited your part of the money in your account, but I hope that’s not the end of our time together.” He licked up the column of my throat.

That snapped me out of whatever the hell alternate world I’d stumbled into. My hands flew up, grabbing his arms and trying to push him away. “I’m marrying Ryan.”

His eyes glittered with amusement as he lifted his head to look me in the eye. “You know, Laine, I almost bought this reformed-slut routine until that night. But you’ll always be the girl who crawled into my bed last year because she knew which Cain had the real power.”

Oh, fuckity fucking fuck. What had my twin done now?

“Okay, wait—”

Beckett silenced me by slamming his mouth down on mine. I gasped, in horror, and he used the opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth. His hips ground into my stomach, pinning me against the door. I couldn’t move. I tried shoving at him, but he didn’t budge.

“What the fuck?”

I didn't think things could possibly get worse, but hearing Ryan’s stunned voice made me realize how wrong I was.

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