Page 23 of Claim & Don't Tell

I pinch my eyes shut and take a breath before turning to face him. “Oh,” I say when I realize how close he is. I take a step back, pressing into the wall, and he moves with me, pinning me with a hand to my throat.

A keen slips past my lips, and I die a little, wide eyes flying to meet his.

He searches my face, his eyebrows pinched together. “You’re not helpless,” he says, mistaking the noise for something else. Austin moves closer, settling more of his weight against me. His forearm nestles into the space between my breasts, and my nipples instantly harden. “How are you going to get away from me?”

I don’t want to.

“The nuts,” I rasp.

The pads of his fingers flex against my neck. “What about my nuts, good girl?”

I know he’s only trying to teach me how to defend myself, but I can’t help but wonder if part of him enjoys teasing me.

Holding his sky-blue eyes, I lick my lips and say, “I should knee you in the nuts.”

“Show me.”

“I can’t.”

He narrows his eyes. “Show me, Quinn. You know what to do.”

Fuck. I simultaneously hate and love that commanding tone. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m wearing a cup.”

Oh. So that’s what I felt.

“Kick him in the nads!” Dylan shouts.

I startle at his voice, and the hand around my throat tightens ever so slightly and the tiniest of whimpers slips past my lips. Dylan can’t hear it, but Austin does and his gaze tracks over my face, searching for something. Before he can figure me out, I bring my knee up and hit him square in the groin.

The cup protects him, for the most part, but the impact still steals his breath. With a grunt, he slips his fingers from my throat, stumbling away. I greedily suck in the air I need to calm my fluttering nerves, but it’s coated in his and Dylan’s scent. My body thrums with excitement.

It’s just self-defense training. Calm down.

My cunt doesn’t listen to reason.

Dylan hoots and watches Austin struggle. “Damn, Quinn. You got him good.”

“Thanks,” I say with a strained laugh. “Are you okay?”

Austin gives us both a thumbs-up but can’t find words just yet. I chew on my bottom lip, regretting what I did. But the alternative was him figuring out my truth, and that can’t happen.

“I can’t wait to see Richard’s face the next time he tries to corner you and you nail him.” Dylan drapes his arm around my shoulder, oblivious to how I tense beneath his hold.

My stepbrothers are going to be the death of me.

“Richard hasn’t even looked at me since you beat the shit out of him.”

The first time I ran into him in the hallway, he tucked tail and ran in the other direction. I think it’s safe to say he’ll leave me alone.

Dylan chuckles. “Say shit again.”

I roll my eyes but indulge him. “Shit.”

“Now say nuts.”

“Oh my god,” I mutter but give in again. “Nuts.”

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