Mine (Blood Ties Book 1)

IT ALL FELT like a bad dream when I woke up the next morning. My head was full and throbbing, my eyes grainy and raw, reminding me that what had happened last night was real. My mom and Creed were getting married, and she wanted me to be her bridesmaid…

But that wasn’t the only thing my mind had trouble understanding.

The memory of what Tobias had done to me rose like a storm, destructive and dangerous. I closed my eyes, my pulse triggered by the memory of his hand on my thigh, pulling my legs open.

God, his fingers…

Were inside me.

I slid my hand under the sheets and reached down. I was already wet…wet at the thought of him. Those dark, broody eyes, that pouty fucking mouth. You want me to drive you, Ryth? I’ll drive you…on the end of my cock.

Oh…God.

I slid my finger inside, then around my clit, dancing on that slick flesh.

“Ryth, honey,” Mom called from the other side of the door, tearing me from the moment.

“Yeah?” I kept my eyes closed, my finger still sliding in.

“You going to school today?”

I wrenched my eyes open as reality hit hard. Tobias…and Nick…

Nick, who I’d thought was a friend. But he was no friend, he was just as dangerous as his brother. “No. I’m not going.”

“Ah…honey, you might want to tell Nick that. He’s downstairs waiting to drive you.”

Heat tore through me in an instant. I shoved upwards and scrambled from the bed. “He’s what?”

“He’s waiting to drive you to school, honey,” mom murmured. “He’s been incredibly nice.”

My insides clenched, that need pulsing between my thighs. He can’t possibly…I stumbled over to the window and peered out. He was leaning against the Mustang, his muscled arms were crossed over his chest, bare from his cut-off sleeves.

As though he knew I was watching, he slowly lifted his gaze to my window. Those intense dark eyes daring me…

No. This can’t be happening. There’s no way I can go down there, no way I can get in his car and pretend like last night never happened. No. Fucking. Way.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to miss school on your second day. Besides, you said you had a friend now, didn’t you?”

Gio…

His face pushed to the surface. He’d be waiting…standing outside the classroom. I unleashed a moan and closed my eyes.

“Good girl, honey.” Mom’s voice drifted through the door. “I’ll let Nick know you’re on your way down.”

I swallowed hard, listening to her steps fade from outside my door. I didn’t understand this world, this battleground I found myself in. I didn’t understand it at all.

But I had to…because this was now my life.

A life living here, with the three of them.

My new stepbrothers.

I made my way to my dresser. My fingers brushed the white formal shirt Duke’s insisted you wear before tossing it onto the bed. My underwear was next, then my knee-length navy-blue skirt. Of all the schools to send me to, they chose the one that had a damn uniform.

I grabbed my things and hurried for the bathroom, casting a glare toward Tobias’ room as I went. I hurried, locking the door behind me. I had to be smarter now, Had to be more careful around them. I closed my eyes, swaying with the memory of Nick’s ravenous stare as he’d watched Tobias do that to me last night.

Then I opened my eyes, undressed, and raced for the shower. By the time I was done and dressed, Nick was scowling. I strode out, clutching my laptop to my chest like a barrier.

“You want to make me wait, Ryth?” Nick cast me a pissed off look as he shoved off the car and strode to the driver’s door, motioning with his head. “Get in and don’t be an idiot, your mom’s watching.”

I glanced over my shoulder to where my mom stood in the open doorway. She gave me a careful smile and a wave of her hand, standing there still dressed in her black negligee and matching satin gown. I waved back, my anger prickly and hot against my cheeks, before making my way around the car and climbing in.

Nick reached forward and started the engine. I wanted to snap at him, wanted to unleash the tirade that shrieked in my head as I pressed myself as hard as I could against the door. But he never said a word, just threw the Mustang in reverse, gripped the back of my seat, and punched the accelerator.

I swallowed, trying not to let my attention creep to the way his arm was almost around me. But my gaze went to the corded muscles his arms anyway. Muscles that flexed as I stared. He was strong…and built. Chiseled pecs tightened as my gaze drifted.

We drove through the gate and out onto the street, pulling away from the house in no time. That thunder in my head rumbled as the tension between us grew. I forced my gaze to the dashboard, then found myself moving it back to his hands…remembering the way he’d grabbed my arm, holding me down as Tobias touched me.

I swallowed hard, swaying as the car pulled hard across the street and accelerated. I jerked my focus to where we were headed, and found unfamiliar streets. “Where are we?”

He didn’t answer, just glared with a broody stare, his hard jaw flexing before he turned again.

“Nick!” Panic filled me as trees gave way to buildings and the entrance to a park appeared ahead.

He braked, then pulled the Mustang in, heading to a parking spot that faced the trees. I scanned the area, finding us all alone, no kids played on the playground, nobody walked their dog. Nick killed the engine, then turned to me.

“You want to look at me, Ryth?”

Fire lashed my cheeks as I stared straight ahead.

He just shifted, gripped the back of my seat, and leaned across, getting in my space. “You want to talk about last night, then?”

I shook my head as my panic surged.

I felt his gaze then, drifting down my body, taking in the white shirt and pleated navy-blue skirt. “Christ,” he muttered, and looked away.

He was angry. I didn’t know who he was angry at, himself or me.

“I thought you were a friend.” The words slipped out.

I hated that they had, was desperate to swallow them back down. But it was too late. They were free, lingering between us. He drew in a hard, deep breath, then glanced back at me. “You want me to be your friend, Ryth?”

I didn’t know what to say. “At least an ally.”

“An ally?” he growled, then shifted his gaze to my lap. My body responded, warming and throbbing.

I didn’t understand why I was so affected by them, why they seemed to tap into that dark, aching place inside me. He reached out, brushed his fingers along my thigh, and drew my skirt higher. “I’m not your friend…you’re family now,” he murmured, his gaze riveted to my thigh as he exposed it inch by inch.

I grabbed the skirt, yanking the hem down.

“I saw you, you know?”

My hand stilled, fisted against my leg.

He lifted his gaze to mine. “Yesterday in the car.”

Heat raced to my cheeks as shame rioted. “I…I was fixing my jeans.”

“Liar.” His golden eyes darkened to amber.

My breaths deepened and I fought the need to lick my lips.

“You were touching yourself.” My body throbbed as he searched my gaze. “You’re our little sister now.”

“Stepsister,” I snapped. “And not yet, anyway.”

He gave a shrug. “It’ll happen. My dad is different with Elle. He likes her…a lot.”

I shook my head and glanced around the park, desperate to find a way out of this. But there was no one…

“And being our stepsister, we want to make sure you’re taken care of.” Nick tugged my skirt once more, forcing the fabric from under my grip. “We want to make sure you’re getting what you need.”

Throb…

My body betrayed me. I closed my eyes. “Please, Nick…”

“I want to make sure you’re doing yourself right.”

I flinched and jerked my gazed to his. He wasn’t a friend. None of them were. They were…I didn’t know what they were.

He licked his lips, his gaze moving to my thigh again. “So I want you to show me.”

“You what?”

“Show…me…”

Throb…

Fear and excitement stole my breath. I couldn’t keep up, not with the rush of air or the thunder in my head.

“You’re a virgin, right?”

Shame swallowed me. I couldn’t answer, couldn’t think. I glanced outside the car once more.

“No one comes here,” he assured. “It’s just you and me…no different from yesterday. You can pretend I’m not even here.”

I clenched my jaw, that heat rising with his words.

“Are you…a virgin?”

“Yes.”

His breath stilled before a pained look swept across his face. When he spoke again, his voice was husky. “Then show me, show me how you take care of yourself.”

He wasn’t letting me go. He wasn’t letting this go. Not until I gave him what he wanted.

The battle of right and wrong consumed me. Everything had changed in one night. Mom would be married to Creed soon enough and I’d have to call these men brothers.

But they weren’t brothers, not by blood.

And the way they looked at me…

Throb.

I dragged my teeth across my lip and widened my thighs, slowly sliding my hand between them.

“That’s the way,” he urged. “I need to make sure my little sister is satisfied.”

I pushed my hand over my panties and closed my eyes with embarrassment before I pulled away. “I can’t.”

“You can.” He tugged my skirt higher. “It’s just you and me, no one else. I won’t even touch you…not unless you want me to.”

Lightning tore through me. I jerked my eyes open and met his gaze.

“Angle your body toward me, Ryth.” he demanded.

Muscles quivered as I lifted my knee and turned. I held his gaze, my own desperate need roaring to the surface as I slipped my hand between my thighs once more.

“Are those Hello Kitty panties?”

I swallowed and nodded. Pink hearts against the white. I slid my hand along my crease and let out a moan.

He froze, unable to breathe, riveted by the way my hand moved against my body, until he murmured. “Lift your leg higher.”

I did, pressing my spine against the armrest of the door, dropping my thighs wider until he saw all of me. I could just touch myself a few times and moan a little. He’d think I was done…then this’d be over.

I tried to focus, deepening my breaths, this time keeping my eyes open. God, if anyone saw us, if anyone saw me. I slid my finger deeper, finding that hollow of my body. My panties were already wet and warm.

“Jesus Christ, Ryth.”

My hand trembled as I fought my body’s desire and quickened my breaths, forced a moan and closed my eyes, stilling my hand, before I tugged my skirt back down.

He moved fast, grabbing my hand. “What the fuck are you doing?”

I opened my eyes, the mark on my cheek burning. “What do you mean? I’m done.”

His anger lashed deep. “The hell you are.”

He knew…one look in his eyes, and I realized he knew. I lowered my gaze to where his cock bulged against his jeans, then I found that savage glare once more.

“Do it again,” he demanded. “This time properly.”

I started to shake my head, but the curl of his lips stopped me.

“I’m not moving this car until you do, Ryth.”

The hard edge in this tone told me the truth. He wouldn’t…not until I gave him what he wanted. So I slowly lowered my hand, my fingers finding the burn between my thighs. I started moving, rubbing.

“Slower.”

I did, easing down until I found that damp patch of my panties.

“I want to see you.” He met my gaze. “Pull them aside.”

My belly trembled, but I did as he told me, sliding my finger under the elastic and slid them to the side.

“Jesus…motherfucking Christ.”

My pussy clenched and my clit pulsed as I slid my fingers along the sensitive flesh.

“Deeper.”

I sank in, sliding two fingers into the center of me, and they came away wet.

“So goddamn beautiful.” He licked his lips and I was caught by the movement.

His lips. His mouth…

His tongue sliding into me.

I unleashed a moan as the world fell away, taking the shame along with it. The end was coming closer as my body rocked, driving against my own touch. I sank deeper, sliding out to rub, only to return again.

Tiny pulses grew, clenching around my fingers.

In my mind, they were his fingers.

Nick’s…Caleb’s…Tobias’…

That wave crashed over me, squeezing, quivering…and releasing.

I dropped my head backward and cried out.

Blackness…ate away at the edges of my vision.

My pussy trembled against my fingers as I slid them out and went to wipe them on my skirt.

“No.”

I flinched at the demand, having forgotten for a second that he was there, and opened my eyes. Nick reached over, those dark amber eyes glinting in a strange, dangerous way as he grasped my wrist and pulled it closer. He opened his mouth and slid my fingers inside.

Warmth consumed me as he sucked, sliding his tongue between them, taking all he could. When he was done, he let me go, then turned around, started the car, and pulled out of the parking lot.

He never said a word to me, just drove as I straightened and tugged my skirt down. Desperation rose in the wake of what I’d just done. I didn’t know what to say when he pulled up at the school’s drop-off point.

“I’ll meet you here.” He sounded well and truly pissed off. “And don’t be talking to any boys this time.”

“They’re not boys.” I fought back.

‘Oh?” He directed that animalistic glare my way. “Believe me, Ryth. They’re only after one thing from you…so they’re boys.”

And you don’t? I wanted to snap. But I couldn’t, all I could do was yank the handle and climb from his car, slamming the door behind me and hurrying away.