Jinx freezes, his eyes clearing slightly. But he doesn't move. Doesn't release my wrists.
"I'm not a fucking dog," he says through his teeth, eyes locked on me.
"Now," Cyrus snaps, closer than before. "Before Kade finds out you're dry humping his—our—property in the fucking woods."
The possessive correction makes my stomach feel tight, but Jinx just grins down at me, feral and beautiful. "Might be worth it."
"It won't be when he sets you on fire."
That gets through to him. Jinx sighs dramatically but rolls off me, leaving me sprawled in the dirt and leaves like some kind of woodland sacrifice. My body immediately mourns the loss of his heat, his weight, the delicious pressure of him against me.
I prop myself up on my elbows, trying for casual even though I'm pretty sure there's dirt in my hair and my pulse is still racing.Cyrus stands a few feet away, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed with both of us.
But he's hard. And the outline of his cock through those designer slacks is every bit as impressive as Jinx's. And a bit thicker, I think, but I'd have to take off his pants to be sure. For science.
"Done with your little woodland romp?" His voice drips condescension.
"We were just playing," Jinx says, offering me his hand.
I ignore it, pushing myself to my feet without help. My legs shake slightly—adrenaline or arousal, hard to tell—but I force them steady. "I was running. He was chasing. Seemed fair."
"Nothing about this is fair, Princess." Cyrus steps closer, and there's something different in his eyes. Dangerous. "You broke the rules. Snuck out. Tested our boundaries on day fucking one."
"So?" I lift my chin, even though my heart's hammering. "What are you going to do about it?"
Wrong question. I realize it the second his expression shifts from disapproving to darkly amused.
He moves faster than I expect, his hand shooting out to grip the back of my neck like I'm a kitten he's scruffing. Not painful, but firm enough that struggling would be pointless. The dominance in the gesture makes my knees weak.
Apparently, I have a thing for that. A thing for being gently manhandled in a way trust fund boys from college can't quite manage. After all of Todd's bullshit, it makes no fucking sense.
Then again, maybe deep down, it's because I knowthey'resafe. I know they're not capable of hurting me. Not really. Not in a way I wouldn't like.
"What I'm going to do," he says, voice low and controlled, "is march your disobedient ass back to the car before you make this worse."
"I'm not?—"
His fingers tighten slightly. "You used to be smart, Ellie. What happened?"
Maybe he's right. Maybe the girl I used to be wouldn't have pulled this stunt. Would've known that testing them this early was idiotic.
But that girl also didn't spend four years having every choice stripped away. Didn't understand that sometimes the only power you have is in choosinghowyou lose it.
"I had to sign a contract like I'm fuckinglivestock," I snap back, trying to twist away from his grip. "Maybe that affected my judgment."
Cyrus doesn't budge. He just starts walking, forcing me to stumble along beside him or risk falling flat on my face. Jinx trails behind us, and I can feel his eyes on my ass, the heat of his stare as tangible as his warm hands were minutes ago.
"We offered you a choice. You made it." Cyrus steers me through the trees so efficiently I can't help but wonder if he's done shit like this before. And the thought actually makes me jealous.
Not afraid. Not horrified.
Jealous.
The SUV comes into view, sleek and black and expensive enough to make me wonder how much blood money it took to buy it. Cyrus opens the back door with his free hand, never loosening his grip on my neck.
"In."
I climb into the back seat, and Jinx slides in beside me before I can protest. Cyrus takes the driver's seat, adjusting the rearview mirror so he can watch us. I get the feeling he's keeping as close of an eye on Jinx as he is me at this point.
