“I don’t think that’s the?—”
“It is.” She nods assertively, taking a small step toward me. Her eyes are locked on mine, stunning me into silence.
“And I suppose you get to decide what that dare will be, little Rose?” My voice is dark, and danger swirls in it.If she thinks she’s going to make me do something humiliating…
“Kiss me.”
I tense, my gaze snapping to her in surprise. Is this her idea of a joke? I just tried to kiss her minutes earlier and yet, she’d rejected me. My brow furrows, and I search her face. She’s serious, all joking gone from her eyes, leaving behind only steady resolve.
“I dare you to kiss me,” she says again, blue eyes locked on mine, unblinking. And then she licks her lips, and she not only has my attention, but the attention of my cock as well.
When I don’t move, when I do nothing but stare down at her, she opens her mouth to speak again but hesitates when she sees me take a step forward.
I lean in slowly. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t turn away, though her breath quickens right as my lips hover over hers, kissing her gently, carefully, waiting to see if she’ll push me away. When she doesn’t, I deepen the kiss, my hand going to the nape of her neck to bring her closer. A soft exhale escapes her lips, a whimper or maybe—a moan? The small sound travels straight to my cock and it’s all the invitation I need.
My restraint shatters and I crush my lips to hers, exploring every inch of her mouth, my fingers curling into her hair. It’s soft, silky, and I grab a fist full of it, tugging down to bring her face up higher. My other hand circles around her neck, holding her still, a possessive urge I can’t justify taking over. I release her lips, looking down, certain to find a flash of fear or anger in her eyes. But instead, she melts against me,like putty in my hands.
‘Oh, little Rose, you’re playing a dangerous game.” I squeeze my hand—the one around her throat—a little tighter. “My turn.”
19
MY RIDE OR DIE
BRIAR
Now
I’m faintly aware of Remi climbing over me as she attempts to escape the bed without my notice. My eyelids are heavy, but I peel them open.
“Good morning, Remi-roo.” Her perfect little face peers up at me, and I tense when her dark eyes linger on mine. The green in her eyes sparkles in the early morning sun that streams in through her little window. The same eyes that plagued my nightmares last night.
Remi’s brow furrows with concern and she reaches for my chin.“Mommy, what happened?” she asks with a frown and instantly, I regret not cleaning up in the bathroom when I got home last night. What I must look like…
I push myself up, hiding my face from her as much as I can. “Umm, Mommy had an accident at the studio last night.”
“An accident?” She blinks up at me, still sleepy. She’s not a morning person.
“Mhmm.” I agree, searching to change the subject. “Are you hungry? Auntie Lily went shopping yesterday and got your favorite cereal.”
Her expression immediately brightens. “Cinnamon sugars?”
“Cinnamon sugars,” I confirm, forcing a smile. “Let’s go get some!’
She nods eagerly and I take her hand, leading her to the kitchen where I find Lily, sipping on a cup of coffee as she scrolls through videos on her phone.
“Morning, Remicoaster,” she teases before her eyes lift to mine. “Jesus fucking Christ—”Lily catches herself before she falls sideways off of her stool.
“Auntie Lily, can you get some cinnamon sugars for Remi?” I say pointedly, my eyes boring into hers. “Mommy needs to shower before class.”
Lily’s mouth snaps shut, but she does nothing to wipe the horrified expression off her face. Her eyes promise me we’ll talk about this later before she musters up a smile, jumping off her stool to scoop Remi up into her arms, flying her around the kitchen like an airplane before pretending to hit the brakes right outside the cereal cabinet.
Do airplanes have brakes?I don’t know… My head hurts.
I duck quickly into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
I breathe once, twice, before raising my eyes to face myself in the mirror.
Okay, it’s not—it could be worse. I hardly recognize the sight of myself staring back at me. Dried blood trickles down from my nose; my lip is split in two places, and a dark purple bruise blooms on my left cheek—that one will be hard to hide.
