Page 33
“What the—?” His eyes gleamed in the darkness, the pool lights making shadows play over his skin. “Kit?”
My hands latched onto his biceps. I watched, almost as if the action was happening separate from me. Like some other force was controlling me. Surely not my rational brain, because I didn’t want to touch Joey. I wanted to call him out.
“What the hell did you think you were doing, huh?” I snarled at him.
He gaped, mouth opening and closing. I gave him a shake, and words tumbled out.
“I wanted to apologize!”
“You hurt my sister.”
“I know,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, you don’t get it.” I shoved him away from me. He staggered through the open door of the pool house, fetching up against the back of an armchair. “You hurt my sister tonight. You made her cry. You ripped open a wound that’s barely scabbed over—”
“Fuck,” he choked out. “I didn’t want that.”
“Yeah? Did you want to fuck her brother? Did you want to toy with our lives and our emotions? Because, mission accomplished, Joey. Or should I say, Joyride? What kind of twisted joke is that, huh?”
“No! I didn’t know who you were, Kit. Of course not.”
I turned away, disgusted. “As if I’d believe that now.”
Joey grabbed my wrist. “Wait, please wait. Let me explain.”
My temper snapped. I spun him toward the wall and pinned him there with an arm across his upper chest. “Don’t fucking touch me without asking.”
He licked his lips. His plump, kissable lips that had wrapped around my dick so perfectly the night we met.
“S-sorry,” he gasped.
The skin of his neck was hot beneath my arm. Words deserted me. I just stared at him, trying to wrangle my disorganized thoughts. What was I trying to do here?
Joey filled the silence stretching out between us.
“I didn’t know you were Dakota’s brother. I’d have never touched you if I had.”
That rankled. Even though I’d been furious at the idea of him targeting me, I also didn’t enjoy the thought that he’d refuse me. He didn’t get to reject me because I was Dakota’s brother. I got to reject him.
“I swear I didn’t know,” Joey continued. “My nickname isn’t Joyride because I think any of this is funny. The other prison inmates gave it to me. They did it to taunt me. And I let them because it’s a reminder of what I’d done, because I deserve that. I’d deserve any punishment someone wanted to dish out, especially you or Dakota.”
“How do I know you mean anything you say?”
“Test me,” he said. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you, Kit. Anything.”
Our eyes locked, and I shifted my arm to wrap my hand around his throat. His pulse beat rapidly under my fingertips. I could squeeze and squeeze and make him suffer like we’d suffered.
Or…
I leaned in close. “I want to see you beg.”
Joey slid down the wall. To his knees. With my hand still latched around his throat.
He tilted his head up to watch me, and my heart stuttered.
“Please,” he murmured.
I let my hand drop away. “Please what?”
