Chapter 5

Ruby's pov

I didn't show it but I was fuming from how Nathan and his stupid friends had humiliated me in the cafe and the courtyard.

The nerve of him!

My hands balled into a  just thinking about it.

Despite being a rude and annoying brat, Nathan was right about one thing.  I did like him. And the realization made my finger burn even hotter.

With a heavy sigh, I decided to distract myself. The library was the perfect place to clear my head, so I headed there and grabbed a dark romance novel  and forced myself to read. Just a few pages into the novel, an uncomfortable pressure troubled my bladder. Great. Just when I was trying to focus, the attempt was ruined.

I heaved a sigh and pushed my chair back in frustration and made my way back to the bathroom.

I caught sight of a familiar silhouette. That ash-blonde hair, muscular physique…. Was it Nathan?

What was he doing in the girl's bathroom?

I was barely inside when I stopped dead in my tracks.

His hands tangled in Nina's hair, his lips moving hungrily against her. The way he held her, touched her was nothing like those arrogant words he threw at me. He was being intimate, seriously intimate with her.

Something sharp twisted in my chest, but I forced my face to stay blank. Without a word, I turned on my heels and walked away, telling myself not to cry.

I tried not to but damn it, it hurt.

We returned home from school and I refused to speak to Nathan or even look at him. As usual, he'd throw a tantrum at me but I'd ignore him.

I spent that evening in my room and when I told myself I shouldn't cry, I did.

I prayed the weekend would come quickly and it did but not as I had hoped.

Mom and Asked announced a week-long getaway and I died.

It was summer break and I was going to be home alone with that jerk. I wish Stephen didn't have to travel to Florida with his friends. He and I didn't talk much but at least he was tolerable. The reality of staying home alone with Nathan was just heart wrenching.

The house was empty now and it dawned on me. At first, I told myself I could handle it. I could ignore him, keep my distance, and pretend his presence didn't affect me. But Nathan made sure it was impossible.

That night, while I was in my room, I heard the sound of girls laughing. At first, I thought it was the Tv. But now, TVs are not this loud.

I walked down the stairs and my jaws dropped.

Nathan had brought girls home and each after the other paraded through the house like trophies. I scanned the crowd of female specimens and found him but the kitchen counter was smoking pot with three girls. Our eyes met and I clenched my fists. It was as if he wanted me to see him like this, almost as if he wanted me to react. And so help me God, I did.

And like a ritual, the house became.less of a homemade more of a night club.

The maids were dismissed, music, booze and laughter filled the air. Every night, I’d hide in my room hearing the sound of heels and boots clicking along the floor. It all made my blood boil.

Each time I came down to look, Nathan would be with two or three girls. I hated the way he looked at them, the way he touched them but more than that. I hate the way he lets them. If he thinks it would drive me insane then it was working.

I tried to set boundaries, tried to act like it didn't bother me. But the moment I heard another round of giggles echo from his room, something snapped inside me.

I grabbed the camera Stephen had gotten me before he left for Florida and stormed into his room without knowing.

A thousand squeals rang out but I ignored them but I ignored them. I held up my phone pretending to record them. “Smile for the camera.”

The girls scrambled for their clothes and shoes and fled.

I smiled for the first time that week. Victory was mine.

“What the hell do you think you're doing!” Nathan barked.

“Avoiding another neighbour to sue us for noise pollution. That's what.” I shot him a glare.

“Ugh! You scared them off.” He leaned back on the bed.

My eyes fell on his bare chest and they way his toned body stretched lazily across the bed. He was simply drooling with sexiness.

“Are you done staring?” he lifted his face to look at me.

“I wasn’t.” I tossed the camera on his bed and turned to leave.

“Hey!” He called behind me.

“What!” I turned slightly to look at him.

He lifted an eyebrow. “I'm not done.”

I scoffed. “Really? Why don't you find someone else?”

“Too bad you scared them all off.” He smirked.

“Too bad huh.” I replied.

“But I could get one.”

“Really? Who?”

“She's standing right in front of me.”

“What?”

He laughed, getting out of bed. “You look so cute when you're flustered, Ruby.”

I told myself to move back because he was stepping towards me but I couldn't. I let him.

I remained rooted to that spot until he was standing right in front of me. Stark naked.

“So? What's it going to be, sweet Ruby?” He tucked my hair behind my ear and I felt his warmth against my skin.

My mind screamed for me to run away but I stayed. I stayed, drinking in all of Nathan's physique, his hair, his eyes on me, his voice, everything. I wanted him. I had denied myself for too long. But I wanted him and he knew it too.

When I didn't answer, he leaned in and smiled. “I'll take that as a yes.”

He smacked his lips against mine and I found myself responding to his kiss.

‘Ruby, no. Run!’ My mind screamed.

‘Yes! Stay!’ I told myself.

I hooked my arms around his neck when he wrapped my legs around his torso. He parted our kiss when he placed me onto his bed.

A smile tugged at his lips as he stared at me.

I don't know what came over me because I drew him back in and kissed him senselessly. That night I told myself I was done pretending. That night, I gave myself to him completely.

It was wrong. He was my stepbrother.

It was right. I didn't regret it. Not for one second.