Bittersweet Symphony (Bittersweet #4)(3)
Ryder takes a step and another and then another until he is in between us, facing Sam. Ryder stands a good two inches taller than Sam and a good foot above me.
“I know when ladies like it rough, dude. I’m not one to step in to this kind of shit, but if you push her again, I will bury you ten feet in the f*cking ground. Understand?” He sounds calm, too calm. But as I peek around them, I can tell he is anything but. They stare at one another, and I have known Sam long enough to see him contemplating his next move.
“Yeah,” he says hesitantly as he watches me over Ryder’s shoulder. His eyes hold a look that tells me I should be running and hiding. I never needed a knight and shining armor before, and I sure as hell don’t need one now either.
I am still rooted to my spot when Sam turns around and walks away. I’m in awe of Ryder. No one has ever stood up to Sam like that.
“Does he do that often?” Ryder asks curiously as he turns around. I don’t realize how close we are to one another until I feel the fabric of his shirt rubbing against my nose, his delicious smell surrounding me.
“Huh?” I ask, completely out of it. I would love to say that he doesn’t have an effect on me, but he does. Anyone with a vagina within fifty feet of him is affected, I’m sure.
A smooth smile creeps onto his face, and the tension in his jaw slips away. He is beautiful, magnificent. He is every girl’s dream and most definitely will be in mine for days to come.
“You’re kind of cute,” he replies teasingly. His finger traces the edge of my glasses as he pushes them back up the bridge of my nose. I need new glasses…or maybe not. Maybe I could get him to push my glasses onto my face more often or… Wait, did he just say I am cute?
“I’m not kind of cute. I’m damn cute. I’m way out of your league cute.” What possesses me to say those words to him I have no clue. Guess it just seemed like a good idea at the time.
“And sassy. Cute and sassy,” he mumbles, as if to say it to himself. Sassy, yes, I sadly am. Not many people get to see that side of me though. I hide many things from people. It is easier to be undetached when it seems like everyone is willing to throw you under the bus to get where they need to be.
“Don’t think I owe you something because you stuck up for me against Sam. He will be back with a vengeance, I’m sure,” I fire back.
Ryder looks at me sideways as his smile grows wider. I back up but am stopped as his hand snakes around my back. He pulls me closer into his body, and I refuse to allow myself to be his next victim. He’s like a spider who builds its web, hiding and waiting for you to come to him. Once you step in to see if the web will hold you, you think it’s safe to sneak in and claim him. I mean, come on, without a spider in sight, you’re safe, right? Suddenly you get too comfortable with where you’re at, and out of nowhere, the spider strikes, leaving you paralyzed as he injects his venom into you.
Ryder is a spider and no way in hell do I want to get caught up in his web.
“Let go of me. I’m sure I have had enough assaulting for one day.” A sadness seeps onto his face, and I watch as he goes through a wave of emotions.
“You think I would f*ck with you like that dick did?” he asks, his voice rough. But it’s also like honey as it warms me makes me want to melt.
“Not really, but who’s to say you’re any better than him? I know guys like you, Ryder. Sam might be a gigantic ass, but he would never swoop in and give me love and a false sense of hope just get himself into my panties.”
In the next moment, he releases me like I am a disease, a look of disgust evident on his face. I didn’t say what I said to piss him off. It is the honest to God truth, and I am making it clear that I don’t blur lines with him. When, and if, I ever look for love, I want the happily ever after kind, the kind that keeps you coming back for more. I want it to be raw and consume me. Ryder doesn’t offer happily ever afters, and I can tell that just by the way he looks
“I’m sorry, I must’ve mistaken you for a real lady, my bad. Now that we have made it clear, are you ready to drop your panties so I can f*ck you against the wall and give you that false sense of hope? I can show you love for all of ten minutes while I’m pumping in and out of you, while you’re screaming my name when you climax. That what you want, Blondie? Because clearly that’s all I’m good for,” he seethes as he mocks me. I feel my face growing red as I take small steps backward. He advances toward me, and in all of thirty minutes, I have been bullied and assaulted twice.
My back hits the wall and I shy away from him, turning my face away. I won’t look at him as if he’s a god anymore. I will look at him the same way I look at Sam: like the * he is.
“That what you want, Blondie? You want me to bury myself balls deep in you?” He is so crude, and it disgusts me even more. I’m not particularly afraid of him, but I am nervous about what he’s capable of.
“No. I want you and every guy like you to leave me alone. I’m sorry if I assumed something about you that you don’t think is true, but it is, and ninety nine percent of the female student body would tell you that. You don’t do love, and we all know that.” My matter of fact tone must push him over the edge because he turns around and stalks away from me. I can practically see the steam rolling off of him.
For the first time, I am left utterly speechless. I have not one, but two Sam’s to contend with this year. Fantastic.