Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(43)

I push myself up to my feet and with a fierce determination, I walk back down the stairs. When I get into the kitchen I gawk at the sight I thought I’d never see. Jesse Ryder cleaning up after himself. He stands at the sink rinsing off the dishes and grunting to himself about his brother being a dickhead.

I grab a dustpan and broom and silently go in to help him. He gives me a grateful smile as I clean up the shattered pieces of china all over the floor. “You good?” Jesse questions as he places the leftover dinner in the fridge.

I don’t meet his eyes as I nod, terrified that if I do, it will bring on the waterworks all over again. So instead, I concentrate on helping him clean.

Ten minutes later, the dishwasher is running and I make my way upstairs with a plate of food in my hand. As I get to my door, Nate’s opens and he steps out into the hallway. His eyes instantly find mine before they lower to the plate in my hands.

I don’t want to see what emotion flickers over his face next, so I push into my room and gently close the door behind me.

I sit on my bed cross-legged and stare down at the plate. “I’m going to make you my bitch,” I tell it. I cut my knife through a piece of chicken and put it in my mouth.

Chew.

Swallow.

Repeat.

It takes me nearly an hour to finish off the plate and by the end, I sit with tears streaming down my face and the desperate need to throw it all up. But I won’t. Not this time.

My stomach starts to ache but I manage to make my way downstairs to clean up my plate. When I get back, I stand under the hot stream of my shower before tucking myself into bed with my Kindle.

I read for about an hour before my stomach starts to settle which is when I reach over and flick off the lamp on my bedside table.

I’m just about asleep when the door of my room slowly pushes open. I look up to find Nate hovering in my doorway, leaning against the frame as he silently watches me. “Are you ok?” he murmurs into the dark room.

I nod my head against the pillow. “Yeah,” I whisper.

“Did you eat it?”

I nod my head again. “I did.”

Instant relief comes over him as he continues to hover in the doorway. I see indecision in his eyes but I don’t know why it’s there, until a moment later when he steps into my room and closes the door behind him before flicking the lock.

I watch him as he walks down around my bed, pulls off his shirt, and climbs in the bed beside me. He reaches out and wraps his arm around my waist before pulling me back against him. “What are you doing?” I question, feeling a little unsure.

“Just… sleeping,” he says.

I take in the feel of his arm around my body and realize that I wouldn’t have it any other way. “Ok.”

I can’t help but like it. The way his strong arm perfectly fits around me. The way his body presses up against mine. The way his fingers trace little circles over my shoulder before trailing them down my arm and lacing them through my own.

It’s intoxicating and it makes me feel… beautiful. Wanted.

I don’t know where the hell I find the balls, but I find myself turning in his arms so I can look up into those dark eyes. My shirt moves up my body with the movement and his hand finds the bare skin of my waist. He rubs his thumb back and forward, sending shivers all over my skin. It’s electrifying and has me tilting my chin up to meet his lips.

Nate kisses me again and it’s just as good as it was on the couch, in fact, in the darkness with the door locked, knowing the chances of getting interrupted are slim, it’s even better.

He rolls us so he hovers above me and my legs open and wrap around his waist, pulling him in tighter. I feel his arousal pressing into me and realize that I’m all in. I don’t know what’s happening between me and him, but this is too good to stop.

Maybe I mean something to him or maybe I don’t. Maybe this has all just been some sick twisted ploy to get me in bed. Maybe he’s about to pull away and humiliate me. Maybe I’ll be just another notch on his belt. But then maybe, he means what he told me in the hallway. Maybe he truly believes I’m so beautiful it hurts.

Just that slight inkling of hope, keeps me going. It’s too good to be worrying about the chances of this being a game. If it is, I’ll deal with that later, but on the slight chance that this is something real, I need to see where it goes.

Nate’s hand squeezes onto my waist before he slides it up my body, leaving a burning trail that has me desperate for more. Who would have known that just a touch by Nate Ryder could make me feel so intoxicated?

He takes the hem of my shirt in between his capable fingers and slides it up my body. It’s dark in here, but there’s light streaming in through the bedroom window, so I know without a doubt that he can still see my body.

Usually, I’d be nervous or feeling insecure, but not here. Not with him. The way his eyes flame with desire is enough to make me feel like the only woman in the world, especially as my shirt raises all the way over my head and he looks down at my body.

His hand slides up my waist and skims over my chest. I had expected him to dive in and grab them like most teenage guys would, but he doesn’t. He treats me like a masterpiece worth admiring and that makes it so much better.

He continues to kiss me while my hands roam over his muscled body. I slide my hands down his back and before I know it, my fingers are slipping into the waistband of his pants. I push at them, wanting to feel more when he pulls back and looks down at me. “Are you sure?” he questions. “Once I start, I’m not going to be able to stop. Not with you.”