Ryan Reign (New York Ruthless #4)(12)
“So, he was flirting with you?”
“No,” I shake my head.
“Because if that’s case, I’m more than happy to walk you back over there and fuck you over his table if that’s what it takes to show everyone in this room who you belong to.”
“You wouldn’t,” I swallow.
“Watch me, Hacker. And I will take perverse satisfaction in making them watch while you come so hard that you scream my name.”
“You’re an asshole,” I hiss.
He leans closer to me, caging me in with his arms and pressing his groin into mine. “Yeah? But I’m your asshole, sweetheart. And you belong to me. So behave your fucking self.”
Despite my annoyance, I feel a familiar fluttering in my abdomen that always comes from being this close to Shane Ryan. But I refuse to accept that I have done anything wrong. “I was just talking,” I snap.
“No,” he takes my hand and pulls me forward so that we are no longer in the shadows. “That,” he points at Erin, who stands demurely with about two feet of space around her entire person, “is just talking.”
The tears prick at my eyes and I swallow the emotion that balls in my throat. Erin! How fucking dare he! I spin on my heel and glare at him, wishing I could make him feel some of the pain he just caused me. “No! That is having the personality of a fucking ice cube. But if she is the woman you’d rather I behaved like, why don’t you just go fuck her in front of all these people instead. Because I am going back to the hotel.”
“The fuck you are!” he hisses.
“So, you expect me to just stand in this room on my own and not smile or make eye contact with anyone? Is that it?”
“Just fucking behave, Jessie,” he snarls, but before I can respond we are approached by an older couple.
“Are you not going to introduce us to your lovely lady, Shane?” the man says loudly while the woman I assume is his wife beams at the two of us.
Shane smiles as he slips an arm around my waist. “Of course, Jacob. This is Jessie,” he says with a warning glance and I force my best smile as I greet them.
They ask Shane about his brothers and listening to him talking about them makes me miss them so much, but after a few minutes someone else comes along and demands his attention. He leaves me talking to Jacob and his wife, Ruth, and I assume Shane’s twisted logic considers them safe for me to converse with.
I’m still talking to Jacob and Ruth when I catch Erin staring at me with a smug grin on her face. I excuse myself and make my way over to her.
“Is something about me amusing you this afternoon, Erin?”
She tilts her head as she looks me up and down. “Hmm. Perhaps I should have warned you how much Shane hates Sean O’Connor,” she says with a smile before she takes a sip of her champagne.
God, she is a Grade A bitch. But why did I expect any less from her? I can’t even be bothered arguing with her about it. “Why does he hate him so much?”
“Because Sean was always his father’s right hand man, at least until Shane was old enough to be anyway. He hated that Patrick’s son took over and he did everything he could to make his life as difficult as possible. He was especially partial to fucking Shane’s girlfriends if he ever got the chance to be alone with them, whether they consented or not,” she says with a shudder and suddenly I wonder if she was ever a victim of Sean’s advances.
“But why didn’t Shane deal with him?” I frown because I can’t imagine the man I know allowing any of that to go unpunished.
“Because Patrick Ryan loved Sean. No doubt he saw a lot of himself in the sadistic prick. So he was basically untouchable. If Shane had retaliated, then Mikey and Liam would have borne the brunt of their father’s frustrations.”
I shake my head. The more I learn about Patrick, the more I wonder how his sons turned out to be the men they are today.
“It was fun watching Shane’s face turn purple when he saw you and Sean chatting like old pals.” She laughs and it’s not a pleasant sound, more of an annoying, high-pitched whinny.
I glare at her, wondering how much of a commotion it would cause if I were to punch her in the face right now. But that would only make her look like the victim and I can think of a much better way to hurt her.
“Yeah, he sure was pissed,” I say with a smile. “So, thank you, Erin.”
She frowns at me. “What for?”
I look over at Shane. He is talking to a group of people and they are all hanging on his every word. Dressed in his exquisitely tailored suit that hugs his broad shoulders and thick thighs perfectly, he can hold a room like no-one I have ever met and he is the sexiest man in here by a long shot. He glances at me, and our eyes meet for a second, making me swallow in anticipation before I turn back to Erin. “You must remember how good that man fucks? And when he’s pissed? Wow!” I fan myself with my hand. “I doubt either of us will be getting any sleep tonight.” I flash my eyebrows at her before walking away and leaving her standing with her mouth open and the shadow of a scowl on her botoxed forehead.
As I walk away from Erin, I look around the room for Jacob and Ruth again but they are talking to Sean O’Connor, and despite the fact that I’m still completely pissed at Shane, I understand now why he wouldn’t want me talking to him. I make my way to the bar instead and sit on a stool while I order a glass of soda.