Treacherous by Alex Grayson & Melissa Toppen Read online

  Dad leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “They’re offering a settlement for people affected. But even if they hadn’t, the most important thing is that Danielle will get on the list to get the lungs she needs.”

  “This is unbelievable,” I mutter. I jackknife out of my chair, the legs scraping across the floor. On one hand, I’m happy Danielle will finally get what she needs to hopefully beat this illness. But on the other, it pisses me off that they didn’t catch the neglect before now. How many other people suffered unnecessarily? How many people died because of it? The yearly death rate for emphysema is only five percent, but that’s five percent way too fucking much.

  “Zayden, sit down,” Dad commands, his voice both hard and gentle. This hasn’t only affected him. He knows how hard it’s been on me, too.

  I retake my seat and blow out a harsh breath, calming my frayed nerves and the anger rushing through me. A warm hand slides across mine, and I glance at Rylee. Her concerned gaze meets mine.

  “The whole situation is a mess,” Dad continues, “but what’s important is that it was caught and fixed before it was too late. There’s nothing we can do about the past. We can only look to the future.”

  I nod, relaxing my jaw. “Yeah.” I reach over and scoop Danielle out of her chair and pull her onto my lap. She sits sideways, her legs dangling.

  “Didn’t I tell you everything was going to be okay?” I ask, letting the rest of my anger melt away.

  “I already knew it would be.” She smirks. “I wasn’t worried, you were.”

  I tweak her nose. “Nah. I knew you were too stubborn to let your little ol’ lungs keep you down.”

  She giggles and throws her arms around my neck. I pull her closer, tightening my grip on her, while silently sending up my thanks to whoever’s listening. My eyes meet Rylee’s over her head. Her smile is soft as she looks from me to Danielle.

  I’m glad she’s here. Today has been a damn good day, despite the bullshit that came with it.

  Danielle will finally get her lungs.

  And I’ve got a girl that’s quickly becoming one of the most important people in my life.

  RYLEE

  “SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK?” I look to where Zayden is sitting next to me, propped up against the headboard of my bed.

  When he brought up our English project that’s due this Friday, and the fact that he still hadn’t watched the movie, I jumped at the chance to invite him over to watch Twilight with me—despite the fact that I’ve already seen it more times than I care to admit.

  “People actually enjoy this shit?” His ocean blue eyes slide to mine.

  “Oh come on. It’s not that bad.” I laugh, lightly smacking the side of his leg.

  “Not that bad? You can’t seriously believe that wasn’t the worst movie you’ve ever watched. I mean, that acting…come the fuck on. As if sparkling vampires weren’t enough.” He shakes his head. “And I thought the book was bad.”

  “There wasn’t anything you liked about it?”

  “Not a single thing.” He snorts. “Well, except maybe some of the soundtrack, but I’m not sure that counts.”

  “Well, look at it this way. At least it’s over now and you never have to watch it again.” I try to point out the positives. “That is, unless you want to watch the other movies.” I grin.

  “There’s more?” He looks horrified.

  “You didn’t know that?” I cock my head, thinking someone must be living under a rock to not know there are multiple books and movies.

  “Why would I?”

  His question is valid. It’s not like he strikes me as the kind of guy that follows mainstream pop culture.

  “I guess that’s a good point,” I admit, giggling when he reaches over and gives my side a squeeze.

  “What time did you say your mom was going to be home again?” He glances at the clock on my bedside table, and I follow his gaze.

  It’s almost five o’clock.

  “Probably by six at the latest. Her last appointments run up until five, but she usually doesn’t leave the office right away. Why? Already planning your escape?”

  “Quite the opposite, actually. Do you realize how hard it was for me to lay here next to you for nearly two hours and not touch you?” He grabs my forearm and tugs me toward him. I go willingly, smiling against his mouth as he drops a kiss to my lips.

  It starts out innocent enough, but like most things with Zayden, it quickly intensifies. Before I know it, I’m pinned beneath him, his weight pressing me into the mattress as he devours my mouth.

  I know I’m inexperienced in a lot of ways, but I find it very hard to believe that most eighteen-year-old guys are as skilled with their mouths as Zayden. I know the very small number of guys I have kissed don’t hold a candle to him. I could kiss him all day and never get tired of it. Then again, I don’t think we’d make it all day before more happened.

  And I want more.

  God do I want it. More than I think I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.

  But I’m also scared. And not only because I’ve never done it before. As much as I hate to admit it, a part of me is still hesitant to really trust Zayden. After everything that’s happened over the last few days, I know that shouldn’t be the case. But there’s still this tiny voice in my head planting little seeds of doubt.

  “I want to touch you so fucking bad right now,” Zayden groans against my lips, and while I don’t answer, I think I have a pretty good idea how he feels because all I want is for him to touch me, too.

  I don’t answer right away, but when my words finally come, I think they shock us both. “Then do it.” Zayden pulls back a couple of inches and looks down at me, the hunger in his eyes enough to make me squirm under his gaze.

  “Don’t tempt me, Rylee. I’m far from a fucking gentleman. And right now I’m hanging on by a very thin thread,” he warns.

  “I’m not ready for….” I trail off, my cheeks heating. “But I want you to touch me. I want to know what it feels like to….” Again, my words die in my throat as embarrassment seeps in, and I quickly avert my gaze.

  “Look at me, Rylee.” His soft voice coaxes my eyes back to his. “You don’t ever have to be embarrassed to ask for what you want. You got me?” He waits until I nod before continuing, “Did you lock the door? If I’m going to touch you for the first time, I sure as fuck don’t want someone barging in and ruining it.”

  “It’s locked.” I swallow hard.

  “Good girl.” He smiles, pushing up off of me. I mourn the loss of his weight instantly, but the thought doesn’t linger for long as his hand grazes between my legs.

  My entire body stiffens.

  “Relax.” He smiles, leaning forward to grip the waistband of my leggings. “If you want me to stop, just say the words.”

  I nod, unable to voice my desire as Zayden shimmies my pants over my hips and down my legs, leaning back so he can remove them completely. My instinct is to cover myself, but before I can move my hand, Zayden stops me, pushing it away.

  “I’ll leave them on.” His eyes dart to my panties before coming back to my face. “This time.” He grins wickedly.

  “Okay.” My is voice barely audible as Zayden shifts, finally settling next to me on his side.

  While a part of me is relieved to still have a small barrier between us, the other part wishes he would just strip me bare and make love to me the way I’ve been dreaming of since the first moment I laid eyes on him. I know all I have to do is ask. I know the power rests solely with me. But I also know that if I let myself make a rash decision in the heat of the moment; I may live to regret it.

  Zayden’s fingers start at my thigh, slowly swirling the soft skin leading to my center. I swear I forget how to breathe. The anticipation is enough to make me feel like I’m dangling over a cliff, about to plummet to my death at any moment.

  When his hand dips inside my panties, I feel like my heart is second
s away from beating out of my chest.

  I thought I knew what this would be like—I’ve touched myself enough to know what it feels like to be touched—but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for the onslaught of pleasure that overtakes me the instant Zayden’s fingers are on me.

  He slides through my folds with ease—the evidence of my arousal undeniable. I’m not sure if I want to laugh, cry, or scream when he slides a single finger inside of me, quickly followed by another. Several emotions surge through me, but I can’t get a grip on a single one.

  “Fuck,” he hisses, pressing his fingers into me as far as they will go. “You’re so fucking tight.” He nips at my jaw.

  I have no words. I don’t think I could speak even if I tried. And while I may be a little timid around Zayden, once his hand starts to move, I move right along with him—shamelessly riding his hand.

  I can’t help it. It feels too good not to.

  When he extends his thumb and presses it against my clit, I nearly come undone. Pleasure rockets through me like tiny fireworks going off, one after the other. I grip the sheets, holding on for dear life. When Zayden pulls my earlobe into his mouth and groans—a deep gritty sound- it brings my orgasm screaming to the surface.

  “Zayden,” I whimper, knowing I’m seconds away from being past the point of no return.

  “Come for me, Rylee.” His voice is husky, heavy with lust. “I want to feel you pulse around my fingers.”

  “Oh God!” The words rip from my throat as an orgasm unlike anything I have ever felt before tears through me.

  My body arches and my legs flail as waves of pleasure roll through me one after the other, so intense it’s borderline painful.

  Zayden’s fingers continue to work as he silences me with a kiss. The feeling coursing through me becomes that much more overwhelming. I’m absolute putty in his hands, and I’m positive that he knows it, too.

  “You have to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he tells me, pulling back to watch my face as his hand stills and he slowly removes his fingers. Sliding them up and over my clit, he pulls his hand out of my panties.

  What he does next nearly knocks me right off the bed. He lifts his hand to his mouth and sucks the desire off of his fingers, one at a time.

  “Fuck. Even better than I imagined,” he groans, leaning in to kiss me again so that I can taste myself.

  It’s the single most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced and instantly has me wanting to do it all over again.

  I’ve heard stories from friends who have been with guys. Everyone swore that having a guy touch you was so much different than touching yourself, but I always had my doubts. How could it really be that different?

  My God was I wrong. Zayden touching me is nothing like me touching myself. And the orgasm—I don’t think I could ever put into words how incredible it was. Mind blowing doesn’t even begin to cover what I experienced. More like life changing. Because now that I’ve felt the power of Zayden’s touch, I don’t ever want him to stop.

  Unfortunately, the perfect moment is broken when Taylor Swift’s voice starts blaring from my phone. Because I have assigned ring tones for certain people—like my mom—I usually know who’s calling before I look.

  “Crap.” I let out a frustrated noise. “That’s my mom.”

  “Let it go to voicemail,” he murmurs against my mouth, grazing his teeth over my bottom lip.

  “She’ll just keep calling if I don’t answer,” I reluctantly tell him. And I mean it honestly—she really will keep calling.

  Even though I can tell he doesn’t want to, Zayden releases his hold on me and rolls to his back.

  “I’m sorry.” I say, sitting up before throwing my legs over the side of the bed and snagging my phone off the nightstand.

  “It’s okay. I should probably get going anyway,” he says as he rolls off the bed.

  “Why?” I silence the ringer on my phone, deciding that my mom can wait a minute.

  “I have to watch Danielle tonight, and I promised her pizza from Perogi’s. If I want to get there before my dad has to leave, I’ve got to hit the road.”

  “Oh, okay.” He slides on his shoes before he crosses to the other side of the bed where I’m sitting.

  “Hey.” He tips my chin upward at the same time he leans down, putting our faces a couple of inches apart. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, of course.” I try to shake off the disappointment of his abrupt departure.

  “I see the wheels turning in that pretty head of yours.” A knowing smile graces his full lips. “Today was incredible.” He presses a kiss to my mouth. “Better than incredible.” Another kiss. “And I can’t fucking wait to do it again.” When he pulls back and hits me with a sexy smirk, I instantly feel better.

  “Me, too,” I admit on a shy smile.

  “Call me later?”

  “I will,” I agree, my phone buzzing back to life in my hand as my mom starts calling again.

  “I see you weren’t lying.” He chuckles, straightening his posture as he gestures to my phone.

  “She’s relentless. I think she forgets that I’m not sitting around with my phone in my hand, ready to answer the instant she calls.” I look down at the phone in my hand and realize I’m doing exactly that. “Well, you know what I mean.” I laugh at myself.

  “Answer it,” he tells me, snagging his jacket off the end of the bed. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Okay.”

  Zayden crosses the room and unlocks the door, disappearing into the hallway moments later.

  It takes me a couple seconds to realize my phone is still ringing, and once I do, I quickly answer it.

  “Hey, Mom.” I try to sound as normal as I can given everything that just happened.

  “Hey, sweetie. What are you doing?”

  “Homework.” It’s only half of a lie. Technically, I was doing homework a few short minutes ago. If you can classify watching a movie I’ve already seen dozens of times as homework.

  “Are you about done? Paul just called me from the office and wants you and Oliver to meet us for dinner.”

  “I wish I could, Mom, but I really have a lot to get done.” A complete lie this time. Truthfully, I don’t feel like going anywhere right now. “Maybe next time?”

  “Are you sure? I feel like I’ve barely seen you all week.”

  Leave it to my mom to throw in a little guilt in hopes of swaying me to do what she wants me to do.

  “I’m sure. I really would if I could. Maybe we can make plans to have lunch this weekend—just you and me.”

  “I’d like that.”

  I let out a sigh of relief, knowing I’ve pacified her for now.

  “So, Oliver is meeting you guys?” I ask, simply because I want to know if I should be prepared to run into him this evening. I’ve gotten really good at only leaving my room when absolutely necessary if I know he’s home or will be home in the near future.

  “I’m not sure yet. Paul was going to call him.”

  “Okay.”

  “You sure you don’t want to come?”

  “I’m sure. I’m gonna go make some Ramen and spend the rest of the evening trying to figure out this calculus homework.”

  “You work too hard,” she tells me.

  “I learned from the best,” I shoot back.

  “Touché.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “Well, I won’t keep you. Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Love you, Mom.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Dropping the device onto the bed next to me, I collapse back onto the mattress.

  Today took an unexpected turn, but it wasn’t entirely a surprise. Zayden and I have been skirting a very fine line for a few days now. It was only a matter of time before things began to escalate. Even still, I can’t wrap my head around all of it.

  Daydreaming about what something might be like and a
ctually having it come to fruition are two very different things, and while I’m beside myself with excitement, I’m also in a little bit of disbelief.

  If I thought it was hard keeping my thoughts off Zayden before, it’s going to be damn near impossible now.

  I close my eyes and remember the way it felt when his fingers slid into my panties. The nervousness coupled with a longing I’ve never felt before. I don’t think I have ever wanted something so intensely in my life. And that orgasm… That can’t be normal. I’ve had my fair share of orgasms, and I haven’t experienced anything even remotely close to that before. It was like I was a musical instrument and Zayden’s fingers were made with the sole purpose of playing me.

  And then I think back to what he said before he left. I can’t wait to do that again. And the only thought I have is… neither can I.

  ZAYDEN

  I CLASP RYLEE’S HAND tightly in mine as we walk down the dark hallway, Charles a few steps behind us. Adrenaline rushes through my veins, and for the first time, it’s not only from the upcoming fight.

  Part of me hates the idea of Rylee being surrounded by the type of people who are downstairs. Just the thought of something happening to her has my free hand clenching, ready to pummel something.

  But I have to admit, a small part of me is looking forward to having her here. Fighting has been a big part of my life for the last couple of years. With Danielle getting the approval to be put on the transplant list, I don’t need to fight anymore. I didn’t have to come tonight, but I can’t leave Hart in a bind. Besides, it’s become something I enjoy. It allows me to let out all of the aggression I’ve felt for years. It’s an outlet I need.

  Most people would think having Rylee here would be a distraction, but she’ll add even more motivation for me to win. There’s no fucking way I’d allow her to see me lose.

  I stop at the basement door and turn to face her. “Anytime you want to leave, just say the word and we’re out,” I tell her sternly. “If I’m in the middle of a fight, you tell Charles.”