Pretty Prize (Rags to Riches 2)

“This is for keeps.” Hunter’s jaw goes tight. I can feel the tension fill the plane as his mood shifts. It might be, but it is clear he wants to take Garrick down. I may end up a casualty in that war. I have always been used in one way or another.

Can you be cursed with beauty? I think so. I’m not going to enjoy being the toy pulled between the two of them. With the way Hunter is making me feel I’m not going to come out unscathed either. That whole plan of me keeping my emotions in check isn’t working out so well for me. My thoughts are all over the place when it comes to the man sitting next to me. I’ve never had to deal with so many emotions at one time so I’m struggling to keep them in check.

“Are you referring to the fact that you think my brother wants to fuck me?”

I shock even myself saying the words out loud. I’ve heard them before. Cara has spouted them a few times. She’s pointed out a time or two that all the women my brother is seen with look eerily like me. I saw his love interests on occasion when he brought them home. He wasn’t discreet about it. Sometimes he’d even go out of his way to prance them in front of me as if he wanted me to see them.

Chills run down my arms now that I’m actually thinking about it. I always laughed it off when Cara said it but I’m starting to realize exactly how odd it is.

“Wants?” he half growls. I fight to not roll my eyes.

“I’m still pure. No need to cast me out.” I drop my fork down onto the plate. If I hadn’t eaten I would have lost my appetite now. “That is why he likely hasn’t touched me. Wouldn’t want to soil me.” I let the mock annoyance bleed through my words. “He goes out of his way not to touch me,” I add.

In a flash, the serving tray is pushed away. I’m lifted from my seat and dropped into Hunter’s lap. I gasp in surprise. I wasn’t expecting it. Hunter looks pissed. Have I gone too far? I don’t think so. It’s me we’re talking about. In my opinion, I didn’t go far enough. I’m not only mad at everyone but myself too. It shouldn’t matter to me whether Hunter believes I am pure or not. Yet I allowed myself to get upset when I thought he saw me as impure and would cast me away because of it. I was hurt by this thought and I shouldn’t be.

“He doesn’t touch you because he wouldn’t be able to stop.” His hands go to my hips as he digs his fingers into me. It’s almost painful how tight he holds me but a delicious chill runs up my spine. “It’s why he doesn’t let males close to you.” He leans in. “We want you. Pure or not we’d take you.”

My nipples tighten. The rush of power I felt before comes back stronger now. He’s got a hold of me but in a weird way I feel like I have the power and he’s all but reminded me of that.

“You seemed to care when you thought another man kissed me,” I toss back at him.

“Don’t talk about other men kissing you,” he bites out. I narrow my eyes at him, ready to call him a liar. “If a man had kissed you, if a thousand men had touched you in ways that only I’ll ever actually know I’d still take you. Still have you.” His eyes lock with mine. “I’ll just be your last.”

“Will I be your last?” I find myself asking. I shouldn’t care but I do.

“You think after I’ve seen perfection I’d settle for anything less?” I wiggle on his lap at him calling me perfection. “You’ll soon see I don’t settle. I always keep pushing until I get what I want.” His words excite me. I wasn’t worried about him getting what he wants, I was worried about him keeping it once he had it.

In a moment of weakness, I lift my finger and caress his face. His eyes close as if he’s memorizing my touch. When he opens them, they seem to soften as he stares back into mine. We stay like this for a few moments, neither of us saying a word. Our trance is broken when we hit a bit of turbulence and the pilot comes across the speaker asking us to fasten our seatbelts. Hunter lifts me from his lap with care and places me back into my own seat. He reaches over and fastens my seatbelt for me. I’ve never experienced turbulence before so I reach down and grab his hand before he can take it away. He doesn’t pull it away and I’m thankful for that.