Chapter 3

3

NIKOLAI

A small pang of guilt hits me after Riley slams the car door shut. I know I'm a complete asshole to her, but it's what's best for her. If she showed any interest in me, I might snap and do something I shouldn't. She's not helping the situation by continuously asking about Sal. It's like she wants to poke the bear inside of me.

Watching her walk into her school does nothing to calm me down, either. That damn skirt looks even shorter from behind. It just pisses me off more. I can't take my eyes off her. Those perfectly toned legs and the sway of her hips have my full intention. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who's looking. All the boys' heads swivel in her direction as she passes them.

Their eyes and expressions show desire and lust. It takes everything in me to not get out of the car. If this was the Cattaneo world, I'd carve their eyeballs out for the disrespect they are showing her. Or, even worse, I'd give them a one-way ticket to see Church. But I can't do any of those things. My world is not hers. I need to keep reminding myself of that. She has plans to leave. To go off to college and lead her own life.

Sure, she may have grown up in the O'Haire family, but she's not like her father or brother. She's an innocent, untouched by the lifestyle. They never deserved to even breathe the same air as her. Neither do I. Yet I can't seem to stay away.

I rev the car's engine and take off before I can decide to say fuck my self-control and teach these high school punks a lesson in respect for women. By the time I get back to the condo, I'm exhausted. When I step off the elevator, I don't go right to my room. Instead, I take a left, going to Riley's. No one is home. I have the place all to myself.

The moment I enter, her sweet smell fills my lungs. I stand there, willing myself to leave, but I don't. Like the sick bastard that I am, I go into her closet in search of those white panties I'd seen all those months ago. I pull out one of the drawers, hitting the jackpot. All of them are fucking white. It's a reminder of how innocent she is. That should turn me off, but it doesn't. I go to grab one, but something catches my eye.

"Don't do it," I mutter to myself, but I'm already moving toward the laundry basket. What I'm looking for is right there on top. I take it as a sign and snag her little panties out of it. Without a thought, I bring them to my nose. Her sweet musky smell has my dick jerking to attention.

I undo my jeans, making my way to her bed. I keep my nose pressed against her panties as I wrap my hand around my dick to stroke myself. My mind goes to me crawling into her bed as she sleeps. I would pull her panties to the side and bury my tongue in her cunt. She'd moan out my name, coming on my face. But I wouldn't stop.

I'd eat her pussy until she couldn't take it anymore. Her legs would shake, and she'd plead with me. Her fingers would dig into my hair, trying to get me to stop, but I'm not sure I could. Once I'm there, I'll never want to leave. I'd take more than she would be willing to give. I'd consume all of her, thrusting my cock into her tight cunt, taking her innocence all for myself.

"Fuck, Riley," I groan. Knowing I'm not going anywhere, I set an alarm, but I shouldn't need one. I can only ever sleep a few hours at a time. To my surprise, I jerk awake to the sound of it going off.

"Damn," I mutter, not wanting to leave her bed, but I have to go pick her up. I stuff her panties into my pocket after righting my clothes.

When I pull up to the school, I park out front, not bothering to find a spot. I know I shouldn't, but I get out and lean up against the car to wait for her. Some of these punks might get the message if they think she belongs to me.

When people glance at me, I ignore them. I'm sure they're wondering why someone like me is standing outside of their expensive, fancy school, which costs more than some colleges.

"Hey," a blonde calls to me. "Who are you here for?" She's wearing the same uniform as Riley, so I'm assuming they're about the same age. However, with all the makeup she's wearing, I would have guessed her to be in her twenties. She doesn't have those full cheeks like my Riley does. Or the freckles that are sprinkled across her nose.

It's on the tip of my tongue to tell her to fuck off and mind her own business, but what if she's friends with Riley? I don't want to make things hard for her at school.

"Riley." I look over the blonde's head, and now a few other girls have joined in search of Riley.

"The girl with the frizzy red hair? That Riley?" The blonde's tone of disbelief has me focusing back on her. What is this bitch's problem?

"Yeah," I say, pushing off the car. "That a fucking problem?" The girl's eyes widen for a split second, but she covers her surprise with a laugh.

"No." She licks her lips. "I just didn't know she had a brother."

"She doesn't," I clip, knowing what this cunt is getting at. This high school clique shit is real, I guess. The catty blonde in all her bitchy glory.

"Oh, then—" When I spot that red hair that drives me insane, I stop listening. Frizzy? No, it's fucking wild and untamed. I want to sink my fingers into her curls, maybe wrap them around my fingers or possibly even my dick.

Riley tightens her hold on the book she's carrying, pressing it to her chest when she catches sight of me, her eyes bouncing to the blonde. As she gets closer, I notice she has a slight limp.

"Riley." I dart toward her, noticing the marks on her knees. I grab her arm, stopping her. "Babe, what the hell happened?"

"Nothing." She tries to break free from my grasp. I only let her go so she won't hurt her arm. I can see her peeking over at the blonde and her friends who are watching us. I ignore them and take the book from Riley and her bag.

"I'm taking it," I say before she can protest. She doesn't fight with me. I assume it's because we have an audience. I open the car door for her, wanting to get her alone and all to myself because, one way or another, she's going to tell me what the fuck happened… and who I have to kill.