Page 11 of Privilege
Chapter Nine
Dane
I leave a trail of wet footprints that might as well be blood.
My preparedness for being in such close proximity to them so soon after ruining my shirt was clearly on the low end. I couldn’t help myself—I had to touch her. She wouldn’t have noticed, I barely scraped her with my fingertips.
It’s almost offensive how good they look together. For a minute, before Rich saw my face and closed right back up, I got a glimpse of the version of him I’d always wished he could be. Relaxed. Smiling. Himself .
He shouldn’t be here. I’d never have come home if I knew he was returning to Blackstone for the summer.
He’s ruining this for you, Dane. I sneer inwardly at myself, because the truth is, I’m ruining everything for him.
I run my hands through my hair and mutter, “What the fuck am I going to do.”
“Good question.” It’s Rich.
I spin around but it’s too late—he’s charging right at me, eyes on fire, and his open palms connect with my bare chest. He shoves me hard and I stumble backwards into the wall.
He slams his hands into my chest again and presses me into the drywall, leans in so close I can see his stubble. My heart is frantic, adrenaline ratcheted up to full blast as my brother corners my naked ass with the slightly unhinged look of a lion in pursuit of its prey.
“What are you playing at, Dane?” he hisses. “You think I didn’t see you touch her in the pool?”
Rivulets of water are running down his thick neck, where they catch and pool in the dips in his muscular shoulders. Water streams down his legs from his swim trunks—he’s standing close enough that the fabric brushes my knees.
“This isn’t a game,” he says, right up in my face. “Cara isn’t a game to me. She’s not some Hamptonite who’ll spread her legs for anyone whose net worth is above seven figures.”
“How do you know? She hasn’t met any of us yet.”
His fingers flex against my chest. “She’s better than that.”
I laugh, short and cold. “Nobody is better than that, brother.”
His face is so sharp that for the first time I truly see his mother in him.
See who he could’ve been if I’d let it happen.
I imagine the other side of the coin, where he isn’t smiling with Cara by his side.
The one where Jamie has a ring on her finger, and a nanny trails behind with a Dick Jr. Jr. on her hip.
The one where he gets a job that his mother orchestrated for him.
One where she has all the power and pulls all the strings.
I see the life that he’d hate, and my stomach churns.
I thought he’d made it out of this mahogany hellhole. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.
A chill runs down my spine. I was wrong .
Rich frowns, like he’s trying to figure me out. The change in him is subtle—nobody but me would notice—but it’s there. The ice in him thaws a little, like a slow burning fire has sparked to life in the brown eyes I know so well.
My skin prickles where his palms connect with my torso, and I lean into the pressure enough for his pupils to dilate.
Our mouths are so close I can practically taste him.
His lips part involuntarily, the pop of his mouth so quiet I think I’m imagining it.
The front of his shorts brush so softly against my—
He shoves me again, uses the momentum to push off of me, move back a foot or two and cross his arms like he’s protecting his chest. He might be able to cover up his torso, but he can’t hide the lingering glance at my dick.
Catching himself, he shakes his head a little, droplets of water flinging off the wavy tips of his hair.
“This isn’t high school,” he says slowly. His voice is low. Threatening. “I’m not the same as I was then, Dane.”
I reach forward and poke him in the chest with my pointer finger. “Listen little brother. Can I grab a towel at least? I think everybody has seen enough cock today. ”
Careful, Dane. No need for him to know you watched him fuck her.
After what feels like an eternity, he says “Do whatever you want, Dane. You always do.”