Hood River Rat (Hood River Hoodlums #1) - K Webster Page 0,14
his fiery bronze colored eyes. “You’ll tell?”
“You think because you’re bigger than me that I’ll take your shit?”
His eyebrow hikes up, making the barbell piercing look extra hot on him. “Yep.”
“I’m not one of the spineless cowards at school.”
“Is that a threat?” He lowers his head until our faces are inches apart. “Because I don’t take threats lightly. I deal with them.”
I refuse to back away, but this close, he smells good. Too good. My gaze travels down his strong nose to his full, pink lips. His hair is still wet and hangs long and messily over his brow with the piercing. Roan is too good-looking. It’s maddening.
“How?”
“How what?”
“How do you deal with threats?”
His head cocks slightly to one side as he studies me up close. I want to squirm under his intensity, but like a dog with a scent of meat under his nose, he’ll hunt down my weaknesses if I show any sign of them.
“With your fists?” I taunt. “You’re eighteen too, right? Fights could land your ass in jail.” He flinches at my words, so I pounce. “What would Roux do then?”
He grabs the front of my hoodie and pushes me back until my ass hits the counter. I’m crowded by his massive frame that radiates with fury. His hips press hard against mine, making a strangled breath escape me.
Seconds tick, tick, tick by.
His anger morphs into something confusing and heady—something he doesn’t seem to understand either. He roams his hot glare over my features, but rather than his eyes being filled with hate, something sparkles in them. Interest. Curiosity. Heat.
I’m imagining it.
Roan Hirsch hates me for no fucking reason.
He certainly doesn’t look seconds from kissing me.
Because I feel like a rat caught in a trap, all I can do is stare down the predator before me. I lick my lips in a nervous way that attracts his attention. Then I feel it.
Hardness.
Between us.
Me? Him? Both?
His cheeks flush with a tint of pink before he releases me and steps back, nearly stumbling over his own feet.
“There are certain things you’re not allowed to talk about to anyone. Roux being at the top of that list,” he warns, his hands folding together and hanging loosely over his crotch.
I can’t help but dart my stare there, wondering if what I felt was my imagination. “My sisters and mother are off-limits too.”
He nods without hesitation. “Our sisters are friends, and for that reason only, I’ll be fucking civil to you in this house.”
“At school?”
“At school you’re on your own, rat.”
We manage to get the kitchen cleaned up without any other conversation. When we finish, Aunt Karen comes in to check on us.
“Hollis,” she says, giving me a side hug. “Can you do me a huge favor?”
“Of course.”
“The girls need to shower and your mom is exhausted. I’d love it if you could take Roan and Roux home for me so I could help her get them off to bed.”
He stiffens and I nearly choke at her request.
“W-What? Me? Even after today in your office?” I stammer out.
Her lips press into a firm line as she bounces her attention between us. “I think you’ve managed to sort out your differences today. You’re both grown up enough to handle a little car ride. Be careful out there.”
Defeated, I give her a nod, despite the churning in my stomach. “Sure.”
Roan stalks out of the kitchen. He tells Roux to gather her stuff. Aunt Karen gives me a sympathetic look, but then she leaves me. Fuck. I grab my coat and keys, leaving out the front door without a word. The car is cold as hell, but I sit inside of it as I wait for them to come out. Snow flutters around, but nothing too heavy yet. Within minutes, Roan and Roux head out of Aunt Karen’s house toward my car. Roan is normal and nice to Roux. It’s interesting to see this side of him. He’s a mean, hateful bastard at school and to me, but to her, he’s sweet. I expect him to sit in the back with her, but once she’s buckled in, he sits up front with me with his container of leftovers in his lap.
“Where to?” I ask as I back out of the driveway.
He grunts out some directions. We’re quiet as I maneuver the dark, icy streets. As I near the apartment complex he named, he goes rigid.