My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111 Tell Me To Step Back

I reached for it.

At the exact same second, Ryder reached for it.

My fingers closed around the left corner of the hard plastic rim. A fraction of a heartbeat later, his large hand closed over mine.

We froze.

The cold, wet plastic dug into the palm of my hand. His warm, calloused skin covered the back of my hand. The contrast sent a massive shockwave straight up my arm. The electrical current bypassed my brain and struck the center of my chest.

My breath hitched. The mundane routine of cleaning the darkroom shattered into a million pieces.

I looked down at our hands. His long fingers trapped mine against the rim of the tray. The heavy silver metal of his rings pressed against my knuckles. He did not pull back. He did not utter a quick apology for the collision. His grip remained firm, anchoring me to the spot.

The silence in the room stretched until it felt ready to snap.

I lifted my head.

Ryder stood mere inches away. The golden shards in his eyes burned with a dark, consuming fire. The careful restraint he practiced all evening fractured. The polite, patient distance evaporated. He stared at my mouth. The hunger in his expression laid bare the truth of his intentions. He did not want to be a fake boyfriend. He did not want to stand by my locker out of obligation.

His chest heaved with a ragged inhale. The leather of his jacket groaned.

“Ryder,” I whispered. My voice cracked.

He moved.

He let go of the plastic tray. He did not let go of me. He shifted his grip. His long fingers slid down my hand, wrapping around my wrist. The hold was firm, unyielding, and territorial.

He took a step forward.

My feet moved on pure instinct. I took a step back, attempting to maintain the physical barrier between us. My spine hit the hard wooden edge of the dry counter. I hit a dead end. I had nowhere else to retreat.

He followed. He closed the gap with speed.

He crowded into my personal space. He stepped between my feet, his combat boots trapping my loafers. He backed me against the

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Chapter 111 Tell Me To Step Back

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counter. He planted his free hand on the wood beside my left hip. He kept his right hand wrapped around my wrist, pinning my arm

against the edge of the surface. He caged me in.

The air in the red-lit room turned thick. It charged with a raw, undeniable energy. My pulse pounded a frantic rhythm in my ears,

drowning out the noise of the ventilation fan. I felt the heat rolling off his chest in waves. I felt the erratic, heavy thud of his heart

against my own ribs.

He leaned his face down. His nose brushed the side of my cheek. He buried his face in the curve of my neck.

His breath washed over my skin, sending a fierce shiver down my spine. The scent of his cedar soap clouded my senses. He drew my scent

into his lungs like a starving man finding a feast.

“You are driving me insane,” he rasped against my collarbone.

I gripped the edge of the counter with my free hand. My knees felt weak. The concrete floor seemed to tilt beneath my boots. I could not formulate a logical thought. The math equations failed. The study guides burned to ash. The only reality consisted of the boy pinning me

to the counter.

He lifted his head.

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