You Are Mine Little Sister (by Syra Tucker) novel Chapter 68

RALI

But the way he looked at me... there was no storm in his eyes.

"Is this necessary now, Rali?" His eyes held a hint of amusement as he glanced back at the list. "You need to remind yourself why you must hate me. Does this mean a part of you doesn't hate me as much as you want, hence you are trying so hard to see reasons to?"

My glare turned a degree colder. "Don't be ridiculous. I made that list so when I'm killing you, I'll remember what you're dying for."

I stomped toward my dresser where I thudded my bag with more force than necessary.

Frustration kicked in. "It's wrong, you know?" I hissed, spinning to face him with a hand planted on my hip. "To just break into people's homes. People have doors for a reason, and I don't appreciate you making a mockery of the digital door Veronica and I spent so much to install."

He chipped away at the edges of a smile—the very one that knew how to crawl under my skin. "I didn't break in, Green. Don't blame me for being smarter than your overpriced security system."

I huffed. His arrogance never failed to astonish me, no matter how often he flaunted it.

He moved towards me. Instinctively, I found myself retreating. My glare held its place while I silently begged that my chest's frantic rhythm stayed between us.

He didn't stop until he was right there. Too close.

I watched as he curled some strands of my hair around his fingers. He brought it to his face, closed his eyes, and inhaled.

I frowned and tried to step back, but he moved faster. He tugged on my hair, not harshly, just enough to keep me in place.

"What're you so afraid of?" His voice was calm. "You had an IV shoved in your arm this morning. You shouldn't be so afraid of being fucked by me anymore."

What the hell?

"Stop stalking me!" I slapped his hand away. By some miracle, he actually let me go and stepped back, laughing under his breath. That dark, unbothered laugh that scraped my nerves

What an asshole.

Hold on. Was it possible he knew about my visit to Elizabeth?

Fuck, he couldn't find out about her or the reason I visited. The last thing I wanted was him prying into my life more than he already had.

"I need you to stop following me," I sounded more serious now as I crossed my arms. "I'm an adult and don't need surveillance breathing down my neck. You're already overstepping."

He turned, crossing the room to the wall where I had some frames of myself, my friends and foster family. He seemed interested as he examined the pictures.

"I'll be going away for a couple of days." He still had his eyes on them. "Will you miss me?"

I blinked, surprised that he was actually telling me. "Actually, I hope you never come back."

He turned to face me. I spotted an icy glint in his eyes.

Okay, I might've gotten him a little pissed.

He gave me a long stare, like he was thinking of the 'best' thing to do to me.

He started moving toward me, and as expected, I took a step back.

"Not one more step, Rali."

My feet stopped like they'd been nailed to the floor.

What?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His black boots continuously hit the floor until he finally reached me. His hand lifted slowly, hovering at the back of my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for the strangle.

But instead, he touched me. A slow, shocking caress.

When I opened my eyes, he was staring right into them. A knot formed in my chest, making me step away from his hold.

I retreated until my back kissed the bathroom door with enough distance between us.

"I need you to leave." My voice came out scratchy.

"Why?"

Isn't it clear enough, asshole? "Because I don't want you here!"

He didn't budge.

"Now! Please!"

Fuck, why the hell was I tearing up?

I glanced up at the list on the wall—my little reminder to stay sane. His gaze followed, and his jaw ticked when he spotted what had my attention.

"Take off your clothes."

I dragged my eyes down to his.

I dropped my gaze as he closed the distance. I could practically feel his breath before he spoke.

"That's the problem, Rali." He tilted his head, searching my lowered eyes. "I don't think when it comes to others. I only 'try' to think when it involves you."

I backed up, but the bathroom door greeted my exposed back. I crossed my arms and looked away in defiance. The fact that I was stark naked while he remained dressed pissed me the more. Did he have to make me feel so little each time?

When his hand moved, I flinched.

He was going to hurt a nipple. Or maybe, my throat.

But he only reached for my hair, playing with some strands. I furrowed my brows, caught off guard, forced to meet those abyss-black eyes of his.

"I want you to move in with me, Rali. If we live together, I could spend more time with you. We could accomplish a lot more," he said it like it was the most logical suggestion in the world.

This had to be the joke of the year.

"I've had to be away from you for sixteen years," he continued. "I've had to watch you from the shadows. It was the closest I could get to you, but it was hell. You want to know what torture is, Rali? That was mine. Every damn day. Now that I have you, I'm not going back to that."

I huffed. "Trust me, you're the biggest joker if you think I'll ever move in with you. I can barely tolerate you breathing in the same airspace as me right now, so cohabiting? That's never happening."

Even I could hear the pure disdain in my tone.

His fingers stopped moving in my hair. He gave me a silent look, so long I feared I might've stepped on his toes.

Slowly, and seemingly carefully, he withdrew his fingers from my hair, taking a step back. He didn't touch my skin, not even by accident.

I swallowed—my anxiety? I wasn't even sure—and watched as he turned toward the door.

"You know, Rali, I'd come here planning to fuck your brains out."

He stopped at the door and turned, catching my gaze the same way a hook catches flesh. "But you seem so sure you don't need me. So I figured I'd let you sit in that certainty. Let you find out how it feels to stand completely naked before me… without earning a single touch."

My breath hiccupped. I blinked, trying to catch up with his words. What was he even saying?

He opened the door, then paused, eyes falling to my exposed skin, to the places that weren't quite private anymore. His gaze didn't look at me; it devoured.

Suddenly, the air turned thin. My knees softened like butter left too long in the sun. And only then—only then—did it hit me: he hadn't laid a single finger on me since he asked me to strip.

My lips parted, my heartbeat quickened.

His eyes rose, crawling from my hips to meet mine. A slow smirk played on his lips before he turned and left, leaving me in a state I never thought I'd be in because of him.