I folded my arms over my chest as I glowered at him. “So what if he does? You’ve made it repeatedly clear you can’t forgive me and don’t want me. Why do you care if someone else does?”
He lowered himself so his eyes were level with mine and only inches separated us. More lightning flashed through his black irises while sparks danced across his fingers.
I didn’t know where he was drawing lightning from as everything around me felt devoid of the electrical spark, but he somehow pulled it forth. The sparks of electricity called to something inside me; I squashed it.
He was acting worse than a poltergeist throwing a tantrum. I wouldnotgive in to his shitty behavior, no matter how much I longed to touch that lightning… and him.
His inherent smell of cinnamon and the more subtle aroma of horses teased my nose. I couldn’t stop myself from taking a deep breath to savor it.
“That’s not going to happen,Ellery.”
“What’s not going to happen,Ryker?”
“There willneverbe another man for you.”
I didn’t want any other man, but I’d be damned if this imbecilic, impossiblebaboondictated mylife. “You have no say over me.”
“Yes. I. Do,” he bit out through his teeth. “You’re mine.”
It was taking all I had not to stomp my foot or punch him in the face. “No, I’m not. I’m notanyone’s, and I’m certainly notyours. You can’t go around fucking countless women and?—”
“What I do doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t! And don’t”—I thrust my finger into his chest—“cut me off again!”
“Lower your voice unless you want them to find us.”
“I’m not the one who started this.”
But I lowered my voice as I glanced at the tapestry. I was sure the music and voices had drowned out my words, but anxietystill clutched my chest as I waited for the tapestry to pull back and someone to discover us here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ellery
“You’ll stay away from him,”Ryker stated.
“No, I won’t. You don’t get to dictate who my friends are. My father didn’t do that, and an ex-loverdefinitelywon’t.”
“Not an ex.”
I pulled my finger out of his chest and crossed my arms. “You could have fooled me. Half the time you can barely stand to be around me. Why would I want to be with you?”
“Because you love me, or at least that’s what you claimed.”
I glared at him. He didn’t get to use my words or emotions against me. “Just because I love you doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and let you use me and toss me aside over and over again. And you don’t get to dictate who I’m with while you’re out there screwing every woman who will spread her legs for you. If I want to talk to Callan, I will. If I want tofuckCallan, I will. You willnottell me what I can and can’t do.”
Something snapped in him as lightning spread across his entire eye to encompass it as bolts danced higher. I felt the storm in him building to impossible levels that could consume us.
But I would not back down from him. “You better get yourself under control before someone finds us in here.”
He bared his teeth at me. “You think you can tell me what to do?”
“I’m trying to keep myself and my mother alive. If that doesn’t concern you, then keep acting like an asshole.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw, but he reined in his lightning, and some of it eased from his eyes. “If he touches you again, I’ll kill him.”
“You’ll do no such thing.”
