Free Thawing the Ice by Shyla Colt Page B

except
that, and Casey’s still recovering from my dad’s death same as I am.” She
paused. “This is my stop. I’m a big girl, and I know when to get off the ride
before It becomes too much.”
    Ryan turned to Casey. A silent
conversation took place between them. I hate it when they do that. They
stepped forward, and she glanced at the ground, not ready to see the
disappointment and pity. Shame sent heat into her cheeks. The poor, pudgy,
black girl had developed a crush on the hottest commodity in the tiny
community.
    “Look at me,” Ryan said.
    “No.” Mortified, she closed her
eyes tight and balled her fists.
    “Come on, Leighton.” Casey’s timbre
was laced with comfort. For once, she wanted no part of it. Growing up with
people trapped you in a time capsule.
    Ryan stepped into her space,
blocking her between the expanse of the arms he placed on either side of her
head. “I’m not going to move until you do,” he said.
    “Such a fucking bully,” she said
under her breath.
    Casey snorted.
    “Shut up, Casey,” Ryan said.
    Her lips twitched. She loved their
brotherly banter.
    “Finally a smile,” Ryan said. She
could hear the smile in his voice. Thoughts of his brilliant beam made her
knees weaken. Tired of being a coward, she looked up and fell headlong into an
intense set of brownish-green jewels gifted to him as eyes.
    “All this time we’ve been calling
ourselves bastards for wanting to get into your pants.” Ryan smirked.
    “What?” His words rolled around in
her brain, but she refused to follow the logic. Surely he didn’t mean what she
thought he did.
    “We’re painfully aware that you
aren’t a little girl anymore.” Ryan moved even closer. Their bodies brushed.
    “Is this some sort of joke?” Her
voice cracked.
    Ryan grabbed her hand and placed it
on the bulge in his jeans. The air fled from her lungs, and her mouth formed on
O. “No joke, sweetheart. Why do you think I’ve been playing wheel of fortune
every bar we enter?”
    “B-because you’re Ryan Boyer.” She
huffed. His reputation preceded him.
    “Now you’re just trying to flatter
me.” Ryan smirked and rubbed against her hand. The bulge grew. Her nipples
peaked. Tongue-tied, she shook her head. Casey framed her face in his massive
hands as he leaned in, stopping her denial. ”We see you. We want you, and
nothing about the demands we’ll place will be casual.”
    “C-Case…”
    “Do you want it too, Leighton? Are
you willing to give us a try? You know us better than most. We’re possessive,
greedy, and gruff. But I promise you, you’d never want for a damn thing.”
Casey’s mouth hovered millimeters from her lips.
    “We want you here, Lei. We like the
dynamics too damn much.” Ryan nipped her neck. Casey connected their lips, and
she closed her eyes, lost in the incredible sensation they created together.
    “So beautiful.” The sincerity in
Ryan’s voice blew her mind. Never the one with a soft touch, Ryan always
treated her like one of the guys. He licked her pulse point, and she moaned
into Casey’s mouth. Her world tilted on its axis. Fantasies became
possibilities.
    “If we do this, you’re ours,
Pulver,” Ryan said.
    Casey pulled away. She sucked air
into her lungs. “Y-Yours?”
    “That’s right, Leighton, property
of the Boyers.” Casey skimmed his fingers over her thigh bared by his t-shirt.
    “I’m not something to own.” She
struggled to focus while her body caught fire.
    “No, but this isn’t a one off, or
some experiment. We want more,” Casey said.
    “All…” Ryan stepped closer, filling
her vision and her mind with his larger than life personality. ”We won’t stop
until we put our mark on everything you are.”
    Her chest heaved, and her breath
came in small puffs.
    “You’ve always held a special spot
in our hearts. Over the years, the sister vibe changed. Neither of us could
decide who had the right to pursue you, so we sat on our feelings. Then the
attack happened,