Bodyguard: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance (Snake Eyes Book 1) by Tabatha Kiss

mistake. It’s okay—”
    “No, this is not okay, Fox.” I stand up and anger rattles my knees. “You told me you don’t see me like they do, but — surprise, surprise — yes, you fucking do.”
    “That’s not true,” he claims. “I meant every word I said about that. We just need to take a minute and think about this first—”
    “I’ve thought enough about it, Fox. I want to do this.”
    “You shouldn’t rush something that should be special for you.”
    “You are special to me.” I throw up my hands. “And please don’t give me that cartoon princess view of sex. I know how the real world works. I’m not twelve-years-old.”
    “I know you’re not.” His face hangs low like his words taste like acid.
    “Then what’s the problem? You were revved up and ready to go ninety seconds ago. What the hell changed so quickly that made it wrong for you to touch me?”
    “Nothing changed. I care about you, Dani.”
    “And I care about you. That’s how this is supposed to work, isn’t it? Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy.”
    “It’s more complicated than that and you know it.”
    “Why? Because our parents are married? Who fucking cares?”
    He steps forward, bridging the gap between us with two fast strides. “Because you’re Roxie fucking Roberts, Dani. Every move you make is on display. You’re nitpicked and judged for everything you do — that includes this. And yes, our parents are married. That immediately makes this bad for you. I am bad for you. I don’t belong in your world. I never have. It’s why I left in the first place.”
    Tears sting my throat. “Then why the hell did you even come back?”
    “Because I’d rather live in a world with you in it than suffer the alternative.” He turns from me and walks away, putting several purposeful feet between us.
    “Fox, do you have any idea how lonely it is to be Roxie fucking Roberts?” I ask, bile rising in my throat. “I’m surrounded by people all the time but they aren’t looking at me. They’re looking at my dress or my hair or my damn waistline. They don’t care about who I am or what I think. No one ever has… except for you. Or so I thought.”
    He closes his eyes. “Dani… I—”
    “So if we’re going to start talking about suffering alternatives, Fox… I think that maybe you should have just stayed dead.” He opens his eyes again, showing a hard sadness. “You should have let me die…” My voice breaks apart. “At least, then I would have felt that instead of this .”
    Fox takes a short step back to me. “Dani, you don’t mean that.”
    “What difference does it make? It’s not like I’m irreplaceable. In a few years, there will be another girl, one that’s younger and prettier for everyone to nitpick and judge. No one will even remember my name.”
    “I will.”
    I inhale deeply. “It’s a nice sentiment, Fox… but you’ve already missed your chance to get in my pants.” I step away from him and he reaches for me.
    “Dani, wait—”
    “Don’t touch me, Fox.” I jerk away from him and rush for the bathroom before the tears spill over my cheeks.
    My body betrays me. I close the door and lock it in a foolish attempt to keep the electric throbbing inside. I could feel it on his skin, too; that same insatiable lust for me as I have for him. It burns now, expecting me to go back to him and let him do whatever he wants to me and my body.
    But I can’t do it.
    I sit down and hang my head in my hands. My skin is still so hot. I can barely breathe. His hands were all over me. He tasted me like I was a piece of fruit and he’d been hungry for weeks. I still feel the stubble rash along my skin and lips, left behind by the scratch of his beard. It’s passion I’ve never experienced before and feel vastly unprepared for.
    But I still want it to badly.
    I turn on the sink and fill my palms with cool water to submerge my face in. The icy burn twinges my cheeks. I wince as it runs along the gash, washing