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  “Come on, Emily, there’s no need to be like that.” I feel his hand graze the inside of my bare leg and I quickly slap it away.

  “Don’t touch me! I mean it, Kyle. Stay away from me!” Since I can’t see him I’m unable to brace myself when his hard body slams into mine, knocking the air out of my lungs. I instantly push against his chest, alarm rushing through me when I feel his erection against my stomach. “Stop it!”

  In the midst of my struggle, he grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head back painfully. I bite back a cry and feel his hot breath hit my face. “Why do you always have to be such a bitch? Do you fucking know how many girls would love to be touched by me?”

  “Kyle, stop it!” I demand shakily, still struggling against him.

  “You need to start getting used to this, Emily, our fathers have big plans for us.”

  “Never!” I seethe through clenched teeth. “I will never have anything to do with you. No matter what my father says.”

  He groans. “Keep fighting it, because I fucking love it!”

  Bile rises in my throat and my panic escalates to a whole other level. “Kyle, I mean it! Get off of me!” I scream so loud that my voice becomes hoarse from it. Pushing with everything I have, I suddenly hit nothing but air, which has me flying forward and landing on my hands and knees painfully. I hear a small scuffle off to my left then nothing but fast, heaving breaths.

  “You need to mind your own business, Jameson. This has nothing to do with you,” Kyle seethes, but I also catch a hint of something else in his tone, something that sounds a lot like fear.

  “I’m making it my business,” another male voice cuts in, this one sounding deep, smooth and threatening. “Now get the fuck out of here before I kick your fucking teeth in.”

  Instead of leaving, like any sane person would do, Kyle chuckles arrogantly, but there’s a shaky undertone to it. “We both know that’s not going to happen, Jameson. Not after you have just been graciously granted that full scholarship from the board of directors.”

  Silence consumes the air around us, and my heart pounds with panic, wondering if this Jameson guy left, but he ends up breaking the silence a moment later. “You try me, motherfucker, I dare you. After I’m done kicking your fucking teeth through the back of your head, I will gladly tell the cops how you tried to force your dick in the Governor’s daughter.” I try not to flinch from the vulgarity of his words, even though they’re the truth.

  “Yeah? And who do you think they’re going to believe? Someone like me, or white trash like you.”

  “They will believe me,” I cut in shakily, “and don’t think I won’t do it, Kyle.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Emily, and you know it.” He may be right, I know my father would have a conniption, but I don’t care, he went too far this time.

  “You’re the one making the mistake, Prescott, and if you don’t leave in the next three fucking seconds, you’re not even going to get to live to regret it.” Jameson’s threat rings with finality and truth. I stay still and silent, listening to the sound of distant footsteps and pray they’re Kyle’s, which is confirmed a moment later when Jameson says: “He’s gone.”

  I blow out a relieved breath then run a trembling hand through my hair. “Thank you,” I choke out quietly. Hot tears spill down my cheeks while I feel around for all of the stuff I dropped. I hear footsteps move closer in my direction then sense him kneel next to me. I gasp, startled, when he grasps my wrist in a gentle grip.

  “Here,” his voice is soft as I feel him place my phone in my hand.

  “Thank you,” I say again with a sniffle. After he releases my wrist, I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand and am thankful my sunglasses are still in place.

  “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  I shake my head. “I’m okay. He just scared me is all. I can’t believe what a jerk he is.”

  I hear him grunt. “Well believe it. I’ve gone to school with the arrogant prick my whole life, he’s always been like that.”

  I nod, knowing it’s true; luckily I haven’t had to deal with him on a daily basis. An awkward silence settles over us now. “Um, well, thank you, uh, Jameson, for stepping in. I um, I really appreciate it,” I stammer out nervously, sounding like a complete idiot.

  There is a moment of silence as I feel him stare at me. “My last name is Jameson. My first name is Ryder,” he replies with a hint of amusement.

  I feel my face flame with humiliation, and silently pray for the ground to swallow me whole. “Oh, sorry.”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  I clear my throat then stick out my hand. “I’m Emily Michaels.” His big, warm hand engulfs my small one, and for some reason the simple touch sends a flutter low in my tummy.

  “I know who you are.”

  The flutter vanishes and I quickly release his hand. “Of course, I’m sure everyone knows of the blind girl.”

  Silence stretches between us until he breaks it. “Actually, we have trigonometry together, which is where I learned you were the Governor’s daughter.”

  I feel like an idiot for how quickly I jumped to the defensive. “Hmm. Well is it bad I would rather be known as the blind girl than the Governor’s daughter?” I try to sound amused, but there is no denying the truth of my words. I feel him watch me and wish I knew what he is thinking.

  I start feeling around for my books when they suddenly get placed in my hands. “Thank you.” Putting my hand on the car to help myself up, I feel him grasp my arm and help me, sending that same flutter to my tummy again.

  Just as I get to my feet, I hear the sound of fast clicking heels. “Hey! What the hell are you doing? Get away from her!” Cece’s panicked voice fills the air along with two loud thumps.

  “Ow, what the fuck?” I hear Ryder bellow.

  Oh my god, did she just hit him?

  “I mean it, get away from her or my pepper spray is next!”

  Oh no… “Cece, stop, it’s okay. He was helping me.”

  “Yeah right!” she sneers doubtfully.

  “Really, he was. I just had a run-in with Kyle and he stepped in to help me.”

  “With Kyle?”

  “Yes.”

  The air becomes consumed with tension as awkward silence surrounds us. “Oh,” she mutters, and rather than sound embarrassed she sounds fearful, if the tremble in her voice is anything to go by.

  Ryder grunts, sounding angry. “Whatever.”

  He begins to walk away and I quickly call out to him. “Ryder, wait!”

  I hear him halt and assume he is looking at me. “Thank you, again.”

  He’s silent and I think he isn’t going to reply, but he finally does a moment later. “I’ll see you around, Emily.” His words hold promise, and I’m not going to lie about the sudden excitement that rushes through me. I listen to him start off again then hear the sound of a loud motor start up before the squeal of tires.

  “Oh shit. I’m so fucking dead. I can’t believe I just hit him with my purse,” Cece breathes out, clearly panicked.

  “Oh my god, you hit him with your purse?” I repeat, instantly feeling guilty. “Poor guy.”

  “Poor guy?” she screeches. “How about poor me, because I know that ‘poor guy’ is going to come murder me in my sleep! Oh god, oh shit! What have I done?”

  I rear back in shock. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Emily, do you have any idea who that just was?”

  “Yeah. He told me his name is Ryder.”

  “Exactly!” Not understanding, I wait patiently for her to explain further. “Emily, that is Ryder Jameson. ‘The’ Ryder Jameson. The one guy no one fucks with, and the one every girl wants to fuck. He is seriously bad news.”

  “Well he didn’t seem bad to me. He was actually really sweet, and he…”

  She belts out a shaky laugh. “Ryder Jameson is a lot of things. Sexy? Yes. Dangerous? Double yes. Sweet? Hell no! And when I say dangerous, Emily, I mean dangerous, and
I just hit him with my fucking purse!”

  “Well, I think it was awfully sweet of him to help me. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up.” I swallow thickly, thinking about Kyle’s body pressing against mine forcefully.

  Cece grabs my hand. “I’m so sorry, Emily. What happened?”

  Instead of answering her, I ask a question of my own. “Where were you?”

  She growls angrily. “Mrs. Thomas kept me after the bell to have a long drawn-out talk with me about my attire. She said my skirt was too fucking short. I told the bitch that I had to go because you were waiting for me, but she made me stay and said if I interrupted her one more time she was going to keep me every day after school. She wouldn’t even let me voice message you. I’m sorry, Emily, but it won’t happen again, because I’m going to sic my father on her ass.”

  I release a tired breath. “It’s all right. Next time I’ll wait by the fountain until I hear from you.”

  “Good idea,” she agrees while opening the car door for me. “Now let’s get home and you can help me figure out a way to stay alive after hitting Ryder with my purse.”

  I chuckle and wait for her to enter on her side before I say: “You’re being ridiculous. He isn’t going to murder you for heaven’s sake, and why don’t you just apologize?”

  She grunts. “You don’t know him. I have gone to school with that guy most of my life. Believe me, he’s capable of it.”

  I shake my head, finding it hard to believe after what he just did for me. “What does he look like?” I ask, curious.

  “He’s tall, like taller than most of the guys in our grade. He’s ripped but lean, not bulky. Brown, messy hair, and green eyes, olive complexion… Girl, there are just no words for a specimen like him. His sexiness cannot be described.”

  I try to picture what she just said, but can’t. I was so young when I lost my vision that most of the time I’m not even sure if what I remember is real.

  “But,” Cece adds, breaking into my thoughts, “he’s intimidating as hell. I’m serious, Emily, he doesn’t live the same lifestyle as us. I would make sure to stay as far away from him as you can.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, even though I know exactly what she’s saying.

  “He lives on the other side of the railway tracks,” she explains, talking about the lower income part of the city. “His parents are real white trash. I remember when we were kids he used to come to school with bruises and black eyes. Rumor has it they were from his dad, which doesn’t surprise me. Like I said, they’re trash. He definitely doesn’t fit into our world.”

  This is one of those times where I don’t even relate with Cece. I love her, I really do, but even her beliefs are skewed from our upbringing – labeling two worlds and thinking you can’t intermingle. I would give up this world I live in if it meant having loving parents that weren’t ashamed of me. But not Cece, I don’t think she could ever live without the status and money.

  My heart breaks to think of someone hurting Ryder, especially when he was a boy. My parents are very cruel, but they have never laid a hand on me. Heck, most of the time they ignore me.

  “I guess we have trigonometry together, but I’m sure after you thumped the crap out of him with your purse he probably won’t come anywhere near me now anyway.”

  She grunts. “I guess one good thing came out of it then.”

  I don’t respond, because the very idea of not getting to talk to Ryder again bothers me for some reason.

  Chapter 3

  Ryder

  The entire ride to work my body is jacked with rage, yet my dick is hard as fuck after being so close to her. What the fuck is it about her?

  Just this morning I had heard about the Governor’s daughter coming to our school to finish out her final year of high school. I didn’t know anything about her, or where she had been before. But on my way to trigonometry I passed by Jimmy and the guys as they were talking about her.

  “Hey, Jameson, have you got a look at the Governor’s daughter yet?” Jimmy had asked. “Who knew a blind chick could be so fucking hot.”

  That was how I actually found out she was blind, not in trigonometry. After hearing the insecurity in her voice, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. I shook my head at Jimmy’s remark, not giving a shit. I don’t follow politics because I personally think all politicians are nothing but a bunch of lying assholes. Of course I know of Governor Michaels, everyone does, but I had no idea he had a daughter, let alone a blind one. I also didn’t give a shit because I knew she would be like the rest of them – high on herself. Looking down her nose at people while she walked around in her designer clothes, making sure not to break a fucking nail.

  Yet, when I walked into trigonometry and spotted Emily Michaels, my step had faltered and my dick instantly turned hard. She was not hot. I don’t know if there is a word powerful enough to describe how beautiful she is. Long, light brown hair fell past her shoulders in loose waves and shone as if the fucking sun was shining on it. Her face was soft and sweet with full pouty lips. You could tell her sun-kissed complexion was natural and not fake like all the other girls in our school. It was weird to see her wearing sunglasses but I figured that had to do with her being blind.

  When I noticed the seat behind her was empty I couldn’t stop myself from taking it. Which was stupid because then I got a whiff of her scent, something that smelled like rain, yet there was a hint of something sweet in it. I don’t know, I can’t fucking explain it, all I know is it made my dick even harder than it already was.

  As class started, I became curious how a blind chick was going to do what we all did, but somehow she did, and she did it well. When we pulled out our books she pulled out hers. Hers looked a little different and I watched her, intrigued, as she followed along by skimming her delicate fingers along her book. I peeked over her shoulder and saw there were bumps on her pages. When Mr. Wesson had asked for someone to read the formula out loud, and she put her hand up, I watched in fascination as she read with her hands. And the sound of her voice was like a punch to the fucking gut. It was soft, sweet and the most innocent sound I have ever heard in my life.

  After class was over she waited until almost everyone had left before she stood up to walk out. My dick had done another jump at the sight of her classy sundress that showcased long, toned legs and hugged a tight, lithe body. For a slender girl she had the best rack I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen my share.

  Mr. Wesson had asked if she wanted assistance but she declined it. She walked slowly, yet she was confident in her steps. She lightly skimmed her fingers over certain things as she passed them, like the walls or lockers, and I would see her lips move slightly as if she were counting.

  It was intriguing and I couldn’t stop thinking about her all fucking morning. I swear everywhere I went I could still smell her. So at lunch, for the first time in years, I went into the cafeteria to eat, hoping to catch another glimpse of her. I sat at the far back with Jimmy and the guys, and watched her walk in with her arm linked with her crazy-ass friend Cece. They went and sat with exactly who I expected them to sit with. The rich assholes who thought they were better than everyone else. Only again, what I saw of Emily Michaels is not what I expected. She smiled politely to the people who talked with her, but she never engaged with any of them. Her body language spoke like she would rather be sitting anywhere else, which fascinated me even more.

  I didn’t see her for the rest of the day, that is until I walked out of the school after talking with Mrs. Johnson, the guidance counselor, to see that prick Prescott pressing her up against the car. At first glance I thought they were fucking around, and for the first time in my life a foreign feeling took root inside me. I’m pretty sure it was jealousy, which is fucked up because I don’t get jealous. I don’t give a fuck about anyone enough to get jealous, yet, for some reason, with her I did. Except then I heard her screaming for him to stop, and that jealousy turned into rage. My body is still
wound lethally tight, and I wish I had knocked that motherfucker’s teeth out like I threatened. If he fucks with her again then I will. Scholarship or not.

  I didn’t think I could become any more intrigued than I already was with Emily Michaels, but I was wrong. After our brief meeting I’m even more curious about her, especially after her comment about how she would rather be known as the blind girl than the Governor’s daughter. What the hell did that mean?

  I get pulled from my thoughts when I drive up to work. I park my bike in my usual spot then walk into Hector’s garage.

  “Hey, there’s our college boy,” Hector, my boss, bellows from across the garage.

  I grunt and ignore his proud smile, not wanting a big deal made about it. Even though it is. It’s not often a kid who grows up on this side of the tracks gets to go to college, but I busted my ass in school, praying I would get the chance because I knew it would be the only thing to get me out of this hellhole and away from my useless parents. Only a few more months. “Hey, Hector. Sorry I’m late.”

  “I almost sent a search party out for you. You’re never late,” the older man says, waiting for an explanation.

  “I got into it with Prescott and thought I was going to have to kick his ass.”

  Any easiness my boss had earlier vanishes. “Now don’t go getting yourself into trouble after working so hard on that scholarship, boy. Especially with someone like Prescott. You know his father will cause you nothing but trouble.”

  I know he’s just looking out for me like he always has, but it still has my back going straight because I don’t like anyone telling me what to do. “Yeah, well I don’t give a fuck what his dad tries to do, and if they’re smart they won’t do anything about it. Otherwise the entire city will find out about him trying to force his dick in the Governor’s daughter.”

  Hector’s eyes go wide. “Governor Michaels’ daughter?”

  “Yeah. Why, you know her?”

  “Not personally, no, but I know of her. I’m surprised to hear she’s going to your school. She’s blind.”