Page 2 of Ryder’s Storm

“Come on, don’t be so boring. Don’t you wanna get laid?”

“I’m not like you.”

It was true. Where Ethan was impulsive and carefree, Ryder was thoughtful and responsible, just like an older brother should be.

“You can’t tell me that your sex drive isn’t just as high as mine. You’re thirty, look decent enough”—Ryder scoffed at that—“and are free to fuck whomever you want. So why aren’t you bedding a different girl every night?”

Ryder snatched his brother by the lapels of his jacket and pushed him against the wall. “Because I…” He sucked in a breath and tamped down the anger that was churning up inside him. “… because I don’t want to subject every girl in San Francisco to… to… you know what I mean.”

He let go of his brother and took a step back, regretting his sudden outburst already. It wasn’t like him to get physically violent.

“So you’d rather pay for the pleasure?” Ethan spat.

Ryder’s eyes widened.

“Oh please! As if you could fool anybody. I know you’ve been going to Vera’s for years.”

Stunned that his brother knew that he’d been frequenting Vera’s club, an upscale brothel run by a vampire whose girls were kind and looked past the fact that Ryder sported an ugly deformity. He felt comfortable there, because none of the women had ever looked at him with disgust. They’d helped him slake his lust. But if he was honest, he’d never felt a true high with any of them, even though all of Vera’s girls were beautiful and well-versed in all kinds of carnal pleasure. His orgasms had stilled his need temporarily, but he’d never felt the kind of satisfaction after sex that he’d heard his friends talk about.

“It’s none of your business,” Ryder said and turned away.

“Come on, bro, don’t be like that. Honestly, most of the girls I sleep with really don’t care what I look like as long as they get what they want. Hey, some of them even find it cool. And if a girl really rejects me because of it, then I just glamor her so she won’t remember what she’s seen. Besides, most of the girls at the club will be half-drunk anyway.”

Ryder scoffed. “You think sleeping with girls that are too drunk to care makes it any better than sleeping with prostitutes?”

“Trust me, I make sure they have their fun. I’m not a selfish lover,” Ethan claimed. “Plus, the more girls I sleep with, the better my chances of finding my mate, right?”

He had to admire his brother’s optimism despite the questionable methods he employed. His own ethics prohibited him from taking advantage of a girl, whether she was half-drunk or not. “Guess that means you can’t wait until you finally have two cocks. Good for you.”

A chuckle from the door made Ryder snap his head to it. Vanessa stood there, giggling. She was as beautiful as their mother, with long dark hair and expressive eyes. And even though she was the youngest of the siblings, she seemed more mature than her brothers. It was true that girls grew up faster.

“Men! At least you get something out of it once you find your mate, while I’m in heat at least four times a year. Do you hear me bitching constantly?”

She walked into the room and looked at Ryder. Then she shook her head. “That button is loose. And that shirt doesn’t look good on you anyway. Why don’t you wear the linen shirt?”

Ryder let out a breath. “I’m not going anywhere special, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Take it off,” she insisted and pulled out a different shirt from his closet.

Ryder hesitated. “Fine. I’ll get changed. If you both leave my room.”

Ethan and Vanessa exchanged a look.

“Now,” he added.

“You’re a hopeless case,” she said.

Ryder took the shirt from her hands, then ruffled her hair. “Thanks, Nessie. Now get lost, before I lose my patience.”

“Yeah, I wanna see that,” Vanessa joked.

“No, you don’t.”

Vanessa looked at Ethan. “I bet he doesn’t even wrinkle the sheets when he has sex with a girl.”

“Good one, Nessie,” Ethan said, laughing.

“You do know that I’m right here, and there’s nothing wrong with my hearing, right?” Ryder said.