Page 11 of Ravaged Devotion

This room had been designated as Rue’s since middle school, when he’d spend nights over under the guise of the three of them studying together. After the death of his father, a helicopter crash during a business meeting, Rue had been even more welcomed.

The sensitive fool probably thought it’d been Rhys showing kindness.

Ryker knew the truth was his dad merely wanted a better shot of getting into Eulalie’s pants.

Since they were married now, both of their sons under one roof, guess Rhys had sort of won there.

Basically, they’d been raised as brothers even before the proposal had officially been given, and long before it’d actually been accepted. In the eyes of the staff, their parents, and family friends, Ryker’s relationship with Rue should be no different than the one he shared with his legitimate blood brother.

Fat chance.

Anyone with eyes should have been able to see this tumultuous, sinful thing brewing between them as they’d grown into adulthood.

Fortunately for them both, neither Rhys or Eulalie had a tendency to ever really look at their kids.

The likelihood of Ryker getting caught masturbating over Rue, dripping precome all over the bouncy globes of his full ass, was slim to none.

But that didn’t mean Ryker didn’t still think about it.

Think about what might happen if his father or Rue’s mother ever stumbled in on a scene like this.

It was easy enough to guess what Rhys Hart’s immediate response would be.

He’d kill Ryker in the heat of the moment, and then he’d be out two sons.

Maybe he’d name Rue heir, as the only kid left on their newly minted fucked up family tree.

Rue would hate it, having to take orders from a guy like Rhys Hart. Growing up, Ryker had shielded him from the worst of his father, not wanting to trouble Rue’s delicate nature.

Back then, when their parents had merely been college friends and business partners, things had been simpler. They’d spent summers together, holidays, time after school…and it’d been innocent.

Even when things had taken a turn, had shifted from the innocence of close friends and entered the stages of something more, when Ryker had stopped viewing Rue as a confidant, and started to see him as a man, that had been okay. Acceptable. He could have openly declared his feelings back then, could have weathered their parents fleeting disapproval, because at least it wouldn’t have looked bad on the family as a whole.

“You’re the reason I’m like this,” he growled. “Why we’re like this.”

The only reason Rhys and Eulalie had gotten married was to protect their public images. Ryder’s incident had been downplayed. They’d kept the fact that they’d been told he’d mentally chosen to remain within a virtual reality from the main press, but rumors had leaked that Rue had been present when the game had malfunctioned, supposedly trapping one of the Hart heirs. It was a twisted version of the truth, but it’d been enough to make their parents uncomfortable and rush to do damage control to save their reputation and their businesses.

Now, Ryker and Rue were stepbrothers. Family.

Family couldn’t fuck.

Even if Ryker did miraculously forgive him one day, now there was no way he’d be able to claim Rue.

And it was Rue’s fault.

“If you hadn’t run,” he growled at the sleeping man, thrusting into his hand hard enough to shake the bed, “If you’d stayed and explained and stood by my side, none of this would have happened. You destroyed everything.”

His brother—his real brother—was still trapped in a box, lost to the world, and yet here Rue was. Sleeping in a king-sized bed, nestled in sheets made of the highest quality silk.

He attended the most prestigious university this side of the galaxy. Ate meals cooked by five-star chefs. Wore clothes with fancy name brands, and sat his ass on toilet seats with temperature-controlled bidets.

And where was Ryder during all of this?

Where was Ryker’s real brother, while the fake sat at their table and played house with their things and their father?

Ryker hated that Rue was here and Ryder wasn’t.

Hated that he still didn’t know what actually happened the day of the incident.