Temptation of Mine

Chapter 1: The Prom Night

Russell's POV

"You're beautiful, Rus..."

I suddenly felt ashamed when Ryan told me that. Aside from being my suitor, he is also my crush. We've known each other for years, but we're not friends—at least not yet. My junior high years were some of the most memorable of my life.

"It's crowded here. You want to go outside?" Ryan whispers to me.

I looked at Daniel in the distance; he was talking to my other schoolmates. Several girls surrounded him, so he wouldn't notice if I left.

"Okay," I said to Ryan as he held my wrist and pulled me outside the hall.

When Ryan and I got out, we couldn't stop laughing because we had escaped Daniel and my brother. There was a dark corner in the hall where we hid. I hit the wall.

"He'll panic if he doesn't see me," I joked.

Ryan didn't speak. I did not know he was looking at me. As I looked at him, I stopped laughing. He took one of my cheeks in his hand and moved his lips toward mine. This was my first kiss, and I didn't expect to achieve that tonight. The softness of his lips felt comforting on my lips. He's moving slowly as if he's enjoying our lips. My arms rose spontaneously, and I wrapped them around his neck. When he removed his hand from my cheek, it slid down my hip and pulled me closer to his body.

That kiss. I don't know why my brother forbids a man to kiss me. Why do they ban such good feelings? I felt like I was floating in the air. Eventually, I responded to the calm kiss. The kiss seemed to deepen as I followed every movement of his lips. The need for those kisses was already there.

But it surprised me when Ryan suddenly pulled away from me and fell to the floor. I looked to my side, and there was Daniel, looking angry as he threw another punch at Ryan.

"Daniel!"

Daniel's POV

"Damn it!"

When I saw another man kissing the girl, I liked, a bucket of cold water was dumped on me. This is probably how men feel when their girlfriends see me kissing them. Is it karma? Is she my karma? I know it's wrong because Russell is only fifteen, but God knows how I feel about my best friend's sister. The fact that she is twelve years younger than me does not diminish my deep admiration for her. And now that a man is kissing her right before me, I want to kill someone.

I instantly rushed Russell, pushed the guy away from her, and hit him till he collapsed on the floor. They were both surprised by what I did.

"Daniel!" Russell exclaimed in surprise when she looked at me.

Instantly, he reached out and yanked me away from him. "Let go of me!" Russell complained as she tried to let go of my grip.

I dragged her to the parking lot, where I immediately called Ryker. After a few rings, Ryker answered my call.

"I'm heading home with your sister," I told Ryker.

"What?" Ryker said on the other line, shocked. "What happened? Please wait for me in the parking lot. I will look for Claire, and we will go home together." Ryker said, then hung up the phone.

I immediately slid my phone into my pocket, and Russell pushed me and punched me until I leaned into the car. I looked at her and saw her reaction. She was so upset about what I did that I didn't understand why she had to be so angry. Do I do something wrong? Is it wrong for me to keep her away from the man who could ruin her life? Is it bad that I'm hurt and can't handle another guy kissing her? Was what I did a sin?

"What's wrong with you?" she yelled as I released my grip on her wrist.

"Problem? You're the problem," I growled.

"Me? Why me? What do I have against you?" she asked.

"You? What are you doing with yourself?" I yelled in exasperation. "You're just fifteen and already making out in the dark, for Pete's sake!"

"It was nothing but a kiss. Besides, what exactly is your dilemma?" Russell asked. "Would you stop acting like you're my brother? I am neither your sister nor your girlfriend..."

"Oh, so he's your boyfriend?" I asked glumly.

"Yes, my boyfriend. Is there an issue?"

"The issue is that you're making out in the dark. It's not the norm for a girl your age."

"What? You're kissing in the dark, Russell?"

We turned toward the newcomer. Ryker and Claire were already there and seemed to hear us. Ryker immediately approached her sister and grabbed her arm.

"Are you making out in the dark? Who's that man?" Ryker asked, annoyed.

"Yes, that is true. I kiss my boyfriend in the dark," Russell confessed. "What's wrong with that? It's just a kiss..."

"You've already got a boyfriend? You're only fourteen?" Ryker exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why not? When you were my age, you had a plethora of girlfriends."

"Oh, come on, Russell, I'm a man."

"What was different then?"

"Different? You have something to lose, but I don't," Ryker told her sister. Ryker looked at me, said, "Let's go home," and gave me the car keys. I took the key. Ryker turned toward Claire. "You too, Claire. I'll take you to your home."

Claire nodded, and I immediately opened the car door.

We drove in silence until we reached Claire's place. When Claire got off, Ryker walked after her to tell her parents that he had taken her home. They left Russell and me in the car.

"I hate you," Russell said.

When I looked in the rear-view mirror, I saw her angry response.

"We're just keeping you safe," I said calmly.

"I'm not stupid enough for you to be so overprotective of me. I'm not your sister, so stay out of it," she growled. I could feel her annoyance as if I had committed a serious crime that night.

"I'm not interfering. I just..." I tried to explain my side, but she spoke again before I could finish.

"I hate you, Daniel. I can never get myself to like you. Please stop worrying about me; I don't need your attention. Your connection with me is because you're my brother's best friend. It would be much better if you were only worried about him. I would appreciate it if you didn't treat me like a friend or a sibling since I'm neither. Because no matter what you do, I'll always remember what you did tonight. You messed up my prom. And I hate that!"

Tonight was Russell's last conversation with me.