“Surely you’ve heard the rumors about me?” She looked up at him.
He shook his head, answering honestly, “I don’t listen to that bullshit gossip. I mean, look at the fucked-up shit they say about me.” He didn’t press her on what was wrong, but he knew something was bothering her. Yet if she didn’t want to talk about it, he understood. “Listen,” he said and leaned forward. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I get it. Trust me. But if you do—” He gazed into her eyes, hoping she saw how sincere he was about this. “—I’m here to listen.”
She stared at him for so long he didn’t think she would say anything, but then she exhaled, placed her hands in her lap under the table, and leaned back.
“There’s a rumor going around that I’m sleeping with you, and that’s why you kicked that guy’s ass.”
Every single part of his body went tight. His pulse started racing, his palms went clammy, but he forced himself to remain cool and collected on the outside. But hell, the thought—of hearing her talk about sleeping with him—instantly had arousal moving through him like a damn freight train.
“And on top of that, I had a little run-in with Lindy in the bathroom, and that just put me in an even bigger shit mood.”
The very mention of Lindy was like acid on his body. He couldn’t help the sound of disgust that left him, didn’t miss how Keira clearly heard and how her eyes widened.
“I guess you’re not a fan of her either?” she asked softly.
He grunted and shook his head. “Fuck no.” It was strange, but he swore he saw relief on her face. “She’s up her own ass too much. Not to mention, I swear fucking her way through the male student body is some kind of sport to her.”
“She wants you,” Keira said instantly, and he sure as hell didn’t miss the jealousy laced in her voice.
“Lindy wants anyone with a dick. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hoped to fuck the staff, Mr. D included.”
“I think everyone wants to sleep with Mr. D.”
Jealously now hit him like a punch to the side of the face, but he played it off like he didn’t care that she found the principal of Black Mountain hot enough to fuck. “Everyone, huh?” He made himself have a teasing note in his voice, even though possessiveness was heavy in him where Keira was concerned.
She shrugged, and he tried to see any outward cues that she was part of that group. “Not me. He’s a little too old for my taste.” She laughed, but before he could say anything, Judy was coming by with their food. When Judy left them alone, Keira said, “And I don’t listen to the rumors either, not normally.” She looked down at the table for a second as if thinking of what to say or how to say it. “But I guess when those rumors are about yourself, it’s hard to block them out.”
“Fuck them,” Reese said right away. She lifted her eyes to his, and after a second, he watched the discontent leave her as his words had this lightness coming to her eyes.
“Yeah?”
He smiled and nodded. “That’s my motto for just about everything, especially rich assholes.”
She laughed softly. “Yeah… fuck them.”
Thatta girl.
“And if those assholes want to think I’d have some ulterior motive for helping a girl out who was attacked—” He shrugged, but it was because he had to try to loosen his muscles. He’d gone pretty fucking tense all of a sudden. “—then let them think whatever. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, because we know the truth.” He’d had to not pay attention to what others thought or how they felt about him… hell, for damn near his whole life. If he worried about that shit, it would have eaten him alive.
“You’re not like the rest,” she said softly as she picked at her fries. She lifted her eyes again to meet his. “And that’s a compliment.”
“Same goes for you.” They held each other’s stares for long moments, and then he gestured to their food, needing to break up the moment, because what he wanted to do was lean in and kiss her.
Now wasn’t the right time for that, but eventually, Reese would do that ’cause as he looked into her face he felt his damn heart doing that funny thing again, and he had every intention of making Keira his.
11
Keira could have spent the whole day with Reese, and it still wouldn’t have been enough time. It was crazy how deep her emotions for him were growing, like roots planting themselves inside her.
He turned his truck onto her road then made his way up the circular driveway that led to her house. He stopped and put it in park, and then a beat of silence filled the interior.
“So, thanks for the escape and the meal.” Keira was seriously horrible at this. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”
He watched her for so long without saying anything that Keira didn’t know if he’d respond. Finally he said, “I’d like to hang out again, if you want?”
Her throat tightened, and she found herself nodding before she really let his statement sink in. “I’d like that.” Maybe I like it too much. She grabbed her bag from the floor and reached for the handle.
She felt her feelings for him suffocate her, and when he flashed her a straight, white toothed smile, she felt her sex clench in demand, in need.
What was it about this bad boy that had her belly tightening and her heart racing?
She didn’t know, but she wanted to explore it and see how far it went.
12
Reese’s heart hammered behind his ribs, and all he could think about, all he could hear in his mind, smell filling the interior of the truck… was Keira.
He waited until she was safely inside before he pulled out, not having a destination in mind, because he sure as fuck didn’t want to go home. He took a sharp left and headed a mile to the edge of the city limits. Five minutes later and he was pulling into the parking lot of the tattoo parlor. The small building was on the rougher side, with fading white paint and in need of a new roof, but anyone who wanted quality ink came to Max’s. A neon sign on the front window flashed OPEN in bright blue letters.
He climbed out of the truck and pushed the front door open. Max was working on a client and didn’t bother glancing up as he hollered out a hello and that he’d be right with him. Reese took a seat behind the front desk and waited.
A second later, the sound of the tattoo gun stopped, the pleased murmur of voices came through, and then Max was stepping around the front desk.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Max asked as he checked the client out.
Reese waited to start the conversation until they were alone.
“I skipped.”
Max looked at him with hooded deep-brown eyes. “Can you skip at that rich fucking school? Aren’t there laws against that shit at that fucking place?”
Reese snorted. “Maybe. Probably. But I had a good reason to.”
Max was silent for a second before prompting, “A good reason, as in the female kind?”
Reese shrugged but couldn’t keep his smile in check.
Max cocked a bushy white eyebrow at him, sat down, and leaned thick, heavily tattooed forearms on the counter. “So now you’re ditching class for some pussy on the side?”