“Reese Motherfucking Trenton,” Sully said and started laughing again. “People avoid you because they think you’re so fucking messed up in the head from your shitty home life they’re actually afraid of you.” He shook his head. “Not me, asshole.” He grinned. “I want each and every one of you to see the downfall of this asshole,” Sully addressed the massive crowd that surrounded them.
People had their phones out, recording what was about to go down.
“Bring your white trash ass on over here and let’s start this.”
Well, here we go.
Sully charged forward and slammed his body into Reese’s, but he was prepared. Reese took the force and steadied himself. Sully stumbled back and swung. His actions were fast and sloppy, a result of him drinking all night, his anger, and the fact that he didn’t know how to properly fight.
And by properly fighting, Reese meant the dirty, street rules way.
Reese ducked and brought his fist up, clipping Sully under the chin. Sully stumbled back, blood immediately spilling from his mouth. He turned his head and spit out a mouthful of the red liquid. They grappled before Sully got the upper hand, slamming Reese against the side of the house. The brick scraped against the back of his arms, but his blood was pumping through his veins, and adrenaline coursed through him that he didn’t feel shit but the fire of this fight.
Reese grinned as Sully tried to get a punch in, but he dodged it easily. He’d been fighting his whole life. This motherfucker didn’t have shit on him.
The struggle was half the fun, half the rush of the fight.
Sully swung again, and Reese ducked right before he was hit. The sound of flesh slamming into brick, of bone crunching, made a sickening noise. Sully howled in pain and stumbled back, cradling his wounded hand to his chest. Everyone started chanting, something loud and rhythmic. It was meant to get them worked up, and it was doing the fucking job.
“Gonna be hard to catch a fucking football with that fucked-up hand,” Reese goaded the asshole.
Despite Sully’s clearly broken appendage, he came at Reese again, his face a mask of fury.
Sully started swinging in a blind rage with his good hand, which was even worse, since it wasn’t his dominant one. In the next move, Sully’s fist connected with the side of Reese’s face. The punch kicked Reese’s head back, and blood instantly filled his mouth. His vision blurred momentarily. Reese shook his head and spit out the blood. Sully had a crazed look in his eyes, a grin spreading across his face.
“Hope you enjoyed that, bitch. That was your only hit you’re getting on me.”
“I want to tell you what I’m going to do once I’m done with you.” Sully moved back and forth, his eyes wild.
Reese ran his forearm over his split lip, no doubt smearing the blood.
“I’m going to show little prude Keira how a real man fucks.” Lowering his voice so there was no doubt only Reese could hear, Sully said, “I bet she’s a virgin, and I can already feel how it’ll be popping that sweet cherry—”
And that was it. No one talked about Keira that way. She was his.
No more fucking around, no more playing and toying with this fucker. Reese let out a roar and charged forward.
He was gonna fuck this asshole up until he was damn near dying at his feet.
Blood. That’s all Reese saw, all he smelled.
Reese charged after him, took his body to the ground, and slammed his fist into the side of Sully’s face. Reese’s muscles were filled with blood, bigger, stronger with adrenaline. His heart slammed fast and hard in his chest. He was in fight mode, and Sully had said the wrong fucking thing.
There was no stopping him.
Slamming his fist into Sully’s face over and over again, Reese could only see Keira in his mind. He had to protect her. His vision turned red, and a low hum surrounded him. It was then he realized the deep noise came from him.
He felt a set of arms lock around his upper body, but Reese wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from this. He swung out, connected with a body, and heard Nate curse from behind him. He was pulled back, but Reese broke free of the hold and went after Sully again. He was pulled off once more, Nate’s strength finally getting Reese far enough away from Sully that a few people could pull Sully farther away from Reese.
“Chill the fuck out, man,” Nate said in a low, deep voice right by his ear.
He turned then, his vision still fucked up from his rage.
“Shit, dude. This is number two in a short fucking timeframe,” Nate added.
His heart started to slow, the rage starting to lift as he closed his eyes and just breathed.
“What the fuck did Sully say to you that had you going all psycho on his ass?”
Reese opened his eyes and looked at Nate. “Keira” was all he said.
Nate’s brows furrowed for a second, but his face was set, and he nodded once. He looked over Reese’s shoulder at where Sully still lay. “Fuck him, then.”
Reese breathed out again and ran a hand over his hair, feeling sanity come back.
“Everyone get the fuck out of here. Show’s over,” Nate hollered, and everyone listened like he’d cracked a whip on their asses.
“Keira is the real deal, yeah?” Nate said it like he knew exactly what Reese felt. And he supposed his best friend did.
Reese exhaled once more, turned his head to spit out the remaining blood from his mouth, and when he looked at Nate again, he nodded slowly.
“Yeah, she’s the real fucking deal.”
22
The following couple of weeks passed in a blur, mainly because Keira had been keeping busy with assignments and projects at school, but also because Reese had been taking extra shifts at the tattoo parlor where he worked. And Ian and Molly were spending so much time together--since there was no longer trouble in paradise—that Keira needed stuff to occupy her time.
She’d heard about Reese getting into another fight through the rumor mill at school, but he hadn’t bought it up, and she didn’t want to ask. He wasn’t a violent guy unless provoked, so whatever happened, he’d had good reason to do what he did.
Now on her way to school, she sat in the backseat of Molly’s car, Ian in the front seat, and listened to them talk about their plans this weekend. Keira stared out the window, not paying attention, because her mind was on other things… one specific person.
Over the last couple of weeks, she and Reese had taken things slow. They hadn’t done more than just making out, heavy petting, and some extremely intimate, sexual touching beneath the clothes. And as much as she wanted that—and Reese too, because he made it no secret—the fact that he stopped himself before things went further made her even more comfortable around him.
He could have had her ten times over already. But he wanted to wait, wanted to take things slow.
She appreciated that, but she was needy for him, desperate, and her body was on fire every single time he was around. She didn’t know if she could or would let him stop it the next time they were together and things were getting heated.
Molly pulled her BMW into the school parking lot and cut the engine. Keira searched for Reese’s truck, and when she spotted it, butterflies danced in her belly, and her heart did a little gallop in her chest.