“Just chill.” He took another hit, and Keira started to grow increasingly uncomfortable. He wouldn’t move, and every time she shifted, he followed suit. “You sure you don’t want a little hit, you know, to loosen you up?” He tried to give her the joint again.
“I said I’m good.” He blew another mouthful of smoke in her face, and she realized she started to feel lightheaded, maybe from the alcohol, but definitely not helped by the pot. “My boyfriend is jealous.” She was going to keep trying with the boyfriend act. Maybe thinking his balls would get rearranged would set him straight.
“Boyfriend, huh?” He grinned and shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think you got a boyfriend at all. And even if you did, I know rich bitches like you will take dick from guys like me any day. You like something you ain’t never had.”
Her heart started racing as she thought about being stuck out here with him.
Away from everyone.
This prick thinking she wanted whatever this was.
A buzzing started in her ears, and she took another step away from him, almost losing her balance, because dizziness assaulted her. Josh reached out, snagged her wrist in a tight hold, and pulled her forward with enough force she stumbled, her body slamming hard against his. He smelled like booze and old sweat.
“Wanna play the good girl, hard to get act?”
She brought her knee up, but for a drunk and high asshole, he blocked her pretty well.
“Calm down, damn,” he mumbled.
“I said let me go,” she said louder, bringing her arm back and slapping him across the face.
He grunted and then immediately cursed. “You little bitch. I’m going to make you pay for that.” He had his hand at the collar of her shirt, and she knew he was about to tear at the material. “I dig you playing hard to get—” Those words died in his throat as he was suddenly wrenched away from her and tossed across the garden.
And that’s when she knew all hell was about to break loose.
5
Keira took a step back as she watched the scene before her. The shadows in the garden were thick, even with the glow from the lamps, but she could still make out the guy absolutely kicking the shit out of Josh.
Holy shit.
Reese’s expression couldn’t be called anything but fierce and rage-filled. The savage look on his face should have put fear in her, but a sense of relief flooded Keira instead.
For several seconds, she could only stare in shock as Reese stood over Josh’s sprawled body. He bent down and a moment later had Josh’s shirt in one hand, using it as leverage to lift his upper body from the ground. Reese used his other fist to slam it into Josh’s face repeatedly.
Oh my God.
She should stop this. Reese was going to kill him.
The sight and smell of blood filled the air and made Keira gag.
She snapped out of whatever trance she was in and blinked just in time to see a body rush past her.
Nate.
He pulled Reese off Josh, who slumped to the ground, unmoving.
“Fuck, man,” Nate cursed and bent down, placing fingers on Josh’s pulse.
God… was he dead?
“The asshole is breathing,” Nate murmured a second later and stood, facing Reese. “What the fuck was that about?”
“You should have let me finish beating the fuck out of him,” Reese said in a voice so calm it sounded void of any emotion.
It sounded terrifying.
And then Nate glanced over at her. “This have anything to do with her?”
Reese didn’t look at her for long seconds but finally ran a hand over the back of his head and sighed. She didn’t miss how busted up his knuckles were.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “Asshole was assaulting her.”
Nate still stared at her, then said, “Fuck. Okay, well, let’s get out of here.” He started walking away, and she looked between him and Josh, who was still passed out on the ground.
“What about him?” she finally managed to ask, her throat feeling raw, the booze and alcohol still making a steady race through her body. Not even the violent actions that happened in the last few moments sobered her up.
Nate stopped and stared in her eyes. “What about him?” He shrugged. “Asshole was fucking with you. Leave him. He’ll live.” Then he grinned. “And with Reese going after him, that fucker will be lucky if he can walk without a limp and see out of his black eyes come morning.”
Reese turned and faced them then, his eyes landing right on her. “You okay?” His voice was deep, husky-sounding.
She nodded. “Yes. Th-thank you.” Keira started rubbing her palms up and down her thighs, her hands shaking as shock started to rise up.
Reese walked toward her slowly, and after everything that happened with Josh then watching Reese kick the shit out of him, Keira should have been hauling ass out of there, but she couldn’t move. And when he was a foot from her, she tilted her head back to look into his face.
The shadows shrouded his features, but his dark eyes watched her intently.
And when he reached out his hand to place it on one of hers that was still rubbing the hell out of her thigh, she stilled. She calmed.
“You sure?” His voice was deep and harsh but filled with concern.
Keira swallowed, feeling lightheaded and shaken up, but she couldn’t deny his very presence had her rapid heart slowing. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you again.”
“Your lip,” he said low again, so low even she almost didn’t hear.
“Uh, okay, this is my cue to check out,” Nate said.
It was then she realized he’d still been standing there. But even as he left, Reese never took his focus from her.
“Looks like you bit your lip. It’s bleeding,” Reese spoke again after they’d been standing there alone for a moment.
She lifted her hand and touched her lip, and for the first time, the sting registered, and the taste of metal filled her mouth. “How did you know I needed help?” The words came out before she could stop herself. Not that it mattered how he knew or why he was there.
Keira was just glad he’d shown up when he did.
He was silent for a second, before finally saying, “What would you think if I told you I followed you out here?”
Her heart beat overtime. “I don’t know what I’d think. Did you?”
For a long moment, he said nothing, just watched her. “Yeah” was all he said.
This was the strangest conversation—hell, encounter—she’d ever had with someone.
“Well,” she said softly, “regardless, thank you. If you hadn’t shown up when you did… I don’t know how far he would have gone.” She didn’t miss the way Reese’s jaw tightened at those words.
Maybe she should have been freaked out that he admitted to following her? But she wasn’t.
Before she could say anything else, and as they just watched each other, she heard her name being called.
“Keira?”
She looked over her shoulder and saw Molly making her way toward them. Nate was a few feet from her, drinking a beer, which explained why Molly looked so frantic as she came closer. Clearly, Nate told her what happened.
“What the fuck happened? Nate told me about some asshole attacking you and Reese beating the shit out of him?” Molly stopped in front of her and looked over to where Josh was. Keira heard said asshole begin to groan as he started to come around.