Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“I’m not supposed to be worried that my little sister is dating someone for the first time?”
She straightened her shoulders. “When have you ever known me to do something that I wasn't absolutely sure of?” She shrugged. “Besides, there was a guy once who liked me. Remember?” God, that was ages ago, but she was trying to prove a point.
He snorted and shook his head. “Letting some tuba playing guy in middle school flirt with you isn’t really a point you’re making, princess.” He was silent for a second before asking, “So, who is he? Anyone I know?”
Her hands were extremely interesting at that moment. Alex wouldn’t know-know Reese, but he still spoke with a lot of people in Black Mountain, and getting a scholarship to BMA was a pretty big deal in this damn town, so chances were he knew of him.
“You don't know him.”
“Keira…” he said in a warning voice.
“Reese Trenton.” She looked into his eyes after she spoke, and she could see he was rolling the name around in his head, as if trying to place it.
“The scholarship dude?”
She nodded.
“The guy with the drunk-as-fuck parents? The one who seems to pick fights at parties and who doesn’t have two nickels to rub together—”
“Alex,” she cut him off with her own warning tone. “Money doesn't equate to a good person.” And she sure as hell wasn't going to tell Alex about Alistor’s party, and that the fight Reese had “picked” was to save her.
He nodded. “I know. I’m just spitting out what I’ve heard people say.” He leaned back on the couch and stared at the TV, but she could tell he wasn’t focused on the game. “I don’t like it, Keira.” He was still looking away from her. “My baby sister is dating someone who is rough around the edges.”
“It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, Alex. I’m a big girl and can make my own decisions. I love that you look out for me, but this is my life.” He looked at her then, not saying anything for long seconds. But then he shook his head in defeat. He knew she was right. “Besides, if I believed every rumor, I would put you in the category of womanizing asshole.” She grinned, but he rolled his eyes.
“Fair enough.” He exhaled and ran a hand over his short, dark-brown hair. “Just promise me something. Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” she said and smiled.
“I’m not against going to prison for killing a guy who hurt you.”
Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. “Don’t worry.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, kissing her on the top of her head. “I know what I’m doing.”
29
“Reese, man, have you seen the pictures of you at Harrison’s party?”
Reese slammed his locker shut and turned around to stare at Nate. “Who the fuck is Harrison?”
“The asshole who threw that party where you kicked Sully’s ass.”
Oh, that party. The one he went to without Keira before they made it official. Reese hadn’t seen Sully after that, which was a good thing or he’d probably kick the guy’s ass all over again. Just thinking about that prick talking about Keira that way set him on edge again.
“No, I haven't seen them, but I don’t give a shit. All those assholes who watched are nothing but motherfuckers anyway.” Reese started walking. He didn’t give a shit about some pictures drunk-ass people took of him kicking the shit out of that douchebag Sully. The fucker deserved the beating.
He headed into the lunchroom and grabbed a drink, and after paying for it, he headed into the main room, where he searched for Keira.
“These, man.”
“Shit, dude,” Reese said, not realizing Nate had followed him.
Nate all but shoved the cell in his face, and Reese snatched it out of his hand to get this over with. The first few pictures were stills of him and Sully grappling. The others showed Reese’s fist connecting with Sully’s jaw. He went to hand the phone back, shrugging in the process.
“Keep looking.”
Reese felt his brows dip low and scrolled through more of the same photos, but the next one had everything inside him stopping.
Someone had snapped several photos of the girl who’d been talking to Reese right before Sully mouthed off. The angle was awkward, the picture slightly grainy, but when she’d lost her footing and he’d reached out to stop her from falling, it made it seem like they’d been in an embrace. In fact, the longer he looked at it, the more it looked like Reese was fucking making out with her.
Her body was bent forward, his hands around her waist, and his face was blocked by her, so it was easy enough to envision what the fuck could be going on.
“What the fuck, man?” He swiped his finger across the screen and looked through the rest, but they were all the same. Reese noticed there were none of him shoving her away. Anger, white-hot and burning, moved through his veins. Reese shoved the phone against Nate’s chest. “How the fuck did you get them?”