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)
“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.
“You about summed it up,” Keira said, her focus back on Reese, who still watched her.
“Um,” Molly said before finally clearing her throat. Keira could tell her friend felt the tension in the air, the kind that was right between Keira and Reese.
How could she not? It was thick enough to be cut.
“Okay, well, how about we get you home?”
Keira found herself nodding and biting her lip. She hissed, forgetting the wound on the flesh.
“Did that fucker do that?” Molly asked in an outraged voice.