Giving It to the Bad Boy (2 page)

Kiera straightened her shoulders and said, “I don’t see you very forthcoming about the issue

with Ian.” Molly’s lips thinned, but she didn’t press her again.
Ha! Kiera-1, Molly-0.

An hour later and two beers down and Kiera felt pretty damn good. She never drank, but after

that first one and seeing Reese, which in turned had caused her hormones to go into hyper-drive, the alcohol had been just the thing she needed.

She leaned toward Molly’s ear and said, “I’m going to get some water.”

Molly turned around and gripped her forearm. “Hey, you sure you’re all right? I know you don’t

drink, and you pounded that second beer like it was going out of style.” A few girls from their school stood around them. Kiera knew them, but didn’t
know
them, certainly not like Molly did.

“I’m good. I’m just a bit hot and need some water.” Kiera fanned herself and smiled. It was hot,

what with so many people crammed inside. It was only midnight, and she knew it was only the

beginning of the party. There would be no one to call the cops and stop it, not with Haden’s parents’

house sitting on five acres. She weaved her way into the kitchen and squeezed by two guys playing

some kind of severe drinking game. A deck of cards and a line of shots sat between them. She didn’t

recognize either of them, but they looked older and she assumed them to be from a university. After

getting a glass of water and guzzling that, Kiera filled it up again and turned around to lean against the counter.

Her heart jumped in her chest when she saw Reese sitting at a table playing a hand of cards.

Andrea, a big-breasted blonde, sat on his lap. Her boobs spilled over the top of her baby doll tee and were practically down Reese’s throat. She watched him as he discarded the cards he didn’t want.

Andrea started nuzzling his neck, and when he whispered something in her ear and she giggled, Kiera

felt her lip curl in disgust. She was sick with the scene, and she was sick with herself. Wanting a guy like Reese made her just like all those other girls who fell at his feet. She might not show him how much he affected her, but she knew it, and it pissed her off. He drank too much, slept around, and

always seemed to be in fights. He was trouble with a capital T, and she wanted no part of it.

As if he heard her thoughts he lifted his eyes to her. The light blue of them could be seen all the

way from where she stood on the other side of the room, and her heart beat faster. It seemed like

forever as he did nothing but watch her. Feeling slightly uncomfortable she shifted on her feet. What she should have done was leave, gotten far away from him so his eyes couldn’t look so deeply into

her. Of course she didn’t, though. Pulling up her strength from deep within, she ducked her head so the heavy fall of her dark hair concealed her face, and darted out the back door. The night was humid, but there was a slight breeze that made it tolerable. About twenty people loitered around outside, their loud, drunken voices carrying far. The backyard housed a stone patio with a hot tub in the corner, a pool beside that, a few lounge chairs, and a table. Haden, the host, was surrounded by three girls

wearing bikinis that barley covered their nipples. One girl made out with Haden like they were

attached at the face. The other two girls were kissing each other, but their hands were beneath the

bubbling water, and Kiera could only imagine what was going on down there. She couldn’t stay out

here forever, hiding from Reese and her ridiculous feelings. He was a man-whore in every sense of

the word. The testosterone that poured off of him made him seem more male than any other guy

around. Kiera let herself have this small reprieve. Molly would come searching for her eventually,

but right now she just wanted to find a quiet place to get her bearings.

A garden was about twenty feet away from the patio. Fortunately, most of the people kept close

to the house, so she made her way over there. Small flowering trees surrounded the bench and table.

Flowers bloomed around, causing bursts of sweet, floral fragrance in the air. After taking a seat,

Kiera stared at the house. Her buzz was still pretty strong, a feeling she wasn’t used to. After drinking her second glass of water she slouched and rested her head on the back of the bench. The sky was

clear, and she could see each of the individual stars twinkling. A memory of sitting with her brother on the roof and counting the stars flooded her mind. With Alex finishing up his third year of college Kiera missed those times when he’d help her onto the roof while their parents slept. If their mom and dad found out they had risked breaking their necks just to count stars they would have been in deep

shit, but that never stopped them.

Music started blaring from the house, and she closed her eyes. At least they decided to play a

song that didn’t have “ho”, “bitch”, and “fuck” after every other word.

“Hey, aren’t you Alex Sheppard’s little sister, Kiera?”

She snapped her eyes open and straightened in her seat at the male voice.

“Yeah, I’ve seen you visit him on campus.” A guy she had never seen stumbled over to her. He

held a red cup in his hand and wore a sloppy grin. “It’s cool. I’m cool. I play football with your

brother.”

The guy was clearly drunk, and Kiera felt her skin tighten. She was secluded by the greenery

and away from the house. She made a move to stand, but the guy waved his hand. It didn’t matter that this guy tried to play it off like he and Alex were cool. She had heard enough warnings from her older brother about some of the guys who hung around his frat house.

“No, no, sit down. The party is a bit too out of control for me, if you know what I mean. I need a

breather.” He slurred his words and took a seat in the chair across from her. A glance at the house

showed no one even looked her way. The click of a lighter showed the mystery guy lighting up a joint.

He inhaled deeply, the tip lighting up a bright red. Kiera was no stranger when it came to drinking and drugs, not when she witnessed half the school participating in the acts, and could now check off the whole drinking phenomenon herself. The smell of pot had her nose wrinkling. He held the joint out,

and she shook her head. She needed to get out of here. She went to stand again, but the guy stood

quicker than she thought someone drunk or high could, and sat beside her. He threw his arm over her

shoulder, and she stiffened.

“I’m Josh. I went to school with Alex. He is your brother, right?” He sounded like a broken

record.

“Yeah.” She clipped out the word and tried to move away, but his arm tightened on her.

“Hey, I’m just trying to talk to yah. He inhaled deeply from the joint, and the smoke surrounded

her. She coughed out and waved her hand in front of her face. “Just chill.”

“Listen, I have friends waiting for me, so I’m going to head back in.”

“Just hang with me a bit.” He took another hit, and Kiera started to grow increasingly

uncomfortable. “You’re what, eighteen, three years younger than Alex?”

She shifted, trying to put space between them, but his damn arm was like a vise on her. She

didn’t doubt he played ball with Alex, not with his six foot frame and muscular build. And the fact she was so much smaller compared to him and his clear intention that she stay had warning bells going

off.

“You sure you don’t want a little hit, you know, to loosen you up?” He tried to give her the joint

again.

She shook her head and said, “No, really, I have to be going. My friends are going to start

wondering where I am and come looking for me.” The smoke that surrounded her was making her

lightheaded, and she blinked rapidly. “In fact, my boyfriend will be out here soon, and he is pretty jealous.” She hoped she lied well enough, because the smoke he kept exhaling was making her feel

unbalanced.

“Boyfriend, huh?” He blew more smoke in her face, and she coughed again. “Nah, I don’t think

you got a boyfriend at all. I only saw you here with some chick.”

Her heart increased in speed. Had he been watching her? Before she could stand and leave he

turned on the bench and had his lips on hers. The smoke he blew in her mouth was harsh and dry, and

she inhaled out of reflex. Slamming her hands on his chest she pushed him away. Coughing

uncontrollably she rubbed her chest as it burned something fierce.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She gasped and stood. Her vision blurred from the tears that

stung her eyes, and she tried to suck in air, but that only caused the burning sensation in her lungs to intensify. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs, and that was starting to freak her out.

“Just trying to mellow you out, darlin’.” He finished off the joint and flicked it away. “Come

here.” He patted the seat next to him, and she shook her head. Kiera needed to get the hell away from him and leave the party. She took a step forward, and the world tilted. Placing a hand on her head she closed her eyes and forced herself to take breath in and let it out slowly.

“I need to go. I’m not feeling so well.” A buzzing started in her ears, and she took another step.

Before she could get any farther Josh reached out, snagged her wrist in a tight hold, and brought

her on top of his lap.

“Let me up, or I’ll scream.” Her words sounded thick, and her mouth was so very dry. The term

“cotton mouth” made perfect sense now.

“Come on, Kiera.” He kissed her neck, and she struggled away from him. “I’ve seen you all

those times and never got to tell you how pretty you are.” His hands were everywhere, her breasts,

thighs, and making a slow trail under her skirt. Why had she agreed to let Molly dress her? The skirt and tank now made her feel completely exposed.

“Stop.” She pushed at his chest, but it was like a brick wall, or maybe it was just that her limbs

felt like they were filled with lead? “Stop!” She let out a scream, but he slapped his hand over her mouth. Panic gripped her, and she struggled harder, but her erratic actions caused her to fall

backward. The momentum had Josh going forward and falling on top of her. The ground met her back

in a hard, cold embrace. Her new position had her sprawled on the ground, her legs spread and Josh

on top of her. He pressed his hips forward and grunted when his erection pressed between her thighs.

The sound of her heart pounding in her ears was the only thing she could hear as she continued to try to break free.

“Shh, pretty girl. I ain’t gonna hurt you. I just want a little bit of fun.” His lips found the hollow of her neck, and he started licking and kissing. In his drunken, high, and aggressive behavior he

moved his hand so it covered her nose and mouth. Her eyes went wide at the fear of not getting any

oxygen into her still burning lungs. Slapping and clawing at him did no good. Tears slipped out the

corner of her eyes at the knowledge she would most likely die at a party she had never even wanted to attend. A pounding vibrated the ground, and she tilted her head back. Even with her vision blurred

from her tears, she made out the upside-down form of Reese charging toward them. The sight of him

had her renewing her efforts of escape. Flashes of light flickered in front of her vision from the lack of oxygen. The closer he stalked the clearer his expression became: fierce and rage-filled. The

savage look on Reese’s face should have put fear in her, but a sense of relief flooded her instead.

Seconds later the heavy, suffocating weight of Josh left her. Kiera gasped in air and rolled to her side, coughing and gagging. Nausea washed through her, and she threw up. Tears continued to fall down

her cheeks as she tried to pull herself up. Her skirt was askew, and her tank was pushed up her belly.

The sound of grunting and flesh meeting flesh sounded close by. She stood on unsteady legs and

turned around. She wiped her tears away and blinked several times to clear her vision. For several

seconds she could only stare in shock at the scene before her. Reese stood over Josh’s sprawled body at his feet. He had his 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. Blood came out of every orifice in Josh’s face, and bile rose in her throat. Josh looked like pounded, raw meat. Reese said nothing, and the way he seemed to stay so calm chilled her. His biceps strained, and the vibrant colors of his

tattoos stood out in stark relief. Marcus, Christian, and Leo came running up, and it took all three of them to pull Reese off a now unconscious Josh.

****

Reese had never felt such raw, uninhibited fury before. He would have kept beating the shit out

of this asshole, but he was pulled off the prick far too soon. His lungs burned from the force of his breathing, and the only thing he could continue to think about was this motherfucker’s hands all over Kiera. People spoke all around him, but he couldn’t make out what they said. The frightened image of Kiera kept replaying through his mind like a broken reel. Her wide, terror-filled eyes, the way she

clawed at her attacker. Rage burned white hot inside of him when he looked down at the asshole lying by his feet. He clenched his fists, needing to hit the fucker over and over again until there was nothing left, until the threat to the only girl he had thought about was eliminated. Marcus kept saying

something, but a buzzing filled Reese’s head. Nothing mattered except taking the problem out and

making sure Kiera was okay.

****

Kiera was rooted to the spot, and she couldn’t help but look at Josh lying motionless by Reese’s

dark boots.

“Jesus
Christ
, Reese. What the fuck did he do, man?” Marcus breathed out, his eyes wide at the fight that had just taken place. Reese shoved away from him. He breathed heavily, his massive chest