Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
I didn’t just hate the fucker, I realized. I wanted to end him.
Someone gave a wolf whistle, and Peaches froze. Then her hands pushed at Mark, almost frantic as she realized what a show they’d been putting on. For an instant, the asshole ignored her attempt to get away.
Please, God, give me this one. Let me kill him.
I’d just stepped toward them when Mark pulled away. Peaches’ cheeks were still flushed and red, but this time, she looked embarrassed.
Christ, she must have it bad. She’d forgotten where they were, and if Mark had any doubt about how easy it’d be to take her before, he wouldn’t now. Just then, the asshole glanced in my direction. Our eyes met, and he gave me a slow smile.
Fucker reached down and grabbed his sack, deliberately adjusting himself.
Holly hadn’t been wrong. The school was too damned small. Mark knew I wanted Peaches. I’d warned more than one guy off of her this past year.
“What’d you do to piss him off—?” Holly said, but I didn’t catch the rest. I was already striding toward Mark, hands fisted with angry tension. Someone needed to teach that pissant a lesson about respect.
That’s when Peaches stepped in front of me, pushing a hand against my chest.
“Stop,” she snapped, and the softness on her face was gone. This wasn’t Peaches, the girl who’d just gotten embarrassed by kissing in the hallway.
Nope, this was my old enemy. The tough, strong girl who’d put snakes in my bed.
Instinct kicked in.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, taunting her. “Afraid your boyfriend can’t take me? Or is it that he isn’t enough? I wasn’t planning on fucking you with my mouth for an audience…but if you’re wondering how it’s done right, I could help you out.”
Her eyes flashed, and the hand on my chest pulled back to slap me. I caught it, blocking her easily enough.
“Go to hell, Eli,” she hissed. “This is my life. You don’t get a vote.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I said, savoring the anger on her face. Mark stepped up behind her and put a possessive hand on her shoulder.
I was bigger than he was. Tougher, too. I knew it, and he knew it, but if we got into a fight here, I’d be the one hauled out by the cops.
“Careful,” I said, catching and holding Mark’s gaze. Peaches might stand between us, but she was short enough for us to stare each other down. “She’s club property, you know?”
“Shut the fuck up, Eli!” Peaches said.
“This isn’t one of your little games,” Mark added, sounding bored. “I’m not scared of you, King. You bikers may think you run things around here, but you’re just a bunch of tweakers and losers.”
Peaches stilled, and I felt storm clouds gathering. Then she jerked her arm free of mine and turned on Mark.
“Gus is like my dad,” she snarled. Good girl. Her mom and Gus might’ve broken up, but she still found her way out to our place at least one night a week. Peaches and Gus were family.
Mark had just fucked up. Big time.
“I didn’t mean it like—” he tried to say, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. I smiled as the bell rang. All around us, students seemed torn between heading to class and watching the show.
“Most bikers are really great people,” she continued. “And Gus doesn’t use drugs. Don’t go saying shit about people unless you actually know what you’re talking about.”
With that, she shoved Mark out of her way. Every step she took radiated anger as she snagged a backpack leaning against one of the lockers. She slung it over her shoulder with one hand and raised the other to flip us off over her head as she joined the stream of kids heading to class.
Within seconds, the hall cleared out, leaving Mark and me still facing each other. We’d be late unless we got moving, but I had an advantage over him in this particular situation. He cared about his grades. Me? Not so much.
“You hurt that girl, and they’ll never find your body,” I said casually, offering him my best smile. “Consider yourself warned.”
Mark swallowed, and I almost laughed. He might act tough, but the fucker was a coward once the witnesses were gone.
“She doesn’t belong to you,” he said, his voice wavering. My smile got bigger.
“Nope, but she belongs to Gus,” I replied, casually cracking my knuckles. “Don’t think of me as a guy you go to school with. Think of me as Gus’s eyes and ears. And fists.”
Mark’s mouth opened, then closed again.
Like a goldfish.
I couldn’t help myself, I started laughing. My work might be done for now, but I couldn’t help but catch him with my shoulder hard enough to knock him off balance as I walked away.
Mark started cussing, scrambling to stay upright. I didn’t bother turning around to see if he’d fallen. I was too busy enjoying the moment.