Reese breathed out again and ran a hand over his hair, feeling sanity come back.

  “Everyone get the fuck out of here. Show’s over,” Nate hollered, and everyone listened like he’d cracked a whip on their asses.

  “Keira is the real deal, yeah?” Nate said it like he knew exactly what Reese felt. And he supposed his best friend did.

  Reese exhaled once more, turned his head to spit out the remaining blood from his mouth, and when he looked at Nate again, he nodded slowly.

  “Yeah, she’s the real fucking deal.”

  22

  The following couple of weeks passed in a blur, mainly because Keira had been keeping busy with assignments and projects at school, but also because Reese had been taking extra shifts at the tattoo parlor where he worked. And Ian and Molly were spending so much time together--since there was no longer trouble in paradise—that Keira needed stuff to occupy her time.

  She’d heard about Reese getting into another fight through the rumor mill at school, but he hadn’t bought it up, and she didn’t want to ask. He wasn’t a violent guy unless provoked, so whatever happened, he’d had good reason to do what he did.

  Now on her way to school, she sat in the backseat of Molly’s car, Ian in the front seat, and listened to them talk about their plans this weekend. Keira stared out the window, not paying attention, because her mind was on other things… one specific person.

  Over the last couple of weeks, she and Reese had taken things slow. They hadn’t done more than just making out, heavy petting, and some extremely intimate, sexual touching beneath the clothes. And as much as she wanted that—and Reese too, because he made it no secret—the fact that he stopped himself before things went further made her even more comfortable around him.

  He could have had her ten times over already. But he wanted to wait, wanted to take things slow.

  She appreciated that, but she was needy for him, desperate, and her body was on fire every single time he was around. She didn’t know if she could or would let him stop it the next time they were together and things were getting heated.

  Molly pulled her BMW into the school parking lot and cut the engine. Keira searched for Reese’s truck, and when she spotted it, butterflies danced in her belly, and her heart did a little gallop in her chest.

  He climbed out of the vehicle at the same time she did, and their eyes caught and held. The slow smile that spread across his face had her entire body lighting up tenfold.

  God, a guy shouldn’t be that attractive.

  The sound of car doors opening and closing were dim in comparison to her heart racing and her pulse thumping through her ears.

  “See you at lunch,” Molly said, and when Keira peeked at her, she could see her friend glancing between her and Reese, a knowing smile on her face.

  Keira nodded. “Yeah.”

  She watched Molly and Ian walk into school, hand-in-hand, and then her attention was back to Reese. A student walked between them, her focus on the ground, the long fall of her hair obscuring her face. But Keira recognized her as the new girl, Violet.

  Black Mountain Academy awarded a select number of scholarships per year. It had been between Reese and Violet. Reese had gotten it. Violet obviously didn’t have the funds to attend BMA, which was why she applied for the scholarship to begin with, but here she was… enrolled. The gossip at school was what Violet was doing in order to get the money to come here.

  Her focus was pulled from Violet back to Reese when she saw him walking up to her. Although they didn’t do PDA at school, which they did plenty privately, the way he watched her made her think that might change today.

  She could feel people watching them, but she’d long since stopped giving a shit.

  He stopped right in front of her, and she wondered if he could hear her heart beating. It sounded so loud in her ears, like a drum being pounded during a war song.

  “Hey,” he said in that deep, sexy drawl of his.

  Her cheeks felt warm from the way he said that one word.

  She stared at him. He stared at her. Keira felt the air change around them, become electrified, become alive with desire and attraction and animal magnetism.

  And then Reese was moving closer, reaching out, slipping his hand behind her neck, and leaning down. His mouth pressed to hers, and for a second, she was stunned he’d done this in front of everyone, but then the world faded as his lips moved slowly, softly against hers.

  She lost herself in everything that was Reese.

  His kiss pushed everything else away, had her floating high above everyone else. He tasted like mint and male, and everything she wanted and needed. That first swipe of his tongue against the seam of her lips had her mouth parting and accepting what he wanted to give her.

  When he pulled away, she leaned toward him, seeking Reese out and not ready to relinquish the pleasure he so readily gave her. She opened her eyes, feeling embarrassed that she hadn’t even realized they were still closed, and looked up at him. His gaze was half-lidded, this drowsy, or maybe ultra-aroused, expression covering his face. And his lips were red and slightly swollen, and Keira knew hers must have looked the same way.

  They sure as hell felt like it. They tingled, were sensitive, and she knew she’d taste him on her tongue for the rest of the day.

  When a few of the seniors whistled and started saying lewd things, she could see it bothered Reese. His body blocked hers from the guys who were catcalling, and the muscle that ticked under his jaw let her know he was protective, possessive.

  “Ignore them,” she whispered.

  He exhaled roughly and said, “It’s hard to when I know they’re looking at you, when I know they wish they were in my place.”

  She could have snorted at his words. Them wanting her? Unlikely. But with the seriousness on his face, she sobered.

  “I’m so far off anyone's radar.” She ducked her head, but he placed a finger under her chin, lifting her head back up so she stared into his eyes.

  He slowly shook his head. “You should hear some of the shit those assholes say about you. They see you. They notice you. They fucking want you.” He looked pissed again, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  She didn’t know if she believed him, but it didn’t matter. She wanted to reassure Reese that he was the only one she wanted. “They don’t matter.”

  “No?” he asked and lifted a brow, his eyes on her lips. “And why’s that?”

  “Because I’m yours,” she whispered, maybe too low for him to hear, but when he growled in approval, she felt her legs clench on their own.

  “Only mine,” he murmured and leaned down to kiss her again and again and again.

  Yes… yes, she was.

  The first half of school went by in a blur, but that might have been because Keira had Reese and that parking lot kiss at the forefront of her brain.

  The bell rang, and she grabbed her bag and books and headed out, stashing her stuff in her locker, and headed to the lunchroom. She saw Molly and Ian waiting for her by the cafeteria entrance, Ian as close as he could get to Molly as he whispered something in her ear. Molly in turn started giggling and blushed.

  She stopped in front of the duo just as Molly said, “Hey. We’re heading off campus to eat. Wanna come?”

  Keira looked past them to see if she could spot Reese. They’d been eating lunch together, mainly outside where they could be alone and not have the entire student body gawking at them, but her disappointment set in that she didn’t initially see him.

  “Ugh, no, that’s okay. I was gonna just hang here—”

  “With Reese? Again?” Ian prompted, and the look Keira gave him had him holding up his hands in surrender.

  “You have no room to talk, Mr. Stuck to Molly’s Hip.”

  They all started laughing, but then the amusement died as arousal took its place when she saw Reese step into the cafeteria from the other entrance. She’d never found guys who wore the school uniform as attractive. The standard-issued black slacks, white button-down shirt, and red blazer with the BMA crest embroidered on the lapel couldn’t be called anything but severe and formal. But the way Reese’s hard, very male body filled it out? Yeah, she felt that in every single inch of her body.

  He looked around the cafeteria, seemingly for her, and she felt a smile spread across her face.

  “Okay, that's our cue to leave,” Molly murmured. “When she gets that look in her eyes over Reese, nothing will pull her focus.”

  “Oh man, Lindy has her sights set on your man, Keira,” Ian muttered, and Keira looked over to where Lindy was, the other girl’s focus latched right on Reese. She was like a dog who was starving and refused to take her eyes off Reese, even though he wasn’t her meal.

  “She’s such a dirty bitch,” Keira said and heard the venom in her voice. She’d never hated anyone before, but jealousy made her loathe Lindy.

  “Careful, that one has some claws on her.” Ian sounded a bit hesitant, but she couldn’t blame him.

  Lindy was a vicious bitch.

  She said bye to Molly and Ian and made her way into the cafeteria toward Reese. Nate stopped by him for only a second before he tipped his chin in her direction. Reese glanced over, and God, if a smile could kill, she’d be dead right now from the one he gave her. He pulled her in when she was close enough, his thickly muscled arm around her waist. She had her hands on his chest, her head tilted back, and all she wanted was his kiss.

  “Hey,” he whispered, but before she could say it back, he was giving her what she needed desperately.

  His kiss.

  “Okay, I’m getting the fuck out of here,” Nate said in a disgusted voice, and she felt Reese smile against her lips.

  “Don’t mind him. He’s had something up his ass ever since the librarian—”

  She pulled back and prompted, “Huh? The librarian? At the academy?”

  He smirked and shook his head again. “Never mind. That’s some crazy shit right there.”

  “Hey, Reese.” Lindy’s voice was saccharin and fake enough to rot out your teeth.

  “Shit,” Reese said and took a step back from her, his arm still around Keira’s waist, so he pulled her back with him.

  Lindy lowered her eyes to where he held Keira, and she didn’t miss the thinning of the other girl’s lips.

  “You fucking sneak up on people like that normally?” Reese sounded annoyed. “Give us a heads-up next time.”

  Keira held back her amusement as Lindy stormed away. Reese wasn't trying to be funny, but Keira found it hilarious that he called Lindy out on her creepy-ass self.

  Lindy was dressed in a tiny cheerleading outfit. It was indecent, not regulation size, not with how she probably rigged it, snipped it, and made it as short as she could without showing tits and her pussy.

  What Keira hated most, aside from Lindy’s lack of a decent personality, was the fact that she was so damn gorgeous. If she’d been ugly, or hell, at least plain like Keira saw herself, she wouldn't feel so… inadequate when her bitch-ass came by. But how did Reese not notice Lindy’s gorgeousness?

  “Because she’s a conceited bitch and has as much depth as a puddle in the street,” Reese said, and Keira's face flamed at the fact that she’d actually said that thought out loud.

  Oh. God.

  Reese gave her this smoldering smile and leaned down, his lips by her ear. “No one compares to you.”

  A shiver worked its way up her spine at the way he said that; all he had to do was string together a few words, and her body lit up. He pulled back, his face still so close to hers. The seriousness in his expression was tangible.

  “Any girl compared to you?” He shook his head slowly. “No contest, Keira.” He brushed his finger along the side of her neck. “No fucking contest at all.” The gentle sweep of his finger along her skin had everything inside her coming awake.

  Whatever the hell was going on between them was getting deeper for her, and at the end of the day, when the time came, she’d have to decide how far she was willing to take it—and she didn’t mean just physically.

  23

  The rest of the week passed fairly quickly, and after the awkward lunchroom incident with Lindy, Keira really hadn’t seen her. Thank God.

  And all Keira could think about anymore was what she wanted to do with Reese… and how far she wanted to go. She liked him… a lot, and those feelings were starting to blur into something she’d never experienced before. She didn’t know what it was. Lust? No, that didn’t seem right. Love? She didn’t know. She’d never been in love before. But what she was very aware of was how she felt for Reese, the emotions that churned inside her when he was near, the way her body had a mind of its own when he touched her.

  God, she was confused, but it was the best kind of unknowing she’d ever experienced.

  And he liked her—that was clear. He wanted her; that was evident by how he watched her, touched her, kissed her. But how deep did it go for him?

  She stared at herself in the mirror, smoothing her hands down her jeans, feeling her heart race. Maybe she should talk to him about all this? In reality, that was the most straightforward, realistic option. But she was afraid, terrified to know that maybe his feelings weren’t on the same level as hers.

  And it was that fear that had her keeping things to herself. But for how long?

  Her parents had left this afternoon to spend the weekend at their vacation home a few hours away. Reese was picking her up so they could spend some time together, and what was currently at the forefront of her mind was she had the house to herself.

  She’d be alone. Even Sharon had the weekend off.

  The sound of Reese knocking on the front door had her heart kicking up in gear. She pushed the thoughts moving through her to the back, took a deep breath in, and opened the front door. He stood there looking so damn good, as always. Whether in the BMA school uniform, or a pair of jeans and plain black T-shirt, Reese Trenton was definitely easy on the eyes.

  “Hey,” she said, her voice sounded way too sexual.

  He gave her a half-smile, and before she knew what he was doing, Reese took a step toward her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her in. He had his hand on her nape, tilted her head back, and slanted his lips on hers. The sudden act had her eyes widening as surprise filtered through her, but God he felt good pressed against her.

  He pressed his body harder against hers, and she took a step back. He followed her, mimicking her movements until she felt her back meet the wall. An involuntary moan spilled from her before she could stop it.

  And as the kiss became more heated, as she felt every hard inch of him, something in her snapped. Keira found herself acting out of character as she slipped a hand between their bodies and started running her finger along the waistband of his jeans. Reese groaned roughly and kissed her harder. She ran her fingers over the hard, muscularly defined swatch of abdomen she came in contact with.

  He pulled away. “Wait.” His breath was warm and smelled sweet, but there was tightness in it that made her think he was having a hard time controlling himself. Good, because she was right there with him.

  He rested his forehead against hers, and they both breathed in and out roughly, his hands on her waist, his fingers digging into her sides.

  “Why did you stop?” She could hear how needy she sounded.

  He pulled back even more and stared down at her. His eyes were on her lips, and the fact that his pupils were dilated, as if his very arousal was this living entity inside him, changing him, having him losing it, turned her on even more.

  “You don’t want to keep going?” She was all but panting, her pussy wet, her nipples aching so badly she knew if he touched them she might very well get off.

  “If we don’t stop, I’m liable to do something we both may not be ready for.” He said the words, yet she could hear the heat and arousal laced within them. “I may not have the strength to stop, Keira,” he whispered the last part.

  “Reese.” She slid her hands up his sides, over his bulging biceps, and curled her fingers on his shoulders. His muscles were hard and defined, and when she let her fingers dig farther into his warm skin, she felt his entire body tense under her touch. “I want this.” She rose on her toes, so her breasts were pressed against his hard chest. A small gasp left her at the pressure on her nipples now.

  His breathing changed to a faster, labored pace.

  The words she wanted to say were right on the tip of her tongue, but fear had her stalling. Fear had her worried he’d deny her. But how would she know unless she said them? “Let’s go upstairs.”

  He closed his eyes and groaned but didn’t respond. When he opened his eyes again, all she saw was raw need. Reese cupped the side of her face and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe, until she was lightheaded, until she was clutching at him for stability.

  “I want you, Keira,” he murmured against her lips. “Christ, I want you so fucking badly.” To solidify his words, he gripped her wrist in one hand and moved it between their bodies so her palm was flat on his cock. He was so hard for her.

  Feeling bold was an understatement in this moment. She gripped his zipper and started pulling it down. His hold tightened on her wrist, and she could tell that if she pushed hard enough, he would cave. But that wasn’t how she wanted this night to go. She didn't want their first time to happen because he wanted to take things slow but she rushed since she was frantic for him. “You're so fucking special to me, more than anyone else in my fucking life. I want to make our first time special too.”

  She whispered, “Okay.” She licked her lips. “No sex.”

  He groaned, but she couldn’t tell if he was relieved or if he was disappointed. He loosened his hold on her wrist while keeping his eyes locked with hers.

  “No sex. But we can do… other stuff, right?” she asked, and he groaned again when she slowly brought his zipper down; it sounded obscenely loud. “Or I can stop?” She stilled her movements, but he shook his head.