Page 200 of Wicked Savage Cruel
I inwardly groan. Why are the pretty ones so dumb? Dominique could absolutely get Deacon removed from the team. All it would take is one phone call to his parents, a sizable donation, and boom. Goodbye, Suncrest U. Hello, community college.
I decide not to tell him that because he seems a little freaked out as it is. If you didn’t grow up in Sun Valley, then it’s safe to assume you don’t know how big of a deal Dominique’s family is. Deacon probably knows who the Prices are, the same way everyone in the U.S. knows who Bill Gates is. But, if you saw him walking down the street, you’d probably walk past him none the wiser, and it’s not like you’d know who his kids were or what they looked like.
“Yo, D!” someone shouts, pulling Deacon’s attention. “Is that her? The chick you got your ass kicked for?” He gives me a heated look, biting his fist. “Damn, man. I get it.”
“Reed, fuck off,” Deacon snarls right as I give the guy a one-fingered salute.
“Come on, man. No need to be like that. I was just complimenting your girl. I’d tap that for sure.” He makes a thrusting motion with his hips and Deacon groans, covering his face with his hand.
“I apologize on behalf of my idiot frat brother. You probably won’t believe me, but he’s actually a pretty cool guy when he’s not wasted like he is now.”
Yeah. Not so sure about that but I leave it alone.
“He said you got your ass kicked. That was because of me?”
He sighs. “It’s nothing. Can we drop it?”
Uh, no. No, we cannot drop it. I told Dominique it was an accident. Obviously he didn’t let it go, but I’d expect him to throw his weight around. Maybe threaten Deacon or try to intimidate him somehow. Physically assaulting him is taking it to another level. Why was he so riled up about this?
“I’m going to need a play by play. I can get that from you or from some of your brothers who, by the sounds of it, are in the know. Up to you.”
His jaw flexes, but instead of telling me what happened he asks, “Did you lie and tell him I hurt you?”
“Excuse me?”
He turns narrowed eyes my way. “I’ve gone over what happened in my head a few times and Dominique said I hurt you. Left a bruise but,” he shakes his head. “I never hit you. I don’t hit women. I’m trying to figure out why you’d tell him otherwise.”
His nostrils flare and damn, he looks pissed. All over again, I get the feeling he isn’t someone safe. It’s like he hides this dangerous edge about him under layers of confidence and charisma.
“Well?” he snaps.
I lift my arm in answer. When he sees the still purple mark, he grabs my arm and tugs it closer, taking me with it since, well, it’s sort of attached. I all but fall into his lap, but he doesn’t even notice. His eyes lock on my skin. Flexing his fingers, he wraps them around my arm in the exact same spot before cursing and shoving my arm away.
“I didn’t tell him you hit me. I didn’t even say this came from you.” I sit back and tuck my legs beneath me. “He saw us talking when you walked me to the athletics building. Then he saw the bruise. My poker face is pretty awesome. Sorry about that. He asked if it came from you and well …” I trail off.
“When we collided?” he asks.
I nod.
He sucks on his teeth. “I grabbed you. Harder than I should have. I get why you got all jumpy after that when I tugged on your hand. I,” He pauses. “It wasn’t on purpose. I mean, leaving that mark. Hurting you.” He hangs his head. “I am not that guy. I’mtryingnot to be that guy.”
“Have you ever been that guy before?” I ask, needing to know if he’s safe. If he’s someone I should be careful around.
He shakes his head, and I exhale a relieved breath. "No. My old man was. But I won't ever allow myself to become a monster the way he was." There is steely determination in his voice. "I'm sorry. We're getting into deep shit when we barely know each other." He chuckles, but it’s forced.
“It’s all good. And thanks. For the apology, I mean.”
He nods.
“I still want that play by play, though,” I remind him.
I wait. He tips back his beer, his throat working as he takes a long pull.
“Stalling will get you nowhere.”
He grunts and then shakes his head. “We had some words. It’s over now.”
“Hey, Reed?” I call out. I stand and scan the backyard, looking for Deacon’s frat brother who brought this all up in the first place.
