23. Reese
23
REESE
It’s not my alarm that jostles me awake, but the distinct sound of something clattering against the floor, and panic grips me by the throat. My breathing escalates asynchronously to my skittish pulse.
Then I stiffen when a deep voice sounds from outside these walls. Hot tears prick my eyes as my hand smacks blindly into Dane’s chest, and he jackknifes up with a start. His gaze lands on me, but I’m unable to look his way.
My whole body trembles as I claw at the covers and try to pull them over me in a futile attempt to hide and shield my neck, and I go deathly still when something touches my shoulder.
A knot of dread in my chest coils tighter despite every little reminder I run through in my head. I know the door to his room is still locked. I triple-checked it myself after staying up late binging mindless reruns with him. This building constantly has a security guard on site, which is probably a good deterrent— no one can break in . But I’m helpless against the fear bubbling up from the pit of my stomach.
“Reese?” My peripheral vision takes notice of him before his face comes into view. With furrowed brows, his eyes search mine. Somebody starts singing, and his scowl is instant. “I’ll be right back.”
I catch his wrist before he’s able to pull away, and he gently wrenches his arm out of my grip.
“I’ll be fine.” He rolls out of bed and mutters something too low for me to hear.
I yank the cover over my head and try not to make any sudden movement when I hear the door creaking open.
“ Marco, will you shut the fuck up ?”
“Did I wake you up from your beauty sleep? Come here, baby. I’ll give you a smooch to make up for it?—”
A loud slam rends the air. I shrink as Dane’s grumblings draw nearer, slowly peeking out from my hiding spot to see him running his hand down his face.
“Who’s Marco?”
“An old friend of mine.” He heaves out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m taking my damn spare keys back next week. He can sleep in his truck for all I care.”
The mattress dips under his weight when I shoot him a pleading look.
“Wait. Can you make sure it’s locked?”
He shrugs, unbothered. “You got it.”
I watch him double back, and when I hear the audible click, the tension alleviates from my shoulders. Then I smother my giggle when he mimes a ta-da motion.
“Thank you.” I muster up the biggest smile I can manage, taking in the sight of his body when he stretches his arms above his head and exposes the rigid lines of his abs.
Heat burns up to the tips of my ears when my mind wanders, and once again, I’m thinking about last night.
He knows it, too. A devastatingly handsome grin steals across his face, and he wiggles a brow. “What’s up, Reese?”
“Not much,” I say, feigning nonchalance. My voice is too pitchy to pull it off. I’m too busy daydreaming about his body—broad chest and all. For posterity’s sake, of course. “Just thinking about my physics assignment.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?”
I bury my face into a pillow and groan. Then I beam when he slides under the cover and gathers me into his arms. His nose pokes the back of my neck while he breathes me in, and he chuckles softly when I slip my hand into his and play with his fingers.
For someone who’s allegedly dangerous, he sure likes to spoon. Not that I’m complaining.
“I have to get ready for school,” I mutter regrettably.
His lips find my ear. “Ditch.”
Snorting quietly, I glance over my shoulder. “Unlike you, I do enjoy going to my classes.”
“Masochist,” he teases, dropping a kiss on my temple. “Can’t hurt to miss one day, can it?”
I’m maneuvered onto my back. He stretches his body over mine as he tugs the shirt I’m borrowing off me. For a millisecond, I almost reflexively cover my scar, especially when his gaze lingers and sears my soul in one fell swoop. Instead, I busy my hands with the ends of my hair.
His mouth curves into a faint smile, and my shyness heightens to a new level. I avert my gaze as my cheeks scald.
I know he saw me completely naked last night, but my anxiety has never been a logical beast. It never has been when it comes to my scar.
“Unfortunately,” I stammer, “I have a quiz.” My eyes shut as his mouth tracks a fiery path across the swells of my breasts. “Is there any chance you can take me home? I need a change of clothes.”
While I can probably get away with wearing my sweater for the second day in a row, the same cannot be said about my jeans. There are smudgy fingerprints all over the white fabric, and I’m not that daring when it comes to fashion.
“I’ll take you back.” He presses one last kiss to the fluttering pulse point of my neck, then reluctantly pushes up and hands me back his shirt.
We fall silent as we get out of bed. I sneak a glance in his direction as he changes, and I swallow hard at the alarming amount of scars before me. He has so many, some of which are in very concerning places.
“My eyes are up here, Mini Reese,” he teases.
Blushing, I snatch my bra hanging from a table lamp and hesitate. “Can we, um… keep this between us?”
“Don’t want Blue Balls to know you’ve moved on so quickly?” He tosses me a wink, and my nose wrinkles.
Ugh. I haven’t even considered that. I spent last night agonizing over Lilian finding out about us and, well, freaking the hell out on me.
“Or are you finally afraid to be seen with me in public?” His voice gains a playful edge.
“I don’t want to hurt Caleb’s feelings. I know you don’t care much for him, but I can’t do that to him,” I explain, and his smirk melts into a stormy scowl. “Anyway, my sister’s the one I’m worried about. I don’t want her to know about this yet…” Because she doesn’t like you .
He offers me a casual shrug. “Sneaking around to fuck and make out sounds fun.”
I bite my bottom lip. “So this isn’t… just a one-time thing?”
With a scoff, he zips up his jeans and strides toward me. Grabbing my hand, he guides it straight to his crotch. A little squeak escapes me.
“Does this feel like a one-time thing?”
“No.” I expel a shaky laugh. “You are so crass.”
“Blunt and abrasive, too, right?”
“And sweet,” I tack on, and he makes a face. It’s not like I’m wrong. He did kiss my nose last night.
Do dangerous people kiss noses ?
Statistically speaking, some criminals are in loving relationships and perhaps enjoy displaying affection.
Oh God. I can practically hear Lilian screaming at me to run away. To not be fooled by him. To get out while I can. Swallowing hard, I peer in his direction as I recall everything she said about him. It’s a lot .
“Do you know who Travis Walker is?”
There’s an infinitesimal shift in the air, so subtle that I almost miss it. Something unnamed gathers in his eyes as he turns to face me, and I go stock-still.
“Why? Did that motherfucker say something about me?”
“No.” I put on a reassuring smile and falter under his rapt focus. “I heard from… one of the sorority girls that you, um, broke his arm.”
“Yeah, I broke his arm.”
Oh. Okay. Wincing, I suck in oxygen at his blunt and clinical tone. I was honestly expecting him to deny it. I didn’t want my sister to be right.
It’s hard to grapple with the idea of him doing something that extreme. Maybe it’s because my thoughts are fixated on his whisper-soft smile at the curve of his lips after he snuck a kiss on my nose.
“On purpose?”
“Yeah.”
I try not to flinch this time. “Why?”
Dane casts another glance at me, and his cold demeanor gives way to something guarded. “Think that’s the first time somebody ever asked me that.”
A pang of sorrow tears into my soft heart. “Will you tell me what happened?”
He grates out a harsh scoff. “Fucker tried to get his frat brothers to jump me my freshman year.”
Before I can respond, he lifts his shirt and twists his torso. My eyes land on a mess of scar tissue just a few inches above his right kidney, and the ache sharpens in my chest. That could have been fatal.
“This is the parting gift he left me with.” There’s no warmth in his tone as he shoots me a mocking grin. “It was either get shanked to death or get the fucking broken bottle out of his hand.”
My palm covers my mouth, and despair sets in when he offers me a sarcastic shrug.
Everything about this is upsetting and confusing. Nothing aligns with what my sister has told me. Nothing makes sense .
“Why did Travis and his brothers jump you?” My heart gives an erratic lurch when my attention pivots to the jagged line. I’m beginning to reevaluate my feelings toward the fraternity members on campus.
“Beats me.” His hand goes to the back of his neck. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he was on something that day.”
“Drugs?”
“No, he was high on life,” he deadpans, then winces. “Sorry. I’m being an asshole.” With a sigh, his defensiveness melts away. “I used to sell my services. Fixed cars, tricked them up, shit like that. Nothing too fancy. I’d leave the bigger things for someone else to handle, but I know a thing or two myself.
“Walker caught on that I was rolling in cash, so he and his shithead cronies not only stiffed me after I replaced an alternator for him, he tried to rob me. He said I didn’t need the cash ’cause I had plenty to spare.”
I draw in a steadying breath. “You’re not lying to me, right?”
He frowns. “Reese, I would never lie to you.”
Deep down, I believe him. I genuinely do. My only concern is my sister. I don’t know how I’ll broach this topic with her. I have a sinking suspicion she won’t listen to a word I say. Not about him.
I’m the soft-hearted one. She’s not.
“I believe you,” I tell him, and I swear, the tension drains from his body.
He gives me a nod, along with a smirk that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He looks elsewhere and shoves his hands into his pockets, and I can feel my soft heart split down the middle.
Rushing over, I throw my arms around him and bury my face in his chest. He’s as still as a statue while I hug him tight. “I know you don’t fight people for fun. I believed you then, and my feelings haven’t changed. How come… Why doesn’t anybody know about this?”
“I’m not lying?—”
“Dane.” My head pulls back, and I lock eyes with him. “I know you’re not.”
His gaze sears into mine. “People believe what they wanna believe.”
Lilian comes to mind. “You’re not wrong,” I whisper. “But if you tell them the truth?—”
“It’s a little too late for that.” He shrugs. “Besides, everyone I care about knows the truth, and that’s good enough for me.”
“But maybe?—”
“Come on. I know one of us actually gives a shit about going to class.” He levels me with a pointed look. “Let’s get you back to your apartment so you can change into something I’ll be tearing off later.”
My lips press together as I decide not to push it any further. I spare him a tiny smile, then scrunch my face when he gives my butt a rough squeeze, and I playfully shove him away.
He breaks into laughter. I stick my tongue out at him while I focus on wrangling my bra on.
Honestly, I have no idea how I managed to go from one extreme to another. From a guy who doesn’t even hold my hand to someone who’ll brazenly hit on me every chance he can get.
But then I catch a glimpse of that softness buried deep in his heated gaze, and already, I have my answer. I know how I ended up with him.
I simply picked the right guy.