Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
“Why not? Kyla’s the hottest one after Hayden and Molly. My brother’s into Hayden, so she was off-limits.” He points the flask at me. “Molly was going with you, sooo…” He shrugs as if that crude explanation makes any damn sense.
Anger roils my blood. This creepy perv rates his little brother’s classmates?
“Hey, I do know you.” Wesley leans forward and stares at me for longer than I’m comfortable having drunk dudes in my face. “Beggar! They used to call you beggar, right? Am I right?”
My stomach knots. Haven’t heard that name since fourth grade. Figures—that’s probably when Wesley stopped maturing. “They call me Stonewall now.” I raise one hand. “Because getting hit with one of my fists is like running into a stone wall.”
He’s either drunk or dumb because he doesn’t seem to recognize the threat. “Yes, yes! Stonewall. The Castle crew. My buddy Cannon says you’re like a hurricane in the cage.”
Cannon’s actually a decent guy and a clean fighter. Would he really associate with this clown, or is Wesley name-dropping?
“Yeah, that guy’s got a killer leg lock.” That seems like a neutral response.
He nods quickly.
Two arms drape over my shoulders and a cloud of vanilla invades my senses. The heat of Molly’s body presses against my back. “Are you okay?”
I take one of her hands and pull her into my lap.
She casts a nervous glance around. I follow her line of sight to one of her teachers making a beeline for us. Molly slides out of my lap and into the chair next to me, putting her back to the woman.
“I’m fine, baby.” I take her hand again and rub my thumb over her knuckles. “Are you having fun?”
“Oh yeah.” She beams a bright, happy smile.
“Molly!” Hayden screeches, her voice carrying over the music.
Molly turns and waves.
“Go ahead.” I nudge her side with my elbow. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Okay.” Her gaze darts around for a second, then she leans in and kisses my cheek.
I can’t take my eyes off her as she returns to her friends. She’s the most beautiful girl in the room.
My phone buzzes, and I drag my gaze away from Molly to pull it out of my pocket.
Remy: Everything OK?
Me: Yes, Dad.
I snap a discreet pic of Molly dancing and send it to him. A few seconds later, he sends a middle finger emoji followed by a thumbs-up.
“You sure you don’t wanna splash this in her drink?” Wesley waves the flask at me again. Jesus, my girlfriend sits in my lap for five seconds and the teachers are ready to call the cops. This jackass keeps waving a flask around at a high school prom and no one’s even frowned in his direction.
“No,” I growl.
“You do you.” He snorts. “Just sayin’. Probably the only way you’ll ever pry her legs open.”
A slow burn of anger rolls through me. I turn so I’m fully facing him. “The fuck did you say?”
He flashes a trying-to-help-you-out grin. “If you wanna pop that cherry, you might wanna loosen her up a little.” He shrugs. “I asked her for a blow job once and she got all offended. Whatever. She’s probably all teeth, anyway.”
Painfully aware of my surroundings, my body stills with slow, molten rage. My temples throb with the effort of not jumping out of my chair and punching the fuck out of him. But I’m not at Zips or The Castle. I can’t yank Wesley out of his seat and smash his head into the nearest wall without consequences.
Ruin Molly’s night.
Embarrass Molly.
Probably get arrested.
Possibly get Molly in trouble with the school for bringing me.
All the potential outcomes if I act on my need to beat this disrespectful windbag flash through my mind, one by one.
Getting arrested would be worth the satisfaction of seeing this motherfucker bleed. The rest of the possibilities are unacceptable. Fuck, if I get arrested, I might lose the reality TV contract too. There goes any hope of winning some money for us. Wesley’s not worth risking Molly’s happiness or our future together.
“Keep my girl’s name out of your mouth.” I growl.
He slowly blinks, as if he can’t possibly understand why I’m not interested in his advice.
If I sit here one minute longer, I won’t be able to control my fists. I stand and push in my chair. My gaze scans the room, landing on Molly. Her pretty face tipped toward the ceiling, eyes closed, cheeks flushed pink, and a smile is stretched across her lips as her body moves to the music. The fury threatening to blow the top of my head off drops several degrees.
The music switches to a slower song, and I head straight for my girl.
It takes a few seconds to weave through the throng of sweaty couples. But finally, I reach Molly, capture her hand, and pull her to me. Her eyes widen as her body hits my chest. She glances up and beams a bright smile.