Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Okay, so not pussy on the side. More than that.”
Fuck. He breathed out and ran a hand over the back of his head. “Man, I feel like she’s a hell of a lot more than that… than anything I’ve ever wanted.”
After a moment, Max muttered, “Huh.”
“What?”
Max shrugged. “Nothin’. You know her long?”
He shook his head. “Not personally. Today was actually the first time we hung out, but I’ve seen her at school for a while. There’s just… something about her. I don’t know what it is, man.”
“She’s somethin’ special.”
The way Max said that just seemed right, like those three words summed up exactly why he was drawn to Keira Sheppard so much.
“You want to talk about it, kid? You want to get all deep and shit over it?”
Did he? A part of him said yes, while another part wanted to keep her and how he felt for Keira all to himself. This was Max though, the man who had found him wandering along the road when he was twelve, hungry, cold, and dirty. Max had taken him to his home, and his wife, Karen, had fixed him up, fed him, and gave him their guest bed to sleep in for the night. Reese’s parents hadn’t even given a shit about where he’d been. They’d been too drunk to even know he wasn’t home.
At the thought of Karen, who had passed away five years back, the hard, finite reality of life settled in.
“She’s too good for me. I have nothing to offer her, not when she’s got money and surrounded by people of status.”
“What in the fuck are you talkin’ about, Reese?” Max slapped his palm right over his heart and stared at him in the eyes. “You feel your heart beating? You feel the strong, heavy pumping within your chest?”
Reese nodded.
“I’ve told you this a million times, but I’m gonna tell you again.” He leaned forward an inch. “You don’t let anything nasty that has happened in your past affect your future. You’re strong, smart, and damn good-lookin’.” Max chucked him on the chin before standing. When Reese didn’t say anything, Max looked at him again. “You understand me, right?”
Reese’s throat tightened, but he nodded. Max may be gruff and be hard-talking, but he never once let Reese down.
“Good. Now keep me company while I tattoo my next appointment’s ass.”
Reese lifted a brow, and Max chuckled. Leave it to Max to help settle the conversation so it wasn’t so heavy.
“He’s getting his ex-wife’s name printed right on his left cheek.” He slapped his ass to emphasize his point. “Told me she would always be kissing his ass.”
Reese couldn’t help but start laughing.
“I don’t get it.” Max shrugged as he started setting things up. “I mean, you want your ex-old lady’s name on you for life, regardless if it’s a slap in her face? Hey, what the hell ever.” He murmured the last part.
Max turned and leveled a serious expression at Reese. “But no more skipping class, you hear, not even spending time with your girl. You do well and graduate so you can go to a good college and get out of this toxic fucking town.”
Reese smiled, because hearing Max scold him just proved that there was someone out in the world who gave a shit about him.
13
The week at school passed by faster than Keira anticipated, but maybe it had something to do with these growing feelings she had for Reese, and the fact that they were hanging out more. It was nice, really nice, but she knew Molly was curious about what was going on. Keira just didn’t feel like it was the right time to say anything, especially when she didn’t know what this was between her and Reese.
She still heard whispers and rumors circling about her, and even more so that people saw her and Reese hanging around each other at school, but she’d taken a play out of his book and… just didn’t give a fuck.
And God, it was so liberating.
But then at the end of the week, the rumors of her and Reese died down as shit started being stirred about a tuba player in the marching band having been found with cocaine in his locker.
She made her way through the lunch line and grabbed a sandwich and bottle of water, when someone gently bumped her in the shoulder. Reese came to stand next to her and gave her a big shit-eating grin. Someone shouldn’t be that gorgeous, especially not every damn day.
“Hey.” He was so close to her that his arm touched hers as he reached for a sandwich as well.
She’d been thinking long and hard about how she felt and what this might mean, and frankly it scared the shit out of her. Never had something consumed her in life so much as her desire for Reese.