His teeth clacked audibly together as I threw him to the ground as if he weighed nothing. None of them had even processed what had happened yet. David sat on his ass, stunned, as his friends scattered.
Fucking pussies.
I flexed my fingers, not because they hurt, but because I was itching to rearrange his face some more. It wasn’t enough, would never be enough, after he dared to put his fucking hands on what was mine.
Taking in the dark expression on my face, he scrambled backward like the coward he was.
“Run, motherfucker. Before I change my fucking mind.”
The sound of his feet pounding across the pavement echoed through the quiet night as he took off. I took a deep breath and exercised some serious self-control not to give chase.
Instead, I turned to Sierra, breathing hard and feeling my heart hammer against my ribcage.
Sierra didn’t cower or collapse. She brushed her ponytail back with trembling fingers and lifted her chin.
“Next time, bring a fourth. Might even stand a chance,” she called after him.
Gingerly, I closed the distance between us, cupping her jaw in my palm as gently as I could. Her entire body twitched, as though my touch had sent an electric impulse through her.
“Woah. Easy, Darlin’. You’re okay.” I brushed golden strands of hair out of her face.
Sierra nodded, but the silence lingered. Her chest heaved, and I could see her mind working in overdrive. I stepped even closer, pulling her to my chest.
She exhaled slowly against my chest, her fists still clenched in my hoodie. “I’m letting this happen,” she muttered. “Don’t make me regret it.”
“Next time,” I murmured, “call me.”
“You say that like I take instructions well,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “But I guess… I’ll keep my phone on.”
Chuckling, my hands rubbed lazily up and down her arms. “I’ll take it.”
She sighed. “You’re really fucking annoying, you know that?”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt; I didn’t want to scare her off.
Sierra’s grip relaxed slightly as she leaned back to peer up at me. “You walk around like some human battering ram, and then you… do this.” Her hand fisted in my hoodie again. “You make me feel safe, and I hate it.”
Her breath hitched as she paused, and it was so hard to keep my mouth shut.
“But God, I needed that tonight.”
“I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Thank you, Hotshot.” She rose on her tiptoes, one hand finding my jaw as she pressed her lips against mine in a soft kiss. “For real.”
***
Sierra
Dom’s truck squeaked as he climbed out, and then he rounded the truck to walk by my side. The air was even cooler now, tinged with fog that would soon coat every surface.
He remained silent, which was highly unusual, matching my pace step for step. As I pulled out my keys, he hovered awkwardly, as if unsure what to do next. Another highly unusual occurrence.
I glanced at him. His body was stiff, as though he were waiting to be dismissed.
“You’re going to end up back here anyway,” I said quietly, without turning around. “So you might as well come in now before you make it weird.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he followed me upstairs without making a big deal out of my concession. I plugged in the string lights in my room.
