I was pissed off as the night had gone to hell. Why the fuck had I decided to allow Molly to walk away like that?
Because you’re terrified of the effect she has on you. You’re whipped and you know it.
She was stuck in my head. Even that week away from her hadn’t made any difference.
As she’d stormed off towards Creed, fuckingXander Creedof all people, every muscle screamed at me to go after her and drag her back. Force her to see sense. Yes, I was a dickhead but I was better than that one.
The way that cocksucker had smirked at me over her shoulder made me want to ram my fist into his smug motherfucking face. And who the hell had he come as? Creed was dressed formally in a shirt and cargo pants, like the square he wasn’t.
Molly had left me forthatdouchebag?
And to think I’d be obsessing about her for days. And I’dneverobsessed over a female.
The thought of her withhimcaused a wave of sick dread in the pit of my stomach. Creed was bad news. He worked for his dodgy father, pushing drugs, and rumour had it they had started dipping their wick in even more dangerous waters.
I recognized the hunger in his eyes as he’d seen her. It was potent and that self-satisfied fucking look he’d given me as he led her toward the kitchen burned through my retinas.
I knew that our father’s used to be drinking buddies, yet another mark against the cunt. I shelved the thought of Callum’s recent death. I’d had to take my usual dose of meds that night, not a reduced version to cope. Chasing that shit down with beer probably wasn’t the best idea but fuck it.
That image of Creed drawing Molly against him grated on my last fucking nerve. Poor, foolish,unsuspectingMolly and without meaning to, I’d pushed her into the jerkwad’s arms.
Shit. It was my fault for harping on about Tate; as if I gave two shits about her mediocre snatch. The truth was that I hadn’t gone there in weeks.
Blowing out a breath, jealousy was swirling inside my gut, and that vein in my temple started to throb.
“Fuck,” I snarled, kicking the coffee table behind me. The beers rattled, and I felt one of my brothers behind me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, causing actual pain, and my breathing became restricted.
“Don’t even think about it,” Micah said again, his fingernails curling into the material of my tee at the shoulder.
“What is he even doing here? This is Straker’s party. That dill-hole isn’t even in high school,” I snarled. Glaring at the doorway they had left through. Xander had taken Molly into the garden? I glanced out of the open patio doors of the living room. They must have accessed the back from the kitchen.
“I saw him dropping them off earlier. And that’s not where the bad news ends.”
“What the fuck are you saying?” Spinning to face him. He released my top, and I smoothed the scrunched material down.
“Harper is also with them.” Micah’s expression was grave.
“Is she nuts?” I whisper-shouted.
“What did you say about Harper?” Phoenix cut it, shouldering his way between the two of us. He glanced away to scan the crowd.
Fuck. This wasn’t good. I could feel the testosterone pulsating from my brothers, and it fed into my own hunger for action.
Micah and Nix started talking about Harper. The fact that she was also involved made that shit thicker. My temper started bubbling; she was only fifteen.
The Creed boys were no good, and that need to protect, raced through me. Just like it had that day in our kitchen at home when I hadn’t been able to stop my father. The guilt and frustration inside of me had festered over the years to epic proportions. And now my blood had switched from simmer to a slow, reckless boil.
My dumbass behaviour had pushed Molly into the arms of that scumbag. When he’d spotted me standing behind her, Creed had looked at me like I was the piece of shit.
Regret churned in my gut. I had played it all wrong.
“What’s up with you pussies?” Reed said, having moved away from Storm to see what was happening.
“Hud is about to have a meltdown, bout sums it up,” Nix said, with a semi-amused expression. I was surprised he was so calm after learning Harper was there.
Shouldering past the wall that was Phoenix, I needed another drink. Something stronger.
“Dude. Where are you going?” Micah shouted.
