Fuck, I was imagining it right now. Picturing all the ways I could make her scream my name.
My teeth ground together, and I hung my head, reaching down to tug at the denim stretching taut over my crotch.
I wanted her. Badly. In a way I hadn't been able to before.
And every reason I'd ever had to stay the hell away just ceased to fucking matter.
I needed to talk to Leon. Soon. I wouldn't go near her until I'd given him a chance to get used to the idea.
But after that, all bets were off.
It was past time.
“What's up?” Leon stood outside the local burger joint with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
Face grim, I strolled up to him, wiping my oil stained hands on a rag. “We need to talk.”
His head tipped to the side, a sandy brow lifting halfway in question, but a flash of accusation lit in his eyes, making me think he knew exactly what this was about.
“Right,” he muttered, drawing the word out.
Planting my thumbs on my hips, I widened my stance and met his heavy stare head on. “I'm not gonna fuck around here, man. I think you know what I'm gonna say. I want to talk about Riley—”
“You've got to be fucking kidding me,” he cut in, nostrils flaring with a snort of air.
“You knew this was coming, Le.”
His head snapped back, thick brows scaling his forehead. “Oh, I did? I've been fucking warming her up for you? That’s what I've been doing?”
My fingers twitched and blood rushed to my head. I had no plans for this discussion to turn physical, but he needed to not fucking say shit like that again. I aimed a finger directly between his eyes. “Don't talk about her like that.”
“Ha! This is fucking unbelievable.” He paced away a few strides, his palm clasping the back of his head. Pivoting back sharply, he speared me with a derisive glare. “You’ve wanted her all this time?”
“Doesn't matter. Things are different now.”
His eyes narrowed. “Did you make a play for her? That why she ended it with me?”
My brows pulled together, teeth catching the inside of my cheek and clamping down. My eyes drilled into his. “You think I'd do that?”
“What the fuck do you expect me to think? She cut me loose two days ago and now you're standing here telling me you want to start something with her. That is what you're doing, right? That's what this is? Sorry Riley fucked you over, Le, but don't worry, I'm gonna fuck her real goo—”
My hand shot out and wrapped around his throat without instruction. I didn’t stop to consider why the fuck his words had me so bent out of shape. Bringing my face in line with his until we were nose to nose, I growled, “I'm not gonna say it again. Watch your fucking mouth.”
An acrid smirk contorted Leon’s lips, and his fisted hands pushed into my chest, forcing me back. Eager murmurs came from behind. I’d seen a handful of Claremont students milling around earlier. They edged closer now. Fucking great. We had an audience.
Releasing my hold on his neck, I took a measured step back and lowered my voice. “Look, I get you don't like it. I'm not saying I'm gonna do anything right now, but I wanted to give you a heads up. Thought it was only fair.”
He raised the back of his palm to rub at the spot on his neck, betrayal emanating from his slitted eyes. “You're fucking crazy if you think I'm gonna be okay with this.”
“That's how it's going to be?”
His big shoulders hiked, lips fitting together in a blunt line. “Don't see how it can be any different. You know how I feel about her.”
I breathed in through my nose, glancing away for a beat, before meeting his eyes. “What about how she feels?”
He lurched forward. “What the fuck do you know about how my girlfriend feels?”
A harsh laugh broke through my lips. “She was never your girlfriend, and you goddamn know it. I've held off, but we both know what she wants. Who she wants. Don’t fucking stand there and act like you haven’t know it all along.”
“You fucking asshole.”
One of my eyebrows hooked up. “You think I'm wrong?”
“I think you're supposed to be my best fucking friend,” he snarled. “You gonna choose pussy over that?”
I bristled, his words striking a nerve in a way I didn’t fully comprehend. “She's not just any pussy, Le. I wouldn’t be standing here if she were.”
He snorted. “Don't dress it up like you want more than what's inside those panties, dickhead.”
“Don't fucking tell me what I want.” I met his glare with one of my own.
His forehead creased, face incredulous. “You’re… are you saying you fucking like her?”
I held onto his stare but didn't answer. I didn't know what I wanted from Riley, but I wanted... something. And Leon would have to get on board. She didn’t want him; never fucking had.
“So, you're choosing her over fifteen years of friendship?”
“It doesn't have to be one or the other.”
He scoffed, pushing away. “Yeah, it does.” Face twisted in contempt, he glanced away briefly, before coming back with a glower. “She worth it?”
I looked him dead in the eyes. “Don't fucking push this, Le... you won't like the answer.”
“Nice. You know what? You're a damn prick. And you can spew whatever BS you want… you and I know you just want a taste of what I've already had.”
My vision turned red. “One more fucking word...”
“Yeah? Here's two... Fuck. You.” He spat the words as he shoved me.
My eyebrows pinched. “Don’t fucking do it, Le.”
Ire burned in his eyes as he pulled his arm back.
Goddamn. I blew out a resigned breath, squared my shoulders, and waited for it.
His fist shot forward.
Six
Riley
“Did you hear Reno beat the shit out of Leon last night?”
My head whipped round to Liss, mouth agape. “What! Why?”
She shrugged, picking at her sandwich. “Not sure, babe. Happened outside of Beats’. There’s a video circulating.”
Beats' Burgers, owned by the most miserable old crank in Claremont, Mr. Beatty. Best shakes in town, though. Not that I got to taste them anymore. Beatty had barred school kids... because of all the fights. Thing was, though, it sat on the corner opposite Brett Renner's auto repair shop, not a smart choice of location for Ren to throw down. Especially with Leon. Must have been something big. The thought unsettled me.
I frowned, shifting my gaze around the room. Neither Reno nor Leon were anywhere in sight. I'd barely seen Leon in the days since our little... misunderstanding. He was avoiding me, and not even trying to be subtle about it.
“Beat the shit out of him? For real?”
She nodded, then held up a finger while she swallowed her mouthful. “Leon swung first, I heard. Haven’t seen the recording, though. No doubt it’s been blown out of proportion. I overheard Jessa McNeill say they only threw a few punches.”
“Why? They're like brothers; why would they fight?”
Liss arched a brow, chewing around a mouthful of bread. Her curious eyes studied me, and I shrank back in my seat. “There's usually only one thing that comes between two guys, babe. A girl.”
A girl? The fries I'd already eaten settled into my stomach like lead, churning. Reno had sex with girls, used them, discarded them, rinse, repeat. He didn't fight over them. He didn't sacrifice lifelong friendships for them.
My breath hitched painfully, my hand going to my throat on instinct. Wide-eyed, I surveyed the room again, looking for any signs that someone had tamed Mr. Untouchable, that some girl had touched his black heart. The possibility pierced my regular colored heart and I grappled with my emotions, trying to keep them from spilling over. I didn't question what I felt for Reno, didn't poke at it too hard. There was... something there. Some dangerous urge I didn't want to think about, desires I needed to keep a lid on. I didn't name it.
Ever
ything around me looked the same. Nobody stood on a table-top broadcasting their conquest through a megaphone, and believe me, if they'd nailed Reno's balls to a chair, they would be.
“This happened last night, Liss?”
“What I heard.”
“And you heard nothing else? No specifics about why?”
She shook her head slowly, the tips of her blonde pony sweeping her shoulders as she eyed me thoughtfully. “Nope.”
I nodded, getting to my feet. “Okay. I gotta go.”
“What? Where?” She uncrossed her legs, collecting her trash and dumping it on the tray with my uneaten fries.
I was already halfway to the doors by the time she stood, arms out, palms up, her face morphed in confusion.
“I'll meet you in fifth period,” I called.
“Wait! Riley! What are you—”
I knew where he'd be, and so help me God, if he had a girl on his lap, I'd slap him six ways from Sunday.
“What the hell is going on?” I yelled, breaths panting. Man, it was a damn hike up here.
On the top level of the old auditorium, Reno sat with his knees braced, one hand dangling between them and the other holding a cig to his lips. He looked up, blowing a thin cloud of smoke before throwing me a smirk.
“Riley.” His eyes raked over me, his standard greeting. “You look pissed. Suits you.”
Dumping my bag by his feet, I plucked the cigarette from his fingers and launched it behind him.
He raised a brow.
“You hit Leon?”
I scowled at him, crossing my arms over my chest to stop them trembling. He was so damn cocky, so cool and confident. I was teetering between mad as hell and majorly turned on. And I hated that he could do that to me without even trying. More than that, I hated that he knew he could do that to me.
Leaning back on his elbows, legs stretched out in front of him, his eyes traveled my body again, lingering long enough to make sure he left goose bumps—demonstrating exactly what he was capable of doing to me. He removed another cigarette from the pack and took his time lighting it, before blowing another cloud my way. Yeah, I was definitely mad as hell.
“Here to defend your boyfriend, Riley?”
I stopped, frowning. “What? No, I want to know what went down? Why'd you guys fight? It's not like you.” I lowered my head and looked down at the ground, exhaling slowly in a bid to calm my raging thoughts and roiling stomach. “No girl is worth your friendship, Reno.”
He was silent while another plume of grey smoke floated by. “You don't think so?”
I lifted my head. “No.”
A muscle pulsed in his jaw as he dropped the cigarette, crushing it slowly with the heel of his sneaker. Something unreadable flashed in his expression when our eyes met, and my heart faltered. His eyes shuttered just as quickly though, erasing whatever it was I thought I'd seen.
“One might be.”
My lungs seized in my chest at his words, my whole body freezing as tears formed behind my lids. I looked away, blinking quickly. Rolling my lips together, I turned back, feigning mild interest. “Interesting. Who is she?”
I needed to know. I wanted to see her, know her name, her hair colour, hear her voice. The girl who mattered to Reno. I wanted to know what she had that I didn't.
What I should have wanted to know, was why the hell I cared enough that it felt like my heart was breaking open in the old auditorium in front of a guy who'd sooner toss it on the ground and snuff it out like a used cigarette before accepting any part of it. I shouldn't be feeling anything for him. I could never let him near me.
He smiled softly. “Nobody you know, Ri.”
I sucked in a breath. “So, a college girl? You guys fighting over an older woman, huh? That's pretty cliché.” The joke sounded feeble even to my ears. There was no lightening this situation, not for me, anyway.
He stood, rising to his full height and towering over me. His size should have been imposing, but it wasn't. He made me feel small in the best way, like he could pick me up, wrap me in those sturdy arms and keep me safe forever. Not that he would, and not that I'd let him. The line between us was laced with pheromones and arsenic. We skirted it, but neither of us was that crazy.
He reached out and tucked a hair behind my ear, his fingertips lingering on my bare skin. The surprisingly tender gesture caught me off guard, and I felt my head lean into his touch, my eyes drift closed. I snapped them right back open.
No! God, no.
These weren't feelings. It was lust. Pure, unfiltered, primal lust. Chemical, physical. It wouldn’t be smart to go confusing myself. I didn't care for him, and he barely tolerated me. He knew he could twist me up in knots and I sort of enjoyed being twisted. But that was where it began and ended. It wasn't deep or meaningful. It was a game. One I wasn't sure I wanted to play anymore. I was losing whatever grip I might have had on this situation, and that was way more dangerous than I had prepared myself for. Forcing myself to take a step back, Reno’s hand fell to his side and his darkened eyes flitted away.
“She's not older,” he murmured, then brushed past me and left me standing staring after him until he was long gone.
Glancing down, my gaze landed on the almost full packet of cigarettes that sat discarded on the stone ledge.
All of this had to end. Yesterday.
Seven
Riley
“This is the worst idea, Liss.”
“Oh, quit bitching.” She gave my hand a tug. I shook my head, refusing to budge. Another tug.
“Fine. But he's still pissed as hell with me.” Striding past her, I pushed through the tree line, heading for the now dead cornfield that served as the stomping ground for pretty much every teen in Claremont.
“So? Does that mean you have to sacrifice your social life? And still?” She paused, hands on her hips. “God, that guy! I mean, you ended things two weeks ago, and it's not like you were a married couple. You jerked him off behind a dumpster while he fondled your boob once a month. Get the fuck over it, dude. Move on with your life!”
I pulled up short, affronted. “Hey! That's... that's…” pretty accurate but come on. “Not exactly true.”
“Yeah, yeah. Move your ass. It's your birthday weekend, and I'm done with your pity party. So quit sulking, start walking.”
She criss-crossed her fingers in front of my face in the universal sign of walking. I resisted the urge to bite them.
“Whatever. But when it all goes to shit, don't say I didn't warn you. The guy has either outright ignored me or thrown sly digs at me for the past week. Ever since this mysterious fight that nobody can explain to me.” Seriously, no one. Not Mack, Danny, or Jase. And I’d asked.
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her, slim arm straining with the effort and my petulant resistance. Trailing her with lackluster steps, I deliberately dug the unfamiliar heels she'd forced on me into the mud. I wouldn’t make this easy for her. Who even wore heels to a muddy field? People who would turn seventeen in two days... was the gist of how that conversation went down.
The bonfire came into view despite my attempt to walk slowly enough to go backward. And with it, Reno and Leon.
Urgh... and Raya, who glowered as we approached.
“Raya looks happy to see us, as always,” Lis quipped.
I fought the urge to tuck tail and run.
Please God, don't let them be fighting over Raya Mitchell. They'd sorta patched things up, but there was still this weird tension between them. Like if I caught Le looking at Reno while he wasn’t watching, he’d be glaring daggers at his face. But, like I said, if anyone knew what caused the rift, they weren't talking.
Tugging the hem of the semi-indecent dress Lis had thrust on me—thank god for the still mild late October weather—I pasted a scowl on my face and trudged toward the flames. Might as well get this over with.
“Well, if it isn't little Miss Tease.” Slurring. Great, a drunk Leon. Even more fun.
“Suck
it.” I flipped him off.
His eyes made a slow track over my body as he moved around me, leering in a way that wasn't like him. “Couldn't get you to.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but a hard voice beat me to it.
“Le.”
My eyes shifted to Reno. The subtle warning in his voice infuriated me more than Leon's insults. “And you.” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “Stay out of it.” His soft chuckle sent a shroud of red mist over me. “I mean it. Let him get it all out, then we can move the hell on.”
Leon scoffed. “Move on? You really fucking think a lot of yourself!”
I turned back to him with a sigh. “Fine, you're good or over it, whatever. Can you stop being a dick now, go back to being friends?”
He took two steps toward me, stumbling a little, his eyes bloodshot and narrowed. “Yeah, we ain’t fucking friends, Riley. I'll do and say whatever the fuck I want.” His face twisted in confusion, before splitting with laughter.
I glanced sideways to Liss with a wtf look. She shrugged, raising her brows.
“Fucking friends! Fucking friends. Get it?” Leon’s laughter subsided and all traces of humor vanished from his face as he pinned me with a bitter glare. “Well, that's a fucking joke, isn't it? You wouldn't fuck me if I paid you, would you, friend?”
Liss stepped in front of me. “Seriously, dude? You need to back the fuck off.”
Wrapping my fingers around her forearm, I gently tugged. “Liss, leave it, it's fine—”
A deeper voice drifted over my head. “Yeah... it ain't fine.”
I dropped my head, shoulders drooping. Shit. This was turning into a shit-show of epic proportions. The fabric of Reno's shirt brushed my arm as he moved past me, stopping in front of a barely standing Leon.
Untouchable: (Unstoppable - Book 1) (The Unstoppable Series) Page 3
