Him and me were going to throw down at some point; that was a fact. It was just a matter of when, and the way he was looking at me, at my girl, it seemed like it was going to be today.

Michaels got to his feet, and I tensed, Molly’s gaze shooting to mine as she sensed my unease. I watched every move he made, and my blood boiled when I saw him turn purposely to the path that led right by our group.

When Michaels reached us, he laughed, right in Mol’s face, and said, “Fuck, Bullet, I don’t believe my f**kin’ eyes! You gave up all the pu**y on campus for that? Tell me, does she at least suck your c**k good?”

That? That? Was he for real? Mol was becoming everything to me and he had the audacity to stand there and shred her to pieces… in front of me! Letting my anger take hold, I picked up Mol and, moving her aside, got to my feet and tackled the f**ker to the floor, ramming my fist straight into his face. A deep sense of satisfaction spread across my chest as I watched blood burst from his nose, but the ass**le just didn’t know when to stop.

“Time for payback, Bullet. I’m going to f**k your girl, see how you like it.”

Edging forward, my arm pressed against his neck, and I hissed, “Like you’d even get a chance. She’d never f**k you, never even give a creep like you the time of day.”

Smiling, his mouth full of blood, he whispered back, “Never say never. You’ll mess up—you always do—and when that time comes, it’ll be me that f**ks her so hard that she’ll forget you even existed.”

I saw red and pounded his face, kneeing at his ribs repeatedly. Pausing momentarily, I threatened, “Don’t you f**kin’ dare talk about Mol like that again. You get me, ass**le?”

But he just grinned and coughed out, “The geek ain’t shit to look at, but she clearly f**ks good if she’s tamed your ass. Does she? Does she f**k like a seasoned whore?”

I lifted my arm to finally knock him out, when someone grabbed onto my wrist. When I looked back, Molly was behind me, fear in her eyes.

My stomach sank.

“Romeo, don’t,” she begged.

A war broke out within me. Michaels needed to pay for talking about my girl like that, but the way she was looking at me, like I was letting her down, was killing me.

Michaels laughed, and my decision was made. “Get the f**k back, Mol,” I ordered and pushed her away. She let go of my arm, and my attention refocused on the smug face below me.

I lifted my arm again, but Mol suddenly shouted, “Romeo, stop. Now. You’re better than this!”

Wincing at her words, I stalled, Michaels taking advantage to sneer, “Yeah, Romeo, stop. Listen to your girl.”

With one last glance at Molly and her devastated face, I sagged. What the f**k was I doing? Here I was trying to be better for her, be what she deserved, so I would listen and back away this time.

But only for her.

Looking down at Michaels, I spat, “You’re lucky I don’t cave your f**kin’ skull in, but I won’t do it in front of my girl.”

I stood abruptly and, seeing Molly behind me, racked with nerves, I held her to my chest, breathing in the vanilla on her skin, using it to simmer the hell down.

Glancing up, I saw Michaels being lifted off the floor by his teammates, and he brought two fingers to his mouth and spread them open, flicking his tongue toward Molly’s back. It took all the strength I had not to go after him, the pervert.

“Fuck off, Michaels, and get outta my sight before I change my f**kin’ mind and end you!” I shouted, commending his friends for dragging his dumb ass away.

I held on to Molly, the motion of her hands on my back gradually calming me down. After a few minutes, I confessed, “I should’ve beaten him good after what he said.” I didn’t go any further into the specifics, couldn’t bring myself to repeat them.

Pulling back and meeting my eyes, Mol said, “No, you shouldn’t have. What would’ve been the point? We both knew that you being in an ‘official’ relationship was going to cause some talk.”

“Yeah, but he’s had it coming for a long time, babe. He f**kin’ deserves a good beat down.”

I could see her thinking, always f**king thinking. Staring me straight in the eye, she asked, “Why was he so hostile towards you in the first place?”

Shit! I never wanted my past to affect her. I was so ashamed of the way I’d been living before she came into my life.

“What?” she asked, swallowing in apprehension at my refusal to speak.

“I… I—” Dammit! I couldn’t tell her… She’d hate me, be ashamed.

Golden eyes clouded and she pressed, “You what?”

I panicked. I didn’t want what we’d just found with each other to be put in jeopardy. I needed her to still want me the same as this morning, as last night.

“Just spit it out, Rome,” she said, but this time with much more force.

Focusing on the ground, I admitted, “I f**ked his girl a few months back.”

Looking back up, I could see the disappointment in her expression and she stepped back, hands out in dismissal, rejecting me.

Fucking Michaels!

“Now you’re pissed at me. I’m totally kicking his ass now!”

I couldn’t take that look of censure in her eyes, but when I turned to go, a soft hand gripped mine. “Leave him,” she whispered quietly.

“You’re pissed, aren’t you?”

“Well, I’m not exactly doing backflips on hearing that you shagged his girlfriend, am I?”