ASHER
I made it through the rest of the day by sheer force of will. Classes were a blur of pain and whispered conversations that stopped whenever I entered the room. Everyone was talking about the fight, about how Reed Jackson had destroyed the new kid who’d been stupid enough to challenge him.
I ignored them all.
By the ti evening ca, I was ready to collapse. My ribs ached with every breath, my face throbbed, and the painkillers were wearing off.
I was heading back to my dorm when soone stepped out of the shadows and blocked my path.
It was no other person than Reed Jackson, the one who had destroyed my last will.
My heart kicked into overdrive.
He looked... different. Still intimidating as hell, still radiating that dangerous Alpha energy, but there was sothing in his expression I couldn’t quite read.
"We need to talk," Reed said.
"I have nothing to say to you," I replied, trying to step around him.
Reed’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm. Not hard, not like he’d done during the fight, but firm enough to stop .
"I said we need to talk," he repeated, his voice dropping to that dark, commanding tone that made my stomach flip.
"Let go of ," I said, trying to break free from his grasp.
"No." He said, firmly.
We stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills. I could feel the heat of his hand through my sleeve, I could sll his scent, pine and leather and sothing uniquely Reed that made my head spin.
"What do you want?" I finally asked, hating how breathless I sounded.
Reed’s grey eyes bore into mine. "I want to know what your ga is."
"Ga?" I asked, totally confused about what he ant by ga.
"You show up at Stone Claw out of nowhere. You challenge on your first day. You refuse to submit even when you’re clearly outmatched. You—" He stopped, his jaw clenching. "You’re hiding sothing."
My blood ran cold. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I challenged you because you were bullying soone. That needed to be stopped."
"Bullshit." Reed stepped closer, backing against the wall. "I can sll it on you. Sothing’s not right. Your scent is... off."
Oh god. The drugs. He could still sense sothing wrong with the drugs.
"You’re paranoid," I said, forcing steel into my voice. "There’s nothing wrong with my scent."
Reed’s eyes narrowed. "Then why do you sll different from every other Alpha I’ve ever t?"
"Maybe because I’m not from around here. Maybe because you’re obsessed and looking for problems where there aren’t any."
"Obsessed?" Reed’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Is that what you think?"
"Isn’t it obvious?" I asked him and his eyes narrowed.
"You have no idea what obsession looks like, Asher Graham." Reed’s free hand ca up, his fingers ghosting along my jaw. "But you’re going to learn."
My breath caught. His touch was surprisingly gentle considering how brutal he’d been in the ring.
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
"Figuring you out." Reed’s thumb traced my bottom lip, and I had to fight not to lean into the touch. "You intrigue . Piss off. Make want to—" He stopped, his expression darkening. "I don’t like mysteries, and you’re a walking fucking mystery."
"Then stop paying attention to ," I said, even though my traitorous body was screaming the opposite.
"Can’t." Reed’s eyes dropped to my mouth. "Believe , I’ve tried."
The air between us was electric, charged, and dangerous.
"Reed—"
"Shut up," he murmured, and then his mouth was on mine.
The kiss was nothing like I have ever felt before. This was... searching. Almost questioning like Reed was trying to understand sothing through the press of our lips.
I should have pushed him away, I should have kneed him in the balls and run but instead, I kissed him back.
Reed made a low sound in his throat. Was it satisfaction? Triumph? Before he deepened the kiss. His hand slid into my hair, angling my head exactly how he wanted it. His body pressed against mine, pinning to the wall, and goddess help , I lted into it.
This was wrong.... So wrong. Reed Jackson was my enemy, the bully who’d beaten bloody just hours ago. The psychopath who’d made it his mission to destroy , but when he kissed like this, like I was sothing precious and dangerous and necessary all at once, I couldn’t rember why I was supposed to hate him.
Reed pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against mine, both of us breathing hard.
"What are you?" he whispered. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing," I lied.
"Liar." But there was no heat in it. Just... curiosity, and hunger.
He kissed again, harder this ti, and I let him, I let him consu , and I let him take everything I shouldn’t be giving.
When he finally pulled away completely, we were both flushed, both aroused, and both confused as hell.
"This isn’t over," Reed said, his voice rough. "You and . Whatever this is. It’s not over."
"There is no ’you and ,’" I managed to say.
Reed’s smile was all predator. "Keep telling yourself that, princess."
Then he was gone, disappearing down the hallway as if he had never been there at all.
I stood there for a long mont, my fingers touching my swollen lips, my body still thrumming with need.
What the hell just happened? And more importantly: why did part of want it to happen again?
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