And then all hell breaks loose.
I'm proud to say that ten years of football serve me well as I spring forward, knocking Hartley off her before tackling him to the ground. He makes a few garbled noises as I land on top of him. He and I are more evenly matched in the weight department but I have rage on my side. And then my fists are flying, smashing into his face at warp speed. Man, it's such a satisfying feeling when your fist slams into flesh and bone.
I'm yelling- but I have no idea what's spewing out of my mouth. I'm so effing pissed right now. Pissed that he would dare to take something from Jordan, from any girl really, that she wasn't willing to give.
At this point, I've punched him so many times that I've lost count. He's trying his damnedest to fight me off which only makes this doubly satisfying. And then someone grabs me from behind and I find myself being pulled away from him. But I'm not quite ready to stop pummeling the bastard for what he tried doing to Jordan. And that's when I remember that Jordan is still here, probably watching all this.
"Come on, dude, his face is a serious mess. You've done enough damage."
The red haze that came over me at the sight of Hartley hurting her, slowly begins to recede until I'm once again staring at him. His face is bloodied. I'm sure he'll have two shiners in the morning along with an assortment of other bumps and bruises. If I'm lucky, maybe a contusion or two. The dude deserves to have his ass beat way worse than what I just did.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I can't help but bellow the words as I continue struggling against Max. Because damn it, I just want to continue smashing his face in until there is nothing recognizable left.
Holding my eyes, he touches his busted lip. "She's a cock tease, man. She was totally asking for it."
My hands instantly ball into fists and all I want is to freaking smash one of them right into his face again when Max tightens his hold on me. "Don't do it," he says calmly, "Let's just get out of here. You should probably take Jordan home anyway."
"I wouldn't waste your time with that one, Montgomery, she's-"
Max has yet to slacken his hold but still I struggle to go after Hartley. "Just shut your fucking mouth right now before I beat the shit out of you!"
He laughs before his hard eyes slide to Jordan. "You're a real bitch, you know that?"
"That's it," I growl continuing to fight against Max's tight grasp. I just want to shut him up. I don't want him speaking to her or about her again. Not ever.
"Please Parker, I want to go home." Her voice breaks. "Please, just take me home."
It's the first time that Jordan has said anything. I shake off Max's hands before standing up. Max slides between me and Hartley so I can't get to the dumb bastard if he decides to open his stupid mouth again. Which I'm sure he will. Even though I want to beat him to a bloody pulp (well, more than I already have), I finally turn my attention towards Jordan. Her hair is a little mussed as if she's been fooling around but none of her clothing is ripped or torn- thank God. But still, I can see just how shaken up she is. Her face is pale and there's a sheen of tears glazing her wide green eyes.
"Are you okay?" Even as I softly ask the question, I know she's not. And it just makes me want to kick Hartley's ass all over again for daring to touch one little hair on her beautiful head.
"She wanted to come up here with me- she was into it before you crashed the party uninvited."
"Shut the fuck up, Hartley, or I swear I'll kill you!" Because right now, looking at Jordan, yeah, I'd totally do it.
I hear him grunt as Max leans down and punches him in the gut. "Dude, shut your stupid pie hole or I'll let Montgomery finish kicking your pathetic ass."
All I can do is hold Jordan's gaze. I just want to gather her up in my arms and never let her go again. Not ever. I've never felt this protective about a girl before. Her arms are wrapped around her middle which makes her look even smaller than she already is.
"I need to get out of here," she says quietly.
I take a deep breath before sliding my arms around her. She flinches for just a moment before relaxing against me which totally makes me want to go berserk but I'm not about to let her go. And then I kiss the top of her head. "Come on, let's go."
For just a moment my eyes slide to Max who's still standing over Hartley. There's a strange look on his face but I have no idea what it means. And frankly, I don't give a crap. I only care about the girl in my arms, she's all that matters. I realize in that moment there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep her safe.
Chapter Sixteen
"Are you sure you're okay?"
I think I've probably asked her this question a hundred times now. Honestly- I can't get the image of Hartley pinning her to the floor out of my mind. Every time it loops through my head, my hands tighten into fists and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to go back to that damn party and smash his face in all over again. And yeah, I got in a couple good hits, but not enough of them (thanks to Max). Not nearly enough to make up for what he tried doing to her.
Needing to calm myself down, I kiss the top of her head which is resting against my chest. Her arms are wrapped around me just like mine are wrapped protectively around her. It's like we're both holding on for dear life in the front seat of my truck as we stare out over the dark water of Lake Michigan. She wasn't ready to go home and I wasn't ready to let her go either.
I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to let her go.
I'm also starting to realize that what Max said the other day is completely true. I am totally whipped over this girl. But unlike before, the thought doesn't bother me. In fact, (and yeah- this is really sick) I think I kind of like it. Of course, I'll be keeping that little tidbit of information to myself for the time being. After all, I have a reputation to maintain. Although, admittedly, I'm caring less and less about that with the passing of each day.
"I'm fine, Parker. Really." She inhales a long shuddering breath before pushing it out slowly. "I'm just glad you got there when you did."
That’s one hell of a major understatement. One I can’t stop thinking about.
I haven’t exactly mentioned this yet... but it keeps circling round and round in my head. And so it’s gently that I ask, "Do you think we should go to the police and file a report or something? He shouldn’t get away with what he tried doing to you."
Almost instantly Jordan stills in my arms. I'm almost wondering if she’ll answer when she whispers, "No," her voice becomes even more hushed. "I don't want to do that. I just want to forget it ever happened."
I'll admit that I'm conflicted because part of me thinks that douche bag should pay big time for trying to hurt Jordan. But another part doesn't want to push her into doing something she's obviously uncomfortable with. She's already been through enough tonight. I tighten my hold on her because I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if I hadn't charged up those stairs when I did. All these what-ifs keep flashing through my head. They're literally driving me insane.
What if I'd stayed outside with Max a little bit longer?
What if Max had just wanted to leave the party?
What if I'd lost track of time and never realized she was missing?
What if I hadn't run into Lindsey?
Any other decision on my part could have had tonight's outcome turning out radically different. And it makes me physically sick every time I think about it.
So tell me, how am I seriously supposed to let this girl out of my sight? Even for one damn minute?
I've got four words for you- not going to happen.
This girl has no idea what she's just unleashed within me. Frankly, I'm a little taken aback by the protectiveness surging through me at the moment.
The sound of my cell phone cuts through the thick silence now blanketing the truck. Fishing it out of my pocket, I glance down at the screen. It's my parents. I press ignore and send it to voicemail before tightening my arms around her once again.
"I won't let him hurt you." Actually, as I just
stated previously, I won't be letting anyone hurt her ever again.
A shaky little laugh escapes from her lips. "Well, I don't plan on putting myself in that kind of situation ever again." She pauses. "I just never thought... he would do something like that."
You know what? I never liked that dude.
No, really... and it's not just because he was going out with Jordan (okay, maybe a little bit). But, seriously, I never had anything for Chris Hartley. He always struck me as a conceited tool. Which clearly, after tonight, he totally is. Actually, he's much worse than that. Now I have even less for him. In fact, that kid better steer clear of me from now on because he is so on my shit list. And yeah, I have one. It's called The Parker Montgomery Shit List and trust me, you don't want to find yourself on it. Right now Chris Hartley is the top shit on my list. Of course, Psycho-Crazy-I'm-going-To-Make-Out-With-Another-Dude-Right-In-Front-Of-My-Freaking-Boyfriend's-Face (seriously, who does that?) has the number two slot on that infamous list after all the drama she pulled tonight. I'm really praying hard that Max will finally kick that bad habit to the curb.
But I'm not going to get my hopes up too high though because we all know just how many times this has happened before. Yeah, I'm not even going to get into that right now.
He is so effing screwed in the head over that chick it's not even funny. And I'm totally serious about finding him a nice normal girl. Of course, he probably wouldn't even know what to do with a girl like that. And I'm not sure how many nice normal girls would be willing to put up with his BS (not to be confused with BDSM) but still... I'm going to start working on that pronto. There's got to be someone better than Crazy Pants with a Capital C out there for him. I mean, come on, there's just gotta be...
My phone rings again.
And then again... it's the parental unit. Weird. But still, I send it to voicemail. It's probably my dad wanting to harass me some more about college. And yeah, I really do need to get on that...
"So I was thinking that we should probably start using the buddy system from now on." I gently kiss the top of her head again if only to reassure myself that she's really safely tucked away in my arms.
I hear her stifle a little chuckle before saying, "The buddy system?"
"Yeah, you know, like in kindergarten. Partnering up for safety reasons so one of us doesn't get lost. Now if you prefer to think of it like the Marines- no man left behind, you can. That's going to be us from now on."
She looks as though she's mulling over the idea. And listen, whether she wants it or not, it's going to happen because you know what, I'm the dude in this relationship and what I say-
"I guess if it's for safety reasons then we should do it."
Yep, she's darn lucky that she agreed before I had to get all hard assed about it... and you know, beg and plead until she sees it my way.
"Well, it's definitely not because I like you or anything crazy like that." My eyes slide to hers. Because I so like-like her that it's not even funny anymore. But then again, I'm not sure if it was ever funny...
"Nope, we're just a couple of random friends who need to stick together when we're at parties. Good idea."
"No, I was thinking more along the lines of anytime you leave the house, we should use the buddy system. I can be your go-to guy." I turn the idea over in my head a few more times. "Kind of like your very own personal bodyguard." Because from now on I totally plan on guarding that body... oh yeah...
She hits my chest with her hand. "Be serious, will you."
I tilt her face up towards mine so I can look directly into her beautiful green eyes. "Trust me, sweetheart, I couldn't be more serious." It's almost cute the way she thinks I'm playing around... of course, I'm not and sooner or later she's going to realize that.
She holds my eyes, searching them silently. After a long moment she finally says, "You're nothing like what I expected."
The corners of my lips twitch upwards. "Are you saying I'm not as smoking hot as you'd always heard I was? Because I'll be honest with you, that kind of hurts my feelings."
Again she slaps at my chest. A small smile curves her lips upwards. "No! I mean you're not the guy I thought you'd be. You know, from all the stories I'd heard..."
"I guess I'll take that as a compliment since you pretty much told me I was nothing more than a walking STD."
A genuine smile spills across her lips and I can tell she's thinking about the first time we met. "Well, weren't you?"
I don't even hesitate. "Yeah, pretty much." Okay... so I've never actually had an STD... but I get the point she's trying to make. Apparently my reputation as a ladies man has proceeded me. And, well, Marissa Sandberg's antics only reconfirmed that notion.
Just a little side note- I have a strict rule when it comes to going all the way with chicks- no glove, no love. That's my motto because I sure as hell don't need some oozing sore on my you-know-what... Enough said.
Then she says more seriously, "I don't think that about you anymore, Parker. You've actually turned out to be one of the good guys."
"Total shocker, right?"
She tilts her face until our lips are touching before whispering against my mouth, "Yeah, but it's a good kind of shocker."
Without another word, she slowly slides her lips across mine and you better believe that things are heating up downstairs. I'm pretty much standing at attention like I'm saluting a five star general. Which after the whole Naked Natalie fiasco- (totally scarring experience by the way) I almost want to get up and do a little victory dance, but I'll refrain from making a total asshat out of myself. This time anyway. Also, doing a happy dance would require me to let go of her and that's not going to happen anytime soon. Because this is exactly what I've been waiting for- her in my arms, our bodies wrapped around one another (okay- so maybe I pictured us naked but I'll take it), where I can take my sweet time exploring her mouth.
Even though I want that more than anything, I find myself slowly pulling away until I can kiss the tip of her adorable little nose. Yeah, I know- totally barfy but I can't help it. This girl is perfect. Everything about her is so freaking perfect. I've already said it a multitude of times but I'm in so deep that I'm all but drowning in her. Yeah, that’s right- I just used the word multitude correctly in a sentence…
"Why are you pulling away?"
I shrug my shoulders feeling uncomfortable about the direction my lecherous thoughts have taken. The last thing I want is for her to think that I'm looking for a little thank-you-for rescuing-me-adoration (of the sexual kind which I normally wouldn't be opposed to). "I just thought with what happened... you know..."
"You're not Chris." She frowns as her voice hardens. "You could never be anything like him."
True that.
I'm nothing like that douche bag. I may not have a spotless record where the ladies are concerned but I've never forced anyone to do anything they didn't want to do. Another wave of anger rolls through me as I think about Hartley trying to force himself on her. "I would never hurt you." My eyes slide away from hers before I add, "And FYI- I've never felt this way about anyone else before." In my life. I'm not going to lie- it's a little scary. But it's turning out to be a good kind of scary- like when you're sitting at the tippy top of a huge ass rollercoaster right before it plunges straight down to the bottom. Of course, I'm going to try my best not to scream like a little girl. Or puke my guts out.
"I’ve never felt like this either," she confesses quietly.
I can't deny how relieved I am to hear her admit that. Thank God it's not just me who feels this way. We're both in this together because it would seriously suck some major ass to be wanting this girl in the worst kind of way only to have her not give a damn...
Okay, so you're probably thinking that it would be some pretty righteous payback to have this girl drop me on my ass for all the times I've left some chick hanging... and I don't necessarily disagree with that statement but just the same, I'm glad she's into me as much as I'm into her.
Closin
g the distance separating us, Jordan lays her lips softly against mine. Everything about the way she touches me is gentle, tentative almost. A groan escapes from my lips as I open my mouth to her. And yeah, of course I want nothing more than to go to town all over her sweet mouth, but I'm not going to. I'm using a little something I like to call restraint- it's a totally new concept for me. But like I said before- I'm not about to push this girl. Especially after what Hartley did. It's a promise that I've made to myself and I won't be breaking it.
"Here's a little FYI for you in return," she whispers against my lips, "I've never been with a guy before."
I pull back just a bit. "You've never made out?" I'm sure the look on my face is completely priceless. Because come on, she's seventeen and she's totally banging. Of course she's fooled around ... right?
"No," she laughs nervously, "I've never slept with anyone before."
I can feel my brows sliding together. "But you said that you've been with guys like me ..."
And unfortunately I know exactly what guys like me are after... In all honesty, I thought Jordan had some experience under her belt. At least that’s always been my impression... she just seemed so capable of handling herself. So confident. And so not afraid to put me in my place. Which, yes, I totally love (again, incredibly sick- I'm in no way denying it).
She takes another deep breath before saying, "I was in a relationship last year... and I kind of thought that he would be the one to, well- you know..."
Yeah, I do know and even though I don't know the guy she's talking about, I already hate the dude.
"He was a player," she eyes me for a moment and I'll admit that I squirm under the intensity of her green gaze because I remember just how adamant she was about relegating me to that dreaded place called the friend zone. "But I was in love with him," then she quickly amends before shrugging, "Well, I thought I was in love with him..." Looking away, her words trail off.
Confessions of a Heartbreaker Page 14