“We just met. Let's party a little.”
West pulled me back toward him and held his beer bottle out to me. “Hold this.”
“What?” I said, reaching for it.
“ If I hit him with it, he'll bleed to death,” West said, his eyes locked on Jake
I stared at West. He was deadly serious and I felt my skin prickle with something other than desire. Fear.
It didn't last. Because suddenly I felt a hand on my ass. A hand that didn't belong to West. I whirled around.
“ Come on, baby,” Jake said in my ear. “West won't mind sharing.”
Before I could say anything, West's fist rocketed past my face into Jake's jaw. He bumped me with his shoulder and I stumbled to the side.
West was on top of Jake in the sand, his left hand on his chest, his right rising up then crashing down into Jake's jaw, over and over. The two friends finally jumped into the mix and it took both of them to pull West off. The crowd roared. West spun and hit the tall, skinny guy in the nose, a fountain of blood spurting into the air as he fell onto his back. I screamed. The shaved head had hold of West's left arm but that wasn't enough to hold him back. West drove his elbow into his throat and the guy dropped to the sand, gasping for breath.
A guy I hadn't seen before came out of the cheering crowd, bigger than West, wearing no shirt and a pair of board shorts. Blond hair down to his shoulders and a jagged white scar running horizontal across his chest. He grabbed West around the middle and my stomach dropped. I barely knew my date but the last thing I wanted to see was some guy kick the shit out of him. But he didn't. He held West tight as he struggled, dragging him from the prone bodies on the sand.
The guy smiled at me with emerald green eyes. “West kinda struggles with first impressions.”
West was huffing and puffing, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. He shrugged out of the guy's grip, his eyes narrowed, his jaw set. He spun around, but the blond guy stayed planted between him and Jake.
“You're done,” the blond guy said to West. “Don't be stupid. Let it go.”
West's chest heaved, his eyes focused on Jake, who was being helped from the sand. Kayla crouched next to him, clutching his arm. The other two were slowly being lifted up.
The blond guy looked over West's shoulder. “You must be Abby.”
I didn't think about why this guy knew my name. All I could focus on was what I'd just seen. I'd witnessed fights before, but nothing so vicious, nothing so violent and fast. I didn't like it.
I set West's beer bottle down in the sand and rubbed my hands against the sides of my shorts. And then I headed for the stairs.
“ No,” I said, trudging through the sand, past both him and West. “I must be leaving.”
TWELVE
“Wait.”
West called after me but I didn't turn around. I slipped my flips off and hurried down the beach, kicking up a spray of sand as I walked.
A hand grabbed my shoulder but I jerked away.
“ Don't touch me,” I hissed.
“ Huh. Pretty sure you were singing a different tune just a few minutes ago.”
I whirled on him, my hands clenched at my sides. “Well, that was before you decided to go all Call of Duty on me.”
“I can explain.”
I shook my head. “You know what? I don't really care why you did it.”
“Well, I want to explain.”
“ Too bad.” I turned around and kept walking.
“ Montgomery.”
I slowed. “What?”
“My last name.” His voice was low. “Since you didn't get a chance to ask.”
If he'd said anything else, I would have kept going. Kept walking to my car without looking back, And that would have been the end of West.
But there was something in the tone of his voice. Apologetic. Resigned. Pleading.
I sighed. I knew what I should do. I should keep walking down the beach and forget I ever met West Montgomery.
But I was done doing things I was supposed to do.
I stopped walking. “Fine.”
We'd made our way back down the beach, close to the
West pulled me back toward him and held his beer bottle out to me. “Hold this.”
“What?” I said, reaching for it.
“ If I hit him with it, he'll bleed to death,” West said, his eyes locked on Jake
I stared at West. He was deadly serious and I felt my skin prickle with something other than desire. Fear.
It didn't last. Because suddenly I felt a hand on my ass. A hand that didn't belong to West. I whirled around.
“ Come on, baby,” Jake said in my ear. “West won't mind sharing.”
Before I could say anything, West's fist rocketed past my face into Jake's jaw. He bumped me with his shoulder and I stumbled to the side.
West was on top of Jake in the sand, his left hand on his chest, his right rising up then crashing down into Jake's jaw, over and over. The two friends finally jumped into the mix and it took both of them to pull West off. The crowd roared. West spun and hit the tall, skinny guy in the nose, a fountain of blood spurting into the air as he fell onto his back. I screamed. The shaved head had hold of West's left arm but that wasn't enough to hold him back. West drove his elbow into his throat and the guy dropped to the sand, gasping for breath.
A guy I hadn't seen before came out of the cheering crowd, bigger than West, wearing no shirt and a pair of board shorts. Blond hair down to his shoulders and a jagged white scar running horizontal across his chest. He grabbed West around the middle and my stomach dropped. I barely knew my date but the last thing I wanted to see was some guy kick the shit out of him. But he didn't. He held West tight as he struggled, dragging him from the prone bodies on the sand.
The guy smiled at me with emerald green eyes. “West kinda struggles with first impressions.”
West was huffing and puffing, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. He shrugged out of the guy's grip, his eyes narrowed, his jaw set. He spun around, but the blond guy stayed planted between him and Jake.
“You're done,” the blond guy said to West. “Don't be stupid. Let it go.”
West's chest heaved, his eyes focused on Jake, who was being helped from the sand. Kayla crouched next to him, clutching his arm. The other two were slowly being lifted up.
The blond guy looked over West's shoulder. “You must be Abby.”
I didn't think about why this guy knew my name. All I could focus on was what I'd just seen. I'd witnessed fights before, but nothing so vicious, nothing so violent and fast. I didn't like it.
I set West's beer bottle down in the sand and rubbed my hands against the sides of my shorts. And then I headed for the stairs.
“ No,” I said, trudging through the sand, past both him and West. “I must be leaving.”
TWELVE
“Wait.”
West called after me but I didn't turn around. I slipped my flips off and hurried down the beach, kicking up a spray of sand as I walked.
A hand grabbed my shoulder but I jerked away.
“ Don't touch me,” I hissed.
“ Huh. Pretty sure you were singing a different tune just a few minutes ago.”
I whirled on him, my hands clenched at my sides. “Well, that was before you decided to go all Call of Duty on me.”
“I can explain.”
I shook my head. “You know what? I don't really care why you did it.”
“Well, I want to explain.”
“ Too bad.” I turned around and kept walking.
“ Montgomery.”
I slowed. “What?”
“My last name.” His voice was low. “Since you didn't get a chance to ask.”
If he'd said anything else, I would have kept going. Kept walking to my car without looking back, And that would have been the end of West.
But there was something in the tone of his voice. Apologetic. Resigned. Pleading.
I sighed. I knew what I should do. I should keep walking down the beach and forget I ever met West Montgomery.
But I was done doing things I was supposed to do.
I stopped walking. “Fine.”
We'd made our way back down the beach, close to the
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