As we chatted, I caught several of my old conquests scowling and making fun of Molly from a distance, and my anger was gradually building. But when that basketball cunt, Michaels, the guy who hated me most, saw us, a cruel grin spread across his face. Fuck. He’d been waiting to stir shit with me for months, and he’d just been given the perfect opportunity.

I promised myself if he even came within a few feet of us, I would tear out his f**king heart.

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.”