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 time evening came, 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 someone 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 something 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 me.
"I said we need to talk," he repeated, his voice dropping to that dark, commanding tone that made my stomach flip.
"Let go of me," 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 smell his scent, pine and leather and something 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 game is."
"Game?" I asked, totally confused about what he meant by game.
"You show up at Stone Claw out of nowhere. You challenge me on your first day. You refuse to submit even when you're clearly outmatched. You—" He stopped, his jaw clenching. "You're hiding something."
My blood ran cold. "I don't know what you're talking about, and I challenged you because you were bullying someone. That needed to be stopped."
"Bullshit." Reed stepped closer, backing me against the wall. "I can smell it on you. Something's not right. Your scent is... off."
Oh god. The drugs. He could still sense something 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 smell different from every other Alpha I've ever met?"
"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 came 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 me. Piss me off. Make me want to—" He stopped, his expression darkening. "I don't like mysteries, and you're a walking fucking mystery."
"Then stop paying attention to me," I said, even though my traitorous body was screaming the opposite.
"Can't." Reed's eyes dropped to my mouth. "Believe me, 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 something 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 me to the wall, and goddess help me, I melted into it.
This was wrong…. So wrong. Reed Jackson was my enemy, the bully who'd beaten me bloody just hours ago. The psychopath who'd made it his mission to destroy me, but when he kissed me like this, like I was something precious and dangerous and necessary all at once, I couldn't remember 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 me again, harder this time, and I let him, I let him consume me, 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 me. Whatever this is. It's not over."
"There is no 'you and me,'" 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 moment, my fingers touching my swollen lips, my body still thrumming with need.
What the hell just happened? And more importantly: why did part of me want it to happen again?