She shrieked and hopped out of bed, knowingexactlywhat I was capable of. While I was shy, kind, and usually the type to steer clear of drama, this kind of betrayal and disrespect demanded a reaction, and I was going to give it to both of them. First, by beating up the bitch who thought it was smart to sleep with my man, in my home, and second, by having that same man beat up by my brother.
I chased her out of the room, down the hall, and outside, not giving a fuck that she was naked. She stumbled on a rock, slowing down enough for me to grab her hair and toss her across the driveway. Staggering, Natasha stood and lifted her hands in surrender, but that did nothing to sway me.
“Please, Eli!” She sobbed, but those crocodile tears only made me laugh. They were just as fake as she was.
“How long?” I asked, squaring up and circling her while Justin rushed outside behind us. He’d taken the time to slip into his boxers and shoes.
“Eli, plea?—”
“How long!” I yelled, popping her in the center of her face. Not sure why I asked her a question because I knew the chance of her being able to respond would be extremely low. Not bothering to wait, I hit her again, and she crumbled onto the concrete. Before I could kick her in her face, Justin grabbed my arm and yanked. “Get the fuck off me!” I roared, punching him in his nose and neck.
“Argh!” he yelled, grabbing both and stumbling back.
Straddling Natasha, I punched her six more times before Justin had regained himself and picked me up. He carried me to my car and put me inside before carrying an unconscious Natasha into the house. It took a lot to get me mad, but when I was mad, it took even more to calm me down. I hopped out of the car, prepared to go and do more damage, when I realized a few of our neighbors were outside recording me.
That was the only thing that started to calm me down.
Regardless of how much I didn’t want to be famous, . . . I was. I had a reputation—a brand. I was a lover girl. What would my fans think if they saw me beating the hell out of my best friend, regardless of the reason?
My chest heaved as I stared at them, unable to move.
“Get in the car,” Justin commanded through gritted teeth, shoving me toward the car. “I fucked up.Wefucked up, but don’t let us fuck your career up. Go somewhere and calm down, Eli. We’ll talk later.”
He leaned forward and started my car, then tossed my purse onto the passenger seat.
For a while, all I could do was stare at him. While a part of me wanted to appreciate him caring about my image and career, the other part of me couldn’t get the image of him eating Natasha’s pussy out of my head. Before I could stop myself, I smacked him three times and tried to hop out of the car, not realizing he’d fastened my seat belt around me.
With a cocky smile, Justin took steps back as his mouth started to bleed. He pointed toward me, as if there was more he wanted to do or say, then walked away.
With haste, I reversed and pulled out of the driveway. For a second, I had no clear destination in mind as I drove with tears pouring from my eyes. Then, it hit me. There was only one person who could make this day better—my brother. I made my way to his home and planned to stay there. He was coming home tomorrow, and the day couldn’t end fast enough.
My heart was pounding out of my chest, and it got to a point where I felt like I could barely breathe. Pulling over on the side of the road, I lifted my hands and placed them on top of my head. As I took in short, choppy breaths, I sobbed.
This couldnotbe my fucking life.
Chapter
Three
Falcon Cameron Grove
Hundreds of Miles Away
This partying shitwas getting played out. I’d been to so many day parties, lounges, and clubs this week that I’d lost track. I didn’t even know what day it was until Isaac started complaining about his sister spending Valentine’s Day alone back in Rose Valley Hills.
I could admit, I was attracted to Eli and had a little crush on her since we met about eight years ago. Isaac came with the typicalmy sister is off-limitsspiel, so I never allowed myself to consider anything happening between us. The closer Isaac and I got, the more I was able to get to know Eli, which made me like and respect her more. Regardless of how much I liked her, I’d never try to cross that line with her. Too much was at stake.
Not only did Isaac and I have to be in sync for the team, but we were best friends as well. Plus, football was all I had. I wouldn’t risk destroying our record, my image, or my friendship for romance. Love took too much effort, and everything I had, I put on the field.
“Fuck,” Isaac grumbled, hopping from his seat.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, ready to handle whatever had his brows wrinkling and a frown covering his face.
As his hand slid down his face, Isaac sighed. “I sent baby love some shit earlier, but I wasn’t expecting things to go left. She caught her nigga cheating”—his eyes lifted and met mine—“with her best friend.”
“Damn! Is she good? I mean . . . I know she’s not good . . . but damn.”
Honestly, I was at a loss for words. I would have had empathy for anyone in her situation, but it was especially frustrating knowing someone was treating a woman I cared about so horribly. She didn’t deserve that shit, and Justin was a damn fool to cheat on her with Natasha or anyone else for that matter. While I wasn’t naïve enough to believe Eli was perfect, she was close. She was kind, sincere, fun, loyal, and too good for his bitch ass. If I ever had a chance with her, not only would I treat her well enough to never lose her, but I’d make sure the world knew how to come behind a woman that was a man’s treasure. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
