I turned to see Fighter coming back up onto the roof. He looked the way he’d come before, closing the door behind him and stalking toward me, and before I could say or do anything he slammed a heavy fist into my jaw. My teeth smashed together painfully, and blood filled my mouth as I stumbled back.
“What the fuck?” I roared out, reaching for him. I grabbed his T-shirt in my hands and he held his hands up in surrender. “What are you doing, you fuckin’ asshole?” I yelled, letting go of his T-shirt. I rubbed at my jaw. Fucker had hit me with everything he had. No holds barred. And I rubbed my tongue along my teeth, feeling that one at the back had come loose.
I glared up at him. “Answer me, motherfucker!”
“Just seeing if I could knock some sense into you, brother,” he growled out, and I glared even harder. “Because unless Ripped has given you permission to touch that fine piece of ass that he calls his woman, then I’m certain that you must have a death wish.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, picking up my bottle of beer from earlier. It was warm by then but I didn’t care. I downed the entire thing in one long swallow and put it back down before turning back to Fighter.
“I’m serious. You need to reel that shit back in, brother. Bitch is fine as fuck but she’s Ripped’s old lady and you need to keep your hands to yourself,” he said seriously. “I ain’t ready to lose my best friend.”
“Aaah, shit, you really care,” I mocked.
“You’re a fuckin’ idiot, you know that?”
I rubbed at my jaw again. “Yeah, yeah, tell me somethin’ I don’t already know.”
He glared at me and shook his head. “I’m fucking serious.”
“So am I,” I said. “Besides, she ain’t his wife.”
“She’s as good as.” He shook his head again, clearly exasperated with me. Couldn’t really blame him because I felt the same way. “We have rules, fuckface, and I’m sure as hell that one of them is not to take another brother’s woman to bed.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I grumbled. “I fucking know that, Fighter.”
“Then keep your distance before someone other than me walks in on you and Ripped ends up putting a bullet in your brain.”
I cracked my knuckles and stared out across the roof. “I know, but I can’t leave her alone.”
“You have to.”
“I can’t!” I yelled.
“Fucking learn to!”
“You ever wanted something so bad you’d risk everything for one last taste? That even just the thought of it made you feel like you were going insane? It made you feel sick because you wanted it so much and you knew, you just fuckin’ knew deep down in your soul that it was what you’d been searching for your whole damned life?”
He snorted on a dark laugh and I nodded.
“Well then you get it, Fighter. You know.” I raised my eyes to meet his and he gave a shake of his head.
“You saying her pussy is like a drug?” he snorted on a laugh. “Like coke or some shit? Cuz maybe I need a little taste of it then.”
I growled and he smirked and held his hands up again. “Just seeing how serious you was.”
Fighter had been my best friend my entire life, but I had no qualms about knocking out every one of his fucking teeth if he even looked at Quinn like he was thinking about her pussy.
“Real fuckin’ serious,” I growled. “Truth is, I ain’t even got that far, brother. It ain’t for lack of trying though,” I said, dragging a hand down my face.
“So nail her and walk away. She’ll keep her mouth shut if she wants to live, right? Fuck her out of your system and then let her go.” He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Pussy is pussy, brother, but if you really must have this pussy then do it quickly and move on from her. I’ve got your back, you know I do. But don’t string this shit out, okay?” Fighter patted my shoulder. “Ripped ain’t dumb, and he’s got feelings for that woman. Any man with eyes in his head can see that.”
“I can’t do that,” I said.
“Why the fuck not?” he asked, lighting a cigarette and handing it to me.
“It just ain’t that simple.” I took a drag from the cigarette as he lit one for himself.
“Pussy never is,” he said on a heavy sigh, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
