𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐞

Chapter 25

I stepped onto the lawn looking around for signs of Dash's vehicle. I spotted the gleam of the sleek silver car and hurried in that direction. I didn't see signs of the tailing vehicle as I looked for Keiran. I had a good idea of where he might be.

I heard the sound of the ball hitting the concrete a split second before the swish of the net. I broke through the trees and spotted Keiran moving swiftly across the court. Even from here I could see him covered in sweat and his shirt clinging to his chest and arms.

He played as if in a trance and I realized that this was his way of hiding from the present and the past. He was using basketball as a defense mechanism to escape from himself. But who was the real Keiran?

"Keiran, stop!" He kept playing though I was close and loud enough for him to hear me. His moves were aggressive as if there was an opponent playing against him. He was in danger of injury at any moment if he kept it up.

I ran onto the court and ripped the basketball out of his hands just as he was going for a jump shot. Desperate hands grabbed me up just before his lips descended on mine. I inhaled his sweaty, masculine scent that intoxicated my senses. The basketball fell listlessly from my hands in favor of his sculpted abdomen that heaved under my touch.

His hands cupped me under my butt, lifting me and I wrapped my legs around his hips and let him carry me... somewhere. His lips never left mine and air became inconsequential to the need to feel him take me.

My back was pressed against a hard surface and only then did he let me stand on my own; but when he started to rip away at my clothing I got an uneasy feeling so I began to push against his shoulders. However, that wasn't enough when he continued to kiss me passionately. He seized my hands above my head and pressed them into the wall behind me.

"Keiran," I managed to say around his plunging tongue. "Keiran, wait." As much as I wanted him, I needed to stop him. He continued to ignore my protests and pressed his body harder against me. "Keiran, stop!" I bit down on his lip before ripping my mouth away.

He shoved away from me and glared at me through narrowed eyes. "Are you fucking telling me no?" I nodded and kept a wary eye on him. He looked as if he would pounce at any moment.

"I can't let you hide behind sex anymore."

"Let me?" he scoffed. "You think I need you to let me?"

"It'd be pretty hard to do without my consent, don't you think?"

"I don't hide," he said, ignoring my question. He fixed his clothes and sat down on a nearby bench with his head lowered. "Why did you come here?" he asked but his voice was disinterested.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were pretty mad and driving recklessly.

He shrugged and looked off into the distance. "It wouldn't be the first time. I can take care of myself." "So can I," I countered.

He turned his head and studied my face. "No, you can't. You're too sheltered. You don't have a clue, girl."

"And you do?"

"More than you would think. I am the monster you would hide under the covers from as a kid."

"You were a kid then too."

"I was never a kid, Lake. I didn't have a childhood. I didn't have parents or a family. I was a body used for selfish gains that hurt people."

"What about your mom?" I asked with a frown. "She wasn't much of a mom. I hardly knew her." "And now? Who are you now?"
"I'm a hopeless fuck who is obsessed with a girl he still wants to hurt." I didn't react to his confession. In truth, I didn't know what to say or do. Obsession was a pretty powerful thing. How deep did his run?