Page 163 of Something So Strong

“I bet she still thinks about me when you fuck her.”

For that, I get another blow to my left shoulder.

I try to protect myself as best I can, but I’ll happily take everything he has to give me because I know my words are hurting him more than the bruises I’ll be left with.

“She always said you were a dud lay.”

“Fuck you!” Josh hollers down at me. “You don’t know shit!”

“I know she just tried to give me her number.”

“Fucking whore,” he mutters, easing up to run his hands through his hair. “You know we’re engaged?”

With my will to fight fleeting, I lean my head against the side of the dumpster and watch him pace back and forth. “You’re still as insecure as ever.”

“Real smart words from a man in your position.”

With a grunt, I maneuver to my knees. “I’m not worried about my position.”

With his perceived manhood on the line, Josh marches back to me and pins me against the wall with his knee in my chest before reaching for my neck.

“How many dicks did you have to suck to afford this?” He tugs at Jesse’s scarf, pulling it away. I try to grab it, but it’s tossed beyond my reach right before his hand wraps around my throat.

His fingers feel like scorching irons melting my skin. How dare he try to take our thing—mine and Jesse’s—and ruin it like this?

“You can’t turn a whore into a housewife.” I manage to pluck the words from somewhere and hope Millie will forgive me for them. “We both know she would jump to the better cock in a heartbeat… And you’re forgetting, I know from experience that you can’t fuck for shit!”

“Stop!” her voice screeches just in front of me. Whoever she is. Kai clearly knows her though, because as soon as they spoke, he bolted.

Ignoring the server trying to take our order, I stood and watched her chase after him to the door. Then, without so much as an apology, I was hot on her tail. She was worried then—weaving in and out of people and calling Kai’s name like her life depended on finding him.

She made it all the way to the end of the High Street before circling back around. I don’t know what made her turn down this alley, but it’s clear she found what she’s looking for. The only problem is I don’t see Kai.

“Josh! Stop!” she screams at the top of her lungs at the man half hidden beside a dumpster.

Josh?

Josh!

He doesn’t acknowledge the woman who obviously knows him, which sickens me further, and I’m behind him before he can even finish drawing back his fist.

Villainous eyes snap to where I’m holding his elbow and he bares his teeth, not even bothering to ease up on the hold he has on Kai.

My Kai. Not his. No one gets to put their hands on him but me.

Taller. Bigger than both of us. I use his arrogance to my advantage. And when he spits, “Who the fuck are you?” at me, I grab his wrist and wrench it back until I feel his elbow crack free from its socket in the palm of my hand.

He cries out in agony and spins to take a swing at me with his non-dominant hand, but I’m used to being underestimated. And fuck him for thinking he can ruin my pretty face. Only one man has the right to do that, and it sure as hell isn’t this cunt.

Ducking free of his fist, I pop up and slam my elbow against the left side of his jaw. Following through, I wait for him to straighten enough to reverse and swing my elbow back against the other side.

Dazed and confused, he stumbles forward—his good hand still scrunched into a fist like he has the cognizance to even know up from down.

“Are you alright?” I reach out to Kai and he jumps into my arms. He isn’t bleeding, but his eyes are red and his jacket is filthy.

“Watch out!” the woman shrieks again, and I push Kai back against the wall out of the way.

Josh throws another wayward punch and struggles to gain his footing.

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