Page 19 of Only The Strong

I walk back into the bar with my arms full of food and find Reese exactly where I thought she’d be, making her way down the wall. “Is this Finn as a kid? Is this the both of you when you got patched?” She walks to sit at the bar in front of the grill.

“Yeah, Finn’s dad owns this place. He says he takes pictures of everything he’s proud of so he can show off his family to the customers of the bar.” I start to reheat the pulled pork on the grill and drop the fries into the fryer.

Reese steps up to sit on a barstool in front of the grill, resting her chin on her hands as she watches me. “Need any help?”

I laugh and start to warm the barbecue sauce and melt some cheese in pots. “Absolutely not. That would be an insult totheRandy Evans’ famous barbecue.”

Reese laughs and tosses a cardboard coaster at my back. “So you and Finn are related?”

I stir my sauces and mix around the pork. “No, even though Randy calls me his son and drunkenly said he was leaving this place to me and Finn when he dies. I met Finn when we started prospecting for the club together; we hit it off really quickly and he started bringing me around here. Randy taught me how to cook at this grill.” I motion to the grill with the spatula.

I pull the fries out and dump them into two to-go containers, topping them with the pork, barbecue sauce, and cheese.

Placing the container in front of Reese, she takes a bite and then looks at me with wide eyes. “This is delicious!”

I laugh, taking a bite of my own. “Did you doubt me, Red?”

She shakes her head, laughing. “No, it just doesn't look that appetizing.”

Between bites, I answer her, because this is fucking delicious. “Finn and I came up with it one night after drinking. Showed it to Randy the next day and he added it to the menu.” I shake my head. “Named it ‘Fallum Fries’.”

Reese’s laugh could damn near be heard in fucking Antarctica. “He shipped you guys together?”

I groan into my fries, “Don’t say it like that.” Reese keeps laughing, tears forming in her eyes, smug little thing. We eat the rest in comfortable silence, and when we’re both finished I pick up the plastic container. “If you’re done mocking me and the great food I slaved over for you, do you want to play some pool or head home?” I jokingly toss at her while I throw our containers into the trash at the end of the bar.

“Pool, I don't want this night to end yet.” She makes her way over to the pool table at the back of the bar, swinging her hips way too fucking perfectly.

I follow behind her, rubbing my hand down my face, no girl has kept my attention for this long and it’s fucking with my head. I switch on the light above the table and set the balls while Reese starts a playlist on the modern jukebox. A soft bass and heavily autotuned voice fill the bar. “I like this.” I hand her a stick so she can break.

“It’s ‘Into It’ by Chase Atlantic. I thought it fit the vibe.” She leans over the table, lines up her stick with the cue ball, and smacks the ball into the middle of the triangle, two make it in; it was a decent shot. Reese is still bent over the table and smiles up at me, and goddamn I've never seen a girl look like the most beautiful angel dropped from heaven and the most seductive vixen all at the same time. My stomach does a flip and I scratch the back of my neck and focus on the table instead of what the fuck my heart just did in my chest. “I guess I’m stripes.” She smiles and walks around the table to find another shot. Lining up another shot, this one she misses. She chuckles. “I”m not that good, but I enjoy playing. I’m also enjoying the company this time around a lot more.” She stares down at the table. “I used to go to a pool hall with my ex a lot, but that usually just ended with us arguing because he was flirting with the waitress or checking out other girls in front of me.” Reese tries to smile, but I can tell it still hurts her, that type of shit hits your ego hard and it’s not easy to let go of.

My blood boils at the pain and insecurity she must have felt, probably still feels. I brush past her, laying a hand on her waist as I pass because I just can’t fucking resist touching her. I line up my shot, sinking it because I'm a damn pool shark. “Your ex was a fucking idiot.” I sink another shot. Reese leans against the table, resting her hip right in my line. Of course the next shot I miss because I'm too busy watching the curve of her hip.

Reese laughs and looks for a shot.

I figure throwing questions back at her is a good distraction. “What about your family?”

Reese finds a shot and starts to line it up. “We’re pretty close. I’m an only child and my mom stayed home most of the time, so she and I are best friends.”

I rub chalk on my stick, watching her. “Have you told them about your stalker?”

She’s bent over the table, about to take her shot, and she quickly glances up at me and then back down to her cue. “No, it would scare them too much and one of them would come down here. I don't want to bring either of them into this.”

She misses again by the way, and the mood needs to be lifted after that last question. “You’re not very good, babe.” This gets me a shocked face. “I’ll let you have a free shot to catch up.” Now she’s glaring at me, but her glare just makes me laugh because she still looks too sweet to be angry. Reese swishes over, swinging her hips and keeping eye contact the whole time, she steps in between me and the table and bends over the table just inches in front of my dick. The cue ball isn’t even on this side of the table so I know she's doing this deliberately. I decide to test how far she’s willing to take her taunt. I take a step forward, our bodies molding together and my cock hardening. I place one hand beside her on the table and I glide the other up the side of her leg and then set it on the table too, caging her in. I lean forward to whisper in her ear, “Are you trying to distract me, Red?” She shudders and goosebumps rise on her arms. Smirking, I move above her and lick up the column of her neck to her ear.

Reese pushes her ass farther back into my dick and moves her hips side to side. “Is it working?” Her voice is breathy, and there goes any restraint I might have had.

I stand up and turn her around all in one movement. Our mouths crash together and we kiss like we’re fucking starving for each other because honestly, that’s how it feels right now. She finally parts her lips for me and my tongue dives in, claiming her. I unbutton her jeans and start to slide them down her sexy legs. She gasps and pulls away, looking around the bar. “There aren't any cameras,” I assure her and she looks back at me and nods, giving me consent to continue. I move my mouth to her neck, biting and sucking while my hand slides under her shirt and into her bra. I roll her nipple between my fingers and she throws her head back moaning.

Her head comes back to look at me, her eyelids half closed. “We’re friends right?”

I bring my fingers to my mouth and suck on them. “Of course, Red.” I put my wet fingers back into her bra and roll her nipples again.

Another moan leaves her mouth before she whispers, “And this is just sex?”

I pause as I'm leaning into her neck. Of course this is just sex, I’ve been trying to convince everyone of that all night.Then why does hearing her say that make my stomach turn into knots?Probably because the thought of her being ‘friendly’ like this with anyone else makes me fucking homicidal, but I can’t do relationships, I can’t go there again. “Yeah, babe, just sex.”It has to be.

She pulls my face into hers and Ilift her to sit on the pool table, pulling her jeans the rest of the way off. She lays down and I kiss up the inside of her thighs until I get to her sweet hot center. I push her lacy panties to the side and start worshiping her pussy. My tongue rubs circles over her clit and I slip two fingers inside of her to stroke her perfect spot. Her fists fly into my hair to control my movements, she's moaning and letting out breathy curses and before I know it, she’s grinding into my face and pushing herself into my fingers. I add another finger and replace my tongue with my other hand to pinch her clit. She fucking bursts, her pussy squeezing my fingers and her thighs shaking. I slow my movements to let her ride it out, her eyes roll back into her head and she lets out a long groan. I could spend fucking forever watching her lose control like that because of me, it’s the most beautiful fucking sight. When she comes back down, I start to lean back down to start that all over again because once was not enough for me, but she sits up and moves off of the table. I’m confused as hell because I know I just rocked her world, but she smirks and pushes me back a step, then she sinks to her knees to undo my belt and jeans, and pull them down to free my fully fucking ready cock. She pushes me as far into her throat as she can and uses her hand for the rest. “Yeah, babe. Just like that,” I rasp, my voice dark with need. I fist my hand into her hair to control her pace and her manicured nails dig into my ass, adding a burning sting to the pure fucking ecstasy that is her mouth. She works me over, hollowing out her cheeks and twisting her hand up on the upstroke. She moves her hand down to roll my balls while she pushes me deep into her throat and my balls start to tighten with the fucking glorious sensation of my impending release. I warn her that I’m about to come, because I’m a fucking gentleman. She pushes me further into her throat, choking on my cock but swallowing despite the tears forming in her eyes. I explode and Reese eagerly swallows every drop, her throat eagerly milking out every last drop. “You’re fucking addictive.” I run my fingers through her hair. When I’ve emptied all I had into her throat, she licks up the bottom of my shaft and swirls her tongue around the tip, making me fucking shiver and goosebumps rise on my thighs. I pull her up to her feet so I can kiss her and show her just how much I appreciate her. When I look into her light green eyes, there’s something more there, more than the jokes and the sex, she looks vulnerable and like she’s letting me in. Overcome with the feeling of coming harder than I ever have in my life, and the emotion in her eyes, I say the one thing that's been stuck in my mind since I first saw her at Mickey’s. “I’m never going to let you down, Reese.” I promise her. Her eyes flash to mine, and we stay locked like that for a few minutes. Just staring into each other’s eyes. I hope she sees the truth in mine. I finally look away, my orgasmic haze subsiding and I remember the small amount of anger I was holding onto the entire game. An idea comes to me, and I think it’s one of the best ones I've had in a while. This will be fun, I just have to get Red to agree to it.

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