Fearless (Broken Love, #5)(4)

Keiran didn’t move or speak as he was surrounded.

One of the biggest players in the circle stepped forward. I started to warn Keiran because I didn’t think he would see him. Keiran jerked Sean’s arm back infinitesimally. His cry was loud, causing Jerald to unload a string of threats to Keiran. Judging by the angle of Sean’s arm, it wouldn’t be long before his arm broke. I wasn’t entirely sure his arm would even be useful tomorrow as it was.

This was not going to end well.

Even if Keiran managed to get out of this unscathed, I would officially be the school pariah and target.

Again.

“His arm isn’t going to last much longer,” Keiran taunted, voicing my thoughts.

“Fuck!” Jerald’s face was red with rage while Keiran stood calm and cool as if he weren’t threatening to break someone’s bones in a room full of witnesses.

“Please,” Sean yelped.

“You know what to do,” Keiran stated.

“Stand down! Stand down!”

Everyone moved at the same time. I watched them back away and only then began to breathe easier. We weren’t out of the woods yet.

Keiran had let him go, so what would stop them from pouncing now? Sean stumbled into the safety of his team

“Lake.” I forced my gaze back to Keiran. “Head for the door, baby.”

“No.”

“Lake.” His tone was no longer soft.

“I’m not leaving you.”

“This will end much worse if you get hurt. Now go.”

I let the distress I felt rip from me as a whimper.

What do I do? What do I do?

“What the hell is going on here?” The team’s coach thundered by me leaving behind a gust of wind. Along with him were two members of the campus police. Everyone scattered, leaving us alone with a different kind of trouble.

Keiran’s arrest was imminent, and suddenly, I was no longer afraid for him. I was crazy mad and wanted nothing more than to drive the fork into his brain and dig out his common sense.

I knew for sure someone would snitch—and wouldn’t he deserve it? He did almost break a guy’s arm… for groping me. The reminder of that sleaze ball’s hands on me made my skin crawl.

“Nothing, coach. Just goofing around,” Jerald spoke up though his glare never left Keiran.

“Why is my quarterback clutching his arm, and who the fuck are you?” the coach bellowed between Jerald and Keiran.

“Misunderstanding,” Sean whimpered.

Keiran smirked, and I knew if he could reach him, he would offer a pat on his head.

“Boy, your arm better not be broken! Security! Get this piece of shit out of my cafeteria.”

Security moved forward to grab Keiran, but with one look, they backed away and reached for their sides. I prayed campus security didn’t carry guns.

Keiran ignored them and reached for my hand, leading me out of the cafeteria. I was still in shock by the time the building was out of sight.

“I have no idea where I’m going, baby. I need you to snap out of it.”

His casual tone broke me out of my trance, and I quickly snatched my hand away from his. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Are you defending him?”

“I’m defending me! I won’t be able to show my face anymore. He’s the star quarterback.”

“So I’m supposed to let him put his hands on you because he can throw a ball? That will never fucking happen, Lake.”

“You can be such an overbearing dick! Sean is harmless. You couldn’t just walk away?”

“I’d never walk away from protecting you.” His voice softened, and I willed myself not to break. Today could have ended badly. Keiran wouldn’t have been able to win against an entire team, and if they had decided to rat him out, he’d be in jail right now.

“You sure it wasn’t just your jealous ego?”

“That, too.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. He was so adorably cute and proud about the wrong things. “What am I going do now, Keiran? I’ll be a pariah.”

Rather than answer, he pulled me close. I didn’t want to, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and inhaled his scent. “Run away with me.”

“This is not the time to try to get into my pants. You lost that privilege when you were almost jumped and arrested.”

“I’m serious.”

“Why would we run away? Where are we going?”

“I want you to come to Arizona with me. I can’t do this anymore, Lake. I tried. Fuck me, I tried.”

“I can’t just leave. What about school?”

“I want you with me. I want you in my bed. I want to see you and touch you every day.

“What about school,” I repeated.

“Arizona has an outstanding education program.”





Chapter One


LAKE

FIVE YEARS LATER



I fucked up. For the last seven months, I felt as if I were living on borrowed time as a free woman. I was responsible for the death of Mitch Masters. The father of my former tormentor turned boyfriend. He was evil, and every second he lived, he was a danger to Keiran.

I had a love to protect and a point to prove.

Keiran wouldn’t destroy me, but I might have destroyed him.