Just for Now (Sea Breeze #4)(49)

“Ah, f*ck. What the hell have you done?” Rock said as he stepped in front of us just before we reached the door.

“Move, Rock,” I said, pushing past him.

“Please, God, tell me you didn’t”—he paused and looked over at Amanda—“do what I think you did,” he finished.

“This isn’t your business. Just let me go talk to Marcus,” I replied.

Rock let out a hard laugh. “He ain’t planning on talking to you. He’s planning on whooping your ass and then locking his sister up in her bedroom for the rest of her life. I just hope he ain’t got a gun on him.”

Amanda’s grip on me tightened. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was worried about Marcus hurting me or keeping us apart. I’d never fought with Marcus before, so I wasn’t real sure who was gonna come out of this one on top, but I sure as hell wasn’t gonna let him keep Amanda from me.

“Manda, girl, you need to stay inside with Trisha,” Rock said, reaching out to get Amanda’s arm. “Ain’t no reason for you to go out there. Let go of Preston before Marcus sees you clinging to him and blows up.”

“Don’t. Touch. Her.” I clipped out, trying real hard not to jerk her away from him.

“Chill the f*ck out. I’m trying to keep her from seeing you and Marcus beat each other’s heads in. Ain’t something she needs to see.”

I took a deep breath and looked down at her. “You want to go with Trisha, Manda?”

She shook her head and squeezed me tighter.

“I’m not making her leave me. Besides, neither one of us will let her get hurt.”

Rock shook his head and sighed. “What were you thinking?” he asked. “She’s Marcus’s little sister. You could screw around with anyone else. Why did you mess with his sister?”

I didn’t care that Rock was the size of a bear and built like a brick wall. He wasn’t going to lump Amanda in with any other girl I’d ever slept with. I stepped up until I was in his face. “Never talk about her like that again. She is not someone I’m screwing around with.”

I swung the door open and walked outside with Amanda still attached to me.

“Maybe you should have been nicer to Rock and brought him out here with you,” she said, walking as closely to me as possible.

“I don’t need Rock. It’s gonna be okay. But he’s right. You need to let go of me. This ain’t gonna help Marcus’s temper.”

She shook her head, and I gave up.

Marcus was pacing in front of his truck. When he saw us, he stopped and his hands fisted at his sides.

“Let go of him, Amanda,” he ordered as we approached him.

“No, Marcus. Listen to me. You don’t understand. You need to calm down and let me explain.”

“I don’t need an explanation. I’ve known Preston since we were kids. I’ve seen it all from him. Enough to know that he isn’t the kind of guy a girl like you needs to be hanging on to and defending. You don’t know him, Amanda. I do.”

“Yes, I do! I know a lot about him, and you have no idea what is going on here. I started this. He ran from me for months. He pushed me away, and I just kept on coming back. And he is not treating me the way you seem to think he is.”

“She didn’t chase me,” I said. I couldn’t stand to listen to her tell him she’d come after me so hard and I’d just given in. That wasn’t the way this had happened at all.

“I didn’t think she did,” Marcus replied in a deadly calm voice.

“Yes, I did! I even took advantage of him when he was drunk one night,” Amanda said, stepping in front of me.

“Manda, don’t—”

“He was completely drunk, and I came on to him. He doesn’t even remember it. He tried so hard to keep me at arm’s length. He was nice to me, but he kept telling me no. Then his sister got sick and I ran after him to his Jeep and went with him. She is so sweet and little, Marcus. We took care of her together, and then things just happened. I finally got past his walls. He let me in. Don’t ruin this for me. I’m in love with him.”

What?

Marcus reached for Amanda and jerked her away from in front of me. His fist was planted firmly in my face before I could wrap my head around the fact that she’d just said she loved me.

“You sorry-ass motherf*cker!” Marcus roared, and jerked me up by my collar before his fist connected with my face again.

I could hear Amanda’s screams in the distance. But my eyesight was blurry and my head felt foggy. I shook it and raised my hands to block any more attacks while I tried to stop my world from spinning.

“Marcus, NO!” Amanda was crying. My head cleared up real fast. This was making her cry. I didn’t want her to cry.

When his fist came at me this time, I blocked it and shoved him hard in the chest to get him to back off me. Hitting him would upset Amanda more, but I couldn’t let him beat the shit out of me either.

“I trusted you. You’re my best friend. How could you screw around with my little sister? She thinks she loves you,” Marcus roared. “She doesn’t even know you. Tell her, Preston. Tell her the shit you’ve done.”

“Shut up!” I yelled. “You got your hits in. She’s upset. I’m not going to hit you and upset her more.” I reached up with my arm to wipe the blood that was trickling out of my nose. Amanda ran past her brother and barreled into my chest.