Sterling brought up a hand to block Micah’s next hit, a crosscut, and a flash of something silver reflected off the bar lights hanging over the building.
Sterling’s phone. Panic stampeded over my chest.
As if he sensed the trepidation racing inside me, Sterling glanced over Micah’s shoulder to me.
“Don’t fucking look at her,” my boyfriend growled. Micah had never shown this magnitude of protectiveness, not for me, not for any girl, and I couldn’t figure out what it was about Sterling that made him lose his cool. He had to know that Sterling and I slept together. Nothing else made sense to entice this lightning rage that zapped through his features.
He dodged Sterling’s fist, and as it whizzed over his head, Micah delivered a blow to Sterling’s ribs. Sterling grabbed the back of Micah’s shirt, hurling him to the side and into the wall. He got one punch in before Micah planted his fist into Sterling’s gut. And another. Sterling went low, bulldozing into Micah as he grabbed his waist, sending them both to the ground.
If Micah got hurt…
He couldn’t. Football was important to him. Perhaps not as much as it meant to Fynn, who had the same goal for as long as I could remember to make the NFL, but still, for Micah it was a release, a way for him to unleash any aggravation or stress.
I rushed forward, not thinking.
“Grab her!” Brock’s voice boomed, and seconds later, a pair of strong arms looped around my waist.
“I can’t let you get hurt, Mads,” Fynn said into my ear. “He’ll have my ass if you get in the middle.” The brute lifted me off the ground, and resistance became useless, like an uphill battle. I went still, letting him hold me, my eyes glued to the fight.
“Aren’t you going to do anything?” I pleaded.
“When he’s had enough,” Grayson said. He stood to the left of Fynn, arms crossed over his chest, watching his friend pummel Sterling in rapid succession. While Fynn had detained me, Micah had pinned Sterling to the ground.
The area around the bar remained fairly quiet, onlookers gawking at the fight until three guys shoved through the crowd. I didn’t know their names, but I could guess who they were. Sterling’s frat bros. Word must have gotten out, and they came to defend their president, but they would have to get through the Elite first. The guys from Chi Sigma didn’t stand a chance.
Before they could interfere, they rammed into a human wall. Fynn kept me tucked against his side.
Are they really going to have a brawl right here in the street?
One of the bar’s bouncers came barreling out, assessing the situation. The crowd parted, but Micah and Sterling were oblivious to the security. “Break it up or I’m calling the cops!” the bouncer’s voice exploded through the scene.
Sterling’s boys continued to glare at the Elite. Brock cocked a brow, daring them. The Elite didn’t give a shit about police being involved, but I imagined there were fraternity rules about fighting. Well, only if you got caught, and I doubted any of them were eager to have that strike on their record, but they also couldn’t leave their president hanging.
The guy in the middle stared Brock down. “You’re next,” he promised.
Brock blew him a kiss before giving Grayson the signal, a slight tilt of his head.
Grayson pulled Micah off Sterling as one of the frat douchebags went to secure Sterling, who took a cheap shot at Micah, throwing a punch at his face the second Grayson tugged him away.
My cousin scowled, annoyance blazing in his eyes. While keeping a firm grip on Micah, Grayson kicked his foot to the side, striking Sterling in the back of the knee. The jerk’s leg buckled, and he would have fallen back to the ground if his buddy hadn’t been there to keep him upright.
Micah hurled a wad of spit at Sterling’s face. “Stay away from her or you’ll get more than a black eye and split lip. Do you hear me?”
Despite Sterling’s swollen eye and bleeding lip, the bastard grinned. “It’s not my fault my dick is better than yours.” He yanked his friend off him, shoving his way through the crowd.
My mouth gaped open.As if.“Your dick isn’t even the same playing field,” I hurled after him, my chest moving rapidly. “It’s tiny and weird,” I added, as if that made it any better.
Did that actually leave my mouth?Color warmed my cheeks, realizing everyone in the vicinity had heard my proclamation. Nothing like drawing more attention to myself.
Not only would I be known as the girl who christened the fountain, a pillar monument for KU, but now I was also the girl who proclaimed Sterling, one of the most popular guys on campus, had a small dick.
The words really hadn’t been about the size of his manhood, because truthfully, that shit mattered too little to me when it came to sex. I only sought to hurt Sterling. My words were more powerful than any punch I could have thrown, not that I didn’t want the chance to hit him, because I did. And might the next time I saw him.
The bouncer shook his head, mumbling under his breath, “Fucking college kids.” Then he proceeded to take his beefy self back into the bar.
Grayson released Micah now that Sterling left, his frat fucks right behind him. My boyfriend’s eyes immediately found mine as he rubbed a finger across his lower lip, smearing a streak of blood. Fynn didn’t try to stop me this time as I surged forward.
“Are you okay?” Micah asked, eyes like chips of ice boring into mine.