Banging Reaper (Pounding Hearts 1)

“Stop!” I scream at him. “Think about what you’re doing!”

“You owe me!” Ethan roars and shoves me hard into the wall.

My head slams back and I see stars.

Chase

“You owe me!” I hear a man bellowing as I exit the small curtained off area where Doctor Miles was checking over my jaw. My jaw is slightly swollen from a punch I took. It’s not as serious as I thought though, just tender and in need of the cold compress I’m pressing against it.

Dale laughs beside me as he steps past the curtain. “Someone must have...”

I’m not sure what he was going to say next, I don't hear much beyond the blood rushing in my ears as I see the raven-haired hottie's head slamming back into the cinder block wall.

I am a man who is more often than not able to keep the calm. The one who breaks up the fights, the one who doesn't yell or scream when I’m mad. I am the one who keeps the dark lizard part of my brain in check. Somewhere deep and dark in my body, I have that beast locked up in shackles tightened down, never allowing him to escape.

Not during my fights. Not in any relationship. And never when I am dealing with anyone except for myself. I do not allow the beast out, and he stays buried inside and chained to a steel wall of self-discipline.

I have no excuse at all for the next forty-five seconds.

I snap after witnessing Ethan shove the girl into the wall. The beast is in control now and he's got one chain off with only one more barely restraining him.

Running straight at Ethan, I hit him as hard as I possibly can from the side with my shoulder and wrap my arms around his torso before I slam him into the concrete floor.

I feel a sharp pain in my left hand as I land. It’s not a pain I like but I can live past it if I get to put this little fucker six feet under.

Flipping him onto his back, I mount his waist like I’m a cowboy and watch his stunned face quickly turn to rage at me.

The snapping sound I hear in my head is the last chain coming off.

I am not a monster. I'm a controlled rational being. My right and left fists smashing repeatedly against Ethan's arms and against the side of his head are the monsters. They like the pain they feel after each connection to his face.

“Never. Hit. A. Woman.” Each word is bellowed out as I connect with his face and body.

Dale and a security guard slam into me, pushing me first into the wall then down to the ground. I know I’m out of control. I know the beast needs to be restrained, but I just don’t have the strength yet to put his chains back on.

It's a good thing though that Dale is just as big as I am because the security guard is flung into the wall with a thud. I roar, still enraged, but Dale manages to keep me down. He holds me and tries to talk sense into me, not letting go of me until he’s sure I’m calm.

It’s chaos for the next few minutes as more and more people come running into the area.

People swarm and surround Ethan and me. When they finally allow me to get up from the ground, my first thought is to that raven-haired chick. I sure hope that head slam wasn't as bad as it looked.

Looking around, I try to find her but only see Ethan running his mouth, bellowing for the cops. He’s bitching and claiming I just assaulted him. I see Dale, he’s not looking at Ethan, so I follow his line of sight until I spot the girl I’m looking for.

She’s still on the ground against the wall. Her knees are pulled up under her chin and her arms are wrapped tightly around them. She’s shuddering as if she’s afraid, and it’s all I can do to not to charge back at Ethan and beat him to a fucking pulp.

I know for a fact that even with all the security standing around Ethan, and a cop approaching him from the side, that if I wanted to, I could get to him without anyone being able to stop me. I could hurt him, and I could more than likely end his life right there. I would get hurt doing it in the process, but the beast is truly a beast, the pain would only inflame him. I could kill this man and not a damn person would be able to stop me.

I feel my left hand twitch and I lower myself to the ground beside the girl I’m always going to think of as a raven-haired beauty. It is pain I feel, but it’s also anticipation, like my body is going through a pre-flight check to make sure it’s ready to go after the bastard who hurt this beautiful woman.

“It's...” I'm not sure what exactly to say to her because it’s not okay, and I know that. But I have to say something as I pull her over and into my arms as gently as possible. Wrapping my arm around her body, she feels surprisingly soft and warm.

Pulling back, I push her hair away from her eyes and quietly say, “I need to see your eyes Raven girl. I wanna see if your pupils are dilated.”

Those luscious emerald chips slowly open with small pools of water spilling down her cheeks. They are beautiful and completely captivating. If this raven-haired beauty was mine, I could see myself burying my face into her hair and taking long deep breaths. I’d likely never get my fill of her scent.

Fuck, this is not good. I need to keep those thoughts away.

Her eyes are not immediately focused on me but past me at the whole scene surrounding her. I don't hear Ethan yelling anymore which is a good thing because right now, any more from him and I’m not sure I will be able to hold myself back.