“It’s…it’s. Shit!”
“Gemma!” a man bellowed as he bolted from the vehicle behind them.
Beau glanced in the side mirror to see a skinny, nerd-looking dude striding toward the truck, wearing a pissed-off expression. Beside him, a panic-stricken Gemma gripped the door handle with a trembling hand. Beau reached out and cupped her arm.
“Who is that?”
“A-a friend. I’ll take care of it,” she assured.
Tugging free of his hold, Gemma bolted out of the truck and raced toward the young man.
“What the fuck are you doing?” the guy roared.
“I-I’m…I’m talking to an old friend from high school.”
“Talking? Sucking his tongue down your throat isn’t talking, Gemma. Who the fuck is he?”
“I told you, a friend. What are you doing here?”
“I came by to see if you wanted to watch a movie. I had no idea I’d find you cheating on me.”
“Cheating? I’m not cheating.”
Not yet, but you were going to, you lying little minx.
Beau gnashed his teeth and bit back a growl.
“Oh, so you weren’t sucking the lips off the poaching cock-bag coward hiding in that truck?”
Rage spiked. Beau hated being lied to, but he hated being called a poaching cock-bag coward even more. Gripping the handle, he shoved the door open and leapt from the cab.
“Who you calling a coward, asshole?” he barked, eating up the distance between them in two long strides.
“You.”
“Stop. Stop it right now. Both of you,” Gemma barked, stepping between them before pinning nerd boy with a glare. “Bradley, go home. We’ll talk about this later.”
“The hell we will. We’re gonna talk about it right now. Who the fuck is he?”
“My name’s Beau Carson.”
“The bull rider?” Bradley blinked.
“The bull rider,” he drawled. “Now why don’t you be a good boy and go home like Gemma asked. You two can sort this misunderstanding out in the morning.”
“Mind your own business, rodeo clown,” Bradley spat.
Anger meter pegged in the red, Beau balled his hand into a fist. But before he could take a swing at the douche bag, Bradley turned his fury on Gemma and grabbed her by the hair.
“How many times have you fucked him? Did you fuck him last night after I left your bed?” he growled, gripping her mane so tightly Gemma screamed. “Answer me, you stupid whore. Were the sheets still warm when you spread your cunt open for him?”
A whole new level of fury exploded inside Beau. Gemma hadn’t been honest with either of them, but her deception didn’t warrant the abusive behavior Bradley was unleashing on her. Nothing warranted what Bradley was unleashing on her.
“Let go of her now, motherfucker, or I’ll hurt you, bad,” Beau warned in a low, arctic growl.
“Hurt me? You couldn’t pluck a tick off a bull’s ass,” Bradley sneered, releasing Gemma before facing Beau.
“Go inside the house, darlin’,” Beau instructed.
“Why?” she challenged.
“Because you don’t need to be here right now.”
“Beau…”
“Go on. I’ll check on you in a minute.”
“Don’t you move an inch,” Bradley ordered. “You keep your cheating ass right where it is, whore.”
“Fuck you, Bradley,” she spat. “You’re not the boss of me.”
“Call her a whore again and I’ll break your face,” Beau snarled. Then between clenched teeth, he lowered his voice. “Go inside, darlin’.”
“Fine,” she huffed before turning on her heel and stomping away.
“You can leave now, rodeo boy,” Bradley sneered.
“I just might do that. Tell me…what’s your address?” Beau asked.
“What do you want my address for?”
“To go sleep with your momma so she can have a child with an IQ higher than four.”
“Why, you son of a—”
Dodging Bradley’s fist, Beau slammed an uppercut to the prick’s chin. Satisfaction flooded his veins when he heard teeth breaking as the douche-canoe fell back onto the grass, knocked out cold. Blood began pouring from the bastard’s mouth and nose as Gemma screamed and raced off the front porch.
“Bradley. Oh, my god…baby,” she whimpered, falling to her knees beside him.
Beau instantly knew who her alliance was with and it wasn’t him.