Fighting for Flight by JB Salsbury (easy readers TXT) 📕

force Jonah into a snap decision. He wraps one arm around my shoulders and the other around my stomach, supporting my weight, and we hurry to the truck.

It’s a silent ride to Eve’s house except for her occasional apologies for Vince’s behavior. I see hurt in her eyes, but not hurt that she just found out her boyfriend is abusive. The pain in her eyes is that of a girl with a broken heart. Will she always be attracted to men who hurt her like her father did? God, I hope not.

We drop her off at her insistence. She wants to be alone, and I don’t blame her. She has a lot to think about. Jonah walks through her house, turning on all the lights and making sure she feels safe before she locks herself inside.

Safe in the cab of the truck, I allow myself to feel the weight of what happened. I turn my head to face out the window, not wanting to give Jonah any more to worry about. A silent sob rips through my body as tears of fear, guilt, and anxiety flow down my cheeks. The driver side door slams shut and a warm hand covers mine. I interlace our fingers, hold on tight, and vow to never let go.

~*~

Jonah

“That son of a bitch!” Blake’s response to my re-telling of the evening’s events mirrors my own.

I grip my phone tighter before loosening my hold, remembering what happened the last time I took out my anger on my phone. To avoid putting my fist through a wall, I force myself to my bed.

“You told him at Zeus’s Playground to pull his tails on Raven. I was there. I heard you!”

I don’t know if calling Blake was the smartest choice. Talking shit out with Blake usually helps me decompress. Right now, he’s just getting me worked up. I sit back and stare at the ceiling, hoping I can calm my ass down before Raven gets out of the shower. The poor girl has had a round trip ticket to hell and back. The last thing she needs is her raging boyfriend climbing the fucking walls like a caged animal.

“I almost killed him. I swear if I hadn’t heard Raven’s voice begging me to stop, I would have. Seeing that motherfucker with his arms wrapped around her . . .” My sentence trails off as my jaw clenches so tight I’m spitting words through my teeth.

“Sounds like it’s time for another meeting with dear ol’ dad,” Blake says, his voice holding a hint of excitement.

“Yeah, I have to talk to my girl first, get the story on this Vince guy.” My head falls to the backboard and I rub my eyes with my free hand. “You should see her arm. All dressed up, lookin’ hot as hell, with a fucking bruise in the shape of a man’s hand on her arm.” The calm that had been slowly moving through my body dissolves into anger. “He had her fucking neck!”

“At least you taught that fucker a lesson. Don’t think he’ll be messin’ with Raven again after you flipped the switch on his ass."

He’s got a point. I had to trash one of my favorite shirts because it was splattered with his blood.

“Look, the fight’s this week. You and Raven lie low until then. You don’t need any more publicity than you…”

My attention is drawn from Blake to the sound of the shower being turned off.

“What the fuck is Eve thinking?” His angry question jerks me back to the conversation.

“Don’t know, don’t fucking care. This douchebag’s been on Raven’s ass from the get-go. I’m putting this shit to an end.”

“Fuckin’ A, brother,” Blake says under his breath.

The bathroom door opens and Raven walks out in nothing but a towel. My mind clears of everything that happened tonight at the sight of her wet skin. I imagine drying her with my mouth as my eyes devour her legs and move over her towel to her arms. Her arm. The angry bruise brings me back in a violent rush.

I glare at the color on her arm. “Gotta run. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Right. Tell your girl to stay strong.”

“Will do. Later.”

Tossing my phone on the bedside table, I watch Raven put on a short pair of drawstring sleeping shorts, no panties, and a thin tank top. Blinking, I tell myself that my body can wait but the conversation we need to have cannot.

“Baby, come here.”

I make room for her on the bed, and she quickly takes her place at my side. Her cheek is pressed to my chest and her finger traces lazy circles on my abdomen. My dick responds immediately. I place my hand over hers to stop the stimulation before I forget my own name and bury myself inside her.

“Um, you’re going to have to stop that so we can talk. Shit happens to my body that short-circuits my brain.”

I feel her smile against my chest. She pushes her hand out from under mine, down past my belly button. I groan as her delicate fingers slip beneath my shorts.

“I, ah . . .” My mind goes fuzzy and my heart pounds in my chest.

Her soft hand grasps me in a firm hold and my hips jerk in response. Fuuuck.

“I know you want to talk, Jonah, and we will. But right now, I need you.”

I can’t remember what we were going to talk about, and I don’t care.

Her hand picks up its pace and pressure. My eyes fix on her forearm as her lean muscles flex with each stroke. The fruity smell from her clean hair makes my mouth water. My lips burn with the need to kiss her.

“Baby, I want your mouth,” I say, panting.

She kisses my neck, a tease with her full wet lips that has me achingly frustrated. I wrap my hand behind her neck, sifting my fingers through her hair, then grip tight. She moans.

I bring her luscious lips to mine, taking what I want. Our tongues crash