Sweet Contradiction by Peggy Martinez Read Free Book Online Page B

and right then I was so far past that level that I was surprised I didn’t have a coronary.
    “You were a disgusting pig back in high school, Beau. And now it looks like you’ve graduated to a pathetic excuse of a man whore. Congratulations.” My chest was heaving and my heart was pounding when I turned to stomp away toward the store. I was going to go and drag Jen out if I had to, so I could get the Hell outta there. I should have remembered Beau’s anger from the Piggly Wiggly. A large, rough hand clamped down on my bare arm and spun me around, yanking a gasp from my throat.
    “Who do you think you are?” Beau’s eyes were wild, his hand held me in a bruising grasp. I tried to yank my arm free, but his grip only tightened more, making me wince in pain.
    “Let go of me right now, Beau,” I demanded as calmly as I could, though I was quaking on the inside.
    “You think you’re so much better than me?” he asked roughly. “Poor little Beth,” he sneered. “What’s worse I wonder? Being known as the town whore or the daughter of the town religious freaks?” My hand flew out and the crack of my hand hitting his cheek seemed to echo all around me. Sweet Jesus. What had I done? I thought. His head snapped to the side from the force of my blow and his nostrils flared slightly when he turned back to face me. The look on his face and the dangerous gleam in his eyes chilled the blood in my veins. In a split second, his hand cocked back and swung out in full force and everything seem to happen in slow motion. All I could do was prepare myself for the impact.
    Out of my peripheral vision I saw a shadow move just before someone snatched Beau’s hand out of mid-air and pulled him back away from me. I stumbled to the side and landed on my knees on the sidewalk. My ears were ringing from a spike in adrenaline. I could barely hear Jen saying my name through the wad of cotton that had been stuffed in my ears. Jen’s hand was on my arms and she was screaming at someone. I stood up with Jen’s help, and for the first time I noticed that Matt had Beau in a death grip, his body tense and menacing, ready to do bodily harm to the scum who’d put his hand on me. I stepped forward on wobbly legs and put a hand on Matt’s back.
    “Forget it, Matt. It isn’t worth it.” Matt stiffened when I touched him. He turned his eyes to meet mine and I realized just how close he was to pounding Beau into the asphalt. His eyes ran over me, taking stock of any injuries. When he saw the marks on my arm, angry and red from Beau’s grip, his jaw clenched and his hand fisted tighter in Beau’s shirt. “Please, Matt. Don’t give him the satisfaction,” I pleaded. I was so tired. I just wanted to go back to Jen’s and forget about everything. The storm in Matt’s eyes clamed fractionally as he slowly loosened his grip on Beau’s shirt and gave him a little shove away. I breathed out a breath of relief and placed my hand on Matt’s still-tense arm. “Thank you,” I said softly. Matt sucked in a sharp breath when Beau let out a nasty laugh. My grip tightened on Matt’s forearm.
    “The town whore and the pure preacher’s son? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Beau cackled and then stepped forward within arm’s reach. “Did she already spread her luscious thighs for you, Rev?” he spat. Matt’s arm swung out before any of us saw it coming. Jen gasped just as Beau’s head snapped back and his body hit the pavement like the sack of manure he was. I couldn’t summon a single morsel of concern. Jen’s mouth was hanging open in a fish-out-of-water imitation and Matt was standing there looking three parts angry and one part shocked he’d just knocked a guy out cold.
    “I’ll call you later, Beth,” Matt said after a few moments of stunned silence. His eyes met mine and he waited until I nodded to walk quickly away from the crowd that was gathering around the spectacle we’d just put on. I didn’t blame him. I’d run like hell