Page 20 of Captured Love

Damn it. I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that to him.

Lucas’s eyebrows shoot up. “Uh, I just try to help people understand the material,” he says, his smile faltering a bit.

“Yeah, I’m sure you do,” Knox mutters, grabbing a plate with a little more force than necessary. He flips open the pizza box and snatches a slice.

“Knox,” I hiss under my breath. He has some freaking nerve. “Seriously?”

He shrugs, biting into his pizza. “Just making conversation.”

Lucas clears his throat, obviously picking up on the vibe now. “Anyway, Selene, if you need any more help with math, please let me know.”

Before I can even open my mouth, Knox cuts in. “Yeah, well, Selene’s got a lot on her plate right now,” he says, leaning just slightly toward Lucas, like he’s daring him to push back. “Pretty sure she doesn’t have time for that.”

Lucas blinks, glancing between us. “Oh, I didn’t realize?—”

“That’s because there’s nothing to realize,” I snap, turning on Knox, my cheeks burning. “I can speak for myself, thanks.”

Knox just takes another bite, looking way too satisfied with himself. “Sure you can.”

Lucas gives me an awkward smile, clearly deciding this isn’t his scene anymore. “Well… guess I’ll see you later, Selene.” He backs off quickly, disappearing into the crowd.

The second he’s out of sight, I spin around to face Knox. “What the hell was that?”

Knox lifts a shoulder, like he didn’t just chase someone off with his attitude. “What? I’m saving you from a lecture about calculus. You don’t really wanna hang out with that guy, do you?”

“That’s not the point!” I hiss, frustration bubbling over. “You can’t treat me the way you’ve treated me and then act like some jealous asshole. Hell, you can’t do that anyway.”

His smirk falters, and for a second, I think I’ve actually stunned him into silence. But then he steps in closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear.

“Jealous?” he repeats, his eyes darkening like I’ve just flashed him or something. “You think that’s what this is?”

I glare up at him, refusing to back down. “Yeah, Knox. That’s exactly what this is. You don’t get to be hot and cold with me and then scare off anyone who talks to me. You can promptly fuck off.”

I hate that we’re having this showdown in public, but there’s no time like the present. I can see the war going on behind his eyes. The cocky exterior slips, just for a moment, before his smug expression is back in place.

“I’m not trying to have it both ways,” he mutters, voice low and tense. “I just don’t like seeing guys like him think they’ve got a shot.”

My chest tightens, and I hate the way his words sends fire through my body. I’m not supposed to be feeling anything but hatred toward him given what we’ve been through at this point. “That’s not your decision to make.”

He leans in even closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I have to pretend I’m cool with it.”

For a second, I can’t breathe. The space between us is suffocating me, like one false move and I’ll be taking my last breath. My heart’s pounding so hard it’s a wonder he can’t hear it.

But then I pull back, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable,” I toss over my shoulder, pushing past him before I do something even more ridiculous—like stay.

I don’t look back as I make my way through the crowd, but I can feel his eyes on me, burning into my skin with every step. As much as I want to be furious, some stupid part of me knows this isn’t over. Not even close.

I’m almost to the other side of the room when I hear it.

“Knox!”

The voice cuts through the chatter, sharp enough to make me freeze mid-step. I don’t turn around. I keep moving, pretending like I’m unaffected, but every part of me is humming with leftover adrenaline.

Thankfully, there’s another table where pizza is being given out and once I reach it. I let my curiosity win for a second. Iglance sideways, catching a glimpse of a tall guy with a scruffy beard waving at Knox from across the room, a half-eaten slice of pizza in his other hand.

I don’t wait to see what Knox does. I don’t need to. Instead, I grab a slice of pizza, and make my way toward Isla and Hailey, who look way too pleased with themselves.

“Close call,” Isla says, taking a huge bite of her pizza as I walk over to them. “I thought for sure you were going to melt into a puddle.”

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