Page 176 of Wish You Were Mine
Brody twisted toward the sound but didn’t let go, his fingers still clamped to my jaw, hot and unyielding.
“She said no,” Owen growled. And the next second, he wrenched Brody back by the collar.
Brody stumbled, boots scuffing against the pavement. For a split second, I thought that would be the end of it. Until he spun around and shoved Owen hard, sending him back a step.
“You’ve got a problem with me kissing Lucy?” Brody sneered.
“You heard me.” Owen’s tone was ice. “Back. Off.”
“What?” Brody’s eyes narrowed, his mouth curling into an ugly grin. “You don’t want to share?”
I froze, pulse thundering in my ears.Share?What was he talking about?
I only had to wait a beat for the answer.
“You two thought you were so sneaky,” he spat, eyes wild. “But I’ve been onto you all semester—caught Lucy running up to your place back in January. Didn’t even know who she was meeting until I followed her again.”
Followedme?
A cold chill swept through me, locking up my spine. Was he the one who’d shadowed me that night, the reason my skin had prickled all the way to Owen’s door?
All this time, I’d thought his crush was harmless. Sweet, even. But this…this sounded a lot like stalking.
“Then at her meet,” Brody went on, “when you werefilmingher. Going off on those guys behind you for a couple of crude comments? That was hilarious considering you were already living out their fantasies.”
“You need to stay the hell away from her,” Owen said, his jaw tight, voice like steel. “If you so much as look at her again, President Archibald will make sure you regret it. He doesn’t take risks where his daughter’s safety is concerned.”
When Brody let out a short, sharp laugh, Owen stepped forward, his fists curling at his sides.
He’s seconds away from putting Brody on the ground.
But before Owen could wipe the smug look off Brody’s face, another deep voice cut in, “What the hell is going on here?”
I turned toward the sound, and my breath caught. Because my ex was storming toward us.
I hadn’t even seen Josh tonight, but suddenly there he was, shoving Brody back and stepping between us.
“You really want to do this again?” Brody asked, holding up his fists.
“I’dloveto,” Josh said. And, strangely enough, I didn’t mind seeing his temper flare for once.
“Save it for the ice,” Owen said, stopping the two hockey players from going at it. Then, looking back at Brody, Owen said, “Leave now. Or I’m calling the police.”
Brody backed away slowly, an arrogant smirk lifting his lips before he turned and disappeared into the dark.
And yeah, I was definitely switching lab partners this week. If my dad didn’t expel him first.
“You okay?” Owen’s voice softened as he pulled me into his chest.
And it was then that I realized how badly I was shaking.
“I will be,” I said, clinging to the safety of his arms. “Thanks to you.”
57
LUCY
“Thanks for stepping in,”Owen told Josh once Brody’s taillights disappeared from the lot.
