Page 165 of Cruel When He Smiles
I don’t even look up as I tug the second sock into place. “Yes, I am.”
The silence stretches long enough for me to glance up at him. He’s still in the same position, but his jaw’s tighter now. “You’re not,” he says again, slower this time. “You’re not going anywhere near campus until I say it’s fine.”
I push myself to my feet, grabbing my hoodie from the chair. “I missed half of my classes yesterday because I got blindsided, but I’m fine now. I’m not skipping again.”
The muscle in his jaw jumps. “You weren’t fine yesterday. You weren’t fine last night, and you’re sure as hell not fine now if you think I’m letting you walk across campus like nothing happened.”
I shove my charger into the side pocket of my bag and zip it closed. “You’re not letting me? What, do I need a hall pass signed by you now?”
“Yes,” he says, dead serious, which makes me groan.
“Liam.” I drag his name out like I’m trying to snap him out of it, but he doesn’t even blink. “I’m not going to hide in your room like some prisoner. She’s not going to get to me again. You’ll handle it, right?”
He doesn’t answer right away, and the silence is heavier than it should be. “You know I will,” he finally says, but his tone makes it sound more like a threat to the world than reassurance for me. “That’s not the point.”
“It is to me,” I counter, moving past him toward my bag. “I can’t just hide every time something happens. I’ve already missed too many days this semester.”
He pushes off the dresser and follows me. “And what happens if she’s waiting for you again? What happens if she doesn’t try to talk next time?”
“You’ll take care of it because your psycho levels are in overdrive when it comes to me,” I say simply, because it’s true. “And I’m not scared of her. She caught me off guard yesterday, but I’m prepared today.”
“That’s not the point either,” he says, stepping into my space so I have to tilt my chin up to keep looking at him.
“Then what is the point?” I ask, a little sharper than I mean to.
His gaze holds mine for a long beat, searching. Then he exhales through his nose and mutters, “You make it harder to keep you safe than anyone I’ve ever met.”
I grin at that, small but enough to ease the tension in my shoulders. “Yeah, but you like it.”
He doesn’t confirm or deny it, just keeps staring like he’s trying to memorize the way I’m looking at him right now. It’s the opening I need, so I soften my voice, leaning into that sweet spot he’s weak for. “Please, Lover, let me go to class. I promise I’ll be careful. I promise I’ll come straight back after and text you every hour.”
His mouth curves the tiniest bit, the kind of smile he only gives when he knows I’m trying to manipulate him and he’s letting me. “You’re not subtle, Pup.”
“Never claimed to be,” I say, stepping around him toward the nightstand to grab my phone, but I pause. “Huh.”
“What?” he asks immediately, tone sharp.
I turn, scanning the room. “My phone’s not here.”
“You had it yesterday?”
“Yeah,” I say, frowning. “I was—”
“I traced your location last night,” he cuts in. “It pinged at the stadium.”
That makes me stop moving entirely. I look at him over my shoulder, trying to piece the evening together in my head. “I… oh. Right.” It comes back in a rush—the lights still on in the locker room, the faint smell of detergent in the air, and the thing I’d forgotten after practice. “I went to grab my ankle brace from my locker. I didn’t want to deal with it in the morning.”
His jaw ticks. “You didn’t think to mention that?”
“I forgot,” I say honestly. “I was distracted.”
“That’s one word for it,” he mutters.
I ignore the bite in his tone, bending to grab my sneakers from under the bed. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll swing by after class and get it.”
He takes a step closer, and I can feel his weight behind me even without looking. “You think I’m just going to let you wander into the stadium alone when you don’t even remember dropping it?”
I straighten, turning to face him fully. “Liam, I’m not going to stop living my life because of her. Yesterday happened. It sucked. But I’m not letting it wreck my entire week.”
