Page 7 of Keeper of Hearts
As soon as he disappears around the corner, I take off after her.
"Troian!" I shout.
Everyone in the courtyard turns to look at me. Except Troian, naturally. I know she hears me, though. She starts walking faster, as if those little legs of hers can outrun me. She's a full foot shorter than I am, and I run every day.
She tried to run once. In tenth grade, she decided she was going to try out for track. She made it half a mile and then called me, convinced she was dying. I broke every speed limit trying to get to her, terrified she was having a heart attack. She was fine by the time I got there, so I took her for ice cream. She crossed her name off the tryout list first thing the next morning, much to my relief.
I manage to catch up to her on the far side of the courtyard.
"Hey. Why'd you run off?"
"I didn't. I'm going to class," she mutters, not looking at me.
I jump in front of her so she can't go around me. "Why were you talking to Corey?"
"Why do you care?" she asks, scowling at me.
I don't understand women. Really, I don't. They get moody and cranky and ask the strangest questions. Like that one.Why do you care? Whenhaven'tI cared about any and everything Troian related?
I spend the majority of every day thinking about her, worrying about her. At night, I dream about her. About what it would be like to fuck her, to hold her while she sleeps. To wake up next to her every morning. I bet she's cute as hell when she first wakes up. It makes me crazy that I don't already know exactly what she looks like when those beautiful eyes first open in the morning.
"Why were you talking to Corey, Troian?" I ask instead of telling her any of that. I'm not trying to get my ass kicked here.
"Because I can."
"Troian."
"We're going to Prom together."
I rear back on my heels, shocked.
It feels like she just slapped me. Or punched me in the gut. Maybe both. For a minute, I forget how to breathe. The whole world falls out of focus. And then it lurches back into focus with a jarring thud. Possessive jealousy sends my temper soaring.
"He asked you to Prom?" I growl.
"No. I asked him."
I stare at her for a minute, trying to decide if I want to kill him first or spank her. Kill him first. Definitely kill him since spanking her is liable to get me in a whole shit ton of trouble. I'll have to do that later, once I get her in private. Preferably near a bed so I can make love to her afterward.
"Go straight to class," I mutter, stepping to the side.
She frowns at me. "Where are you going?"
"I have something to take care of."
"Okay," she says, shaking her head like I'm not making any sense.
And then I notice that her eyes are red. So is her nose.
Shit. I didn't imagine the tears earlier. Shewascrying.
My soul quivers in protest.
"You've been crying."
"What? No, I haven't. Go away and stop bugging me," she says, her face falling into a severe scowl.
I consider arguing the point, but quickly decide it won't get me anywhere. Troian is a beautiful little butterfly. She's also the most stubborn woman I've ever met. I've told her a thousand times to tell me if someone is mean to her, but she never does. I always find out about it after the fact. She tries to handle everything herself.
