Page 156 of Zero Chance

“But he was one of the basketball players?”

She hesitated but then nodded.“Yeah.I’m pretty sure.He comes with them, anyway.But he isn’t the one who did this.”Motioning toward her face, she added, “After he grabbed my arm, I completely flipped out and pulled away from him, running off blindly to the second floor.And a whole pack of them followed me, thinking it was funny.”

“Theywhat?”I exploded.

“I’m pretty sure it was my fear and the skittish way I acted that encouraged them.They probably would’ve left me alone if I’d just told them to fuck off.But I—I was stupid.I got scared and lost it.I ran, so they followed me, laughing and calling me names.And when I hurried down this tight row of shelves away from them, I bumped into a stack of books, where…”

She motioned toward her bruise.“Anyway, after they cornered me in that back row of shelves by the window?—”

“Theycorneredyou?”My jaw was tense enough to crack iron.But fuck, I was going to ruin a few assholes after this.

“Yeah,” she answered dismissively, motioning past that part.“But your mom went all Rambo on them, throwing half a shelf of books at them to protect me, and they ran off, only to call the university police on me and?—”

“Wait, they called the police onyou?”

“Well…” She shrugged, looking a little rueful.“Yeah.They thought I was behind the book-throwing attack.But I was sobbing uncontrollably by the time the cops arrived, and I was the one with a mark on me, plus their story that the books threw themselves wasn’t very plausible, sothey’rethe ones who got taken in.”

I shook my head, wondering why the hell this story hadn’t been the headliner of the night, only to murmur, “That’s not good enough.”

Those bastards needed more punishment.

Waverly only laughed.“What the heck do you think should’ve happened to them?”

“They should’ve gotten their balls cut off,” I answered immediately.When my girlfriend only sniffed and rolled her eyes, I said, “These motherfuckers put theirhandson you.They tried to kiss you without your permission.They chased you, scared you, cornered you, and made you cry.They don’t deserve to live.”

She blinked at me before saying, “I like this protective side of you.You’re really hot when you get pissed off on my behalf.”

And just like that, she turned me from fuming mad to going up into flames with need.

“Fuck, yeah, I am,” I murmured as I grasped her face and pulled her toward me.Swooping in, I met her in the middle over the center console, and our lips crashed together.

Waverly whimpered, and the hungry sound went straight to my cock as I plunged my tongue deeper and shifted in my seat to move closer?—

Just as an insistent tapping started behind me on my driver’s side window.

Yelping in surprise, Waverly lurched back, and I cursed, needing a moment to calm myself before I turned around to see a scowling Ms.Breeker glaring at me through the glass.

Grinding my teeth, I rolled the window down and bit out, “Yes?”

She tapped her watch.“It’s midnight.”

“Jesus Christ,” I growled, still hyped up from the emotions that had surged through me in the last five minutes.“She’s right fucking here.On theproperty.And we were just saying goodbye.”

Waverly’s mom sent me a bland stare.“Your volatile outburst isreallyconvincing me, Mr.Dugger, thatyou’rewhat’s best for my daughter.Keep it up, and I’ll call the police on you for trespassing.”

“Mom,” Waverly said from behind me, her voice exasperated.

But it was that very voice that helped settle me.

Trying to keep in mind that her mom was this way because she was worried, I exhaled slowly, making myself visibly calmer.

Turning to Waverly, I murmured, “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”Taking her hand, I squeezed her fingers gently and added, “At school.”

She watched me for a moment as if worried, but then she nodded.“Okay.”

I smiled.“Bye.Sleep well, darlin’.”

“Bye.”Still acting leery, as if she expected me to do something drastic, she glanced from me to her mom, who I could still feel standing there at the open window of my Jeep.But Waverly didn’t say a word.Instead, she opened the passenger door and slid out.

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