She sighs in what sounds a lot like contentment. We lay quietly for a long beat and then, as if the events of last night come back to her, she tenses, her head snapping up. It nearly kills me when I see the worry in her beautiful, chocolate eyes. “Asher?” she asks cautiously.
With my thumb, I rub soothing circles on her cheek. “Yeah, angel?”
“Last night wasn’t just a bad dream, was it?” Her voice cracks along with my heart. I hate that she has to worry about this shit.
I shake my head. “No, baby, it wasn’t. But I don’t want you to think about it. I’m going to fix this for you.”
“How?” she whispers.
Pushing hair off her face, I press a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t you worry about that. You are mine to protect, and protect you I will,” I say with conviction.
Remi doesn’t look convinced, but for now, she’ll just have to trust me.
There is no other choice.
* * *
Strolling down the hallways of Coral Lakes—after dropping my angel at our spot—I can already sense today is going to test me. I’m proven right when I walk into my classroom to find Brody waiting for me. Pausing, I cock my brow in silent question. He smirks, pushing off the wall where he’s leaning.
“Just the person I wanted to see.” There is a seductive purr in his voice that immediately gets my back up. Has it always been there, but I just never noticed before?
I roll my eyes, moving towards my desk. “Well, you did come tomyclass, Brody, so it makes sense you were looking for me,” I deadpan.
I hear Brody chuckle, but I don’t look at him. Instead, I focus on setting up my lesson plan. “Always such a dry sense of humor. It’s one thing I miss about you.”
I grimace. “What the fuck do you want, Brody? I’m not in the mood for your shit today.”
Something a lot like satisfaction flashes in his eyes. “Trouble in paradise, Ash? Finally realized thegirlis no good for you?”
I smirk. “Not at all. Things couldn’t be better between my angel and me.”
The satisfaction clears as anger takes over his face. His fists clench, as does his jaw. “I told you to get rid of her.” It’s a statement.
I cock my head as I smile mockingly. This idiot actually thinks I’ll listen to him, do as he tells me? Time to school the bastard once and for all. “I will never get rid of her, Brody. When are you going to get that into your thick head? I mean, come on, you aren’t stupid. When are you going to realize that I don’t want you and that Remi isn’t going anywhere?”
“Asher.” His voice is a warning.
“What, Brody? What the fuck could you do that you haven’t done already, huh?” I step forward and into him. “If you were going to do something about what you know, you would have done it already. Now just go the hell away and leave me alone.”
His eyes flare, and he leans in as if he’s about to kiss me. Horrified, I jerk back. I mean, if he’s gay or bisexual, then that’s fine, I have nothing against that. What I do have an issue with is the fact he knows I have a girlfriend, and I abhor cheating. So he needs to back the hell off. “Don’t,” I warn.
He shivers at my voice, his eyes closing as if he’s soaking the sound in before they snap open. I see the need in them, the lust. Not for the first time, I ask myself why I didn’t see this. His obsession. His love. For me.
Taking a deep breath, he composes himself. “Good talk, Ash. Catch you later.” He strides away. My brows furrow in confusion. I don’t even know what that was all about, and I don’t have time to dwell on it right now.
Sliding behind my desk, I grab my cell and shoot my angel a quick message.
Me: Did you manage to switch out of Brody’s class?
I wait for about five minutes, and when she still hasn’t replied, I shoot her another one.
Me: ???
The bubbles appear almost immediately, and I smile as I imagine her rolling her eyes at my impatience.
My angel: No. There’s no space in any other class. Guess I have to stick it out.
I grit my teeth as I try not to throw my cell across the room. I’ll go to the administration myself if I have to. There is no way my angel is staying in that asshole’s class.