Page 78 of Mad As Hell

Ryan’s gaze met mine and held, pinning me in place. I was too tired to keep my emotions controlled, so I knew he saw it all—hurt, frustration, and fear.

“I’ll walk you to your room, okay?” He posed it as a question, but I knew I was getting an escort to my room whether I agreed or not.

I simply nodded and watched Ryan stand before offering me his hand. I slipped mine into his, hoping he didn’t notice how icy my fingers felt. My steps naturally matched his as he led me from the dining hall. Once we were outside, the doors closed behind us and the background noise of chairs scraping, people laughing, and utensils clacking disappeared.

Drawing in a deep breath, I forced myself to relax.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ryan’s soft voice cut through the white noise buzzing in my brain.

“No,” I muttered, hoping he would leave it at that.

He gave a slight nod, but his fingers tightened even more around mine.

Content with the silence, I glanced around the sprawling campus of Pacific Cross. Even though it was mid-October, the California sun-drenched lawns and trees were still vibrant shades of green. There was no chill in the air to indicate a cold snap was coming. I kind of missed the crazy colors the leaves changed back in Michigan.

Everything here looked just as picturesque as the website advertised.

But looks could be deceiving in so many devastating ways.

We made it to the front of my building, and Ryan pulled me to a stop.

“Thanks for walking me,” I mumbled, tugging my hand free of his grip.

“Maddie.” His hands came up to frame my face. He gave me no option but to look into his eyes. They searched mine for a long, desperate moment.

“I can’t help you if I don’t know who I’m fighting, baby,” he whispered, a note of pain in his voice that almost made me want to break.

I tried to shake my head. “There’s no one.”

“Liar,” he rebuked gently. “Look, I’ll give you a week, okay?”

I frowned. “A week for what?”

“Lick your wounds, keep your secrets,” he explained. “After that, you’re letting me in or I’m bulldozing my way.”

I choked out a strangled laugh. “Good luck with that.”

“You think I won’t?” The darkness in his voice made me shiver. “Don’t test me.”

I swallowed around a lump of emotion and rallied the last of my reserves. “You think that’s going to, what? Score points with me?”

He scoffed, his blue eyes alight with a fire that would consume us both. “I don’t give a fuck about scoring points if something’s wrong with you, which I’m guessing it is.”

I pressed my lips together, refusing to speak.

He smirked, the corner of his mouth hooking up. “I’m giving you a chance to come to me, sweetheart. Take it. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

I tried stepping back, but he still had my face in his massive hands. Unless I was planning to decapitate myself, I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Let go,” I ordered, struggling.

“You first,” he challenged. “Let go of that pride of yours that’s keeping me from helping you.”

“My pride? Oh, that’s rich.” A cold, brittle laugh rattled in my chest. “God, you’re such an asshole.” Finally, I wrenched free and staggered back a step.

“Fine. I’m an asshole,” he agreed, shrugging as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “But I’d rather you be pissed at me for being an asshole if it means you’re not hurting.”

“You’re the one hurting me!” I snapped.

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