Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 128356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
And I have to wrap my unsteady arms around his waist, or I’ll fall.
The moment I try to loosen them, he speeds up.
We’re in front of the human sciences building at GU in three minutes flat, and judging by the annoyed breath he releases, it seems he doesn’t like the fact that we arrived in no time.
I’m ready to just disengage and disappear into school.
When I hop off on unsteady feet, I’m painfully aware of the multiple eyes flashing toward us. Whispers, stares, people stopping and looking, some getting their friends’ attention.
Gossip.
Words.
Hate.
Shit. It’s like Mama’s death all over again. Being the center of bad attention, of malicious stares and whispered words.
It’s excruciatingly painful for people who don’t know you to assume and spout rumors about you just for their entertainment. Almost as if I’m no longer human and just an object in their eyes.
My fingers shake as I try to undo the strap of the helmet.
God damn it.
I forgot that Jude is kind of worshiped at GU and in this town as the hockey god and source of violent entertainment. They idolize him and the Vipers as if they’re immortals amongst humans.
Since he showed up with a girl on his bike, it’s naturally put me and my shabby hoodie and jeans under scrutiny.
I truly dislike having my body be the center of attention. It makes me feel on edge.
My nail catches on the strap and my hand slips off, but before I can try again, bigger, stronger hands wrap around mine, unclasp the strap, and he pulls the helmet over my head.
Jude’s touch is disturbingly gentle as he removes the strands of hair that got stuck to my glasses and tucks them behind my ear.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, seeing some people pull out their phones. “They’re watching.”
“I don’t give a fuck. From today on, you’re mine to do with as I please, Violet.”
“Do I get a say in this?”
“No. It’s payback.”
I let out a sigh. “You still didn’t forget about revenge after all. Did you disappear after I woke up from the coma to give me a sense of safety before you barged back in? Am I a punching bag for your frustration and anger issues?”
“Think whatever the fuck you want. The only fact that remains is that I’m claiming you, and there will be no one else.”
And then his lips crash against mine, devouring me. His hand rests possessively on my neck as he drags me out of my tiny bubble for the entire campus to see.
“Is it true?”
I wince as Dahlia pins me with a stare. We’re at a local restaurant at her insistence, and, honestly, I’d rather just eat at the cafeteria, but all the stares were becoming unbearable.
Hell, I was even cornered by a few girls and guys who demanded to know my relationship status with Jude, but when I said there was no relationship, they didn’t believe me.
The chatter around us heightens as Dahlia keeps staring at me.
“It’s not what you think,” I whisper after I swallow a mouthful of the falafel wrap I’m eating.
“Uh…then what is this?” She pulls out her phone and shows me a picture posted on some social media platform.
Of Jude kissing me.
Damn.
He has me by the throat, my glasses are hiked up my nose, and I have a hand on his chest because I was trying to push him, but that doesn’t show in the photo.
It just seems that he’s devouring me, plain and simple.
And he was. My lips were tingling the entire morning.
Damn him.
“Oh my God.” Dahlia puts her phone away, her face paling. “Did he force you? Is he still threatening you? Because I’ll have Kane—”
“It’s not that. Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”
“Considering he intended to kill you after he stalked you, yeah, I say I’ll make the biggest deal out of it. So what if he’s scary? I can be scary too or…like, Kane can be.”
I smile and take a sip out of my ginger ale. “Don’t be the one who comes between best friends, Dahl.”
“Well, if his best friend is bothering my sister, I’ll have words. Lots of them.”
God, she’s so fearless. I love that about her to bits.
But I’m also scared for her safety, and I definitely don’t want her to be on Jude’s shit list. Or for Kane and Jude to have a falling out because of me. It’s why I refused to tell her what happened after I woke up from the coma, but truly, I dislike hiding things from Dahlia, and she’s also persistent, so I ended up telling her about the stalking and why Jude came into my life.
In pure Dahlia fashion, she threatened to kill Jude, then she blamed herself for not noticing, which is the whole reason I didn’t confide in her in the first place. I hate that she still blames herself for my coma no matter how many times I made it clear that it’s not her fault.