chest. His face is so close to mine that I can see the smattering of freckles across his cheeks and the two small scars on his face. One of them is the one I gave him a couple months ago. The other is slightly larger and looks older—I have no fucking clue where it came from. Hopefully from some other girl who beat the shit out of him.
“I don’t need protecting,” I tell him, my lips curling back. “I can take care of myself… or have you already forgotten?”
As I speak, I deliberately let my gaze linger on the scar under his eye from where my fist connected with his face.
My taunt hits home. He flushes in anger, his jaw twitching as he pushes into me a little harder.
“You can’t fucking protect yourself from everything,” he sneers, his face way too close to mine.
Fuck this.
My knee shoots up, hitting him right in the crotch. Hard. He stumbles back several steps and bends over in pain, turning away from me and sucking in a breath followed by a bellowed curse.
But it’s all I need. That little movement gives me enough space to get the fuck away from him.
“Sorry about your dick,” I bite out over my shoulder as I stride away. “I’m surprised I could even find it.”
I don’t head to my dorm. Instead, I make a beeline for the guys’ dorm building, slipping in after another student and ignoring the look he gives me. All three of the Sinners are still in class, but I know they’ll be back soon.
While I wait for them, I try to get my fury under control so I can think rationally about what I just heard Cliff say and about what just happened.
About thirty minutes later, the Sinners come down the corridor toward their rooms, talking amongst themselves. When they catch sight of me, they all stop.
“What’s wrong?” Gray growls. He strides toward me quickly, followed by Declan and Elias, who are less than half a step behind him.
I stand up from where I was sitting against the wall, brushing my pants off as I grimace. “Um… I think I may have just made shit worse.”
The guys look confused and worried at my pronouncement, and Gray ushers us all into his room. Once the door shuts behind us, I explain everything that happened between Cliff and me in the corridor of Hurst Hall.
“I probably shouldn’t have kneed him in the junk,” I add with a sigh. “It’s only gonna make him more pissed.”
For a split second, pride overrides the concern in their expressions. Elias chuckles, and even Declan and Gray crack small smiles.
“Fuck, I wish I was there to see that,” Elias says, grinning at me. He slings an arm around me and tugs me toward him, planting a kiss on my lips. “Next time you beat the shit out of Cliff, you have to promise to tell me so I can watch.”
“Stop it.” I shove at him lightly but don’t resist when he pulls me even closer. “Seriously, it was stupid. And I don’t know who he was talking to, but he’s obviously not the only one on campus who wants me gone.”
Unconsciously, my gaze flicks to Gray. Not that long ago, he was working with Cliff to get me to leave. He shakes his head, regret burning in his eyes, and I let out a breath.
I believe him. I hope it’s not a fucking mistake, but I truly believe he’s on my side.
Declan scrubs a hand through his hair, tousling the short black strands. “One thing is for fucking sure. We need to make a move before Cliff does something stupid,” he says. “Who knows what he’ll do in retaliation.”
18
“Where’s Gray?” I ask as I step out of my dorm building. Elias and Declan are waiting for me as usual, but there’s no sign of Gray. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, he said he’d meet us at breakfast,” Elias supplies. “He got a call right before we left. Seemed important. I think he’s good though.”
Declan gives me a small smile and we meet up with Max, chatting on the way to breakfast. When we get there, we’re among the few in the dining hall; it’s much more quiet compared to the lunch hours. Skipping the menu, the four of us head to the buffet and load up on gourmet shit that will likely be thrown out if it’s not all eaten by the end of the hour.
As we’re sitting down at a table, Gray