“I don’t want to argue with you, Elli—”
“Ellianna,” I corrected, fighting against the warmth bubbling low in my belly from the pleasure of him calling me “Elli” again. I couldn’t let his appearing like he was some white knight go to my head.
Blowing out a frustrated sigh, he crossed to the couch. “Where are your things, Elli?”
Of course he didn’t listen to me. He was Judge Fucking Bennet. In his world, he made the rules, and everyone else had to jump to follow through.
“I probably would have been surprised to see you in this building if I didn’t already know you were footing the bill for my rent.” Picking up my cold coffee, I took two big swallows.
Why did coffee that had gone cold taste so gross, but iced coffee was delicious? It had to be some kind of trick the mind pulled on a person.
Making a growling, frustrated noise in the back of his throat, Judge stomped through the apartment, opening doors as he came to them. Choosing to ignore him, I focused on the television. There was a syndicated sitcom on now. I didn’t watch much TV, so I only knew the bare minimum about the characters, but it was funny enough that I didn’t have to take cues from the studio audience to know when to laugh.
I felt him return before he dropped my cases on the floor beside me. “Time to go.”
“Bye,” I said without looking away from the screen.
“Elli.”
“Douchebag,” I mocked in the same exasperated tone.
“Use my real name, Elli.”
“Listen to your own advice, Douchebag.” I shifted, tucking my bare feet up under me.
“Baby—”
My head snapped up. We had a stare down for a long moment before he muttered a curse. Turning, he walked away. As I watched him go, my heart split open more and more with each step he took, but I didn’t call him back. I’d already learned my lesson the night before. I didn’t plan on making it again.
His hand was on the knob before he abruptly turned and stormed back to the couch, leaving the door open. I had no time to react as he bent and lifted me up over his shoulder.
“What are you—”
He slapped his hand down on my ass so hard I yelped. “You’re already pushing me to the end of my patience, Elli. Be still.”
“Put me down, you asshole!” I kicked and wiggled, trying to get free. I didn’t care if he dropped me—I needed distance between us. His nearness was too potent. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I live here.”
“You’re coming home until the fall semester. Maybe longer. You can go to Georgetown. I’ll hire another driver just to take you to school every day. I don’t like the thought of you driving in congested traffic, but I don’t want you living on campus. It’s not that far of a drive, and being chauffeured will give you time to and from school to study.” He put my phone in my purse and slung it around his neck before arranging the luggage so the smaller case was under his arm, and he dragged the larger by the handle.
I kicked my foot, connecting with his side. I wished I could reach his kidney. That would cause some real damage. Driving wasn’t the only thing Howler taught me when I was younger. Lyla and I both got lessons in how to fight and defend ourselves.
She just happened to be more adept at the physical lessons, whereas I was a much better driver. I wasn’t much for violence. I didn’t want to see it or participate. It had always made me nervous to see the cage fighting in the Underground.
Judge only grunted as he maneuvered me and the cases through the door. “Put me down! I’m not going back with you. And I definitely am not going to Georgetown. They don’t even want me.”
Which had stung.
Not only had Judge not wanted me around, but the school I’d always dreamed of attending had rejected me too. I’d been so sure that I would get in, with a full-ride scholarship. But almost as soon as I'd applied, I’d gotten the letter letting me know they didn’t have a place for me.
When I’d read those words, I’d felt physically sick. I’d stayed in bed for two days, doing nothing but staring at the ceiling and wondering what was so wrong with me that no one wanted me around. Lyla helped me get over the depression. She’d climbed into bed beside me with boxes of takeout, an entire cake from our favorite bakery, and enough diet soda to last a week. For an entire weekend, we didn’t leave my room, just sat and ate and watched K-dramas on her iPad.
No one cared more than Lyla when she loved someone.
I’d been so lucky to be one of the precious few.
Fuck, I missed her.
She’d told me there was always the chance I would get in for law school. I’d held on to that hope, even as I’d feared their rejection.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make a few calls.” He was able to get everything out the door and close it without dropping me, even though I kicked him repeatedly in the side.
His continued grunts told me he wasn’t unaffected by the blows, but I knew I didn’t do much damage. I’d seen him come out of the Underground ring covered in blood. The last time he’d participated in a fight, he’d gotten a bruised kidney. I’d begged him not to do it again.
Not long after that, he’d begun shutting me out.
But at least he hadn’t been back in the cage since then—or so my mom had told me.
“I don’t want to go to Georgetown!” I shouted, slapping my hands against his back. “Especially if they’re only going to accept me because Judge Fucking Bennet pulled a few strings. I’m not that pathetic.”
“You’re not pathetic,” he growled, kicking open the front door of the building and walking over to where a guy in a suit was standing beside the back passenger door of a tank-like SUV. “You’re amazing. Georgetown will be grateful to have you.”
“Ha!”
“We can discuss school later.” Judge dropped the cases on the sidewalk and barked at the driver to pick them up after the man opened the door for him. “If I put you down, will you get in the car like a good girl?”
Why did he make that sound sexy?
I kicked him again.
“I’ll take that as a no.” He trapped my legs against his body and then shifted his hold until I was being held with my side against the trunk of his body. “Watch your head,” he cautioned as he got in without releasing me.
Once he was situated, his arms remained like bands, binding me to him.
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” he said with such confidence, I wanted to punch him in the face. As if he could read my mind, he adjusted his hold so my arms were trapped against my body. Lowering his head, he brushed his nose against my ear. “Let’s go home, Elli.”
Chapter 17
Judge
“I’m not getting on that plane,” Ellianna seethed when the driver stopped on the tarmac a safe distance from the jet I’d chartered.
For the entire ride from her apartment, she’d been quiet. I could feel her anger bubbling the whole way, but she’d frozen me out. Which was frustrating as fuck when she was on my lap and my body was one massive ache for her. But as soon as the driver turned into the private section of the airport, she’d started getting mouthy.