Chest heaving, I stopped, soaking in the sight before me. Her beauty never failed to stun me. Sometimes I wondered if I made it up in my head, but then I would look at her pictures saved in my phone and realize how poor of a memory I had.
“El?”
Ellianna jerked and shifted her head. I followed the movement with my eyes and found a guy I didn’t know sitting across from her. Tall, athletic, and Ellianna’s age if I had to guess. He glanced from her to me and back again, a frown pulling his brows together.
“I have to go,” she muttered, jumping to her feet. Grabbing her phone and her backpack, she hastily backed away from the table. “I-I’ll see you later.”
“El, wait. What’s wrong?”
“Bye!” she called over her shoulder as she practically ran out a different door from the one I’d just entered through.
She ran from me.
Again.
Muttering a curse, I took off after her at full speed. Slamming through the door before it had a chance to close, I raced after her. “Elli.”
Students and professors turned at my roar, but Ellianna kept running. I caught up to her in no time, my long legs eating up the distance she was so desperate to put between us. I moved in front of her a few steps, then turned to face her, my hands automatically going out to steady her so she didn’t fall.
Breathing hard, she glared up at me. “Go away. Leave me alone.”
“No, never.” My hands lingered at her waist before traveling up her back. Feeling her warm body under my fingers was nirvana. I wanted to pick her up and bury my face in her hair.
Somehow, I restrained myself. “Why are you here?”
Shit, my voice came out raw, almost accusatory.
She flinched but tilted her head back stubbornly. “I wasn’t aware I was only allowed to go to Stanford. Oh, wait. According to you, that is all I’m allowed.”
Ignoring the barb, I wrapped my fingers around a lock of her hair. “Have you been here the entire time?”
“Is that a crime, Judge?”
From the glimmer in those baby blues, I could tell she was itching to be punished. Inhaling through my nose, I fought the need to give her exactly what she wanted.
“Does Mabel know you’re here?” I growled.
“She’s my mother. Of course she knows.”
I replayed every time Mabel had told me how Ellianna was doing and realized she had only said “school,” never actually specifying which one, though. Groaning, I tugged on Ellianna’s hair. “Where are you staying?”
“None of your business.”
Movement from behind her drew my gaze. Seeing the guy she’d just been eating with, I pulled her closer, swallowing the snarl that vibrated in my chest.
“El, you okay?”
She stiffened against me before turning her head to glance over her shoulder. “I’m good.”
“It doesn’t seem like it,” he argued. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared me down. “Is this guy bothering you?”
“No. It’s fine. Everything is…fine.”
I flashed my teeth at him. “You heard her. Now get lost.”
Despite the aggression I was giving off, he didn’t back down. “El?”
She shivered against me. “I really am okay. This is…an old friend.”
“Elli,” I warned.
“Shut. Up,” she gritted out between clenched teeth at me, only to give the motherfucker behind her a smile. “We can talk tonight.”
“Ellianna.”
She pointed her finger in my face without looking at me. “Don’t.”
Cradling her face, I turned her head so she was looking up at me. “Eyes on me.”
Fire flashed in her baby blues. “I’ll deal with you in a moment.” Jerking away from my hold, she turned her body away from me. “I’ll see you later tonight, Kyndle.”
“The fuck you will.” I grasped her hips, pulling her back against my front and locking an arm around her waist.
She slapped at my hand. “Later,” she repeated to the guy still standing there. The longer he lingered, the more painful I promised myself his death would be. “I’ve got this.”
“If you’re sure,” he said reluctantly.
“She’s fucking sure,” I snapped. “Get lost.”
She elbowed me in the gut. “Promise.”
“All right, babe. I’ll see you at home.”
Red film descended over my eyes.
See you at home.
Those words echoed in my head. Over and over again. Through my need to tear the bastard apart, I watched him cast me another hard, suspicious look before he walked away.
I stood there holding on to the only salvation I’ve ever known. Torn between wanting to rip the fucker’s head off or drop to my knees and beg her to come home with me. Where she belonged.
Ellianna waited until he went back into the café before turning to blast me with her icy glare. “Really? Maybe next time, you should whip out your dick and piss on my leg.”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her again, even though every nerve was screaming for me to grab hold and never let go. “Don’t give me ideas, baby.”
“I’m not your baby. I’m not your anything.”
Hands fisting in my pockets, I clenched my teeth. “You are everything.”
“Did you chase me just to bullshit me?” she demanded.
“Do you think I call you all day, every day, send hundreds of texts daily, beg you to come back to me every day to bullshit you, Elli?” When she remained silent, just looked up at me like she was waiting for me to confess—to what, I didn’t fucking know—I barked out a laugh. “What do you want? My soul? Huh? Because it’s already yours.”
Rolling her eyes, she took a step backward. “A tad too dramatic, but cool story. You definitely would have succeeded if you’d pursued acting.” She made a show of checking the time on her phone. “Sorry, I’m all out of time for you to practice your lines on.”
“You’re maddening, you know that?” I exploded, thrusting my fingers into my hair in frustration. “You only hear what you want to hear. No matter how many times I apologize, you won’t listen.”
“You?” She laughed. “Apologize? Does Judge Bennet even know how to say he’s sorry?”
“I…” I faltered with the realization that she was right.
I’d never told her I was sorry.
Not once.
Fuck!
“Baby, I’m—”
“And what right do you have to even ask me to listen to anything you want to say?” she interrupted. “You have a lot of fucking nerve to think I owe you a single moment of my time, Douchebag.”
“I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m still begging you—”
“And I’m begging you!” she cried. “Walk away and leave me the fuck alone.”
Her tears were too much. How was I supposed to survive them? When they spilled down her angry, beautiful face, I wanted to die at her feet. Anything to stop her pain.
Insanity clawed at me, but I was clueless as to how to fix what I’d broken. To make her listen. To get her to come home.