Her gaze is cast to the floor as she takes a stool at the breakfast nook.
“I made you breakfast,” I tell her, and grab the toast from the toaster, slathering it with some butter before placing it on her plate. I bring the plate over to her and then take the seat across from her.
She looks up at me finally, and I see how swollen her eyes are. I’ll bet she’s been crying all night, which makes me feel like an asshole for not at least trying to check on her.
“Thank you,” she mumbles, stabbing a piece of egg with the fork.
Her hand shakes as she brings the food to her pink lips. I don’t want to bring last night up, but there isn’t any way around it. I’m not going to let her leave here without her knowing that I’m going to do whatever I have to, to protect her.
“About last night…” I roll my shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension out of my muscles.
“What about it?”
“The marks on your back. I’m going to figure out who hurt you, and I’m going to protect you from whoever did that to you.”
Jude doesn’t even look at me as she speaks, “I don’t want your pity, Lex, and I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me.”
“I won’t get in trouble, and I don’t pity you, Jude. In fact, I feel the opposite. I can’t imagine how strong you’ve had to be or how you’ve carried all this pain on your own.”
“You don’t have to pretend like you care. I know you’re disgusted, and I don’t blame you. I can’t even look at myself in the mirror, but don’t lie to me with comforting words in an attempt to make me feel better. I heard your disgust last night.”
Confusion gives way to anger as it dawns on me what she’s saying.
“You think I’m disgusted by you because of the marks on your back?” I ask, even though, I know for a fact that’s what she is saying. I just need her to verify for me, so I can make my intent clear to her.
Jude lifts her chin and looks me straight in the eyes. The vulnerability in the depths of those blues is earth-shattering and rattles me to the core. I’ve never felt so drawn to someone before, felt the deep need to protect them with my life. Being around her is drawing out my protective instincts, making me want to wrap her in my arms and never let her go.
“I don’t think. I know.”
“You don’t know anything,” I growl. “When I saw those marks on your back, something broke inside of me. I promised to protect you before, told you if you needed anything, I would be there for you. Now I’m no longer telling you. I’m doing. I’m going to protect you, from everyone and everything that scares you. No one will ever hurt you again.” The words flow out my mouth so fluidly, like a well-prepared speech.
“I…” Jude’s cheeks turn pink, and she looks down at the eggs again like they have the answers to all her problems.
I won’t push her, won’t make her agree, or accept my protection, but I’m not letting her slip away, even if it is a little bit of a selfish need that I have.
“I… I need to get to classes,” Jude finishes her sentence, a second later.
“Shit, yeah, okay.” I shove from the table. “Let me change my clothes, and I’ll drive you to campus.”
“Okay,” she murmurs, and I long to see her smile, to see her happy and content like she was the night we met.
Once in my bedroom, I change out of my clothes and into a fresh pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I look to the bed and find that it’s been made. The shirt and boxers she wore last night sit at the edge of the bed, folded in a neat pile.
The fact that she went the extra mile to make the bed shocks me for some reason.
Reappearing in the foyer, I grab a ball cap hanging from a hook and walk into the living room to grab my keys and wallet. Jude meets me by the door, and we walk out to my truck in silence. The drive to campus seems to go at a snail’s pace, and though I want to talk more to Jude, and get her to open up to me, I don’t want to push her either.
“You can drop me off over here,” she says to me as I bring the car to a rolling stop at the curb. Placing the car in park, my lips part as I prepare to tell her I’ll be here to pick her up at the end of the day, but she’s already slipping out of the truck and closing the door before I can.
I slam my hand against the steering wheel, watching her walk away.
Everything inside of me says to get out of the car and follow her, but I know better. Not only would that be uncalled for, but it would definitely push her away. Throwing the truck back into drive, I end up going to the administration building.
Walking in, I bypass the lady at the front desk and head straight to my brother’s office. I don’t bother knocking, and instead, turn the knob and walk inside.
Sebastian looks up from some papers on his desk, a grin tipping at the side of his lips.
“Hey, brother,” I greet, slamming down onto the sofa.
“If you knew the shit that went down on that thing, I doubt you’d be sitting there,” he says, gesturing toward the couch. I just shrug.
“I’m fine without knowing what you and Lily have done here… or anywhere for that matter.”
Sebastian grins and sets his pen down on the desk. “What’s going on, Lex?” The way he says my name and questions me, makes me feel like he’s more like a father than my younger brother. He’s always been like this, even though I’m a year older, he always acted like I was his little brother. You could say he’s always been the mature one, and honestly, I’m fine with that. It occurs to me then that if anyone was to know something about Jude, it would be my brother.
“Question,” I blurt, “can you give me some information on a student?”
Seb’s gaze narrows. “The official Dean answer is, of course, no. The unofficial brotherly answer is, that depends on who the student is and why you want the information?”
“Her name is Jude. I don’t know her last name, she’s told me she is twenty-one, but she is probably nineteen. Light blonde hair, blue eyes.”
“Shy, a little jumpy?” Seb adds, his dark brows furrowing.
“Yeah.” I bounce my leg up and down.
Something clicks inside my brother’s head, and his gaze becomes penetrating. “Leave her alone. She just enrolled and is here on an academic scholarship. Her grades are essential, and we both know schooling isn’t important to you.”
“That’s fucking rude,” I scoff. “You’re acting like simply because I ask about her that I’m going to fuck up her chance of going to school here.”
Seb shakes his head, remorse bleeding into his russet brown eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. That’s not what I mean. I just don’t want her chances of going here being ruined. She was very excited to be accepted into the school, and if I’m being honest, she’s a little naive. Given the chance, you’d have her eating out of the palm of your hand. Just find someone else for a good time, okay?”
Sex. He thinks this is about sex? I force my hand to remain flat against the couch, instead of forming it into a fist like I want to.
“That’s not what this is about.”
“Then tell me what it’s about because it sounds like it is. What do you expect me to think? You randomly show up here asking about a girl when I know you aren’t interested in anything serious. I can’t even remember the last time you were interested in something more than a hookup.”