He smirks, his loathing falling, replaced by satisfaction. “Whydon’t you ask your girlfriend?”
Jordan grabs my forearm as I start, ready to get out of my seat. “Don’t.”
“You know, Jor,” Paul pauses, his eyes sliding from me to Jordan. I can feel her stiffen beside me which has a shot of adrenaline turning my blood icy hot. “I thought you were classier than this. But I suppose when you date down, you can’t help but turn into Quinn.”
Red is all I see. Chaos erupts behind me, but I hardly hear the cacophony as I charge towards Paul. My hands just barely graze his shirt when strong arms grab both of mine and pull me backwards, despite me struggling against them, rage seething through every inch of my body.
I’m done with this fucking guy. Someone needs to teach him a lesson, and that someone is going to be me. While Brody grabbing me doesn’t surprise me, because he’s the type that wouldn’t hurt a fly, I’m shocked that Luke is taking his side instead of helping me pummel this douchebag’s face in.
“Let it go,” Luke’s voice penetrates through the ringing in my ears.
“Stop,” Brody’s deep voice follows.
“Liam, please! He isn’t worth it.”
It’s Jordan that has the fight draining from me. I still want to kick Paul’s fucking ass, but the plea in her voice, the fear and panic that I hear, has me calming down. I shrug against my brothers’ hold on me.
“You good?” Luke asks.
My eyes are still pinned on Paul, who smiles with smugness, his own friends standing behind him, ready to take all of us on. I’d give anything to wipe that fucking look off his face. Instead I give Luke a nod.
“I’m good.”
I don’t need to see them to know that Luke and Brody are exchanging a look prior to reluctantly loosening their grip on my arms before releasing me completely. Sliding a hand down my shirt to smooth out any wrinkles, I convey one final warning to Paul by pointing at him, sneering as my nostrils flare.
“One more time, douchebag, and nobody’s gonna hold me back.”
“There a problem here?”
Glancing towards the front of the bus, the driver stands there with a hand on his radio, eyes narrowed at all of us.
“Nope,” I call as casually as possible. “No problem.”
He’s still staring as I turn back to my brothers and give them both a slap on the arm as thanks. It’s not truly them that my attention falls on though. It’s on Jordan who is standing behind them, panic still in her eyes. I push through Brody and Luke to get to her, bringing my hands up to cup her face, but before I have a chance to say a word to her, Paul is pathetically trying to get my attention again.
“I’ll remember to insult the slut next time I want you two to knock off your disgusting habits,” Paul calls smugly. “It worked well.”
Chapter 21
Jordan
Twohands,onebelongingto Luke and the other Brody, come down on Liam’s shoulders, but he seems completely unbothered by Paul and the hands of his friends. He’s focused solely on me as I beg him without words to leave it alone. All Paul is doing is spewing words and hatred. None of it matters. He can say whatever he wants, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. He’s a jerk. A bully. He’s always been that way, and for years I let him. No more. He isn’t worth any of us getting worked up over.
Liam’s lips touch my forehead before he ushers me back to our seats with a gentle hand to my hip. Sliding back into my seat, I turn so my back is pressed against the wall of the bus, my eyes locked on him. He refuses to look at me, though every once in a while I can see his eyes start to slide in my direction. Checking to see if I’m still staring at him. He won’t look at me because he knows what he’ll see on my face.
This isn’t how I saw today going. At this point, adrenaline is the only thing fueling me. After this morning’s goodbye, and the crumbling I did after Liam left, all I wanted to do was get home. I knew I would have to see him during parts of the trip, but I didn’t expect to sit with him on the flight or share a seat on the bus.
Today is full of surprises. I didn’t even think about Paul being on the same flight as us, but in hindsight it makes sense. It’s not like we live in LA or even San Francisco. There aren’t a ton of planesflying to and from San José.
When Liam first showed up and demanded Quinn’s chair I wanted to tell him I was too tired for whatever he was pulling. Between the lack of sleep and the crying, I was totally spent. Seeing him in the airport was more than I felt I could handle but I had no choice. Sitting with him felt like it would send me into a tailspin I wasn’t ready for. Then I realized he was only there to rescue me. To be there for me. One more time.
God, my heart. It aches for this man. I don’t want to say goodbye. I don’t want today to be the end.
Gripping his hand, I bring it to my face, nuzzling into it. The contact gives me comfort. I need that right now. The bus is vibrating with friction, palpable in the air. From the girls behind us, to Luke and Brody sitting in front of us. It comes from Paul and his friends, and when I glance at the bus driver, he’s checking his mirror to ensure nothing is amiss.
By the time we get to the parking lot, Liam is like a brick wall beside me. Veins are popping in his neck, his back is rigid, and the hand I’m not holding onto is tapping a steady beat on his thigh. He’s primed and ready to go. The only thing that feels soft about him right now is the hand I’ve claimed for myself. I wonder if he realizes it or not. What would happen if I touched his bicep? Would the tension leave? His face? Would his jaw not grind together?
I test it out, first by touching his bicep. His shoulder drops from its raised position, causing my eyebrow to creep towards my forehead. Interesting. Next I touch the far side of his jaw, gently turning his head in my direction. His eyes briefly touch mine, but it’s obvious he’s having a hard time looking at me when he leans in and presses another kiss to my forehead. Whether he’s worried about what I’ll see in his eyes, or by searching mine he’ll lose thetough guy routine, I’m not sure.
