“Do what?”
“Take my injuries and put them on your back.”
She laughed once, brittle and awful. “You got hurt because of me.”
“I got hurt because I fucked up Maddox and he managed to land a few hits.”
“Because of what he said about me.”
“Because he opened his mouth, and I made a choice with my fists.” I took her wrist gently, pulling her hand away from her mouth. “You did not swing for me.”
Her eyes shone. “You could lose your scholarship if he reports you.”
“Doubtful.”
“You could lose hockey.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“Athletic suspension, pending assault charges, and a conduct hearing is not exactly a light scheduling conflict.”
My mouth twitched. “That was a very pre-law concern for shit that isn’t happening.”
“Don’t flirt with me while I’m panicking about ruining your life.”
“I’m not flirting. You just sound hot when you’re legally furious.”
She stared at me.
I lifted one shoulder. “That was flirting.”
“Easton.”
“I’m serious.” I slid my thumb over her pulse because it was jumping too fast under her skin. “I’m not scared. I’m not going to stand here—or sit here, technically—naked in your bed like an idiot and tell you I’m not scared he may get a case of the rat and go tattle. If he does, I might lose things I can’t afford to lose.”
Her face crumpled a little.
“But what I did to Maddox was worth it.”
She shook her head fast. “Don’t say that.”
“It was.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Aura.”
“No.” She shoved the sheet higher and shifted away from me, putting a few inches of mattress between us like she needed the space to argue. “Do not make this romantic. Do not make violence sound noble because it happened to be aimed at a guy who deserved it. I can’t carry that. I can’t carry you losing pieces of your future over me.”
I leaned back against her headboard and watched her try to turn fear into a courtroom. “You don’t get to decide what my line is.”
Her mouth shut.
I held her gaze. “You have every right to say you don’t want me fighting your battles. You have every right to tell me you hate violence around your name. I’ll hear that. I’ll do better with that. But I’m not going to lie to you and say I regret putting my fist in Maddox’s mouth after he did what he did.”
Her throat worked.
“I understand Cade in every way now,” I said, quieter. “I used to think I understood it when he went scary over Bliss, but I didn’t. Not really. I understand it now. The way your body moves before thought, the way the room narrows, the way every decent thing in you steps aside for one second because someone put filth on the woman you love and expects to keep their teeth.”
