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Then he tightened his fingers around mine and led me down the steps and outside.
“I heard what you did.”
He stopped walking. “What did you hear?”
I flattened my free hand to his stomach. “Elena told me about Daniel.”
Theo grimaced. “She shouldn’t have. I wanted to wait until he was officially expelled to tell you. I wanted to be able to tell you he was gone for good.”
“I don’t even care what happens to him, it’s the fact you would go to that length...for me.” I whispered the last part. It was hard enough for me to believe, let alone say.
“That’snothing.” His brows pinched into a fierce, jagged line. “Daniel called what he did to you a joke. Him stealing from you is almost worse than Reno hurting you. At least in Reno’s fucked-up head, he was justified. Daniel had no reason to do what he did other than he could. It’s past time for him to feel the consequences of his actions. He will never breathe the same air as you again. Do you hear me? He won’t be on campus much longer. You won’t have to see him or fear him. He’s done.”
I bit my lip, unsure if I was going to cry, smile, or scream at the top of my lungs. I felt like a swollen pipe, leaking all over the place, at the very edge of bursting.
“He’s really going to be gone? Elena said he had some massive cheating ring.”
“Yeah.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “The thing about Daniel is he’s a narcissist. He had this scam going, and it was successful, but he needed people to know he was behind it, so he dropped hints about his access to test codes and essays to the guys in the frat. With Elena, he out and out told her what he was doing. Going hand in hand with his narcissism was his feeling of indestructibility. His computer password is his birthday, and he rarely locks his door. It was so easy, it almost wasn’t satisfying.”
I raised my brows, a wide smile spreading across my face. I loved hearing how stupid Daniel was. Pride goeth before the fall and all that. “But it was.”
He stared down at me, nostrils flaring, then some of the twinkle came back to his eyes. “Yeah, it was. It’ll be even more satisfying watching all his stuff get tossed out of his room. That’s coming soon.”
“You ruined him.” Just like I’d said, and sincerely meant, I would ruin Amir, Theo had done this for me.
“I will ruin anyone who even thinks of harming you.” He took my face in his hands, tipping it back gently, his expression fierce. “And not because I’m trying to win you back. This is for always. I will always fight with you and for you.”
...the kind of man who’ll be shoulder to shoulder with you in battle, and when push comes to shove, they’ll step in front of you and take the brunt of it.
I cleared my throat, at a loss for what to say or think. “Well…” I sighed and stepped into him, my front flush with his. “I think I should buy you some mozzarella sticks as a thank you.”
Theo’s expression broke, and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I have to go to work in an hour.”
“That’s enough time for a heap of mozzarella sticks.” I tipped my chin up. “And since you’ve been so nice, I’ll even buy you a cookie.”
“I’m not going to say no to an offer like that from my girl.”
Every time he called me his girl, my heart thumped so hard I could almost hear it.
“You just get to decide I’m your girl?”
“No.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “It wasn’t a decision. You’ve been my girl since you smashed my car. That was a fact, even when I was being stupid. You were always mine, and I’ve been unequivocally yours.”
I was beginning to think maybe he truly was mine.
