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“Don’t make me wait next time,” he growls as he pulls away. He observes my face just as I sniffle and I watch as his thick, dark eyebrows draw together in the slightest. The faintest line appears between them, and I bring my thumb to it, rubbing between his brows.
“You’re crying,” he states without an ounce of worry in his voice. Nevertheless, I see it in the way he scoots closer to me. I feel it under my thumb. It makes my skin tingle.
“Harper is a bitch, but I’ll be okay.”
“What did she do?” He’s clearly as done with her as I am.
“She watched a video of us on the first night of initiations. There were cameras in the room that night, stupid initiation stuff. I…I had forgotten about it until she so kindly reminded me.”
There’s a brief pause before he pulls away. “For fuck’s sake,” he huffs in that way he has of letting the world know it’s pissing him off.
He opens his door, and I throw myself over him, grabbing his arm. “What are you doing?” I gasp.
“I’m gonna talk to her. She needs to know her fucking place.”
“No, no, no. You’re not talking to her. I can handle this.”
“Thisbaby chick,” he says, looking me up and down. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Laugh? Oh no, don’t worry, we all know that’s too much to ask.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “So youdohave retorts.”
“Yes, when I want to. I can handle my problems, Xi. You don’t need to save me all the time.”
He licks his lips, his gaze lost, his mind running. “Maybe I like saving you.”
I feel my cheeks heat, unable to stop the smile from spreading on my lips.
All my life, I’ve been wanting someone to save me. From home, from the kidnappers, from my own mind. I’ve grown up swallowing back whatever fight I had in me and learning to do anything I was told to. I would dream of someone coming to my rescue, of someone realizing what was happening inside the beautiful mansion of Senator Delacroix.
I lost my voice. My will to fight. Xi telling me helikes saving memeans more to me than anything else I could have heard at this moment.
My throat is dry when I try to reply, having to clear it. “I shouldn’t rely on you like that.”
He looks deep into my eyes, his hand moving to rest against my cheek. “You are more than capable of handling yourself, Alex. Just know that you will always be safe with me. No matter what.”
I let the moment stretch, enjoying that someone is making me feel safe for the first time in forever. He was the least likely candidate. In my life, I imagined someone from Stoneview, a wealthy man taking over his parents’ company and whisking me away to New York City. I imagined us working in the city every day and coming home to each other. I imagined the vacations we would take, and that by keeping me away from my father and Stoneview, he would be saving me.
I did not imagine drug-dealing Xi from the North Shore to be the man to save me.
“Thank you,” I rasp through my tight throat.
He pulls away and starts the car, my face feeling cold now that his warm breath is no longer fanning my cheeks. I take a deep breath, inhaling his scent.
“Where are you taking us?” I ask as he drives away from campus.
“Somewhere special.”
My body tingles everywhere with the knowledge Xi thinks I deserve a special place.
“A special place for a special girl?” I joke, the undertone of hope clear in my words.
“You have no idea.” His eyes stay focused on the road as I look at his handsome form. The baseball cap hides what I know is thick, brown hair. His hoodie is up, giving him an ominous image. In all black, he could disappear into the night without a trace.
“Why do you always wear baseball caps?”
His eyes dart to me. “Are you wearing one to match me?”
