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“Well, you’re fucking welcome,” I snap. I can’t help it. I’m still pissed at those assholes for approaching her. I’m raging that guys like that even exist.
With a soft sigh, she flicks my arm off her shoulders, her lips pursing to the side before she murmurs, “I mean, thank you… and I hate that I’m not bigger.”
Her soft voice seems to smother my anger, not to mention the vulnerable look in her eyes. I force myself to relax, to take a breath and find my center the way Coach always tells us to. He likes us fired up on the ice, but we have to be able to control it—switch it on and off like a light bulb.
“The best fighter is never angry.”That’s his favorite quote by some guy called Lao Tzu. I repeat it in my head a couple times, trying to shake off how fucked-up my night has turned out to be.
The girl blinks and clears her throat, lifting her pointed little chin like she’s shaking off her vulnerability the way I’m trying to shake off my dark mood. The light above us casts a pale glow over her, and I take a second to study her petite features. Her straight nose has a smattering of freckles across it, her blue eyes piercing as she meets my stare with a challenging look that’s all bravado. How I see right through it, I’m not sure, but it helps me soften my voice.
“You’re welcome,” I try again, this time grinning down at her and throwing in a wink that has her lips twitching. “Lucky I didn’t listen to your bossy ass, right? That could have gone really badly for you. But never fear… I was here.”
She rolls her eyes, tipping her head back with a groan. “Can we not talk about this anymore? I said thank you already. What do you want, a parade?”
A barking laugh pops out of me, which seems to surprise us both. I snicker, shaking my head. This chick is something else. The whole grumpy-ass persona on such a shorty is… well, it’s adorable.
She tucks a clump of hair behind her ear, and I’m struck by what a wreck she looks. Not in a bad way, just in awho gives a shitkinda way. Most of the girls I associate with wouldn’t leave the house without serious preening. This one looks like she doesn’t believe in mirrors. Not that she needs to. Even with her messy hair, there’s something about her that has my gaze glued.
She wrinkles her nose at me, then huffs. “All right, fine. You can walk me to my dorm.”
“Thank you.” I nod, grateful for the distraction after such a shitty night.
Her blue gaze brushes over my face, resting on my lips for a moment before darting to the ground.
I’m used to this kind of perusal. I can tell she thinks I’m hot. Most girls do. The thing that’s refreshing is the fact that she’s not trying to paw me or flirt with me. If anything, she’s spent our entire interaction trying to repel me.
But it’s not working.
I don’t have a hero complex. I just can’t walk away from a woman wandering around by herself in the dark. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I amble along beside her, slowing my pace to match her shorter steps.
The idea of what those guys could have done to her if I hadn’t been here makes me want to punch a hole through the wall, or maybe straight through their bodies. Damn those fucking assholes. I hate that the world isn’t safe enough for people to just live in however they want to. Anyone should be able to walk anywhere at any time.
But it doesn’t work that way.
Shorty hitches the bag on her shoulder, and I figure we should at least introduce ourselves. She probably already knows who I am, but I’ve never seen her before, and I’d kind of like to know her name.
“So, my name’s?—”
“Nope.” She raises her hand. “I don’t want to know your name.”
I snicker.Is she for real?“Why not?”
“Because then if I see you around campus, you’ll expect me to be polite and say hi. I’m not interested in some faux friendship with a creeper who stalks innocent women at night.”
Is she serious right now?
A surprised laugh punches out of me, cutting through the still night air and covering up the flash of irritation that just spiked through my chest. “Oh, you mean the guy who saved you from a carload of sleazebags and is generously walking you to your dorm?”
“I never asked you to do that, big guy.”
“You know what, Shorty? I should just leave you right here.”
She pauses to give me a challenging smirk. “But you’re not going to do that, are you? Your conscience won’t allow it.”
I narrow my eyes at her pretty little face. Yeah, she’s pretty, but… “Jeez, you’re annoying.”
“Thank you.” She raises her chin, and another laugh pops out of me.
What the fuck is wrong with me? I only had two beers tonight. Why am I laughing so much?
