Chapter 3
THREE
I was going to fucking kill him.
The thought was a raw, red loop in my brain—a drumbeat of pure, unfiltered hatred for the pretty-boy dipshit still standing in front of me.
Ava disappeared into the women’s restroom down the hall, and the rage that had been boiling inside me since the moment Chris stepped out of that room with his pants still undone and that fucking hickey on his neck finally broke.
I closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye and pinned Ava’s cheating piece of shit ex against the wall with my arm at his throat. His eyes went wide, but I was stronger than he was and we both knew it.
Strength aside, I was pretty sure I had enough rage to beat him to a bloody pulp even if he had been bigger than me.
“You fucking stupid piece of shit. You will never find a woman better than Ava. You just lost the best thing you’ll ever have in your entire pathetic existence. No piece of ass is worth what you just gave up.”
I pushed harder against his throat for just a second before I stepped away. He wasn’t worth any more of my time. The only person who mattered was Ava.
Without another glance in his direction, I walked toward the women’s restroom Ava had disappeared into and knocked gently on the door.
No response.
“Ava?” I kept my voice low, erasing the anger I’d just felt for Chris and trying to inject it with the calm she needed. “It’s me. You okay in there?”
A choked sound answered, a sharp, ragged inhalation that was definitely not okay.
My chest tightened, a fierce, aching pain that had absolutely no business being there.
Ava had been in my life for as long as Drew had.
She’d always been a bright light to everyone around her, me included.
There were only two women who inspired the protective instincts that surged inside me—my mom and Ava.
I hated knowing she was hurting and feeling useless to fix it.
It made me want to go back and pummel that useless excuse of a man she’d been dating for the last four months.
I’d never liked him.
He was too smooth. Too put together, like he was pretending to be a good guy when actually he was a dick. Which turned out to be the truth.
Ava needed someone who would push her and challenge her, but who would also fall on his sword for her. I was pretty sure a storybook prince was the only one good enough for her, and those men were unfortunately fictional.
I hated even more that she was crying over this guy. He didn’t deserve her tears.
I’d make him pay for that later.
Right now, I needed to coax Ava out of this bathroom.
“Aves?” There was a sniffle that sounded like she was right on the other side of the door. “It’s okay to be pissed and hurt. But that lowlife isn’t worth one single tear, Ava. Not one.”
Silence. Then, a shuddering breath that sounded like she was trying to hold back a sob and failing.
I couldn’t stay out here listening to her cry. “If you don’t come out, then I’m coming in there.”
There was another sniffle and what sounded like a watery laugh before the door opened. Her eyes were red rimmed and glassy, and I despised the pain in them.
“He’s not worth it, Aves. You deserve so much better than that scumbag.”
“I know,” she said, her voice throatier than normal. “I just feel so stupid and blindsided.”
“You are not stupid. Don’t talk about yourself like that. This is entirely his loss.”
She didn’t look like she believed me. Her gaze skittered past my shoulder, and I realized there were other people walking around, likely looking for a place to study.
“I just want to go home.” Her voice lacked the usual confidence she carried, but I nodded. Whatever she wanted, I’d make sure she got it.
“Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
She offered me a faint smile that made my chest squeeze and then stepped out of the bathroom. I fought the urge to wrap my arm around her. I wanted to comfort her, but I wasn’t sure what she’d want or need right now.
We walked in silence out of the library that felt suddenly oppressive with the weight of everything that had happened in the last ten minutes paired with the combined stress of all the students cramming before exams.
Once we were outside, the cool, early spring air felt rejuvenating. It had stopped raining, but there still weren’t many people walking around. We headed toward her dorm, taking our time, even with the threat of more rain hanging in the air.
“Thanks, Li,” she whispered as we got closer to her dorm.
“For what?”
“For being here.”
I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’ve always got your back; you know that. Drew would kill me if I didn’t protect you.”
For a second it almost looked like she was disappointed before her expression shifted and a soft smile lifted her lush, pink lips. She didn’t say thank you again, but her gratitude was written all over her face.
We kept walking, occasionally passing other students, guys giving me up nods and girls giving me flirty smiles. Usually, I’d give them a quick nod or a casual smirk back. I was a hockey player, and frankly, I enjoyed the attention, especially from women. It was easy, low-stakes fun.
But tonight, the attention was nothing but an irritant.
I ignored them completely, not breaking my stride or turning my head.
My only focus was the small, fragile figure walking beside me.
The girls’ heads turned, confused by the abrupt dismissal, but I didn’t care.
They didn’t matter. None of them mattered.
They never had.
“Are you cold?” I asked, noticing she was rubbing her arms through her hoodie.
I hadn’t noticed earlier that she didn’t have a jacket.
Montana was in that weird spring season where it could still be frigidly cold or it could be a relatively warm forty to fifty degrees, which was sweater weather after the well-below-freezing winter.
“A little,” she admitted. “I knew I should’ve brought my jacket just in case.”
Without thinking, I shrugged off mine—a thick, black Carhartt my mom got me for Christmas—and draped it gently over her shoulders.
The thing was massive on her, the sleeves covering her hands completely, making her look even smaller.
She was five seven, but compared to my six three, she was petite.
She smiled up at me, and warmth filled my chest seeing her smile almost back to normal.
The simple intimacy of her wearing my clothes, breathing me in, sent a low, unexpected jolt through me that wasn’t protective—it was purely male, purely mine. I squashed it down instantly. This was not the time for my brain to go there.
Ava was off-limits.
Always had been.
Always would be.
“We’re almost there,” I said, focusing on our destination.
“Thank God. I just want to be in bed, under the covers, and pretend this day never happened.”
We reached her dorm building a few minutes later. She paused by the front door, but I stopped her before she could even say anything.
“Don’t even think about it, Aves. I’m walking you all the way to your door.”
She shook her head and mumbled, “Overprotective ogre.”
I bit back a smile. She had no idea. When it came to her safety, I’d always be overprotective. When we got up to her room, she spun around to face me, looking drawn and tired. The day had taken a toll on her that I wished I could erase.
“Seriously, Liam. Thank you. That was humiliating, but I think it would’ve been worse if you hadn’t been there.”
“Hey,” I said, reaching up to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
My thumb grazed her cheek, and I felt the lingering moisture from her tears.
I didn’t pull away immediately, even though I knew I should.
Instead, I let my hand rest there for a second, silently conveying everything I couldn’t say out loud.
I will always protect you. I will always be here.
You are everything good in the world and he was an idiot.
Since I couldn’t say that, I said, “You’re Drew’s twin, which makes you family.
That means you’re protected, no matter what.
And besides,” I added, forcing a lighter tone and finally dropping my hand, “I have to look out for you. Drew’s too busy changing diapers now to beat up random guys in the library. That job falls to me.”
She smiled again, but her gaze dropped down to the floor, and I felt cold without her hazel eyes looking at me.
“Do me a favor and don’t mention this to Drew. I know that probably goes against bro code, but he’s got enough on his plate. He doesn’t need to worry about this.”
I didn’t like the idea of keeping it from him, but I figured he’d find out eventually when Ava never mentioned Chris again. “I guess I can agree to that.”
“Thanks. Oh, and here.” She took off my jacket and handed it back to me.
“Night, Liam.”
“Night, Ava.”
With a final wave, she walked into her room and closed the door.
I headed downstairs, pulling my coat back on before I walked outside. The faint scent of strawberries wafted around me, and I pulled the collar up to my nose, inhaling the mix of strawberries and the familiar woody scent of my cologne.
It was a dangerous combo—her sweetness and my grit—and it filled my lungs, settling deep in my chest where that protective ache was starting to mutate into something hotter. Something entirely forbidden.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, turning toward the dark street, but the scent followed me. It was a taunt. A reminder.
Drew would kill me if he knew I was standing here, high on his sister’s perfume, thinking about how good she looked wearing my clothes. He’d put me through the boards for real.
No, I needed to snuff out whatever this was.
Ava was off-limits and would always be.
Especially since she deserved someone who could give her real love.
And I wasn’t capable of that.
Not for her.
Not for anyone.