Beautiful Brute (Court University 3)

A punch to his stupid chest before a slap to his cheek sent his beautiful face flying in another direction. It came back surprised, enraged as his eyes shifted from worry to intense fire. I’d surprised him, caught him off guard.

Especially when I slapped him again.

He caught it this time, his big hand completely encircling my wrist. I had another hand and used it, my stepbrother catching it again.

“Cleo. What the hell—”

“You’re not dead!” I cried, kneeing at him since he had my hands. He got on top of those too. Like his full huge body on mine, and I bucked. “You’re not dead. You stupid fucking asshole!”

I couldn’t see… blind myself with rage. Blinded with visions, memories. I was blinded by everything I’d fought so hard to overcome. It had taken me years to be right after I’d watched my little brother, merely a child, drown before my very eyes. He’d been three years old. Just a baby.

And the whole thing had been my fault.

I knew that just as well as Jax pinned me down. No more anger in his eyes.

Just confusion.

He was confused why I was hitting him, fighting him. He locked my wrists to the deck. “What the hell is your problem? It was just a joke, Girl Scout.”

Well, a joke to him, wasn’t a joke to me, and before he could make me the fool more, I wrestled from underneath him. I think I only got out from under him because he let me in the end. He outweighed me by probably close to a hundred pounds.

I didn’t care, barely able to walk when I did get to my feet. That’s how much I shook, completely unstable down to the toes on my bare feet. I swung around at the grip of my wrist.

Jax tugged me back.

“What is your deal? I didn’t,” he started, shoving a hand in his dripping locks. He still wore all his clothes, of course, too, his sandals on. “I didn’t…”

But the thing was, he did. He knew exactly what he was doing. He’d wanted to scare me, get his revenge for earlier today.

I guessed he gained what he wanted in the end.

“Get your fucking hands off me,” I charged, ripping my arm away. Tears clouded my eyes. “And never again.”

I think we both knew what never meant. Never in my life did I want anything more to do with him.

Never in my life would he ever touch me again.

I’d promised him that before, but I think, in the past, I’d only partially meant it. I hated that about myself, but it was true. Some of me, deep down, still had wanted him in the past. Wanted him to want me, to be like how things were that first night we met.

The day built completely on lies.

Jax’s lips parted, his friends materializing behind him. They all stood off in the wings, but he didn’t look at them. He was too busy watching me escape below deck and I was very proud of myself when I got down there. Slamming one of the bedroom doors, I put my face in my hands.

And managed not to cry until I was behind closed doors.

Chapter Sixteen

Jax

I’d never forget the look on her face. It was like I’d traumatized her.

It was like I’d destroyed her.

I shouldn’t care, but for some reason, the moment we docked

I was chasing after her. Cleo’d locked herself below deck, and I’d only had access to her after we had docked. She’d kept herself locked away that whole time, ignoring me when she’d finally opened the door to leave. She’d pushed me away from her, and blocking my path, my friends were the only thing standing in my way from getting to my stepsister.

Royal had grabbed my arm before I could even hit the dock, and the other guys got in my way so I couldn’t touch the dock. The girls were already off the boat, scowling while they stood idle with their beach bags. I’d heard the most from December after all this. That’d been what I got to hear while I was trying to get my stepsister to talk to me through a freaking door. December had been livid, the guys equally pissed. I’d heard nothing from Billie and Greer.