Campus Hottie (Campus)

A dull red color seeps into his cheeks, turning them ruddy before he stabs a finger at me. “Don’t you fucking dare tell me what I need to do when it comes to my family. All I’ve done is protect her from all the assholes out there who would hurt her. That girl deserves the fucking best.”

All of the venom spewing from him feels like an assult.

“What are you trying to say? That I’m one of those assholes?” Even though it’s difficult, I force out the rest. “Or that I’ll treat her like shit?” I don’t give him a chance to respond. “You know me better than almost anyone. At least I thought you did. I’ve always considered your family like my own.” This time, I’m the one pointing at him. “You’re like a brother to me. I would never do anything to disrespect your father’s memory and that includes hurting you, your mother, or Elle. I fucking love that girl.” My shoulders collapse under the heavy weight of that admittance. “I have for a while. As much as I’ve tried to deny the feelings to myself and her, I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

“Bullshit.” He stalks toward me. “You knew she had a crush on you, and you fucking took advantage of it. You were thinking with your dick, that’s all. And you were hoping I wouldn’t find out.”

Is he crazy?

I shake my head as another wave of anger crashes over me, making my body shake and my voice vibrate with pent-up emotion. “You know that’s not what happened.”

“What I’ve learned today is that I don’t know a damn thing. Least of all, you.”

He pushes into my personal space until we’re practically standing toe to toe.

His words knock the air from my lungs, making it impossible to breathe. I blink, attempting to fight my way through the thick haze. I’m knocked from my stupor when he plows his hands into my bare chest and forces me back a step.

“I’m only going to say this once—stay the fuck away from Elle. And while you’re at it, do me a favor and stay the fuck out of my way, too. If I catch you anywhere near her, I’ll—”

I brace myself, preparing for another attack. Brayden might be tall and muscular, but so am I. We’ve always been evenly matched.

I lift my chin and surge forward, getting in his face. “What? What will you do?”

His eyes narrow. “Go against me and you’ll find out real quick.”

Before I can answer, he swings away, stalking from the room.

It’s almost hard to believe that our conversation has gone this sideways. While I knew he would be pissed off, I never expected him to end our friendship.

Not like this.

“Brayden.”

He pauses, turning his head just enough to glare at me from the corner of his eye. “I meant what I said. Stay the fuck away from both of us.”

And then he swings away, disappearing into the hallway and stomping down the staircase in his Timberlands. A few seconds later, the front door slams before rattling on its hinges.

I release a slow breath as my mind spins.

From outside, his truck roars to life. With one rev of the engine, the tires spin on the gravel as he squeals out of the driveway and down the tree-lined road.

I plow a hand through my hair in frustration, unsure where the three of us go from here.

Chapter Forty

Elle

My heart thumps a painful staccato against my chest as I grab hold of the oh-shit bar to keep from tumbling across the backseat. Brayden careens down the narrow road, whizzing past bare branches as if we’re flying through space in hyper speed. My teeth sink into my bottom lip to stifle the scream building in my chest. Any moment, he’s going to wrap the front end of this truck around a tree and we’re all going to die.

Sydney must feel the same tension because she lays her hand on his forearm before digging her fingernails into his sweatshirt. “Bray, slow down.” Even though her voice is steady, anxiety weaves its way through each word.

When his angry gaze slices to mine in the rearview mirror, I hold it for a second before glancing away. Not only am I angry with him about the situation, I’m humiliated beyond belief. How could he barge in and decimate my relationship with Carson?

What gives him the right to do that?

He’s not my parent!

My mind is still careening, trying to figure out how I went from being on top of the world to sitting in the backseat of Brayden’s truck, being forced away from the one guy I’ve always had feelings for.

Once the narrow road comes to a T, Brayden swings the vehicle onto a two-lane county highway. The only bright spot is that the forest has opened up and we’re no longer surrounded by dense trees. Both Sydney and I breathe a sigh of relieve that we made it out of there alive and in one piece. My brother jams his foot on the accelerator and the truck shoots forward, picking up speed. One peek around his shoulder shows that we’re going twenty miles per hour over the limit.