Beautiful Brute (Court University 3)

Don’t you dare go back.

If anything, for my own personal safety at this point. I’d merely called him an asshole and he’d manhandled me in my own backyard with our parents within feet of us. Jaxen Ambrose was dangerous, cruel.

I gripped the wheel in a harsh panic, trying to navigate the road like some shaking psychopath. Campus was fairly busy considering the early hour, truly the best place to go to school. Most picked the university on location alone.

Constant refurbishments made buildings donated by aristocrats and scholars shine, the campus glistening and radiating off the beach. Most considered Bay Cove a party school, but I’d gone here because it was equal parts academics and progressiveness. The campus had many student programs in which its students’ voices could be heard. It was a great place for activism, growth, and had many ways in which I could and did get involved. I shared a lot with my parents in that way and was always looking for ways I could do more for the world.

Add to the fact campus was simply beautiful with its lush landscapes and sparkling shoreline, Bay Cove was a vision beyond any student’s dreams. It’d been a place I got to call home for the past three years.

It was also extremely large and I hoped to easily blend into it this year. I had to disappear, the only way I could avoid Jax and whatever recourse I may receive from leaving him alone and throwing his bag out into traffic.

I palmed my temple, actually quivering. I had to get out of my head a little when I noticed people I knew. People from classes and whatever during the previous three years. I waved at them, dragging their bags and stuff along the walks. Many people knew me before I even came here because of my stepdad, and yeah, I also stood out like a sore thumb in this place because of my car. I could only thank God the bus system was pretty good here. I could use that instead of drive to class.

Because if Jax saw this car, I knew, just knew there’d be trouble. The guy was quite literally outside of his mind, and my panic brewing, I slowed my car.

I had to.

Feeling literally on the cusp of hyperventilation, I parked on some random street. I needed to collect myself and quickly unstrapped.

I had to scream.

I mean, I made sure there were no other people around, of course. No one around to think I was crazy, but tossing my head back, I let it roar. I even balled my fists, jumping on terra ferma like a kid having a hissy fit. If anyone saw me, they would think I’d lost my mind.

I think I had a little.

I kicked at my tire, shaking my baby before hunkering down and hugging my legs. I was angry, frustrated.

But mostly, I was scared.

Jaxen scared me, and though I couldn’t see his reaction much when he’d leaped into traffic to get his bag—after all, I’d been trying to get the hell out of Dodge myself—he had to be pissed.

I mean, I would have been.

I buried my face in my hands, elbowing back against my wheel. A quick sprint and someone was jogging up on me. Jumping, I nearly peed myself until I realized it wasn’t Jaxen.

But he was kind of beautiful too.

Hell, if Mr. USA was a thing, Lawson Richards would win by a landslide. Like every time and he’d wear the hell out of the sash. He cruised up to me in a set of basketball shorts and tank that hung so low it gave him man cleavage. The guy seriously had pecs for days.

Almost as hard looking as…

Shaking myself out of that thought like a Tiny Toon, I watched as he hunkered down, his eyes wild. He had a pair of earbuds in his ears he took out at seeing me. “You okay? I heard you scream or… something.”

Oh, fuck. Maybe this street wasn’t as quiet as I thought, and getting up, I let him help me. I dusted myself off. “I’m fine. Just having a panic attack.”

“A panic attack?” Shock ripped through his timeless features. He was like seriously one of those earls out of a Jane Austen novel. His hair sweated back, he still appeared perfect, flawless. He brushed a tanned arm across his brow. “You all right now?”

“Yeah.” Just not so casually losing my mind. “Ever just need to scream?”

Of course, he didn’t. He was perfect. This guy spent his summers backpacking through Europe and prob

ably would join the Peace Corps at some point in his lifetime. No, he didn’t have a psycho stepsibling set out to ruin his life, but he laughed, laughed with me instead of at me when I joined too.

He tucked his hands under his arms. “Not lately, but it’s been known to happen, yeah.”

Yeah? “Yeah?”

His eyes twinkled. “Yeah. That’s kind of where I was at when I was in Europe and didn’t know what to do with my life. Eventually, it brought me back here. Slowly starting to figure it out now.”