I blink at him for a moment, but he’s a blank fucking wall.
“For fuck’s sake,” I grumble with a roll of my eyes. “You know she’s telling the truth. That Grayson’s dad”—I lower my voice, although I don’t really know why—“rapedher.”
At my admission, his shoulders come down, and with a bob of his throat, he nods.
“That’s why you sent her home,” I deduce when he says nothing.
“Yeah. That and the fact she should never have been here in the first place.” His expression turns hostile when he says. “Youshould have taken her home the second you believed her instead of keeping her around for your own selfish needs.”
“Hold on a minute,” I snap back at him as I approach him, appreciating the benefit of my two extra inches of height as I glare down into his face. “I agree with you that I should never have brought her here, but she also doesn’t belongthere.” I point out the living room window in the direction of her apartment across town. “Especially not during the holidays.”
“You think she’d rather endure Grayson’s wrath than be alone in her apartment?” Royce volleys with a scoff.
“No. I think she’d rather have heat and electricity and food in her fucking belly than freeze and starve to death in her shitty little apartment.”
“What are you talking about?” he demands, all traces of sneering wiped away.
I throw my hands up in exasperation. “She’s a scholarship student, you fuckwit. She eats all of her meals in the dining hall—which isclosedover the holidays—and I’m guessing she has fuck all in her cupboards or fridge. Nor will she be able to buy anything, even if she does have spare change lying around, what with it being Christmas Day.”
Deep lines marr his forehead as his lips pull down in a frown. His mouth opens, but he shuts it before any words can pass.
“Yeah, didn’t think of that, did you?”
“Shut up, asshole,” he snarls, but there’s no heat behind it. Turning away, he runs a hand through his hair. “There was… a lot to process at the time. I didn’t think.”
Releasing a sigh, I let him off the hook. “I get it, man. It’s not an easy pill to swallow.” Reaching out, I clap a hand on his shoulder. “Honestly, I’m glad you know. Can’t say I was looking forward to having to convince both of you that Riley was telling the truth.”
He huffs out a laugh, but I can tell his mind is elsewhere.
“Look, don’t worry about Riley. She’s a survivor—clearly. She knew the dining hall would be closed, so I’m sure she had some sort of plan in place—even if it was to live off microwave noodles for the entirety of the break.”
Thankfully, Royce isn’t looking at me as I grimace at the thought of three straight weeks of noodles.Yeah, no, I’ll not be letting her live off that for a single day, never mind the full two weeks left of winter break.
I’m already planning to drive around town until I find whatever fast food joint is open and deliver it to her like a modern-day hero, when Royce rounds on me, catching my half smile as I imagine a freshly showered Riley answering the door in nothing but a towel with her pale skin damp and heated.Oh, the ways in which she’ll thank me.
“No,” Royce states firmly, pointing a finger in my face. “There won’t be any of that.”
I scoff, swatting at his hand. “You don’t even know what I was thinking.”
“That you were going to show up on her doorstep like a knight in Wrangler jeans, with enough food to feed a third-world country,” he counters with a knowing arch of his eyebrow.
I gape at him incredulously. “I was not!”
Damn, the asshole can read me too well.
“You’re not to go anywhere near her, Logan.”
“Excuse me?” I bite, squaring my shoulders.
“You heard me. You’re to stay away from her. It’s what she wants.”
“And I’m just supposed to takeyourword for it?”
“Don’t you think we’ve done enough to her?” he volleys, and I find myself at a loss for words because, god fucking dammit, he’s right.
Still… I can’t just stay away from her.
“Well, I can at least call her and make sure she’s okay.” I take out my phone to do exactly that. However, it's knocked from my hand before I can find her contact information. “Hey!” I bark, glowering at the asshole as he scrolls throughmyphone. “What are you doing?”
