Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“I’ll still buy anything you’re selling.”
She blushed furiously, her bottom lip catching between her teeth and eyes sparking before she looked away.
“Do you know where Professor Jameson is?”
I smirked. Professor Jameson.
Cora bit her lip and looked away. “Or, you know, Nolan.”
“The Professor,” I put on a haughty, academia voice that made her grin. “Is unavailable. No, he’s at his office cranking through some papers I think.”
“Oh, okay.”
She frowned as she looked down into her coffee.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing,” Cora said quickly, shaking her head. “It’s nothing.”
“What do you need?” I said, my voice edged with concern as I saw the worry on her brow.
She made a face, like she wasn’t really sure what to say.
“You can tell me,” I growled.
Cora nodded, her eyes locked with mine.
“I just need to go pick up some stuff at this…this guy’s house.” She looked down again, scowling and blushing. “My clothes, and stuff.”
I scowled. Garret and Nolan hadn’t told me much about the previous night before they both took off for campus. But they’d mentioned the asshole who’d hit Cora. My jaw clenched.
“The piece of shit who knocked you around last night?”
Her eyes darted to mine, her face paling.
“Me and Garret and Nolan, we share everything,” I shrugged. “But trust me, that shit stays right here. Your stuff is at his place?”
She nodded.
“Well, let’s go get it.”
Cora shook her head. “Oh, no, I really couldn’t ask you to—”
“You’re not, I’m volunteering.” I stood and knocked back the rest of my coffee. “C’mon.”
“Seriously, you really don’t have to do this.”
She gasped as I turned and put my hands on her arms, rubbing her shoulders through the hoodie.
“Yeah, but I want to. Let’s go.”
“Go the fuck away!”
The mumbled, alcohol or hangover-slurred voice shouted through the door of the apartment. Beside me, Cora frowned and glanced at me.
“Sorry, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.”
I turned and pounded on the door again, and again, and again, until the little shit inside started yelling.
“What the fuck!” There were footsteps, the lock yanking open, and then the door swinging wide.
“Who the fuck—” Matt stopped short when he saw Cora. And he smirked. “Well, well, look who comes crawling back.” My jaw clenched as he snorted and then glanced up at me. “Who’s this, Cora, your fuckin dad?” He laughed. “You bring this old guy here to—”
He yelped as I kicked the door in sharply, knocking him off his feet onto his ass as I shouldered my way inside.
“Dude! Are you fucking for real? You can’t just— fuck!”
He yelped again as I kicked him in the ribs. I turned to a stunned looking Cora still standing in the doorway. “Why don’t you grab your stuff, princess?”
She looked at me, blinking in shock before she nodded and quickly moved past us into the shitty apartment.
“You can’t just barge into my apartment you fucking psycho!”
“Yeah,” I hissed, my jaw clenched tight as I turned to glare down at Matt. “Yeah, I can. And I just did.”
Matt narrowed his eyes at me before suddenly, there it was.
“Oh shit, are you Max fuckin’ O’Reily?”
“Yup.”
“Dude! You’re the man!”
“Get fucked, Matt.”
He scowled, like I’d wounded him. “The fuck is your problem?”
“You, Matt,” I spat, planting my foot on his chest and pointing a finger right in his face. “You’re my fuckin’ problem you little shit. You like slapping girls around, huh?”
Matt paled, his eyes going wide as he shook his head. “Bro, I don’t know what that bitch told you, but I never—”
He wheezed as I kicked him in the side again.
“I’m done.”
I turned to see Cora, in jeans and boots now, but still wearing my hoodie. I grinned. I liked that. She had two small suitcases with her.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I grabbed the suitcases and ushered her out the door, leaving Matt on the ground.
“Hey, she’s all yours, asshole,” he yelled after me. “Have fun with your new old man boyfriend, or your dad or whoever he is, bitch. Yeah, work out your fuckin’ daddy issues with this fucking has-been.”
I could see the heat on Cora’s face, but I just shook my head as I leaned close. “Ignore him, let’s go.”
“Hey bro, just so you know, this slut was totally going to ride my cock just for a place to live. Fuck, she was begging me for it. She was ready to suck—”
Matt didn’t get a chance to finish before I’d stomped over to him, picked him up, and thrown him into the wall. He slumped to the ground with a groan, a pile of cheap plaster raining down around him. Cora’s jaw was dropped with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide as I calmly walked back over, picked up her suitcases in one hand and put my other on the small of her back.
“Let’s go, princess,” I said quietly, ushering her out the door and down the steps to my Land Rover.