I lift an eyebrow. “That’s not something you’d usually ask.”
“Well, things have changed, then.”
“I won’t let him leave my sight,” I tell him. “I’ll tail him for this entire night.”
Roman’s trying to flag Wes back to their table.
Hunter walks over, leaving me alone with Weston.
And for one moment, we’re alone.
“I need to join them, too.” Weston’s voice is clipped. I see every trace of pain from his past landing in his expression now, and it makes me want to kill this fucking stranger.
I have to make sure everything is going to be okay.
IneedWes to know that.
“Hey,” I tell him, stepping in close and putting my hands to his waist, just beneath his blazer.
His eyes widen for a moment as he looks at me, surprised at the contact.
“It’s… I’ll be fine,” he says.
His gaze is cracking right through the center of my heart.
“I’m going to keep you safe. Okay?” I tell him.
My heart beats out a rhythm, adrenaline coursing through me. I squeeze his waist tight, and I know if anyone is looking over at us right now, they’re certainly wondering what the hell is going on.
But I don’t give a fuck.
Not when Weston is threatened like this.
Not when he’s being forced to relive his worst nightmare.
He nods. “Right.”
I bring up a hand and lightly brush his lips with my thumb, then I let him go, turning back toward my table.
I sit down next to Kieran, and the stranger across the table barely regards me, leaning back like he’s focused on something else. When I follow his vision I see that he’s looking in Niko’s direction.
He’s so close.
Just across this big fucking table.
I could kill him, if I wanted to. Get myself expelled, but at least Wes would be okay.
Blood rushes in my ears as the stranger meets my eyes, and I don’t fucking care that he sees I’m watching him.
“Hey. What did you find out?” Kieran leans over and whispers in my ear, breaking me from my trance.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Fucking nothing, Kieran. Can you quit acting like some detective for one minute of the night?”
He lifts his hands in the air, feigning innocence. “What crawled up your ass? I’m the one who actually gives a fuck about securing an internship, even if it doesn’t matter to you.”
I tighten my jaw. “I care, too. There are just more important things than internships sometimes, do you understand?”
“Not when you’reme,” he protests. “It’s all I have. Do I need to remind you that my parents were still on food stamps just a couple of years ago?”