“Did he touch you?”

“He … He …” Jordan licks her lips and swallows, her fingers clutching at my shirt like she’s drowning. “He grabbed my panties. All he managed was to rip them aside and then you were there.”

My arms on her tighten. A minute later and god knows what could’ve happened. “I told you to stay away from that asshole, Jordan. Why were you with him?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “It’s all my fault. But he messed with your grade, Brody.”

“He what?”

She draws back and looks me in the eye. “The midterm. I knew it. All I needed was for him to admit it. I tried to record it on my phone. God, I thought it was a great plan but he knew. Somehow he knew.”

A sick feeling lodges in my gut. My eyes fall to where Kyle’s trying to pick himself up off the floor. His hand slips in blood as he rolls onto his hands and knees.

Brody

“Get her out of here, Madden,” Jax says.

I look from him back to Kyle. His face is a mess. I did that. Satisfaction and shock both hit me at once. I’ve punched a few guys in my life, but nothing so violent as this, and never over anything more than a bit of bullshit. This is a full-blown assault. Kyle didn’t stand a chance. I’ve always been bigger than him. Faster. Stronger. But he deserved it and then some. Jesus fucking Christ, who cares about the grade, his hands were touching her.

I want to rip into him all over again, but Jordan has hold of my shirt, her teeth beginning to chatter. She needs somewhere safe and familiar. Jax is right. I need to get her home.

“We’ll take care of this,” he adds.

We share a quick glance, my gratitude deeper than the damn ocean. I nod and croak, “Thanks, bud.”

We leave out the back way and walk around the house where my car is still double-parked out front. The drive back to Jordan’s apartment is quiet. My right hand rests on her thigh, reassuring her I’m right here. Jordan does nothing more than glance at it before returning her gaze out the window. She’s a zombie right now, and I don’t know what to say or do to bring her back to life. My heart aches. My knuckles ache. Every part of me motherfucking aches.

“I’m okay,” she says into the unforgiving silence. Her eyes are still trained on the dark scenery passing us by, so she must be feeling my constant, worried glances.

“No. You’re not.”

Jordan lets out a low, shaky breath. “I am.”

“It’s not your fault, baby.”

She presses her lips together.

“I don’t care about what he did. I’ll make up the grade. Kyle Davis has always been a thorn in my side. I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to be used to it!”

I shift my hold on her thigh and take her hand in mine. It’s cold. I give it a squeeze. “I’ve never had anyone fight in my corner the way you do.” I bring her hand to my lips, giving it a kiss. She looks across at me. “Granted, I do not like the way you went about it, but thank you all the same.”

A tear spills over and tracks down her cheek. She wipes it away with her free hand. “I’ll always fight in your corner, Brody.”

When we get inside her apartment, Hayden and Leah are snuggled on the couch. An action movie is playing out on the television and they’re bickering over a bowl of popcorn. Both their heads turn in our direction.

Leah frowns, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Where’ve you be—”

Jordan pastes an overly bright smile on her face and cuts her off, pulling free of my hold. “Just going to have a quick shower.”

Leah’s gaze cuts to me, her eyes narrowing further as Jordan makes straight for the bathroom. I shake my head, silently telling her to let it go.

When I follow behind Jordan, she shuts the door in my face, calling out, “I won’t be a minute.”

Shit.

I rap on the door. “Jordan.”

“I won’t be a minute,” she says, her voice a little harder, and I hear the lock click in place.

I turn around. Leah and Hayden are both watching me. Leah grabs for the remote off the coffee table and hits pause on the movie. Setting it back down, she hands over the bowl of popcorn to Hayden. He grabs it with a monkey grip, his expression gleeful. With his giant paw of a hand, he shoves in a huge mouthful while Leah gives me her full attention. “What the hell, Madden?”

“Babe,” Hayden mutters, popcorn falling out of his mouth and littering his shirt. He picks up the fallen pieces and shoves them back in as he speaks. “Don’t get involved in their domestic. It’s none of our business.”

“Jordan isn’t feeling well,” I tell them.

Leah’s expression turns a little alarmed at the mention of illness. “What happened?”

Hayden gives me a sympathetic shrug. “Dude.” He holds the bowl out toward me. “Popcorn?”

“No,” I tell him, not moving from the door. “Thanks.”

Hayden kicks his feet up on the coffee table, shoveling in another mouthful for himself. “So. Big game in a few days, huh?”

Big game is an understatement. It’s the National Championship game against Kansas State. Win this and it will be the first time CPU has ever won a conference title in two straight years. It’s the biggest game of my life, and I can’t even think about it right now. “Yeah.”

“At least it’s not far to go.”

The game is being played in Waco, Texas. It’s a short bus ride, but we arrive days earlier. Our team has media to deal with, press conferences, a fan meet-and-greet, breakfast functions and dinner functions, and god knows what else. “No, not far. What about—”

I’m cut off by the sound of a loud sob penetrating through the door. I don’t even knock. Grabbing the handle, I shove hard, putting my shoulder into it. The flimsy lock buckles, letting me through.

What greets me makes my throat close up. Jordan is sitting naked in the bottom of the shower. She’s closed up in a tight, vulnerable ball, her face pale and all the fight in her gone. The shock from Kyle’s attack is wearing off.

I get inside the shower. My shirt and jeans stick to my skin as I reach down and pick her up. She can’t curl any tighter as I clutch her against my chest and step out from under the water.

“Brody,” she sobs, trying to speak.

I brush my lips over the top of her head. “Shhh.”

Half-resting her on the basin, I loosen my hold and reach for a towel. Sliding it off the rack, I use it to cover her shivering form. “Let’s just get you warm and dry.”

I carry Jordan to her room. When I set her on the edge of the bed and go to draw back, she clings to me like a koala. “Don’t leave.”

I fix my eyes on hers. “I’m not leaving you. I promise. I’m just getting out of these wet things. Okay?”

Jordan presses her lips together and nods. She lets me go, and I draw back and tug my tee shirt over my head. It drops with a wet plop on the floor.

It’s not until Jordan starts rummaging inside my bag for dry clothes that I remember the pills. It doesn’t take her long to find the bottle, holding it up to read the label. It’s too late for me to snatch them from her.

“Brody,” she whispers.

With her back to me, she sinks to her knees and unscrews the cap. Two solitary pills rattle around inside it. Two. That’s all I have left, and I barely remember taking them at all.

I swallow the guilt. “They’re not mine.”

Jordan shakes her head. “Please don’t lie to me.”

“They’re not, I swear.”

“Fuck you, Brody.”

Her harsh curse shocks me. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Getting to her feet, Jordan caps the lid and turns to face me, her eyes furious. “Fuck you!”

“Jordan—”

“Shut up!” she screams and throws the bottle at my chest. It bounces off and hits the floor. “Did you take all those pills? Is this why you did so well on your final? Why you’re suddenly getting amazing grades and killing it out on the field? You know what I thought?”