Page 28 of The Love Penalty

Thoughts of a brown-skinned beauty who hates me.

Something was off last night.

When I compare the way she acted on the dance floor, just before she escaped to the bathroom, to the slap in the face after our kiss…

I don’t know. There was fire in that slap—authority, boss-bitch vibes.

Last night, it was almost like she was scared. I didn’t think that at first. We were dancing. She seemed into it. I let my hand brush her hip, and then she took off.

I was half expecting her to storm out of the bathroom with an angry scowl and knee me in the balls for daring to touch her, but she kind of shuffled out looking sick and pale.

Caroline hovered beside her, talking a mile a minute, while Casey walked behind them looking uncomfortable as fuck. He’s never done well with emotional women. I’m much better with that kind of thing, and I moved in to say what I could, but Lani walked right past me as if I wasn’t even there.

“Lani, wait! Let me just grab my stuff!” Caroline called after her, but Lani didn’t seem to notice.

She made a beeline for the exit, and I chased after her, dodging people and making it out the door just as she was running for a car. I didn’t know who the hell was driving it, but Lani seemed to. The girl behind the wheel was nodding and waving her over. Maybe it was a friend from Huxley Hall or something.

“Lani!”

She spun around when I shouted her name, and that’s when I saw it—this wide-eyed desperation. Fear, stark and obvious.

It made me falter, and I jerked to a stop, all my words stolen by that one look.

Not that I’ve spent much time with her, but one thing I know about Leilani Iona is that she’s strong and fierce and you don’t mess with her.

But that look…

It’s not sitting right inside me.

I can’t seem to get it out of my head or let it go.

I’m becoming obsessed with wanting to make sure she never looks like that again.

Caroline raced out after us just as the car was pulling away. She let out a soft sigh, then kind of whimpered. I turned to check on her and saw tears spilling free.

“I don’t know why she’s acting like this. Why is she pushing me away?” Her voice wobbled.

“Did she say anything when she came out of the bathroom?”

Caroline shrugged. “That she wasn’t feeling well, but I don’t know if I believe her. She just keeps pushing me away. I don’t know what to do.”

I was about to run my hand down her back, offer her some comfort, but Casey came out of the bar, so I took a step away and let him do it instead. He spoke all soft and sweet, then asked if she wanted to stay the night at Hockey House.

She nodded, and they shuffled off to his beat-up Jeep while I stayed on the curb, looking down the road and wishing I’d never met Leilani.

I’m not trying to be an asshole, but she’s consuming me in ways I don’t want her to.

I couldn’t sleep last night, and it was her fault.

I can’t concentrate on this lecture, and it’s her fault.

I don’t want her eating up so much brain space. I wish I’d never offered to drive her back to Denver. I wish I’d never seen one of her smiles or felt her tongue glide against mine.

I wish I hadn’t chased her last night and called her name.

I wish I’d never seen that look on her face, because it’s fucking haunting me.

What I should be doing is staying far away from her and getting my fucking life back.