“How could you possibly know that just by looking at the equation, Miss Stevenson?” the professor, a man in his late forties, demanded in a tone that suggested Nevaeh couldn’t dream of knowing more than him.
“My brain is like a computer when it comes to math,” she said with a shrug as if it were no big deal. “I understand mistakes are part of life, but if you can’t correct yourself, how will you ever learn?”
“If you know so much, why are you even in this class?” he demanded. “Sounds like you think you already know more than me.”
She shrugged. “Probably. But apparently this class is required for my major.”
“Miss Stevenson—”
I quickly moved forward when I heard the coldness in his tone. Fuck no, he wasn’t going to talk to my little kitten like that. I would knock his damn teeth down his throat before I let him hurt her feelings. “Nevaeh, are you ready?”
She snapped her head around and smiled warmly, seeming to forget about the professor and his mistakes. I glanced at the board again, amusement making my lips twitch that she’d caught this dick in not one, but two mistakes when it looked like a foreign language to me.
“You didn’t have to come get me,” she said as she walked back to her desk and started packing up her things.
“I want to make sure you get to your next class with no issues,” I told her as I picked up her backpack.
She rolled her blue-gray eyes at me, but she couldn’t hide the pleasure in them. “You’re worse than a new father, you know that? I mean, I’m fairly sure I can read a map if I did happen to get lost.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” I assured her with a grin as we left the room and walked toward the exit. As we reached it, Mia came down the stairs nearby and met us at the door.
“I need coffee,” she complained.
“Me too,” Nevaeh agreed, lifting her eyes to me hopefully. “Do you have time before your class?”
Grinning, I tossed an arm over Mia’s shoulders and steered them in the direction of the campus café. “There is always time for coffee.”
The café was crowded when we walked in. Mia grumbled unhappily as she pushed her way through students to get to the front so we could order. I kept closer to Nevaeh but made sure Mia was in my line of sight at all times. Old habits died hard, and I was constantly assessing a room for dangers to the girls as they studied the menu while a group of guys ordered in front of us.
They finally stepped out of the way so the girl at the cash register could take our orders, and I waited for the girls to make their selection before ordering a black coffee along with a bagel and handed over one of my credit cards.
“I can pay,” Nevaeh said as she opened her backpack to grab her wallet.
“Your money’s no good here, Kitten,” I told her with a smirk as I took the receipt.
That only got me an adorable huff as she went to stand in line to get her drink.
“Grab my drink, guys. I’m going to find us a table,” Mia instructed.
I swallowed my groan, my muscles tensing as I tried to watch her in the crowd now that she wasn’t within arm’s reach and still keep an eye on Nevaeh. I was so focused on Mia as she spoke to a group that appeared to be leaving their table that I didn’t even realize someone had been talking to Nevaeh for several seconds.
“…should come. Our house is just off campus.”
“I’ll think about it,” Nevaeh replied, and I snapped my head around so fast, I almost gave myself whiplash.
I took in the tool who was talking to her. Dark-wash jeans, a fraternity hoodie, and overly gelled hair. I put him at twenty, maybe a little older, with an addiction to teeth-whitening, given how blindingly white his teeth were when he flashed a smile at my kitten.
Nevaeh was barely paying attention to the guy, her gaze shifting toward the counter where the baristas were placing drinks and calling out names.
“Here, take my number and text me if you decide to come. I’ll make sure you have a great time,” the tool said, reaching out to take Nevaeh’s phone from her hand.
I grabbed his wrist before he could touch it and twisted his arm behind his back. “She doesn’t want your number, dumbass. The girl isn’t interested.”
“Braxton,” she admonished, but there was more amusement in her voice than displeasure. “Don’t break his arm.”
“Dude,” the tool whined. “I was just inviting her to a party. Geesh, relax.”
“She doesn’t want to go to your fucking party, asshole.” I released him and pushed him back a few feet. “Get lost.”
“Who the fuck are you anyway? Her brother?”
I took a menacing step toward him. “No, but I’ll be your worst nightmare if you come near her again.”
Soft hands touched my arm, stopping me from getting in the guy’s face and, surprisingly, calming the rage that was just below the surface, ready to erupt and blow the café apart. “Excuse us,” she murmured to the guy as she tugged me toward the counter. “Our drinks are ready.”
I kept her hand in mine, asking the server for a tray so I could carry the drinks and my bagel without having to let her go. She took her drink and then glanced around for Mia.
“You don’t have to scare every person who talks to me, you know,” she commented as we made our way through the crowd toward the table where Mia was camped out, waiting on us. She had her phone out, texting rapidly, and I figured she was either talking to her mom or Barrick. “Not everyone is the boogeyman who will snatch me and chop me into tiny pieces.”
“You don’t know that,” I grumbled. “And I wasn’t worried so much about the tiny pieces thing as him trying to get in your panties.”
A tiny laugh escaped her, and she glanced up at me through her lashes. “If I didn’t know better, I would say you were jealous.” She laughed again and tugged her hand free of mine so she could pull out a chair for herself.
I stood there for a second, just looking down at her. Did she honestly think I wasn’t jealous? The girl was smart as hell but apparently blind as a bat, even with her glasses on. I was so eaten up with jealousy whenever any guy looked at her, it was a wonder I didn’t lose my shit every ten minutes.
Nevaeh Stevenson was mine; she just didn’t realize it yet.
But it wasn’t like I could stake a claim to her. Not when she was only sixteen fucking years old.
The next two years were going to be pure torture.
Chapter 3
Braxton
Two Years Later
I knew it was going to be a shit day when I heard the thunder booming and my alarm hadn’t even gone off yet.
Sasha lifted her head, a whine leaving her, and I sat up so I could scratch her ears. My touch soothed her, and she began to relax again as she laid her head back down. Within minutes, she was back asleep at the end of my bed.
A soft tap on my door told me I wasn’t going to get to attempt going back to sleep. “Yeah?” I called, and Mia stuck her head in, the light from the hall haloing around her.
“I’m making breakfast. Do you want some?”
I glanced at my alarm clock. I only had ten more minutes before I had to get up anyway. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll be out.”