The smile faded from his mouth as soon as he heard my tone. His body went still.
“What?”
“After you left the nurse’s station this morning, Jackson cornered me.”
Max dropped the cones he was carrying. His whole frame tensed.
“Why would that fucker corner you?”
“He’s obsessed with whether or not… we’ve done anything.”
Max’s voice sharpened. “Why does it matter? I think we made it clear you’re mine.”
I exhaled.
“He saw me with something. It set him off.”
“What was it?”
“The hickey on my neck.”
The silence that followed was louder than shouting.
“So?”
“Max. You marked me. He’s pissed. He said some things that were not normal.”
He stepped close to me, grabbing my chin and lifting my face so my eyes were looking directly into his.
“I don’t care what he said. You’re mine, and I’m glad he finally knows it.”
My mouth parted, stunned into silence.
This was an entirely different side of Max. I had never seen him like this before. He had been joking about being more than friends, but this? There was a darkness inside him that was about to come out.
“I’m not really yours, though.” My voice was quiet because I knew it was a lie, and by his reaction, he certainly knew it was a lie.
His hands clenched at his side, as if he was barely holding himself back. “Don’t say that. I told you I don’t share. You’re mine, I’m yours. End of story.”
I let out a small squeak, and he smiled so broadly it almost blinded me. The heat in my chest tangled with nerves. He wasserious.
His smile dropped, and he tensed again, seeing my facial expression.
“What is it?”
I opened my mouth, but suddenly froze. He looked at me, like he already knew.
“Say it,” Max demanded.
Every word spilled out of me. The threats, the way Jackson looked at me. Max didn’t interrupt. He didn’t blink. He justabsorbed. His fists curled so hard his veins stood out, but his face was a mask. I watched it hit him like a wave, but he refused to be swept away by it.
“I’m fine,” I lied, trying to defuse the bomb that was about to detonate in front of me. “I’m just worried… about you. Jackson is extremely jealous.”
I’d seen Max angry before. I’d seen him jealous, stubborn, possessive even, but this was something else.
“You’re not fine.” His voice was steady. Then a silent resolve hit him. “I’ll handle it.”
“Max—”
