You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Easton

From my classroom, I can hear Aisha’s voice in the hallway, the rotten snarkiness in her tone, the evil words she’s spewing. My teacher isn’t going to do anything to stop Aisha, she just continues lecturing, but I can’t ignore what I’m hearing because I know there’s only one person who can be taking those verbal punches.

My fucking girl.

I tell my teacher I’m going to the bathroom and haul ass into the hallway. I make it just in time to see Aisha yanking on Harper’s hair.

That fucking bitch. She’s pushed every goddamn button of mine … and I have no patience left.

I’m seeing red by the time I growl my second warning at her, “Did you fucking hear me, Aisha? Let her go right now.” When she stops tugging on her hair but doesn’t let Harper go, I tear Aisha’s hand away, freeing Harper, and pull her into my arms. “Are you all right?” I ask her.

It takes her a second to respond, “Yes.”

The hatred pulsing through my body makes my jaws tighten. “Don’t ever touch my girl again.”

“Your .* girl?” Aisha stammers.

“Yes. My fucking girl.”

“That’s what she is to you now? But what was the other night? When you were in my room, between my,”

“Harper and I are together now.” While I hold Harper against my chest, I glare at Aisha, disgusted by the innocent look on her face. “You need to accept that and stop all this bullshit.” My arm lowers, wrapping around Harper’s curvy waist. “If you have a problem, you take it up with me, not Harper. Do you understand me?”

“But Easton-”

“The only thing I want to hear from you is yes.”

I don’t wait for her to say it, since I know she’s not going to, and I turn Harper around and lead us in the opposite direction, holding her tightly to my side. “Do you want to get out of here?” I ask when we’re halfway down the hall.

“Here?” There’s emotion in her voice. “You mean school? But we still have a few periods to go.”

“I’ll get us excused.”

“How?”

just going to have to trust

She nods. “Okay.”

back, don’t move.” I walk inside, stopping at the counter, waiting for Leigh, the office administrator, to finish with another

heats up as she approaches. “What can I do

likes my grin. “A favor.” I reach into my wallet, pulling out a fifty that I slip under her fingers. “I need to be excused

than she needs to, pulling away to put

“Yes.”

at the notebook that sits next to the phone. “Looks like your mom called a few minutes ago ” She pauses, pretending

once, and then she felt guilty that I was a student and it

the once

mom?” | ask. “She happen to

expect a phone call from her

Harper, my arm finding its place around her shoulders. “Let’s go to your locker, grab what

going to

adorable. “No,

locker, and she starts putting her

“Do what?”

exit, and she looks at me as she heads through the doorway, my stare slowly lifting from her ass. “Make everything go the

breeze of freedom flies over my face.

out of school without even earning us a minute of detention,

her tongue. The grind of her hips against me is what finally makes me tear my lips away. “I’m going to

moans against my mouth.

get to my

is. I hurry to the other side and start the engine,

to

set my hand on her upper thigh, noticing the change