The message is short and direct. Very Devin. It’s not the words he says but his voice that turns my stomach. It’s a mix of desperation, anger and regret. My fingers fly across the keys, eager to take away his pain.

“Jessie—” His voice is ragged and exhausted.

“She’s here. She’s fine. Safe,” I spit out.

He lets out a deep breath, one I bet he’s been holding since she slammed the door in his face. “I’m coming over.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“I’m coming over,” he repeats, the tension in his voice palpable over the roar of his engine in the background.

“Devin—” I don’t get a chance to talk him out of it because the line goes dead. The asshole hung up on me. Okay. Now I’m pissed too.

And that’s how I ended up sitting alone on my front porch in my stupid onesie, the clink of moths crashing into the porchlight above my head the only distraction from the cold. My movie night has gone up in flames thanks to Bennett family drama. I hear Devin’s car barreling down the dark street before I can see it. The slam of his car door tells me the drive hasn’t chilled him out one bit.

“Where is she?” he barks, marching up the driveway.

Hello to you too. My night’s going great, thanks for asking.

I stand up, brushing the dirt off my butt flap. “Inside, being doted on by my entire sorority. Other than gaining a few extra pounds, she’s perfectly safe.”

“She’s coming home.” Devin grabs the doorknob, but I slam a hand into his chest to get the monster’s attention.

“No. She’s not. Like I said on the phone, you coming over was not a good idea.” He growls at me, not stepping back. I hold my ground, my eyes locked on his to let him know he doesn’t scare me. I know this beast sleeps in a giant heap of pillows, puts half a bag of sugar in his coffee and loves to cuddle more than anything. He’s not intimidating anyone on this porch.

He leans forward, putting pressure on my hand in his chest, but my arm doesn’t buckle.

“She took off because you were being an overbearing jerk. Take it from a girl with three brothers, you go in there now with this attitude and you’ll only make it worse. She’ll rabbit on you again. And next time, she’ll go somewhere you aren’t going to find her so easily.”

He shakes his head and steps back.

“Not to mention, my sisters might murder you before you get to her. She’s become a bit of a Kappa house mascot.”

He lets out a quick hum. Not quite a laugh, but almost. He runs his hands through his dark hair and those coal-black eyes take me in.