The sleek Bugatti purred as Orion navigated the road toward Silver Moon University. I fidgeted with the hem of my dress, memories washing over me with each passing mile. This campus held so many painful memories—the brutal rejection, the humiliation, the heartbreak.
"You're tense," Orion observed, his deep voice cutting through my thoughts.
I sighed. "Just nervous about returning. It's been four years, but..."
"But the wounds still feel fresh," he finished for me, his hand suddenly landing on my thigh.
The warmth of his palm seeped through the thin fabric of my dress, and I tensed slightly. His touch wasn't unwelcome, but his possessiveness sometimes caught me off guard.
"I'll be right beside you," he continued, his fingers giving my thigh a gentle squeeze. "No one will dare disrespect you with me there."
I placed my hand over his, subtly shifting it to a more neutral position on my knee. "I appreciate that, but I can handle myself now."