I jerk to a stop in the school parking lot, hoping I still have time to retrieve the book from my locker before the school is locked up for the night. I’m probably an idiot for coming back to get it, but Luke’s busy tonight, I’m not working, and it’s a great chance to plow through some homework and free myself up for the rest of the week.

Locking my car, I run up the front steps and check the double doors. They’re already bolted shut.

“Shit,” I mutter, sprinting back down and racing around to the back.

I see the light is still on in Coach Keenan’s office. Excellent. He can let me in.

Puffing to a stop at the gym door, I give it a nudge, relieved to find it popping open.

“Hey!” Finch, the school janitor, yells at me. “I’m about to lock that. Get your butt out of school and go home.”

I smile at him, my sneakers squeaking on the floor as I ignore his command and keep walking forward. “I just left something in my locker. I swear, I’ll be quick.”

He grunts and waves his hand at me. “You got five minutes. I want to go home.”

“Don’t worry, Coach Keenan’s still working. He can lock up for you.”

Finch’s head jerks back with a frown. “No, he ain’t. I’ve already finished down that end.”

I slow to a stop and spin back around to look at Finch. “Then why are the lights still on in his office, and the workout room?”

Finch’s bottom lip sticks out and he shrugs, looking more confused than ever.

“I’ll go check it out on my way to my locker. Maybe one of the guys left a light on.”

“Thanks, Carter.” He bobs his head at me. “I’m locking up this door now. You let yourself out down the stairs next to my office. Five minutes.” He holds up his hand, splaying his fingers to reinforce how much time I’m allowed.

“Got it.” I pick up my pace and run out of the gym, deciding to check Coach Keenan’s office first. Finch’s confusion is making me uneasy.

Vincent was busted with that gear…surely he’s not stupid enough to come back and steal something else. The school’s running out of things to pilfer.

Heading down the dark corridor, I turn into the workout room.

“Hello? Coach?” I call softly, not wanting to startle him.

He doesn’t respond.

My brows dip with confusion as I scan the area. “Coach? You in here?”

This time I get a very faint reply. It’s not the hello I was expecting. It’s more of a groggy moan.

“Hello?” I rush around the leg press and jerk to a stop behind the white shelves.

My heart lurches up my throat.

“Maddie,” I breathe out the second I spot her gold chain necklace.

She’s struggling to sit up, resting her weight on her elbow and cradling her head. Her right hand is fisted into a ball and blood is oozing between her fingers.

Rushing to her side, I crouch down and support her back.

“Are you okay?” I brush the hair away from her face and my core grows cold when I notice the red, swollen welt on her left cheek, the egg-shaped lump on her forehead, and the red mark on her chin. “What happened?”

“Not sure.” She groans, gripping my forearm in an effort to hold herself up. “He was in black. I didn’t see his face.”

I shuffle closer so she can lean against me. Her body goes limp, flopping into my chest with a relieved sigh.

My nostrils flare as I battle the emotions trying to choke off my air supply. She was attacked—by some guy in black. My icy core is being melted by a hot magma that wants to find that guy and smash his head in.

“Help me up,” Maddie murmurs, gripping my arm again in an effort to stand.

I support her back and slowly rise, lifting her with me.

As soon as she’s straight, her leg buckles and I catch her against me, scooping my arm beneath her legs and carrying her over to the bench seat.

“What did he do to you?” I place her down and smooth back her hair so I can get a better look at her face.

She’s going to have a black eye in the morning.

I’m gonna kill that asshole.

“He…” She licks her lips, closing her eyes like it’s a struggle to remember. Gently fingering the lump on her forehead, she winces. “He just rushed towards me. I tripped him up and tried to stop him, but he slammed me against the wall and…and punched me…and gave me a dead leg.”

She points to her thigh and I gently lift up the bottom edge of her shorts so I can get a better look. There’s already an orange-sized bruise forming.

“I’m gonna kill him,” I mutter, reaching for her hand and gently prying her fingers open.

There’s a short straight gash in her palm. I don’t know what made it, but it looks like it hurts. Grabbing a clean hand towel from the stack in the corner, I try to wipe some of the blood away.

She hisses and bites her lips together.

“I’m seriously going to kill him.”

“Get in line.” She snickers.

I can’t help a smile. Even beat up and hurting she’s able to make a joke.

The emotion that I only feel around her swells in my chest, taking the edge off my anger. I press the towel in her hand and then softly brush my fingers down her cheek. “How’s your head feeling? Is your vision blurry or anything?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s pounding. Maybe I’ve got a mild concussion, but it doesn’t feel too bad. I just…” Her bottom lip trembles for a second. “I just feel beat up.”

Dammit, if she cries right now, I don’t think my heart can take it.

“Was it Vinnie?” I choke out the question, rage still bubbling beneath the surface.

She sighs and rests her unhurt cheek against my shoulder. I shift my crouching position to accommodate her and cradle the back of her head. “I don’t think it was him. This guy seemed shorter, but I don’t really know. He was wearing a mask.”

“So, it could have been Vinnie.”

“He’s suspended. Why would he risk coming back here?”

“Because he’s an idiot.”

Maddie lets out a soft sigh. “It doesn’t matter right now.”

“It does matter.” I lean away from her and gently take her face in my hands. “Someone hurt you. That matters. I want to find him and make sure he never touches you again.”

A soft smile pulls at her lips. “You really are the sweet, protective type, aren’t you? If only people knew.”

My chest constricts as that familiar sadness washes through me.

Her eyes reflect what I’m feeling and I lean in towards her mouth.

She jerks away, her eyes shining with tears. “We can’t.”

My shoulders droop with a sigh. “If we could, would you want to?”

Curling her fingers into my jacket, she gives me a heartfelt look and whispers, “Do you really need to ask me that?”

It’s all the permission I need.

Screw can’t.

I press my lips against hers—soft and delicate. This time she doesn’t pull away. Instead her fingers curl a little tighter into my jacket, pulling me in.

Swiping my tongue along her bottom lip, I ask for a little more and she lets me have it.

I don’t know why she’s letting me.

Maybe she needs the comfort.

Maybe she knows this is a stolen moment we can never have again.

Or maybe it’s the final goodbye we never got.

Running my fingers around the back of her neck, I thread them into her hair, making sure every move is gentle and sweet. I don’t want to hurt her.

Our kisses are slow and languid, tugging at my heart and splitting open another part of my soul.

Nestling between her legs, I draw our bodies a little closer, wanting to cherish every second of this delicate dance.

It’s so much more than just a kiss.

With Maddie, everything is so much more.