Brutal Protector: A Dark College Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Westforde College Book 2)

by Serena Lyons

  Faith: On rounds. Call you later. Love you, NICKNAME.

  A sharp elbow jabs into my side, it’s one of my classmates in the postgraduate medicine degree I started after securing a first in my PPE course. Even though I knew I could have sailed into loads of corporate or government jobs, medicine still called to me. I wouldn’t have been able to afford the eye-watering tuition fees though if it wasn’t for Callum. It took a while, but he convinced me it was stupid to let go of my dreams because I was too proud to take his money.

  “You should apply for medicine in September.” Callum strokes my hair as we lie wrapped in each other’s arms in his bed. “You don’t care about any of these other jobs.”

  “I can’t afford it, I could get a loan for the course fees, but not the living costs because it counts as my second degree.” As ever, a kernel of regret solidifies in my stomach about how I’ve thrown away the career I’ve always dreamed of to come to Westforde and avenge Millie. Not that I’d change it—if I hadn’t, I would never have met Callum. Never known that I’d gotten him so wrong, learnt how beautiful life can be with a partner you know would do anything for you.

  But… I’d love to save lives too.

  “I’ll pay.”

  He always offers. I love him for it, but I can’t say yes. “I don’t want things to change between us, Cal, you know that.”

  “Nothing would change.”

  “It would, you’d resent me or feel guilted into staying with me. I want us to always be choosing to be together, not being forced to.”

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t be guilted into staying with me?” His tone is cheeky and he twists towards me, his lips dragging against the sensitive skin of my neck. “There’d be no strings attached, Faith.” He presses down on my collarbone and shivers run straight to my core. “I’ll give you it all upfront.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Just take it.” His head moves down towards my nipple.

  “But it’s not my money. I don’t deserve it.”

  “It’s not even my money, anyway. It’s all Dad’s and God knows he’s got enough debts to pay to society and the NHS after all his emergency ambulance trips when he partied a bit too hard. Consider it reparations.”

  “Really?” His mouth on me is making it hard to argue back.

  “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  I call Callum back on my break. “What’s up?”

  “Dad’s up for a lifetime achievement Brit award. The whole family has to go,” he sighs like he’s been asked to go to a knitting convention, not the UK music event of the year. “Will you be my date?”

  “What do you think?”

  “That you’ll probably have hospital rounds? Don’t make me go alone, xxx.”

  “Of course I’m going to come with you, it sounds great. You’re getting old, Cal,” I tease.

  [***]

  My heart starts hammering as I see the scrum of paparazzi outside of the limousine window. “Now I know why you didn’t want to come. I’ll probably trip and have my knickers plastered in the newspapers.”

  Callum laughs and squeezes my hand. “I hate to break it you, darling, but neither of us are interesting enough to make the actual papers. They’ll ignore us once they realise we’re nobodies.”

  “Do you ever wish you’d changed your mind about music? Started your own band, became a star? Been a somebody?”

  Callum looks out of the window, the lights from the photographers highlighting his high cheekbones, his expression tense as he considers my question.

  Shit, why did I say that? Remind him that with me he’s picked a small, boring life. Of course he’s getting bored after five years, we hardly even see each other these days with my punishing trainee schedule. Hot tears start to well in my eyes. “Oh God, I…” My voice is shaky. I’m so tired from night-shift that I can’t hold back my emotions.

  “Baby, of course not.” Callum twists back to me and holds my face in his hands, cradling me, making me look straight into his eyes. “I’m your somebody and that’s all I want. This is all just smoke and mirrors, they might have fame and success, but we have something much rarer: happiness.”

  I can breathe again. “You’re sure?”

  “Totally, the best thing my dad ever did for me was show me just how hollow fame and fortune is. He’d kill to have what we do.”

  “Speaking of your father, we should go and cheer him on. This is his big night.” I plump up my hair. It’s still blonde, it suited me more than I first thought. Perhaps I wasn’t playing as much of a role as I believed I was when I first started college.

  “Come on then,” Callum leans over to kiss me. A soft, chaste kiss on the lips that still manages to be filled with emotion. “Nothing could beat you Faith, nothing.”

  He opens the car door, and a cacophony of yells assaults my ears. I follow him out, but by the time I’m standing on the pavement, smoothing down my long skirt, the photographers have already lost interest in us, they’ve moved further down the street to another limo.

  “Told you so.”

  “You always have been such a know-it-all,” I stick my tongue out at him, then lean up to his ear. “Good thing I find that sexy.”

  “Don’t say that, it’s already taking all my willpower not to ravage you in that dress. Have I told you today that you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met?” He walks a few steps ahead of me, then turns around and unashamedly runs his eyes up my body.

  “Now, now, Cal, this is your father’s special night, stop looking at me like you want to drag me into the nearest toilet.” I squeeze his ass as I catch up to him. He looks irresistible in his designer tuxedo.

  [***]

  Five hours later all the awards have been given out and we’re two drinks into an afterparty filled with glamorous celebrities staggering drunkenly around the room and ignoring anyone they don’t recognise. Callum’s father is entertaining flirty wannabees, while his mother and Nina went home after the awards ceremony ended.

  “Let’s ditch the party,” Callum whispers. “It’s just a load of coked up wannabees and has-beens pretending to have fun. I’d much rather be taking you out of that dress.” He nips my ear and desire floods through my body.

  “Do you know how many people would kill to be at this party?” I laugh. “You’re such a spoiled rich kid.”

  “Are you saying you’d rather stay here?” His fingertips dig deeper into my thigh. Even though it’s been five years, I still crave him.

  I deliberately take my time before answering. Loads of people would kill to be here. The elite of in ridiculously opulent designer outfits, free-flowing champagne and delicious canapes.

  It’s no contest though. It’s only fun for me because Callum is by my side, staring at me with the eyes that always make me hungry for his touch. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He smiles wickedly and grabs my hand, pulling me towards the exit.

  “Taxi?” I ask as we escape into the coolness of the street. We’re staying at Callum’s parent ridiculously opulent London townhouse tonight.

  “I have a better idea, are you okay to walk in those?” He points down at my strappy heels.

  My feet are a little tender, I don’t wear heels much these days, they don’t make any sense on my hospital rounds. But something about the determination on Callum’s face makes me ignore it. “If it’s not too far.”

  “I’ll carry you if needed.”

  He would be able to. He still plays rugby and rows for fun. His muscles have only gotten more sculpted in the past five years.

  We cross over the bridge, pausing to stop at the beauty of London at night sparkling on both sides of the river.

  “Hardly seems like the same river that’s so gentle back in Oxford.”

  I notice my shoes are starting to sting. “Fun as this is, I think this is enough wandering for my tender feet. Can we get a taxi?”

  “Care for a flight instead?”

  “A flight?”

  Ca
llum points down from the bridge to the huge circle of the London Eye Ferris wheel. “A flight on that.”

  “Nice idea, but I don’t think it operates this late, xxx.”

  “It doesn’t. But my Dad’s fixer knows someone who knows someone. Come on I’ll carry you there.”

  Callum lifts me into his arms and sets off in the direction of the South Bank. “You planned this?” I’m beaming like an idiot. “How did you persuade them to open after midnight?” I grab on to him more tightly as he goes down the steps to the river walkway.

  “I may have implied a number of celebrities would be coming and giving enough free publicity to mean they didn’t need to advertise for the next year.” Callum gently lowers me down on to my feet as we reach the entrance.

  “You’re so naughty.” I’d never be brave enough to do that. “Surely they’ll be pissed when they realise it’s just you and me?”

  “Oh, I made sure it was worth their while anyway.” Callum grabs my hand and pulls me up the ramp into the glass pod slowly gliding past the docking area. “I’m not a monster.”

  “I know you’re not, even if you give a pretty good impression of one at first.”

  “Hey!” Callum steps towards me as the doors close behind us. “I’m going to have to demand a kiss for that insult.” His arms wrap around me and I sink into his embrace.

  “I’m not apologising,” I say just before his lips graze mine. His kiss is light at first, but then it deepens. I move closer to him, needing to be as close as possible, pulling my whole body hard against his. It’s a good thing we’re the only people in this pod. On the entire London Eye, in fact.

  Callum finally pulls away, his eyes twinkling. “Oh, really? That wasn’t an apology?”

  “Yes, I was going to kiss you, anyway.” I raise my ‘don’t challenge me eyebrow’ and Callum, wisely, stays quiet for once. “I’m taking these off.” I kick out a foot, then sit down on the slatted bench in the middle of the pod.

  My shoes have fiddly side straps, and by the time I take them off we’re nearly halfway through our ascent. “Wow. It moves so quickly.” I walk to the side of the pod that is closest to the river.

  “Thirty minutes for the full flight.” Callum’s voice is oddly tight.

  “I wish it was longer. It’s so pretty up here.” I press my head against the glass, not caring if I smudge my make-up. The city is incredibly beautiful from up here, like a glittering bauble, I want to be as close to it as possible. “I think I can see your parent’s place…” I turn to beckon Callum closer.

  For a moment I don’t see him, then I look down. He’s kneeling on the floor of the pod.

  On one knee.

  My heart stops beating for a second as I find his eyes.

  “Will you marry me, Faith Davies?” He opens a red leather jewellery box.

  My heart catches as I stagger towards him. “Of course, I will. Yes, a thousand times.” I sink down beside him, cursing the tight hold my dress has on me, slowing me down when I just want to hold him.

  I grab on to his face and pull him close so we’re staring straight into each other’s eyes. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you more,” his eyes flash wickedly. He always has to win, and I love him for it. “Without you I’d be one of those coked up bores from earlier, chasing after a meaningless high.”

  “And I’d be completely miserable without you.” I run my fingers through his hair.

  “Don’t you want to see your ring?”

  “Whatever it looks like, it’ll be perfect.” I hug him tighter, breathing in the smell of him.

  Holding each other, the world at our feet, I know we can do anything together.

  “You know there’s no one in any of the other pods…” Callum bites my ear again. “It seems a shame not to take advantage of the privacy.”

  “Hmm, excellent point, fiancé. How many minutes do we have left on the flight…?”

  The End.

  Author’s Note.

  Well hello there, thank you so much for reading. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing this.

  Question: would you be interested in reading Axel and Nina’s story? As I was writing I started to build up a whole backstory and romance arc around them, but I haven’t started writing yet. If a few keen readers email me at serena@serenalyons.com to say they’d love to read this, their story will go from a pipedream to reality. So shout if you want to find out what’s keeping these two apart…

  Serena xxx