Chapter 43

Lila’s POV

I swear, the second we stepped onto that grassy incline before the parking lot, I morphed into a human pressure cooker full of molten fury. Every time some girl dared to glance at Rowan, it was like someone had flicked the switch on my personal nuclear reactor. By the time we reached the asphalt, I was buzzing with enough pent-up rage to power a small city.

One random college coed had the nerve to lift her phone and stare—open-mouthed, probably Snapchatting the gorgeous stranger two steps ahead of her. My jaw clenched, fists twitched at my sides, and I swear I heard a tiny voice in my head go, Punch her! Punch her now! Which was super embarrassing, because I have exactly zero boxing skills. But before I could awkwardly lunge forward in a half-hearted jab, Rowan pivoted, wrapped his arms around my waist, and hoisted me up like I weighed ten pounds soaking wet.

“Whoa!” I squeaked as my feet hovered in midair. His arms tightened around me, that signa