Jude runs away from home desperately seeking freedom. Her parents, members of a cult, intend to marry her against her will. The only way that Jude can think of to avoid it is by losing her purity, so she goes to a bar to lose her virginity. But when she arrives and a drunk tries to have his way with her , she fears that she was wrong. But Lex intervenes before things get ugly. Lex offers her to take her to her home, but Jude asks him to take her to his, and there she seduced him and they spend the night together. Jude leaves while Lex is still asleep and weeks go by before they meet again.
Jude attends North Woods university, her father upon learning that she was no longer pure beats her to death, but at least she can already live the life she always wanted, the life of a normal 18-year-old girl.
Jude sees Lex again in strange circumstances. Lex with another man, Luke, is beating up a guy and Jude is witnessing it. She runs wash but Lex catches up to her. She fears that Lex is an aggressive man like her father, but Lex assures her that he would never lay a hand to her. He is a Marine, a protector and he swears to her that whatever happens between them, she will always be able to count on him.
Luke is related to the Rossi mafia family and they recommend that he convince Jude to keep her mouth shut about what she saw. Lex convinces her to move with him for a few days so that she is safer. Jude keeps her distance with him but it is becoming increasingly difficult, especially bc he does everything he can to make her feel comfortable with him and always take good care of her. He even finds her a job in the university, thanks to his little brother who is the Dean.
A short time later things start to get complicated: Jude discovers that she is pregnant and her parents return to her life to take back home and marry her anyway.
North Woods University. Standing there for a few minutes, I think about how good it is that fate brought me here. I’ve always dreamed about going to college, but my father wouldn’t allow it. “Women don’t need an education, they need to marry, cook, clean, and bear children.” That might be the life my family wants for me, but I will not have it. If I run away, they will never stop looking for me, but if I do something else… something drastic enough… they will shun me. They will kick me out and disown me as a daughter. Which is exactly what I want. They’ll disown you if you’re not a virgin.
“I promise that if you need somewhere to go, someone to protect you, I’ll be that person. I’ve spent four years serving my country, protecting people is kind of my job. I’ll protect you if that’s what you need, I’ll keep you safe.” Jude’s blue eyes become misty, and she gives me a sad smile. “Promises were meant to be broken.” “Not mine. I keep my promises. Always.”
It was all a lie. Lex is just as bad as my father. He’s violent and mean. A fraud. He made me believe in some falsehood, made me believe he was a good person, but like all the others in my life, he’s evil on the inside and nice on the out. “I don’t want to be here with you.” The words hurt as I speak them, but I don’t know this person. I thought I knew Lex, but I only knew one side of him, and I’ve been around men long enough to know there is always a darker, violent side waiting to show its face. All this time I’d wished I could find him again. Now I wish I never crossed his path again.
“When I saw those marks on your back, something broke inside of me. I promised to protect you before, told you if you needed anything, I would be there for you. Now I’m no longer telling you. I’m doing. I’m going to protect you, from everyone and everything that scares you. No one will ever hurt you again.”I know what taking care looks like. He wants me to depend on him. He wants me helpless and in need, but that’s not going to happen. I won’t fall for this. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I take care of myself.”
If I was ever unsure of how I felt about Jude, the doubt dissipates, and in this moment, I suddenly know what I feel is far, far more than protectiveness. But how will I ever be able to convince her that we belong together? She is so afraid, so uncertain. “I do, Jude. I mean it. I’ll swear my life on it. You’re inside of me, even if you don’t want to be, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do to shake you off.”
It is hard to trust that this is not going to blow up tomorrow. That Lex won’t get tired of me or try to tie me down or punish me if I do not do things the way he wants. It is really hard to trust. But I am starting to. How can I tell him I’m pregnant? How do I tell him that his freedom is about to come to a screeching halt? That his responsibilities will press in on him. No, I don’t know how to have that conversation with anybody. He has been so good to me, and the last thing I want is for him to feel cheated because of it.