Ugh! I’ll have to walk in that.
Thunder sounded.
And just like that…
The electricity flickered and went off.
I gripped the table with my hands while Knox stopped massaging and trailed his hand down my arm then faced me. “Hey, you okay?”
“Uh, yes,” I said in a shaky voice. “I’m just not a huge fan of the dark.”
“And here you seem so fearless to me,” he whispered, closer than before. I could almost feel his lips on mine.
What was happening?
I could barely see the outline of his face.
He traced a finger down my jaw and whispered, “Good job today.”
“Thanks.”
Talk about crossing a line.
“We can meet a few times a week to keep you fresh, all right?”
Wait, was he leaving me?
I quickly grabbed him by the forearm.
He covered my hand with his. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh!” Suddenly embarrassed, I tried to pull back. “I, um, thought you were leaving me.”
“Is that really how you see me? The guy who abandons innocent girls in the dark?”
“What makes you think I’m innocent?” I fired back stupidly.
He ran a knuckle down the side of my cheek then very casually drifted lower to my chest near my breast.
I shivered.
“That. Right there.”
“Maybe I’m cold.”
“Or innocent.”
I gritted my teeth. “Let’s just go with cold and a bit terrified of dark shapes attacking me and dragging me into the creepy basement.”
“Not so creepy when you’re down there making out,” he said with a chuckle.
I shivered and wrapped my arms around my middle. “How long do you think the lights will be out?”
“Who knows?” I could feel him standing next to me then the flashlight of his cell was on as he packed both of us up and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Go?” I repeated slowly. “Go where?”
“Back to the dorm. I’ll drive.”
“That’s okay. I can—”
“Shawn, you live in the exact, same suite as me. Do you really think I’m that much of a jackass that I’d watch you walk in the cold rain while I speed past you?”
I didn’t answer. Because I wasn’t sure what type of guy he was. I still couldn’t figure it out. He was both tender and aggressive, dangerous and deep. I was completely out of my element, and it was starting to mess with my logic.
Because logically speaking, he was bad news.
But did a guy who was bad news tutor someone out of the goodness of his heart?
“Okay.” I put on my hoodie, grabbed my bag, and followed him out of the library.
He ran ahead of me. Lights flickered from a beautiful silver Mercedes coupe that probably cost more than my entire college education.
Of course he couldn’t be normal and just own a bike.
Or an old Toyota.
No, he had to have a Mercedes.
Naturally.
He opened the door for me.
I slid across light brown leather and tried not to be the crazy person who feels all the soft edges just to see if the stitching’s hand sewn.
He got in, turned on my seat warmer, and the engine roared to life.
The car even felt expensive.
It smelled like him.
My posture was stiff as he peeled out of the parking lot and made a turn in the opposite direction of our dorm.
“Um…” I pointed. “…weren’t you supposed to take a left?”
“Yes, backseat driver, I was. But I’m starving.”
“And now I’m your prisoner?”
He just grinned and said, “I’ll give you fries.”
My stomach chose that exact moment to growl with determination, since I clearly wasn’t speaking up about my favorite food group.
“Athletes need to carb up. Think of it as a way to take your mind off the dark, stormy night and keep it on more important things.”
“Like high-calorie foods with ketchup?”
“Like…” He licked his lips and pulled into Wendy’s. “…maybe not hating your suite-mates as much as you could or should.”
“Ha.” I suppressed a laugh. “Easier said than done since my suite-mates like to kiss anything with a pulse.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know Edna tips very well.”
“I bet.” I shuddered. “Does she take out her dentures beforehand, or do you like them in better?”
He made a gagging noise. “Edna likes to talk. She keeps them in. We massage her a bit, tell her how wonderful she is — all true by the way — and she leaves completely satisfied.”
“Huh.” I couldn’t argue that; the woman had looked one second away from floating out of the room on an orgasm-fueled cloud. Gross.
“Want anything other than fries?” Knox looked over at me.
I got lost in those stupid blue eyes again, and that man bun that made him look like he was getting ready to try out for the next Marvel movie. He definitely had the muscle tone to give Chris Hemsworth a run for his money.
“Um…”
He just smiled, ignored me, and ordered me a cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. Not diet. I almost kissed him right then and there.
“I can pay for—”
His hand shot out so fast I dropped my bag back by my feet.
“No. You never pay. Not for anything. Not with me, not with Leo, not with Finn, and if I ever hear you do, I’ll hand them their asses, all right? Those pieces of shit should know better anyway.”
Okay, so now it was personal? Women paying for stuff?
“I invited you here. I drove here. That means your money’s no good.” He shrugged, handed over a black credit card then grabbed the food and receipt.
The entire car filled with the smell of fast food. I inhaled greedily. I’d been trying to be really good lately with eating on campus, so basically fries smelled like crack to me right about now.
Knox drove us back to the dorms and pulled into a parking spot just as Slater parked his bike in a spot across from us.
It was one of those Suzuki bikes people race on.
Who knew the guy could ride?
He pulled off his helmet, leaving his caramel hair sticking out all over as he witnessed me getting out of Knox’s car and Knox carrying food.
“He’s my tutor,” I blurted like a child caught red-handed in some forbidden activity.
Knox’s lips twitched, while Slater looked less than pleased.
“Yeah?” Slater crossed his arms. “What kind?”
“The kind with books, dumbass.” Knox rolled his eyes. “Get your head out of your ass.”
Slater’s eyes narrowed at Knox, as he fell into step beside me. When we all got on the elevator, he stood between us like a chaperone, as though I needed protection from Knox.
The three of us walked into the suite to the sound of Leo and Finns loud laughter. , They were watching something in the communal living room on the flat screen I gulped as Leo muted the TV.
The entire room fell silent.
But electric.
Awkward was an understatement.
“Hey, man.” Finn, for the first time since I’d met him, looked sad. And Leo? Well, he looked like someone had just run over his puppy as he nodded to Slater as if he was guilty of something. But it wasn’t as bad as Knox’s face.
Which held complete devastation when Slater gave us his back, stomped straight into our room, and slammed the door.
I was still staring after him as Knox handed me my food and pointed toward my room. “You should get some sleep.”
He was excusing me.
Sending me away.
What did I expect though?
We weren’t anything.
Never would be.
“Thanks for the food.” I didn’t give them a backward glance as I followed Slater, but I did hear one of the
guys groan, and I could have sworn someone got punched.
It made me smile.
Only until I saw Slater’s pale face.
And noticed his shaking hands.
“What’s wrong?” I dropped the food on the table and hesitantly walked over to him.
He squeezed the unicorn then tossed it across the room like it was offensive.
“Everything,” he whispered hoarsely. “And the fact that history has no choice but to repeat itself, right?” He didn’t look me in the eye, just laid down on his bed with all his clothes on and said, “Remember that I warned you, Shawn. This time, I did my part. This time, I’m not guilty.”
We didn’t speak for the rest of the night.
Chapter Fifteen
Knox
Every time I saw his face, I saw hers.
It was unfortunate.
I often wondered what he thought when he saw my face. Did he see the friendship that used to exist in the empty unspoken space between us? Or just death?
My fries tasted like sand in my mouth.
The burger, I ended up tossing to Finn, who couldn’t even stomach it enough to take one bite.
We were all quiet.
The three of us.
And for the first time in years, we had a free night.
Which meant we had nothing but our thoughts and fuck-ups to keep us company.
“Do you think he’ll ever get over it?” Finn asked, throwing a basketball in the air every few seconds and catching it, only to throw it again.
Leo shifted in his chair; it creaked under his weight as he looked to me then back at the cheap tan carpet. “If we’re not over it, he sure as shit isn’t over it.”
I sighed. “We should go to a party or something.”
Both guys looked at me as if I’d just grown a third nipple.
“Knox Tate?” Leo said with a gasp. “Party? You don’t party. You sulk. Sure you don’t have a fever?”
“Very funny.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, we have a free night tonight. It just seems—”
“Better than sitting here thinking thoughts,” Finn finished for me.
We all stared at each other then jumped to our feet and grabbed all of our shit. Sometimes memories were the worst company you could have, especially when paired with mistakes you couldn’t take back.
I was the last to leave the room. I’d taken two steps toward her door when Finn pulled me back.
“Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe there’s a reason she’s his roommate…”
“Yeah,” I croaked, “maybe.”
“I miss it too,” Finn said in a low voice. “We all do.”
“Right.” Anger punched me in the gut first, followed by regret as I slammed the door behind me and looked straight ahead. I either needed to get drunk, or laid, or both.
And what better place to do that than Greek Row?
We were there in minutes.
Our choice of party.
“Four parties, three look ready to be shut down already, which is a bit early if you ask me.” Leo shrugged. “But…” He pointed to our old frat from freshman year. “…at least we know they don’t put shit in their beer.”
“Cheers to that.” We bumped fists then the three of us walked up to the house and in the front door.
It was one thing I would never get tired of.
The sheer power behind what we did.
The way that the other guys obviously wished they were us every pathetic day of their lives, and the way the woman sucked their lips the minute they saw us smile in their direction.
If royalty existed on campus…
We were it.
To the guys, we were gods; to the women, unobtainable. It worked well in our favor and worked really well for Wingman, Inc.
“YES!” Eli, the house president, shouted over the music. “Our prodigals are home!”
Cheers surrounded us as we moved through the crowd. Girls tried to grab; guys glared at their girlfriends for fanning themselves. All in all, it was turning out to be a great night.
I made my way toward the keg and grabbed a cup.
Leo and Finn followed, though they looked like they’d both just been groped; Leo’s button-down shirt was legit missing its top three buttons, and the top button of Finn’s jeans was undone.
“I forget how crazy girls get.” Leo wiped some lipstick from his neck. “It’s like a free-for-all buffet whenever we go out.”
“For them,” Finn added as he buttoned his jeans back together.
I eyed the room over the rim of my cup and surveyed all the dancing bodies ripe with sweat, right along with the smell of alcohol, Axe Body Spray, bad choices, and fake tans. My mind buzzed from the taste of the alcohol.
I shouldn’t have taken a sip.
Because taste, smell… they always brought me back.
Back to the beginning.
Back to the end.
“What’s your name?” I handed the beautiful girl a drink. She had autumn-colored hair and an easy, wide smile that was impossible not to return.
“Ah, I don’t share such private information.” She winked, took a sip, scrunched up her nose, and leaned in. “Got anything better?”
“In my room,” I tried.
She burst out laughing. “That work on all the drunk freshman girls?”
“It would sure as hell work on a drunk freshman guy.” I pointed at myself then held out my hand. “Knox Tate, and you are?”
“Sophie.” She chewed her lower lip. “Sophie Jackson.”
“I like it.” I grinned, and I really did. I liked her. She had this magnetism about her that made me want to get closer, made me want to touch, taste, smell.
She held up her plastic cup and tapped it against mine. “I guess I’ll see you around Knox Tate.”
“You’re leaving me already?” I put a hand to my chest and faked being heartbroken.
She threw her head back and laughed.
Both Finn and Leo joined me and raked their gazes up and down.
“Mmm… looks like you have enough people to keep you company.” She eyed them both.
“Keep us all company,” Leo piped up. “Trust me, we’re good for it.”
“Eh, I’m a one-guy kinda girl.”
Finn sighed. “Then I guess we’re out. Have fun with the sexy one.”
They left us.
The music slowed. “One dance.” Was I begging?
She downed the rest of the beer. “One dance.”
We linked hands and started swaying slowly. I could taste the beer on her breath, smell the sweet sweat on her skin as her body moved against mine, our hands intertwined. I leaned in and kissed her neck, and she let me. I was so shocked, I did it again to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
Then she was wrapping her arms around my neck.
And as I looked into her crystal blue eyes, I knew. I would be gone for this girl, and I would love every fucking minute of it.
“Sophie Jackson.” I whispered her name, measured it across my tongue, kept it in my soul. “I think I just fell in love.”
She didn’t laugh.
She just held on to me tighter as if it was true.
And my heart beat a little bit faster.
And I fell a little bit harder.
“Hey.” Finn knocked me on the head. “You okay? You look lost.”
I shook my head a bit and grabbed more beer. “Yeah, yeah. Hey, let’s get shit-faced.”
He eyed me tentatively. “You don’t get shit-faced — Correction, we don’t get shit-faced. Last time, poor Leo almost got pregnant.”
Leo flipped us both off.
I joined in their laughter because I had to, because if I didn’t, I was afraid I would do the opposite.
I gulped down another beer, well on my way to being buzzed, when I scanned the crowd again and saw Shawn walk in with one of her teammates, Alexa. It was my business to know everyone.
The hell was she doing here?
I’d told her to go to b
ed!
I slammed the cup down on the table and marched over to her. “You don’t belong here.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry, what?”
Alexa’s eyes widened as if one of us was about to throw down.
“You—” I pointed to the door. “—need to leave.”
“What crawled up your studious ass and died?” Shawn snorted at me. “I’m here because my friend invited me. I was perfectly happy in my sweats, getting ready for bed when she texted.”
And just like that, I was checking out her leather skirt and short white crop top that made me want to devour her whole and come back for seconds, thirds, fourths— There was no end to the tasting I would do.
“You’re dressed… inappropriately.” Yeah, that’s all I had. Maybe I was already drunk, because it came out almost like a stutter, which I’d never done in my entire life, not even when I was getting laid as a freshman in high school by the senior homecoming queen.
Alexa looked between the two of us, snapped her gum, and patted Shawn on the shoulder. “I’ll just go get us some beer. You wait here.”
Shawn crossed her arms in a protective stance.
Shit, how tall are those heels? And why the hell am I sweating?
“Are you drunk?” she asked.
“Not yet.” Not enough, never enough.
“Oh good, so you have plans for public drunkenness. Great.” She grinned. “Well, try not to puke in your backpack before the tutoring session tomorrow afternoon.”
I glared. “I can hold my alcohol, but thanks.”
She just waved me off and walked by like I wasn’t fucking Knox Tate.
Again.
Leo and Finn both flashed me dumb-ass grins while students standing around us looked ready to tweet every single individual on their profile with the hashtag #royallybitchslapped.
“Twice.” Leo came up behind me. “That’s twice she’s blown you off.”
“I can count. Thanks, though.” I was barely keeping myself in control when I noticed Finn talking to Shawn across the room. She was laughing as if he was the funniest idiot on the planet, and when she stopped laughing, she glanced up and flipped me off.
“Oh shit,” Leo said under his breath. “He’s bringing his A-game, isn’t he?”
I glared. “Let him have her.”