“I suspected something was brewing between the two of you. I’m actually surprised it took three months for anything to happen. And since you came all the way here tonight instead of just calling me, I’m thinking this thing you guys have goes deeper than I thought. Did you plan for that night to happen?”
I should’ve been insulted, but she had a point. Looking back, I could see how it seemed that way.
“No. Not consciously, anyway. She didn’t have to be home by a certain time, and I wanted her all to myself. I liked the idea of no time constraint, and I wanted her with me, and only me. And it was …” I shook my head. I didn’t think my cousin wanted the details of what has been playing over and over in my head for the past couple of weeks. How Sam’s lips felt on mine, how her body moved under me, how fucking responsive she was to everything I did to her.
“Stop! I don’t need any more details than I already have, thank you!” Daina held up her hand, shaking her head.
“What did Sam say?” I was lying back on the couch in a slumped and defeated position but wanting to know what Sam told her about our night together made me sit straight up.
“She used the word ‘unbelievable’ but wouldn’t really elaborate. She’s had a huge crush on you for, um,forever. A smart guy like you should have picked up on that. She was always so scared to admit to you how she felt, but you spent enough time with her back then to know without her saying anything.”
“Yes, I knew. I liked her, too, but I didn’t want to hurt her. She wasn’t the type of girl you kept things casual with.” I put my face in my hands and pinched the bridge of my nose. I wished I could go back in time—sweep Sam off her feet and take her deadbeat husband out of the equation. “How the hell did she ever wind up with Marc?” I remember dealing with him when he was a college student, and even then, it was obvious he’d never change.
There were worse jobs than a college advisor. And paying off my master’s degree by showing freshmen around the school and planning on-campus parties was a sweet deal. But I hated parties like this one. The members of the hosting frat were complete assholes. I spent most of the night watching the girls to make sure none of them looked drugged since that’s how their parties usually went.
I had just stepped into the empty hallway outside the common room where the party was drawing to a close to get some air when the sound of soft whimpers got my attention. A girl was sitting on the floor outside the bathroom with her face in her hands. I rushed over to where she curled herself into a ball to make sure she wasn’t hurt. When she picked up her head, I recognized her as one of the undergraduate student aides in our office.
“Paige, what’s wrong?” I knelt in front of her, and she shook her head when she noticed me.
“I’m just really stupid, Lucas. I thought in my stupid little head that Marc and I were exclusive and I came in to find him making out with someone else. When I confronted him, he told me he doesn’t do girlfriends, and I should learn not to be so clingy. He’s absolutely right.” She wiped away the tears still streaming down her face. “I’m in college, not high school. I should know better.”
As if on cue, Marc Christensen—the ringleader of this douchebag frat—walked out of the party with a girl on each arm. He looked over at Paige and rolled his eyes. I wanted an excuse to knock his teeth down his throat in the worst fucking way, but no matter what he did, I couldn’t. He wasn’t worth losing my job and source of tuition.
“Paige, why don’t you get a cab home? Here.” I pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of my wallet. “You shouldn’t have to stay here. And you aren’t stupid. Be thankful you didn’t waste too much time on Marc before you found out what kind of guy he really was.”
Paige nodded. “Thanks, Lucas. You’re a good guy.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Not all guys are jerks.” I managed to get a little smirk from her. “Get home safe, and I’ll see you in the office on Monday.”
Paige moped her way out of the building. I felt sorry for her but was also happy she got away from Marc. She was a nice kid, too innocent for that prick.
When Marc pulled the two girls into the open storage closet at the end of the hallway, I marched up to the door and caught it before it closed.
“Take this off campus. This isn’t your personal hotel, Christensen.”
“What’s the matter, pretty boy? Want them both for yourself? I hear you like the ladies too . . .” One night of bad judgment and kissing a student with a big mouth had followed me for over a year.
“I mean it. Not here. Leave and do whatever the hell you want.” I held the door open and glowered at Marc, who was laughing like the disrespectful asshole he was. The girls looked uncomfortable and scurried away. Marc let out a long sigh and turned to me.
“You’re so fucking pathetic, Hunter. I’m surprised you didn’t leave with Paige. She would’ve eaten your knight-in-shining-armor bullshit right up, and her panties would’ve fallen right the fuck off. She could have joined the little entourage of girls that follow your sorry ass around. Don’t you get enough pussy around here without having to cockblock me and my friends—?”
I backed Marc against the wall and pressed my forearm against his throat. He was a lot smaller than me, and fear replaced the lousy attitude across his face.
“I would love to teach you some manners, but they would be wasted on you. I’m not supposed to touch you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t if you push me. Got it?”
I shoved him one more time before I let him go. He bent over at the waist, coughing and sputtering to catch his breath.
“Fuck you, pretty boy.” Marc straightened and then sauntered back into the party. I couldn’t protect every girl in the school from him, but maybe if he saw me hanging around, he would think twice.
Marc got the girl he never deserved, and as much as I tried to hide it from Sam, it made my blood boil thinking of them together.
Daina looked down and shrugged.
“He’s not my favorite person either, but I don’t think you’re here to talk about him. What brings you here tonight, Lucas?”
“For the past three months, we talked all day long, every day. Since she left my apartment two weeks ago, I’ve only gotten a couple of one-word texts. I think I pushed too hard and scared her off, and I don’t know what the hell to do.”
Daina shook her head and laughed at me. This wasn’t fucking funny to me—at all. It was starting to feel like a waste of train fare to come here, and it was pissing me the hell off.
