Nina’s gaze remained shrewd. “Let’s hope both of them feel the same way. They’re used to getting what they want, so if I were you, new girl, I’d stay as far off their radars as possible.”
Annoyance whipped through me at her unsolicited advice, but I didn’t snap back. Just because it was unsolicited, didn’t mean it wasn’t valid. It was not in my best interest to get too close to either of them. Or…theotherone. If Connor was bad news, then EthanSullivanwas even worse.
Whatever it took, I needed to avoid all three men for the next two years.
Which would be no fucking problem when I already shared a class with two of them.
No problem at all.
4
EVELYN
By some stroke of luck, I managed to avoid running into Ethan for the rest of the week. Connor and I literally didn’t cross paths after that café incident, so that was a relief, but Andrew seemed unusually persistent.
By the following Monday, it was starting to draw attention in a bad way…mostly from his girlfriend, Laura Sandiconte, who’d taken an instant dislike to me when Andrew insisted I join them for coffee—even though I’d declined and taken my order to go.
Which was why I had seriously considered faking a stomach flu when he sat down beside me in my most dreaded class: Economics of Crime.
“You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?” Andrew murmured, keeping his voice low as Ethan—Professor Sullivan—started the lecture in his strong, commanding voice, not even bothering to use a microphone to be heard. Hot.
I wet my lips, tearing my eyes from the thirst-trap teacher and refocusing on Andrew. Gorgeous, up-tight Andrew, son of the president, and inexplicably determined to be my frienddespite how irate his stuck-up girlfriend was about it. “I…um…no, it’s fine. Sorry.”
He quirked a brow, seeming like he wanted to ask something more but the bang on the lecture hall door opening and closing distracted us both.
“Brodie, how nice of you to join us,” Ethan drawled, pausing the presentation he’d just started on the huge screen. “And almost on time, too. You’ve only missed four days of the semester so far.”
The dashing blond who’d just sauntered into the class flashed a toothy grin. “Don’t get used to it, Eth, it’ll only get worse from here.”
My jaw dropped as he started up the stairs and I got a good look of him.Thisguy I definitely recognized. “Holy shit,” I whispered. “Is that?—?”
Andrew gave a small groan, shifting in his seat. “I take it you’re a superhero fan, then?”
I gaped at the late arrival who continued casually strolling up the stairs, looking for an available seat, then glanced back at Andrew. “You’renot? That’s…that’s Brodie Keller,” I squeaked in a hushed whisper. “He’s theBloodstone Sentinel?—”
“Trust me, I’m well aware of his fictional alter ego,” Andrew muttered. “He doesn’t let us forget.”
My breath caught in my chest as Brodie Keller—superhero heartthrob and drop-dead-gorgeous icon—looked my way. For a second our gazes locked and he ground to an immediate halt. Color drained from his golden skin like he’d just seen a ghost, and then he shook it off, a smile breaking through whatever had shocked him as he approached and took the vacant seat on my other side.
That was super weird. Maybe I had something on my face? Or maybe my crazy obsession with his superhero character was written all over me and he was scared of a crazy fan girl? Nah. He wouldn’t sit beside me if that was the case.
“’Sup, new girl,” he drawled, propping his designer sneakers up on the seat in front. “I like your hair.”
Blink, dammit! Blink and breathe, Evelyn, stop gaping like a starstruck fool!
Forcing myself to look away, I glanced to the locks of purple-washed brunette draped over my shoulders.He likes my hair? Holy shit, I could die happy right now.
“Why are you sitting here, Keller?” Andrew asked in a low growl, his eyes narrowed. “This isn’t?—”
“Because the new girl is sitting here, and I wanted to say hi. Hello. I’m Brodie.”
Almost choking on my own breath, I nodded like a bobble head. “I know. You’re?—”
“Brodie!” Ethan’s voice barked from the front of the room, making me physically jump in my seat. “If your only purpose in attending class is to distract Miss Lewis, then you can leave. Some students actually attend this school tolearnsomething.”
Brodie Keller—the fuckingstar—didn’t even seem the slightest bit humbled by our teacher, seemingly totally relaxed in his seat beside me. “Cool story, Eth.”
The green-eyed wet dream lecturing our class just scowled, then shifted his gaze to me in a way that made me squirm in my seat. Focusing on my notes seemed like amuchbetter option, so I tucked my head and tapped out a few nonsense words on my laptop to act like I’d been paying attention all along.
