“I want to fuck him.”
He grunted and frowned, lifting his sunglasses off the top of his head to plop them on his nose as we rounded a curve in the path that took us through a meadow full of waving yellow flowers. We slowed down to appreciate the view, and he swiped a bloom up, then tossed it in my face.
I batted the flower away and chuckled.
“Romance, my friend. Pick some of those. Sweets. Things to tantalize the senses. Food is good because it can be homey or sexy. It just depends on what you bring.” He found the fortitude to flash a smile, then winced and held his side. I glanced over my shoulder, and Alexander had his head down, forcing one foot in front of the other. He was losing ground, slipping away into the distance.
“I don’t think this person would react well to something too over the top.”
Milo smacked my arm and it stung.
“What the hell?” I grumped.
He smirked. “Use your judgment. Most people who hole up in the library drink coffee.”
“But aren’t people picky about that stuff?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. All I drank during school hours was water, bubble tea from a shop near the outdoor mall, and energy drinks—so I had no clue.
He shrugged. “There are only so many places on campus and around it to get coffee. Do you know his name?” Milo’s eyebrows dove as he glanced at me.
“Yeah.”
“Ask them to make it like he likes it.” He smiled at me. “Someone is bound to know him.”
Coach’s whistle blasted somewhere ahead of us, and I rushed forward with a burst of energy. “Let’s catch up with the practice czar. If we do that, he’ll definitely give us a starting spot on the team.”
Milo whimpered but followed me as I forced my way around the group of Alexander’s buddies, leaving them in the dust. I had a plan and shit to do today, so I needed to get this workout over and done with. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for my attack this evening.
“Study with me tonight?” I elbowed Milo and sucked in deep lungfuls of air, finally moving fast enough that talking was difficult.
He groaned. “Why? Are you going for perfect grades this semester?”
I glared.
He nodded, running with his hands cradling his head for a few seconds as if the thought of studying was physically painful. “All right. Let’s put in our five miles and get out of here.” He held out his fist and I bumped mine against it. Then we started running for real.
* * *
Glancing around the cheerful, brightly lit library, I went through my mental checklist. The built-in wooden shelves on this level made me feel like I was in a much fancier school than ours happened to be, and I smiled while tapping the tips of my boots on the floor.Okay, did I do everything I should’ve?Piercings removed.I touched my eyebrow and nose.Yes, those are gone.The earrings I had in were silver studs, so they wouldn’t scare anyone. I had on a blue turtleneck that hid my neck tattoos, and I’d combed my hair to the right in a style that my mother would love. Thinking about her, I took a quick pic of myself and sent it to her phone. There, talk about multitasking. I was doing great.
“Oh yeah. Killing it,” I said.
Milo stared at me like I’d gone insane. I pulled my drumsticks out of my back pocket and tucked them into my book bag while he poked around on his Chromebook, not really studying.
“Wow, so who exactly are you trying to impress here?” He glanced down my body at my nice black pants, then all around, but we were in a spot to the side of the main aisle. I’d chosen a hideout that Micah wasn’t likely to walk past when he went to the table he’d taken over three evenings out of the last four.
“Never mind,” I said, snatching up the latte I’d already bought at Lenore’s, the café near campus. “Watch my stuff and send me a text if you see Alexander Carrington anywhere near here.”
Milo frowned at me but nodded, and with a deep breath, I wandered out into the main aisle on the second floor to the area where I knew I would find Micah. I was relieved when he came into view because I hadn’t been one-hundred-percent certain he would be here.
He sat at a square table with three stacks of books teetering around the workspace. His wide shoulders hunched as he leaned over a notebook. He’d pushed his laptop off to the side, and he had a thick book spread open, frowning down at it while he tapped a pair of cute red reading glasses up the bridge of his nose. The window at his back was dark and the silver disk of a half-moon rising made the scene surreal.
Fuck, he looks good.I checked my watch and hummed because it was almost seven thirty, and from what I’d seen this week he wouldn’t stay much longer.
Walking over to him, I kept a smile on my face, but he never glanced up. I set the cardboard coffee cup on the table and scooted it toward him, and he finally peeked at me over the top of his glasses with a frown.
“Um, what is this?” As he stared, I got lost studying his gray eyes. They were really pretty. The longer I held his attention, the more he fidgeted in his seat. A pink blush took over his cheeks, and I grinned at him.
“Cassandra at Lenore’s said that when you stop there, you drink this. It’s an Earl Grey latte.” I didn’t have to force a smile anymore because he made me feel happy when he cocked his head and gave me a cute, even more confused look. I was surprised by how much I needed him to pick up the cup. I wanted him to be excited that I’d brought a drink for him. I rubbed the back of my neck, then dropped my hand because that would flash my tattoos. I didn’t normally care about my body art—I love it, thanks—but it didn’t go very far at making a good impression with an older guy who was clearly afraid of tattoo needles.
