An unholy gleam lit Finn’s eyes. “You’re saying this guy who dated—and cheated on—your girl might be the reason for her prolonged absence from our house this week.”
My brow shot up, but he ignored it and continued.
“And he wants to take the money the athletes on campus earn to give to fledgling politicians to waste on themselves.” He tapped a finger to his lips. “What should we do about him?”
“Nothing. He’s not worth one second of anyone’s time.”
Four pairs of eyes stared at me in varying states of interest at my vehement tone. “I’ve seen the guy in action. He has no game.” Giving my full attention to Callahan, I added, “Whatever Piper has going on this weekend, it doesn’t involve her asshole ex. I’m not worried about it.” I worked to keep a straight poker face and hoped I pulled it off. “You don’t need to be worried either.”
I stood and pulled a long spoon from the drawer. With a quickness that never failed to astonish my friends, I whipped the lid off the pot, stirred in a bottle of hot sauce, and recovered the pot in the space of about five seconds. The stew never had a clue I’d disturbed it.
“Leave that alone for another thirty minutes.” I stared down each person in the room. “I’ll be back to finish it in a few.” After tossing my empty beer bottle into the recycle bin, I spun on my heel and headed up to my room.
I didn’t need my nosy roommates to see me texting Piper again. Though I’d promised myself to let her have her space and wait until she reached out to me, all that talk about her rich parents and dickhead ex had left me unnerved. After about six false starts, all of which made me sound like a lovesick sap, I settled on:Any chance I’ll see you thisweekend?
After I pressed Send, I tossed my phone aside and headed to the shower. Watching the thing for the three pulsing dots that said she was replying would only drive me nuts—especially if I didn’t see those dots.
By the time I’d showered, headed downstairs to bake some drop biscuits to pair with the stew, eaten dinner with my roomies, played a round ofCODwith Finn and Danny, and finally returned to my room, I’d stopped hoping for a reply.
Good thing since one never came.
“Hey! Someone wanna get that?” I yelled into the hall. Whoever was on the other side of the front door leaning on the bell needed a lesson in patience. “Finn? ’Han? I’m in the shower.”
When I arrived home from the gym late Sunday afternoon, all the lights were on downstairs and something in the oven smelled delicious. Danny’s was the only vehicle not parked in the driveway, which led me to believe my other roommates were in their rooms. They had to hear that obnoxious buzz too, yeah?
As I stood dripping on the bath mat, the doorbell sounded again. After a cursory rub of the towel over my body, I wrapped it around my hips and dropped down the stairs two at a time.
“Give it a rest, already!” I shouted through the door as I reached for the handle and wrenched it open. “Piper?”
“Hi.” With a shiver, she snuggled deeper into the folds of her puffy coat. “Can I come in?”
A gust of Arctic air blew over my bare legs and chest, catching in my still-dripping hair. “Yeah. Get in here.”
Only when I stepped aside to let her in did I notice her backpack on the porch at her feet. From the heft of it when she lifted it to her shoulder, she might have had plans to move in. Crossing my arms over my chest to hold in some heat, I watched as she removed her boots and set them neatly in front of the coat closet by the door. The boots weren’t my favorite knee-high pair, but rather calf-high insulated ones that looked like they might be her favorites. She made no move to remove her jacket, and her eyes seemed glued to a spot on my forearm.
Clearing my throat, I broke the awkward silence between us. “So. Four days of radio silence and then a surprise visit. What gives?”
At last those expressive violet eyes found mine. The unhappiness I saw there left me colder than the February wind that had blown her into the house. Nodding toward the stairs, she asked, “Can we talk in private, please?”
Scariest damn words in the English language.
Upstairs a door slammed, and Callahan came bounding down the stairs, stopping abruptly when he spotted me in the foyer. “Didn’t know you were home yet, Bax. Isn’t it a little chilly for a toga party?”
I shot him a sneer, and he laughed harder at his own joke. Cluing in on Piper standing by the door, he sobered. “What’s up with leaving my buddy hanging all weekend?”
“Callahan,” I growled through clenched teeth.
For a second, he swung his narrow-eyed gaze in my direction. Then with a shrug, he turned on his heel and headed into the kitchen. “Lasagna should be ready in a few. Finn’s not home yet, but you know what happens if he hits the kitchen before you do.”
“Here.” I held out my hand for Piper’s bag.
Reluctantly, she let her backpack slide down her arm and handed it to me. Gesturing for her to go ahead, I followed her up the stairs to my room. Something big was coming, something that had me gritting my back teeth, but damned if I could keep my eyes off her sweet ass as she climbed the steps ahead of me.
Closing the door to my room, I dropped her backpack on the floor and waited for her to make the first move. Slowly, she unzipped her jacket and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her hands up and down her thighs as though she couldn’t get warm.
“I’m sorry I didn’t text back all weekend.” Clasping her hands together, she clamped them between her thighs. “My parents ambushed me Thursday night and basically kidnapped me for the weekend.” Her eyes found mine. “They wanted me to fix things between Phillipa and Charlie, who have apparently broken up.”
“Excuse me?” I stared at her for a long minute, certain I hadn’t heard her right.
