“Because you’ve been such a suck-up with Professor Xavier, I made sure to get it in writing from the dean.So no, I won’t be working with you again, even if you are in my section.”Sliding her hand through the crook of my elbow, she said, “Have a nice summer, Barnard.”
Only then did the guy seem to notice I’d witnessed their entire exchange.“It’s because of him,” he sneered with a nod in my direction.“You were well on your way to agreeing to be with me when he showed up.A football player?Obviously, you have no taste.”He sniffed like the self-important rich-boy prick he was.
“I have great taste.I go for hot, driven guys with manners over whiny boys who rely on threatening people with Daddy’s power and money to get what they want.”Her smile was all teeth.“With any luck, I won’t be seeing you around.”
On that parting shot, she subtly tugged my arm, and we set off again for the parking lot, leaving Barry fuming on the sidewalk behind us—which I didn’t miss, because, yeah, I couldn’t resist throwing him a smug grin over my shoulder as we walked away.
“That was brutal,” I said once we were out of earshot.
Saylor dropped her hand, leaving me feeling unnaturally bereft at the loss of contact.“Are you calling me out?”she demanded.
“Not even a little bit.”I picked up her hand and set it back in the crook of my arm.“That guy’s an asshole.The brutal part was his ego causing him to be so utterly clueless from the second you opened your mouth.Add to that his total lack of finesse when he all but threatened you with his dad.Like I said, brutal.”Sensing her mood, I stuffed my hand into the pocket of my shorts when all I truly wanted to do was entwine my fingers with hers to give her some extra encouragement.Not that she needed it.From my perspective, she’d handled herself well.
We walked a ways in silence before I asked, “Did you really get the dean to sign off on you directing your senior project?”
Shaking back her mane of blonde hair, she said, “I did.After watching Barry during sophomore year, and then after working with him this past semester, I figured out he has some kind of hold over Xavier.Excuse me, Professor D’Angelo.Whatever it is, Xavier caves to whatever Barry demands, so no doubt he’ll be one of the directors in the fall section.”A dark expression crossed her face.“Barry doesn’t respect me as a filmmaker.He wants to date me.”
When she dropped that bomb, I wanted to turn around and share a few thoughts with the prick.
As though she hadn’t noticed my reaction, she kept going.“I signed on for spring and shared my portfolio with the dean to prove why I was ready to direct.After looking it over, he was more than happy to sign an affidavit making me one of the senior project directors.”
“Strategy.I love it.”Bumping her shoulder, I said, “Not only are you gorgeous and smart, but you play the long game.No wonder you have mad poker-playing skills.”
Though she tried to hide it, I caught the grin that ghosted over her luscious lips.“Which will be on full display at the house tonight.Are you coming over?”
“Depends.Are you giving me a ride?”At her raised eyebrows, I added, “I rode to campus with Taco this afternoon.His final was two hours.Mine was three since it included a lab.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve been set up?”The suspicion in her tone made me laugh.
“Can’t imagine.”As she drove us over to the SCR house, I casually brought up the football party.“So what happened the other night?We were having a great time together, I lost the bet and didn’t fuss about holding up my end, and then you went all cold on me.Was I supposed to renege on our wager?”
Because I was in the passenger seat, I could give her my full attention, which meant I didn’t miss the way her hands gripped the wheel at my question.
“No.If you’d bailed on your loss, I never would have let you up about it.”
“Yeah?So what gives?Did I do something else to piss you off?”
“You’re awfully direct—you know that?”
“Not seeing that as a bad thing.”
Silence followed a long sigh.Right when I thought I’d have to ask again, she said, “Like you said, that party wasn’t a date.I was giving you space to hook up with one of the groupies admiring your abs.”
I think she was trying to inject some playfulness into her words, but all I heard was Saylor was jealous.Inside my head I pumped my fist hard while outwardly, I suppressed a grin.From the way she was holding herself, she didn’t want to be jealous, which didn’t change the fact that she was.
“Huh.The only question I have is, what doyouthink of my abs?”
She snorted.“Are you for real?”
Giving her my best smile, I said, “Every damn day.”Then I sobered.“We may not have been on an official date, but we were definitely at that party together, which means I could give a shit what any other woman there thought of me.”
The side-eye she shot me held all sorts of questions that I answered with a level look of my own.No need for you to be jealous, Saylor.No one else has ever kissed me the way youdo.
We parked a block down the street from the house and headed inside where a few SCRs were hanging out by the counter separating the kitchen from the great room.Sounds of clinking bottles and laughter drifted through the open back door.As we drew closer, I saw where the guys were gathering up snacks.
“Need some help?”Saylor asked as she rolled past me.
“Hey, Saylor!Jory here said he knows what he’s doing, but we don’t trust him.Would you mind making the guac?”a beanpole of a guy with a mop of dirty-blond hair asked.
