She stiffened at my words.
“Seriously, babe.That dick had it coming.When you’re ready, I’ll go with you to file a complaint.I don’t care who his dad is—that little prick doesn’t threaten you and get away with it.”
Against my chest, she nodded, but I had a bad feeling about where her head was.
Attempting to soothe her, I held her close, warming her with my body and brushing soft kisses over her temple.At last I sensed the shivers quieting, and I pulled back enough to look into her gorgeous amber eyes, which were more brown than golden at the moment.“The Union is kinda loud.Want to go somewhere private?”
“I have another class in less than an hour.”
Brushing another kiss over her temple, I said, “I know a place we can go where we can be alone.Do you trust me?”
She nodded.
“Words, Saylor.”
“Yes, Cash.I trust you.”
After a short walk up the street to the stadium, I let us into the film room I was reasonably sure would be deserted at this time of day.Mercifully, it was.I pulled her down onto my lap in one of the seats at the back.The great thing about the space was that it had been built to accommodate big men, so there was plenty of room for the two of us on the wide, deep cushion.
Running my hand up and down her back, I asked, “You ready to talk now?”
Silence stretched for so long I worried the shock that had wanted to set in after that confrontation had shut her down.Then she started talking, her voice tentative at first.“His dad is some Wall Street big shot.”
I kept my hand moving and my mouth shut.
“But Barry has no vision, no people skills.”A mirthless laugh emphasized her words.“As you saw.If he’s ever in charge of a project, it’s going to run so far over budget he’ll probably have to rely on his daddy’s investors to finish it because his lack of vision means he can’t stick with a decision.”As she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and snuggled in closer to my chest, her voice took on conviction.“If I let a bully like him threaten me before I even finish my degree, I have a snowball’s chance in hell of ever making it with the big boys.”
“That mean you won’t be changing your schedule?”
The gleam that came into her eyes terrified me a little even though I was pretty sure it wasn’t aimed at me.After a quick, hard kiss, she hopped up off my lap without giving me a chance to return it.“You’re the best, Cash Donovan.Thanks for being here for me.”
“Always.”I stood and followed her to the door.“You haven’t answered my question.”
“After the fiasco last spring, I did some homework on Barnard Brown.This is his third film school since he started his undergrad six years ago.”As we headed back out of the facility, I noticed Saylor’s demeanor had done a one-eighty from what it was when we walked in.“He’s so arrogant and reliant on his dad’s money that I doubt he has a clue that over the summer, I built some connections in the industry.”
“Uh-huh.So what’s the plan, Stan?”
“I’m still working on it.But I need to catch up with some other students in our cohort before I can put it into play.”She slipped her arm through mine and squeezed.“One thing is certain—I will never work on a project with Barry Brown again.”
That was all I needed to hear.
Before we split up to head to our next classes, I ducked us into a quiet spot between some bushes whose fall colors were firing up.Then I kissed her like she was my lifeline.When we finally tore our lips from each other, I smiled in satisfaction at the fact she’d entwined herself around me like a vine.
“We’re still on for Sunday night?”
“Yes.”The word sounded dreamy, which was exactly the way I felt.Then Saylor’s eyes regained focus.“Good luck this weekend.Throw a TD on your first third down play like you did in the opener.”
“Is that a request or a command?”
Her brow shot up.“You have to ask?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a laugh.“Your command is my wish.”
“Exactly.”Her impish grin told me I had my Saylor back.
Of course I got in the last word with a tap to her ass right before we split up to head to our respective buildings.It was only after I’d sat down in the lecture hall and pulled my iPad from my backpack that I remembered she was still wearing my hoodie.
Bax and Finn teamed up on the Idaho quarterback, with Finn going in for the sack that caused the guy to make a poor decision.The QB’s errant pass dropped right in Bax’s hands as he jumped up to bat it down.For a big middle linebacker, Bax had surprisingly soft hands and a quick reaction time.Though the game to this point had been a defensive slugfest, on that last play of the first half, we went into the locker room up 14-0.
