I’m not sure whether hisokayreference is toward the girls or his grades.Does it matter?I shouldn’t care.I don’t care.At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“Here, give me your phone.”
“Excuse me?”I laugh at his boldness.
“I’ll text myself, and you’ll have my number.Next time this sophomore gives you trouble, let me know.”
“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me,” I say.
Except maybe having him in my corner wouldn’t be so bad.He has a lot of clout on campus, and my roommate is boy-crazy.Not that I’d want to set them up.My stomach clenches at the image of the two of them tangling in the sheets.
I’m no longer hungry.
“Give me your phone, Harper,” Luca says, his hand outstretched, palm up, waiting for me to deposit it into his palm.
He never uses my first name.I’m surprised that he even knows what it is.
With a resigned sigh, I grab my cell phone from my jacket pocket, unlock it, and hand it to him.
His thumb grazes over my wrist, the slightest caress over bare skin.“Good girl,” he says, his eyes on me before glancing down and texting himself from my phone.
His words send a warm hum vibrating through my body.I can’t explain the pulsing sensations that his voice elicits with those simple two words and the soft sigh that spills past my lips, unintended.
What the hell was that, and why do I suddenly want to hear him say it again?
Two
Luca
I’ve been trying to get Harper to notice me.
Walking with her after class isn’t a coincidence, especially since I’m done until the late afternoon and I either double back to grab lunch or head to my apartment.
She hasn’t caught on, at least, and it gives me a few extra minutes with her.Seeing as how we have different social circles, I never run into her outside of economics.
I’m not one to stalk her, but if I had her schedule, I definitely would run into her more often.
Ashton grabs a beer for himself from the fridge.“You want one?”he asks, with the fridge wide open.Guests are pouring into the apartment.There’s more than just a few people hanging out tonight.
Ashton Rinaldi is the king of parties.He likes to make everyone feel welcome, and that means inviting everyone he knows and doesn’t know as well.I’d be pissed, but he ends up inviting more girls than guys, so it’s not usually a bad time.There’s always someone available for a hookup.
“I met the perfect girl this morning,” Ashton says, popping the top off his beer.“Blonde hair, dark mysterious eyes, rocking body.”
“That describes what, fifteen percent of the student population?”I quip.
Ashton rolls his eyes at me.“I didn’t catch her name, but I swear I’m going to marry her.”
Ashton Rinaldi doesn’t seem the marrying type.Probably because he lets all the puck bunnies play with his hockey stick, not all at once.Although he’s not opposed to doing that, either, with a couple of the girls.I’ve heard the sounds coming from his bedroom; it’s definitely not a one-on-one situation.
“You’ve lost your mind,” I say, smirking as I take a swig of my beer.
“Yeah, I probably have, but she’d be worth it.”Ashton is definitely drunk and maybe a little delusional when it comes to girls.But how could he not be when he sets his sights on someone and never gets turned down?
“And you didn’t get her number?”I ask.
“She wouldn’t even tell me her name,” Ashton grumbles.“But she clearly goes to Evergreen, so I’ll run into her.”He’s confident in his ability to convince any girl to climb into his bed, which isn’t hard, since most of the ladies do the chasing.
“Sounds like a massive crush.”I chuckle at his discontent.I’ve never heard him talk about a girl like that, but I’m sure once he beds her, the appeal will wear.It’s Ashton.He’s the kind of guy who, once you take the toy out of the box, he loses interest in it.He’s never bedded the same girl twice.
