***Emily***
Emily could breathe a little easier as soon as she got away from Taylor. She took her time making her way over to the circulation desk to check out the stack of books in her arms, glad for the break. Taylor was driving her crazy. One minute, he’d been teasing and flirting with her, making her heart do flip-flops, her palms sweaty, and forbidden thoughts pop into her mind. Then he’d sudden done a one eighty and become a jerk, pissing her off until she’d stopped talking to him. It was keeping her off balance, and she wasn’t enjoying it. She was supposed to be in control, she was supposed to be earning his trust, instead they were, well, she didn’t knowwhat this was they were doing. With a sigh, she shoved the books into her backpack when the man behind the counter handed them back with a smile, then made her way back to the front of the building.
She was a professional; it was time to start acting like one. Now would be the perfect time to ask a few questions. “Okay, all set,” she said, walking up to him where he was leaning against the building. “Hope you didn’t have to wait too long.”
“No, I just got here,” he said, pushing himself away from the building. “Shall we go?”
“Sure,” she said, falling into step next to him. “Let’s go.”
They walked in silence for a while, but she knew an opportunity when one presented itself. “I love this time of year—the smell of fall, the changing leaves, chilly mornings, and the first frost on the grass,” she said, then looked over at Taylor. “What’s your favorite time of the year?”
He shrugged, “I never really thought about it,” he said. “But I guess summer, since there’s no school.”
She waited for him to say more, but he just kept walking, and she realized she was going to have to do all the work. “This is such a beautiful area,” she said. “Did you grow up around here?”
“Kind of,” he said, and she held her breath, hoping he’d say more. “I grew up about a hundred miles to the north in a really small town. It looks a lot like this back home, lots of trees and thick vegetation where it hasn’t been cleared for farms. I guess it’s pretty, but I’m ready for a change.”
She let a silence fall between them, then looked over at him. “You don’t seem like a small-town boy to me,” she finally said, shaking her head. “I was sure you had city-boy written all over you, but you were probably at the top of the social ladder back home; that’s probably why I got that feeling.”
“Not even,” Taylor snorted, shaking his head. “I’m as far from the top as you can get. Why would you think that anyway?”
Surprised by his answer, she missed a step and stumbled. Taylor pulled her into his arms to steady her, and she suddenly found herself pressed against his chest, unable to breathe. When she looked up, Taylor had a shocked expression, but then their eyes met, and the surprise faded, replaced by something that made her heart pound faster and a wave of desire wash over her.
Her eyes went to his lips, and the thought of kissing him suddenly popped into her mind. A wave of panic replaced the desire. “Oh, thank you. I almost fell,” she said, extracting herself from his arms. “That was a close one.”
The shocked look was back on Taylor’s face. “It sure was. Be more careful next time,” he growled, then turned and started walking again. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I just thought…well, this is an expensive school, I’m only here because they offered me a huge scholarship to cover tuition,” she said. “And you’re in a fraternity, that’s usually expensive, you don’t go to class, you don’t seem to care that much about school…and you’re…well. a little entitled and self-centered.”
“Well, thanks for your honesty,” he said, clearly a little stung. “Remind me not to ask you any more questions.”
“Hey, you asked, don’t get upset when you don’t like the answer you get,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “If I read you wrong, I’m sorry. I was just going by what I’ve seen and heard.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t just make assumptions about people without getting to know them,” Taylor said, his eyes flashing with annoyance and anger. “Let’s get a couple of things straight, I’m not some rich city boy here on my parents’ dime. I was raised by a single mother who workedher tail off to give me a good childhood. I’m here on a scholarship just like you are, but unlike you, when I’m done with school, I’ll owe several years of my life in exchange for my education. Then and only then will I get my freedom.”
A silence fell between them, and it was clear by the look on Taylor’s face that he was as shocked as she was by his outburst. “Taylor, I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have…”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” he said, giving her a dirty look. “And just for the record, the fraternity wasn’t my idea, it’s one of the requirements for the scholarship that we all live together. I thought I would hate it, but those guys are like my family now, so it’s not so bad, and we’re not a party house. If you’d just asked around, you would have found that out.”
Before she could apologize again, he started walking faster, and she practically had to run to keep up, but she was fine with that; she’d opened the door with her questions. She had a better idea who he was, and the fact that he’d told her so much, even if it was in anger, showed that he trusted at least a little bit. Her instincts told her there was more to the story, that he was hiding something, and it might just be the key to what had been going on around campus.
It was time to do some digging, time to find out more about both Taylor and the fraternity. She’d been putting it off, but she’d make some time in the next few days. They weren’t supposed to meet for a study session again until after the weekend, which would give her plenty of time. The next time they met, she’d have a few more questions for Taylor, and hopefully, he’d have some answers for her that would make the captain happy.
CHAPTER 7
***TAYLOR***
When Taylor heard Emily breathing heavily beside him as she tried to keep up with his much longer legs, he forced himself to slow down. It wasn’t her fault that he’d once again lost control. He’d said way more than he’d meant to, revealed facts about himself that he’d shared only with his fraternity brothers, and now he felt raw and slightly used, even though he’d done it to himself. But the more he thought about it as they walked along in silence, the more he began to think that she’d egged him on, pushed him until he’d revealed things about himself that he normally wouldn’t have.
Stealing a glance over at her, he decided it was only fair to balance the scales. “Now that you tricked me into revealing so much about myself, it’s your turn,” he said, watching her carefully, determined not to trust her. “I’m assuming you didn’t grow up in the countryside.”
“I didn’t trick you, you’re the one who had to set the record straight,” she said, giving him a dirty look, then she sighed. “But fair is fair, I’m a city girl and I’m not talking uptown. I grew up in an apartment; the closest I ever came toa tree was the few scraggly ones that grew in the little park down the street.”
“That’s a good start,” he said. “Keep going, you’re not there yet.”
“I was raised by a single father who worked two jobs to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table while his heart was breaking,” she said. “He’s my hero and the person I look up to most in the world.”
“I’m tempted to ask why your dad’s heart was breaking, but I’m afraid that might be pushing it,” he said, still not sure he trusted her but relieved that she’d shared with him. “Instead, I’ll ask how you ended up here?”
