ChapterTen
Ashley
“Psst,” a girl whispers in my ear, attempting to drag me from sleep at the same time she tugs on my elbow. “Wake up. Class is over,” the unfamiliar woman adds, and I reluctantly force my eyes to open.
“Ugh.” Rubbing the back of my sore neck, I straighten up. Tilting my head from side to side to loosen out the kinks, I ignore the amused looks of my classmates as they file out of the auditorium. Up on the podium, the gray-haired man with the potbelly shakes his head as he stares at me, and it’s fair to say I haven’t made the best first impression with my History of Psychology prof. “I cannot believe I slept through the entire class,” I admit over a yawn as I look at the girl sitting beside me.
She grins, yanking the tie out of her bright-blue hair, letting it fall in straight lines down her back. “You were in a deep sleep too.” Her brows climb to her hairline in amusement. “Had to nudge you in the ribs a couple times when you let out a snore.”
“Oh shit.” I bark out a laugh as I stifle another yawn and begin stuffing my things in my book bag.
“I was told the first couple of weeks are rough, and it’s the fucking truth.” She stands, slinging her bag over one shoulder.
“You’re a freshman too?” I ask, noticing her strange eyes for the first time. One eye is a silvery-blue, and the other is a vibrant green. I have heard about heterochromia before but never met a person with the trait. It’s really cool.
“Yep, for my sins.” Cocking her head to one side, she winks, and there’s something so familiar about the gesture.
“Have we met before?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”
I thrust my hand out. “I’m Ash.”
She pumps my hand in a firm grasp. “I’m Bree.”
“What other classes are you taking?” I ask as we exit the lecture hall together.
“Why don’t we share schedules,” she suggests, extracting her cell from the back pocket of her jeans. “Digits too,” she adds, smiling warmly at me, and just like that, I’ve made my first new friend at school.
* * *
Jase comes charging out of the locker room first, making a beeline for me. I reinforce the walls around my heart like I have been doing these past two weeks. I’m determined to cut Jase out of my life, and he’s determined to get me to change my mind.
“Can we talk?” he asks.
“I have nothing to say to you.” Turning around, I give him my back because it’s too hard to look at him and not want to throw myself into his arms.
“Please, Ash. I’m dying without you.”
At any other time, I’d roll my eyes at such blatant melodrama. But the truth is, I feel like I’m dying without him too, so I know he’s not being dramatic on purpose. I haven’t managed to snatch more than three or four hours of sleep each night since the revelation. Hence why I’m snoozing in class.
College life is not off to an auspicious start.
“Perhaps you should’ve thought about that before getting engaged to that bitch.” I am still incredibly angry over the whole situation.
“I’m not engaged to her. It hasn’t happened yet.”
Spinning around, I glare at him, spotting other members of the football team exiting the locker room. “That’s just semantics, Jase, and you know it.”
“I miss you.” He fixes puppy-dog eyes on me and leans in closer. The spicy, citrusy scent of his cologne wraps around me like a comforting blanket, and I feel like crying. “I miss you so fucking much. You’re the only thing on my mind, every second of every day.” He threads his fingers through my hair, moving in even closer.
At this proximity, it’s hard to remain strong.
Piercing green eyes trap me in place as his lips curve up in a soft, seductive smile. “You’re the other half of my heart and soul, Temptress,” he says in that deep sexy tone I love. His warm breath fans across my face as he brushes his thumb along my lower lip, dragging it slowly from one side of my mouth to the other while his gaze devours me. He still hasn’t cut his dark hair, and it tumbles in sexy tousled strands across his strong brow, the ends slightly damp from his shower. Heat rolls off him in hypnotic waves as his eyes dip to my mouth, and he grasps my hips, pulling me in flush with his body. “I’m barely existing without you, Ash. I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t concentrate for shit. I’m fucking up at training.” His arms band around my back as he moves our faces closer, and it’s like I’m spellbound, caged in his magnetic attention, incapable of breaking free. “Not that I care about any of that. I only care about you.”
His eyes probe mine as his mouth descends. His lips glide against mine in a featherlight touch, and everything inside me turns to a puddle of goo. As if on autopilot, I grip his hips and crush his body to mine as our mouths meet in a marriage of frantic lust. Slanting his head, Jase takes control of the kiss, ravishing my mouth like he never thought he’d get to do it again.
His mouth is warm and demanding as he kisses me deeply and passionately, and I’m clinging to him with a desperation I know I’ll regret, but right now, need trumps everything else. When he prods at the seam of my lips, demanding entry, I readily give in, unable to deny either of us what we need. His tongue plunges inside my mouth, and we dance a tango, battling for supremacy, as liquid lust sweeps through me at his familiar touch.
