Okay. But if this goes south, I was not involved in any way.
I flash a grin her way.
Thank you. I owe you one.
Her
Yeah you do.
Satisfied that she won’t go screaming to Dustin that I blatantly ignored him about staying away from his sister, I pocket my phone and turn to the professor, trying like hell to tune in to his lesson but failing miserably.
I’m distinctly aware of every move Avery makes. She’s stiff as a board, but every now and then, she reaches up and moves the hair from her face. When she types notes out onto her laptop, it stirs the air around us, and a soft scent reaches my nose.
How the hell am I going to get this girl on my side? How am I going to get her to let me in? Because, clearly, that’s going to be a huge problem. I’m not backing down, though. No freaking way.
I try like hell to concentrate, but it doesn’t happen, and when class is finally dismissed, I don’t even realize it until Avery, Jacob, and Ivy are packing their bags.
Since we are sitting near the front, the four of us are the last to leave. Even the professor is gone, having disappeared quicker than the students. As we reach the back row, I give Avery’s elbow a tug.
Whipping around, she glares at me. “What?”
Oh no, she’s not going to steer me away by having an attitude. “I want to talk to you for a minute.”
She blows out a breath, a protest on her lips, but Ivy says, “I’ll wait for you outside.” She doesn’t wait for Avery to reply before she’s taking Jacob by the arm and dragging him out of the room.
Once they’re gone, I turn Avery to fully face me. Her eyes are glued on my chest, and I take a step closer to her, but she steps back. I take another, and so does she. One more and her back hits the wall by the door. Only then does she meet my gaze, hair falling in her face.
I swipe the hair from her face with a gentle touch, and her eyelids flutter as my fingertips graze her cheekbone. “See? That right there.”
Her brows pinch together. “What?”
I run my fingertip along her jaw. “That. The way you react to my touch. I know you feel something, Avery.”
She chuffs and glances away. “It’s a normal reaction when someone attractive touches me.”
My chuckle is deep. It’s more than that, but I’ll let it slide. “So you think I’m attractive?”
Still looking away, she shrugs. “I’m not going to lie about it. You’re hot. End of story.”
Something clicks then, and I guide her face back to mine. “Do you think I’m out of your league, Avery?” The way she swallows tells me I’ve hit the nail on the head. I lean in closer to her and brush my nose against hers. She doesn’t fight me on it, so I do it again. “Do you really not see what I see?”
“There’s nothing to see,” she whispers.
“Oh, you have no idea, beautiful girl.” I’m so close that I could kiss her if I wanted to, but I know she isn’t in the right headspace for it. We share breath as I admit, “Your brother said you were off limits.”
Her chest presses into mine as her breathing picks up. My nearness is affecting her like it’s affecting me. “And yet, here you are.”
“Because I’m interested, Avery. More than interested.”
Her lips twitch, and I know whatever she says next is a lie. “That makes one of us.” I curve an eyebrow, letting her know that I know it wasn’t the truth. She wets her bottom lip and stutters, “D-Doesn’t matter if I am; Dustin said no.”
I lift my hand, cup her neck, and run my thumb along her jumping pulse. “You’re scared.”
She blows out a chuckling breath, but there’s absolutely no humor in it. “Well, yeah.”
I get the feeling that it’s not her brother she’s scared of because he loves her to death, so I tell her again, “I’m not your ex, Avery.”
She shakes her head, and tears start to prick her eyes. “I need to go.”
