I was distantly aware of the vibration of a cell phone. I burrowed deeper into the bed, fighting off a shiver. When the rattling didn’t stop, I threw an arm out of the blankets, swatting out blindly for my nightstand. My hand came down on a smooth, warm curve that was definitely not my cell phone.
I blinked open one eye. My cheek was pressed against Nick’s side and my outstretched hand rested on one truly spectacular pec. I peeled my drool-slicked face from his bare skin to peek at him. His lips were parted, shadowed in dark stubble. His worry lines were softened by sleep and the pale moonlight filtering through the window blind.
My phone started buzzing again. Nick stirred, his arm curling tighter around me. A soft moan rumbled in his chest as I pushed up on one elbow and reached across him for my jeans. I dug inside the pocket for my phone and hurried to dismiss the call, silently opening the string of text messages Vero had sent from the prepaid phone we’d purchased yesterday.
11:58pm: Where are you?
12:11am: The power’s out all over campus.
12:12am: I can’t see a damn thing and it’s cold in here.
12:32am: Please tell me you’re doing research for a steamy bestseller and you haven’t been dismembered by the Russian mob.
12:45am: Finn?
Shit!How long had I slept? The clock on my phone said it was almost two.EasyCleanwould be arriving soon to pick up the money and we hadn’t made the drop.
I pried Nick’s arm from my hip, careful not to wake him as I backed out of the blankets and gathered my clothes from the floor. I hurried to dress, pulling back the edge of the blinds to see the glare of moonlight on freshly frozen sidewalks.
An eerie hush seemed to hover over the campus. Vero was right; every window in every building was dark. The fire tower was a hulking black shadow in the distance, the crisscrossing stairwells impossible to make out.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
I found my shoes and tucked them under my arm. My toe caught the edge of Nick’s suitcase on my way to the door. I bit back a swear, but Nick didn’t stir. His chest rose and fell in a steady, deep rhythm, his arm still curled around the empty dip I’d left in the bed. I wondered how long it had been since he’d truly gotten any rest, and I hoped for Vero’s and my sakes he’d stay asleep for a few hours more.
I typed out a quick message to Vero.On my way up. Be there in a minute.
Her response was immediate.If you do not bring the whisky back, I’ll murder you myself.
I grabbed the bottle off the desk, careful not to make a sound as I closed Nick’s door behind me.
A chill had settled over the dormitory while I’d been in Nick’s room. I snuck back upstairs, using my phone to light my way up the pitch-black stairwell to the third floor. I jumped as a flashlight beam caught me square in the face.
Roddy lowered his light. He fought back a grin as he checked his watch. “You’ve been down there for hours. That must have been quite a statement.”
“Very funny,” I said, willing my heart rate to slow.
“Where’s Nick? Why didn’t he walk you back?”
“He fell asleep, and I didn’t have the heart to wake him.” Roddy gave me a scolding look. “It was only two floors. I was perfectly safe. I never left the building.”
“You should be more careful,” he said, shaking a finger at me. “Ty’s watching your room for the next few hours. You should get some sleep. I left some extra blankets for you and Vero. Power lines must be down from the ice storm. Might not have heat for a while. Try to stay warm.”
“You, too. Thanks, Roddy.”
When his flashlight bobbed down the stairwell, I exited the stairwell and found Ty reclined in a borrowed classroom chair beside the door to my room. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He cracked open one eye with a smirk as I scanned my card key, slipped inside, and quickly shut my door.
Vero was waiting inside, wearing her hat, coat, and shoes, the black duffel bag ready beside her feet, the contents zip-tied shut.
“It’s about damn time,” she whispered, snapping a blanket off her bed as I put on my coat.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear my phone.”
She grumbled something unintelligible that sounded a lot likeI bet.“Here, help me tie these.” She passed me a blanket from a folded stack and grabbed another for herself. “So…? How was dessert?” At my mortified look, she said, “Oh, please. Don’t even tell me you didn’t sample the menu.”
“I might have had a little taste,” I admitted.
“And?”
