When he turns to carry me in the direction of the bedroom, I start to wiggle around in his hold, and his eyes darken instantly. “I can’t imagine anyone in this world not wanting you,” he rasps.
“Yale didn’t want me,” I quip, absently. It’s an offhand comment, though the rejection from my dream school is always lingering in the back of my mind.
I’m surprised when Tripp stops short of the bedroom threshold.
“You applied to Yale?” His gaze races over my face. “You wanted to go toYale?”
“Yes.” I wave a hand. “But I’m happy where I ended up.”
He narrows his gaze on me. “No. You’re not.”
The fact that he can read my mind has me swallowing hard. “I mean, everything happens for a reason, right? I’m supposed to go to Dartmouth.”
“Unless you’re supposed to go to Yale,” he says, sounding thoughtful. “With me.”
Uh-oh.“Tripp, I don’t like that tone of voice.”
A few seconds of silence pass. “Just let me take a look at your application?”
I’m already shaking my head. “I’m not going to let you pull strings for me. I’ll be fine.”
“Iwon’t be fine. I mapped the drive to Dartmouth. It’s two and a half hours away from me.”
He brings our heads together and continues walking us into the bedroom, laying me down on the most comfortable mattress imaginable. In two swift yanks, he takes off my shoes and tosses them away, coming down on top of me in nothing but a fresh pair of sweatpants, his skin smelling clean from a shower.
Suddenly, there I am, lying beneath the resort’s most powerful and influential guest, in my maid uniform.
So enamored with him, I can barely breathe.
“Will you please just send me the application, angel?” He cajoles, easing my hands up above my head and pinning them there, his mouth perched on top of mine. “I will never ask you for anything again. As long as I live.”
“Hold on.” I’m giggling beneath his huge body, my knees tugging upward and sliding open so he can sink down between the juncture of my thighs—and he does so with a baritone groan. “I swear I’ve heard that somewhere before.”
“Not from me,” he deadpans.
“Oooh. Must have been myotherboyfriend.”
His blue eyes darken. “That is not even remotely funny.”
“Calm down, rich boy. Trust me, there’s no other boyfriend. You were my first kiss.”
I didn’t mean for that to slip out, but as soon as it does, my face turns piping hot, and I try to turn my head to evade his searching gaze, but he doesn’t let me. He’s still pinning my wrists above my head with one hand, but he catches my chin in his free one, his big chest puffing up and down twice.
“Ah, angel, why didn’t you tell me that?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“It’s only weird that thousands of boys didn’t try.”
“Now…” I purse my lips. “I didn’t say that.”
His lips kick up on one side, and he radiates a combination of chagrin and affection down at me. “You were just waiting for some wealthy asshole to come along and attack you on the job, huh?”
“No, but that wealthy asshole turned out to be you, Tripp,” I whisper, a little nervous that I’m revealing myself here. Revealing that he’s important to me, whether we’re together in the future or not. “So it was worth the wait.”
He’s not amused anymore.
In fact, he looks like he can’t get a swallow down.
