Page 49 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 1

Jonah looked over my shoulder and at the window, then leaned in a little too much and I squirmed.

His breath was hot when he spoke. “It’s raining.”

I twisted away from him and he must have noticed because he pulled back and eyed me.

I looked away and had another sip of my beer.

“How come you’re not a doctor, too?” he asked. “Isn’t that how it works?”

“It’s definitely not how it works,” I protested, glad to change the course of our conversation. Then, quieter, I added: “My older brother is a doctor like our dad.”

Jonah threw his head back and laughed out loud, but as he calmed, he shifted his weight and appeared a few inches closer to me.

“Who let you in?” I asked abruptly. “You’re not a Northwood student. The party’s invite only.”

He snorted. “I’m the star captain of Detroit’s oldest college hockey team. I’m on all invite lists.”

I laughed at that. “A lot of big words, there, buddy. Maybe try getting yourself into the Northwood library and check a dictionary.”

“Maybe we should sneak in there right now,” he suggested.

And while the thought itself was a fun one, the image in my head ripped my heart into pieces. It was me and Cameron doing precisely what Jonah suggested. If there was something in this whole world that I wanted, it was for everything to be different. I wanted the proximity Cam offered when he was with me. I wanted possessive jealousy that sprawled from him whenever there was another guy near me. I wanted the protectiveness when someone — Jonah, for one — checked me against the boards.

And I’d thrown them all away months too soon. But it was for the better.

I just had to keep telling that to myself and maybe I would start believing it someday.

Jonah cocked his head. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

He stepped closer to me leaning against the wall so that his arm was hanging and his hand touched my shoulder. I scooted an inch away and found myself in the corner, only able to climb the mini fridge or push the guy away. And he hadn’t done anything to deserve that. In fact, he had offered a respite from self-pity that I had so badly needed.

But then the back of his finger caressed my cheek and I had to stop this. “Listen…”

“Right, right,” Jonah said, laughing. “You’re dating, but not really. Sorry.”

“Um, that’s not it,” I said. “I don’t belong to someone. I have a working mind and free will, you know?”

He nodded like he understood, then acted like he hadn’t heard a word I said. “I’m game for whatever, though.” He finished his can while mine was three quarters full, then reached over me and set it on the mini fridge. When he was done, he lingered there, pinning me against the wall and looking at me challengingly.

“Okay,” I said. “You’re game, but I’m not.” I wasn’t sure if I frowned. I wasn’t even sure if I made any expression at all. I did wince, for the briefest of moments. Jonah was straightening, but he wasn’t moving away from me.

“You just need to get into the mood,” Jonah said, a smirk stretching his lips.

“Er, I think I was clear,” I said, pushing him back with the tip of my index finger.

He lifted his arm and rested his elbow on my shoulder, bringing his face up close. But after that, everything was happening way too quickly to keep up. A hand slapped down on Jonah’s shoulder and we both startled.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay the fuck away from him?” The growl sent chills down my spine. That same hand spun Jonah around easily and revealed its owner when Jonah staggered.

“Fuck off,” Jonah barked, anger flushing across his face the moment he recognized Cameron.

Cam’s fist was closed and flying through the air just as Jonah started to speak. Whatever Jonah’s ‘Mother…’ meant, he never got to finish it because Cameron’s fist kissed his pearly white teeth and sent him crashing into three guys who stood a few feet away.

“Jesus. Fuck.” My voice broke from me in horror, exaggerated to conceal the relief I felt that Jonah was no longer leaning into me and joy at my protector being Cameron after all. “Don’t… Fuck!”

Jonah leaped when the three guys stood him upright but failed to hold him back. He tackled Cameron to the ground, but the amount of booze he’d had somewhere before coming to the party had made him slow and dazed. “I told you to remember this face. And it’s owner is now going to fuck you up.”