I closed my textbook with a loud snap and checked the time on my cell phone. I groaned when I saw I had been studying for almost four hours and still had what felt like a mountain of homework left. Teagan had cautioned me about taking so many classes my first semester, but I had been stubborn. I wanted to get the basic courses out of the way as soon as possible. As I looked at the books and papers scattered around me, however, I wished I had listened.
Not that I’d ever admit that to him, of course.
I braced my elbows on my desk and dropped my head into my hands with a sigh. It was late and I was exhausted but nowhere near finished for the night. I glared at the mess surrounding me, praying it would all spontaneously combust and I wouldn’t have to deal with it any longer. As usual, it didn’t happen. Wishing rarely did when I needed it to. The idea of possibly using Zver eating my homework as an excuse crossed my mind, but was just as quickly discarded. No one would ever believe that one.
I sat back in my seat and stretched my arms up and behind my head with a yawn. The rush of blood flowing back through my muscles almost made me dizzy. I let my head drop back to rest on the chair and closed my eyes for a moment as I waited for the sensation to pass. I knew part of the problem was a lack of food. The empty energy drink cans accumulated beside me didn’t help. It was probably time to go forage for some sort of sustenance as I hadn’t eaten since lunch. However, that required movement on my part. That wasn’t happening in the foreseeable future, and I figured I was all right with that.
“So, this is where you hang out after eleven on a Tuesday night?”
I jumped with a scream at the unexpected interruption and would have fallen backward in my chair had the person behind me not grabbed it and kept it upright. I leapt to my feet and quickly put space between us, nervous and suddenly very aware of the time. All of Teagan’s and Mom’s warnings flashed through my head, and the anxiety amped up even more.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I was about to work myself up into a good old-fashioned panic attack when the voice registered. I forced myself to take a deep breath and focus on the guy standing next to my chair. He watched me with a concerned frown that was returned with a frown of my own.
“All right,” he said as his frown deepened, “I’ll ask again, are you okay?”
I gaped at him in disbelief but recovered quickly. “Seriously? Ryan, you scared the crap out of me. Why’d you sneak up like that?”
“What? I—wait a second. I didn’t ‘sneak up’ on you, sweetheart,” he said. “You’re in the middle of the student center.”
Okay, so he had a point. I wouldn’t let him know that, though. I suspected Mr. Grabby would be like Connor; you’d never live it down if you admitted he was right. I settled for putting my hands on my hips and glaring at him. My eyes narrowed when he began to smile. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged, then grinned. “Except it’s killing you I’m right.”
I gave him a flat look before beginning to gather up my books and papers. He watched me in silence for a minute then picked up one of my texts and started flipping through it. At his low whistle I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. He gave me a tight grin.
“Impressive,” he said in a low voice. “Calculus with analytic geometry isn’t a class most freshmen take.” He gave me a considering look. “Were you some sort of honors student or something?”
I paused in my packing, trying to determine if he was mocking me or not. He met my stare. I took a moment to inspect his baggy shorts, t-shirt, and his blatant self-confidence and went with the mocking option. Leaning over, I snatched the math book from him and stuffed it into my book bag.
“Hey! That was unnecessary.” He pointed at me with a frown. “You, Aislinn, have a bad attitude.”
I snorted but kept my focus on the table, steadily gathering my things.
“You’re ignoring me, aren’t you?” When I didn’t respond, he threw his hands up. “I can’t believe it. Sweetheart, no one ignores me.”
I picked up the last of my things, gathered my trash, and headed toward the door. I had promised Teagan I wouldn’t stay out late, and he was going to be ticked when I called him. He didn’t work weeknights often, but when he did, he’d wait for me to call him in case I fell asleep or happened to be studying. I debated just telling him in the morning, but discarded that idea just as quickly. I couldn’t lie to him—it was a promise we’d made, and I’d keep it.
“Hey, Aislinn. Wait up,” Ryan called out as I exited the center. I paused long enough to throw away my trash before continuing through the heavy double doors. The hot, humid night air wrapped itself around me as I hurried down the lit walkway. Behind me the doors slammed shut again and heavy footsteps followed. Before I could react, Ryan appeared beside me and slowed to match my pace.
“Sugar, you’re an idiot,” he stated firmly.
That pulled me up short and I stopped, shooting him a glare. He continued for several steps before he realized I wasn’t beside him anymore. He turned and looked at me, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?”
“You’re an ass,” I blurted.
He frowned at me. “How am I an ass?”
My jaw dropped at the question. I gaped at him in shock for a long minute. It took that long for me to realize and accept that he was genuinely confused.
“You called me an idiot.” I gestured to him and gave him a dirty look. “Why? Because I don’t pant after you like all the other girls on campus?”
He looked at me for about half a second before he burst into laughter. I stared at him in consternation as he doubled over and braced his hands on his knees as he laughed. His amusement continued, and I collected my shredded pride and tried to skirt around him. He reached out and grabbed my arm and halted me.
“No, Aislinn,” he said after he caught his breath. “You’re an idiot for walking the campus alone at this hour of the night.”
I felt my face heat up in a flood of embarrassment.
“Being the good southern boy my mama raised me to be,” he stopped and scowled at my snort before he continued, “I’ll escort you wherever you’re going.”
I opened my mouth to protest but he held up a finger to stop me. “Uh-uh. You went to freshman orientation. Buddy system, remember? So, where you headed?”
I twisted my arm out of his grasp with a huff and stood silently as I mentally sorted my options. Unfortunately, he was right. It wasn’t safe to wander around alone at night. But I didn’t know Ryan either. He was just some guy in my language class. My indecision must have shown.
“I don’t have to take it when I can get it handed to me somewhere else, you know,” he said blandly.
Conflicted, I scrunched my face, wanting to argue but unable to manage it in the face of logic. I went with a semi-adult barb. “You’re just full of yourself, huh?”
“Meh.” He shrugged. “Just stating a fact. So again, where are you going?”
He was so blasé it pulled a shocked bark of laughter from me. He responded with a wink then stood to the side and waved a hand. “After you.”
I started walking again, shaking my head to hide a smile. As I passed him, he fell in beside me with an expectant look. A raised eyebrow had him chuckling. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and walked a little faster to the student lot my car was parked in. I all but jogged up to it and had my key already unlocking the door before Ryan caught up to me.
“You are a feisty one, aren’t you?”
I opened my door and tossed my things in and turned to face him. Looking up at him, I was once again reminded of how attractive he was. From the way his hazel eyes sparkled with amusement, the thought must have conveyed on my face. It just served to reinforce what Teagan had been saying for the past few months. I tossed him a scathing look and got in my car. He reached out, blocking the door from closing, and leaned down toward me.
“Night, sweetheart,” he said with a grin. “Just so you know, not following me around like the others doesn’t make you an idiot.” He moved a bit closer, close enough I could smell his crisp cologne. “It makes you intriguing.” He stood up and with a wink closed my door and gave my roof a tap before he backed away. He waved again before turning to walk across the lot.
I sat behind the wheel in dazed shock as I wondered what in the hell had just happened.
***
The shrill sound of my alarm woke me with a startled jolt. Reaching out, I felt around my nightstand, blindly searching for the offensive destroyer of sleep. When I couldn’t feel it, I poked my head out from the covers and squinted, trying to find the alarm clock. I knew each second spent looking for it was another moment rocketing me toward full wakefulness. Therefore, it was sheer desperation that had me throwing off my blanket and sitting up in bed.
I glanced around my room, searching out the source of the ear bleeding sound. My eyes narrowed when I saw it sitting on my dresser. Even through the fog of sleep I knew with precise certainty it had been on my nightstand the night before. Scowling as I surveyed the distance from my bed to the dresser, I pushed my hair out of my face impatiently. That bit of movement chased the last wisp of sleep away and I glared at the happily ringing clock across the room. Someone was going to pay for this. They would pay dearly. One did not mess with my sleep and simply get away with it.
I threw my legs over the side of the bed and sat slouched over, wallowing in my raging grump for a moment. The sound officially reached grating levels and I shoved myself to my feet before stalking over to my dresser. I snatched up the clock with a growl and slammed the button on the top. Of course, this did not make it stop. I stared at it in bemusement before the reality of the situation hit me.
I was now wide awake.
I started beating on the alarm clock as I swore, desperate to get it to stop. When those attempts failed, I opened a dresser drawer, threw it in with my socks, and slammed the drawer closed. I grunted in satisfaction and turned to go back to bed when my door was flung open. I jumped in surprise and then snarled as a blonde whirlwind entered my room.
“Go away, Annie,” I grouched as I started back toward my bed. “It’s too early for you right now.”
My roommate laughed as she bounded over to my bed and sprawled across it. “Nope! We have class in an hour. Time to get ready.”
I eyed her as suspicion began to take form. “Did you move my alarm clock?”
A cheeky grin lit her face as she sat up. “Yes, I did. I knew you wouldn’t get up otherwise. You didn’t come home until after midnight.” She winked at me before continuing. “That sexy Lacrosse player keeping you out again?”
Annie’s crush on Teagan was no secret. However, unlike most of the female population on campus, she admired from a distance. It was never awkward and we actually joked about it. But right now, I was tired and cranky. I looked up at the ceiling, attempting to maintain my grump, and stomped to the closet. I yanked open the door and grabbed whatever was closest.
“No, he didn’t,” I tossed over my shoulder. “I was at the center studying.”
“Why didn’t you just study here?” she asked with a confused frown. I turned in surprise but swallowed the sharp retort I’d had planned when I saw genuine puzzlement in her blue eyes. I offered her a tight smile instead.
“It was just too hard to concentrate. There were too many people.” I had a hard time focusing when there was a lot of noise around me. The study group Annie tutored had been over, and the racket was too much for me. I wasn’t about to complain, though. The tutoring fees paid for Annie’s bills.
Annie stood up, still frowning. “Why didn’t you say something? I can move the group someplace else.” She shoved a hand through her hair and huffed a deep breath. “I’ll switch where we meet up, okay?”
I sighed. “No. Don’t do that. I don’t mind going someplace else. You could end up losing clients if you change where you meet.”
“But, Ash, you didn’t get home until really late. It’s not safe to be out alone on the campus,” she protested.
I shrugged. “I wasn’t alone. Ryan walked me to my car.” I finished gathering my things and was about to walk out when I saw she had a weird look on her face. “What?”
She shook her head quickly and blinked. “Hold up,” she said while she pointed at me. “Who’s Ryan?”
“Ryan Caldwell.” I tilted my head and looked at her. “You know, Mr. Grabby from my Russian class?”
“What the—” She broke off with an exasperated look. “The Ryan Caldwell is in your class? And he walked you to your car?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve heard all about him on campus. It seems he’s the number one player around, both on and off the football field.” She crossed her arms. “I bet Teeg isn’t happy about any of that, or have you told him about it?”
I wrinkled my brow in confusion. “Why would he have a problem with Ryan walking me to my car? He was just being nice.”
Annie studied me for a second before comprehension hit her and she gasped. “Oh my God! You haven’t told him yet.” She uncrossed her arms and pointed at me with a stern look. “You need to tell him, Ash. Ryan always has a motive from what I hear, so let Teeg know before rumors start.”
I held up a hand in an attempt to placate her. “Okay, okay! I’ll tell him when I see him tonight.” I looked at the clock on my radio and did a double-take. “Crap. I need to go get ready.”
She waved me off with a grin. “I’ll talk to you later.”
My smile in response was closer to a grimace as I raced off, Annie’s words echoing through my head. She was right. I needed to tell Teagan what had happened as quickly as possible. Teagan trusted me, but I didn’t want him to think I was keeping anything from him. I’d talk to him about it tonight.
***
“So,” Teagan said from behind me. “I heard you had a date last night.”
I spun around and gaped at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? The rumors started already?”
Teagan eyed me before leaning over to drop his lacrosse gear on the floor. He straightened up and gave me a tight smile. “Oh, yeah,” he drawled. “I was told all about it at practice.”
I winced and offered him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I was going to tell you about it tonight when I got to your place.” I groaned and swiped my hand through the air. “That is so not what happened.” I dropped my hands. “You athletes are worse than a bunch of old church biddies gossiping.”
His lips thinned as he raised a hand to scratch at his chin. He heaved a sigh before he reached out and pulled me to him. The sounds of the student center faded away and everything in me focused on the man in front of me. He reached up and tucked a lock of stray hair behind my ear then traced along my jaw with his thumb. “I know you weren’t doing anything. But Ryan’s a dick and he has a worse reputation than mine was. Be careful, Aislinn,” he cautioned.
I nodded. “I will be. I promise.”
He smiled slightly and lowered his head to mine and gave me a long kiss. Just like always, I found myself lost in him and the moment. He gave my top lip a last lick before he pulled away. I clung to him, his practice shirt fisted tightly in my hand. I opened my eyes to find a small grin curling his mouth up.
“I love you,” he murmured.
Those words made me smile so big it almost hurt. “I love you too.”
He tightened his hold on me briefly before he released me and stepped back. “You coming over tonight?” he asked, leaning down to grab his gear.
I nodded. “I’ll be there after work.”
“Okay, baby.” He ran his fingers lightly down my face. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Bring clothes for tomorrow.”
I raised an eyebrow at that one. “Yeah? Why?”
“Just bring the clothes, woman,” he teased.
I laughed and pushed him toward the door. “Whatever, ass. I’ll see you in a little bit. I love you,” I called out as he stepped away.
“I love you too.” He slipped on his sunglasses, flashed me a cocky grin, and then exited the building. I giggled a little and turned back toward the bookstore. My shift started soon and I didn’t want to be late.
“You and Aldridge, huh?”
I tried to swallow a groan at the sound of the voice behind me. I turned with a scowl to see a contemplative expression on Ryan’s face. At his continued silence, I gave a huff of impatience and pushed past him. He frowned and fell in step beside me. I bristled at his continued focus on me and stalked to the counter and grabbed up the textbooks waiting for re-shelving.
It amazed me how much cleanup was needed in a bookstore.
Ryan followed me around the store while I put books away and tidied up. Down to the last book and he was still around, so I finally accepted that ignoring him wasn’t going to work. I whirled around and snapped out a sharp, “What?”
He studied me for a moment then smirked. “You didn’t answer me,” he said. “You and Aldridge are dating, huh?” His brows were up in his hairline with an expectant look on his face.
“Yeah. Why?” I asked, my annoyance clear.
“Just didn’t think Aldridge’d ever settle with just one chick, is all,” he replied with a shrug. “You have to understand the shock factor involved with this development.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “People can change, you know.”
“Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you say.” His smile was so insincere, it bordered on insulting. “So, you ever go to football games?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I haven’t even had a chance to go to one of my boyfriend’s games,” I replied, placing heavy emphasis on the boyfriend part. “Why would I go to a football game?”
“Not a sports groupie, eh?” He gave me an appraising glance. “You just get more and more intriguing, Aislinn Munroe.”
I rolled my eyes at that. “Hardly,” I scoffed. “I’m anything but.”
The gleam of interest sparking in his eyes made me nervous. “Teeg wouldn’t settle down and date just anyone,” he countered. “No, there’s definitely more to you than you let on.” He paused and cocked his head while he considered something. “Yeah, I think I need to figure out the Aislinn puzzle.”
“Um, no,” I told him firmly, ignoring the funny feeling in my chest. “There’s nothing for you to figure out. You can go away now.” I made a shooing motion. “Go on. There’s nothing for you here.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Okay,” he said, holding up his hands. “I’ll go. For now.”
I shot him a look that spoke volumes. Especially if his answering grin was anything to go by. The fact that he seemed completely unbothered by my rebuff did not go unnoticed. I knew this time I’d have to tell Teagan immediately.
“It’s all right, sugar,” his southern accent drawled out. “I get it. Don’t want to upset the boyfriend.” He leaned toward me. “I don’t poach on another man’s property.” He straightened up and started walking backward. The relief I felt at his words and actions were short-lived, however. “It’s not poaching when they come to me,” he finished with a confident grin. “See you in class tomorrow.”
My jaw dropped and he left the bookstore. My hands gripped the paperback book so tightly I knew it would be crinkled. In the throes of my disbelieving anger, however, I couldn’t bring myself to care. I turned away with a frustrated growl and went back to work. My chest tightened with anxiety at the conversation I would soon have with Teagan. He was not going to be happy about this. I wasn’t happy either. Deep down, something told me this wasn’t over.
Ryan Caldwell was nothing but trouble.