***
We suffered through dessert and finally headed back to Olivia's place. By the silence in the front seat, it was more than obvious that Luke was pissy over Olivia denying him.
I couldn't handle the silence anymore. It was driving me mad.
"Olivia. You remember during our junior year when your mom and dad let us throw that party out on your father's back forty?" I snorted as memories raced through my mind, leaving me to feel young again - adventurous.
"How could I forget?" She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "It iced over that winter and we skated on the old pond for hours, busting our asses until we were covered in bruises."
"You guys are talking about 2008, aren't you? I remember being in college and me and Damon enjoying that freeze. It was nuts for Texas. All the schools closed and businesses took the day off."
"And this is an unusual phenomenon?" Luke's tone was less than friendly.
"Absolutely." Olivia turned to face him. "It usually gets cold back home, but nothing like it did that week. We had such a good time."
I snuggled against Kendal and glanced up at him, grateful that he was mine. I wanted to know everything about him, to dig out all of the skeletons from his closet and help patch up his hurts if he still had any.
How close we'd come to not being anything more than acquaintances.
"We're here," Luke announced. "You guys enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll see you next week?"
Olivia nodded. "Sounds good."
I got out of the car and turned back to watch her try to pull herself together. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to my side as Kendal opened the door for us.
"You could always get in my suitcase, you know." I kissed the side of her head as she chuckled.
"I might do that." She pulled away from me. "I'm going to check in with the front desk to see if I have mail. I'll see you guys in the morning."
"You sure?" I reached for her.
"Yes, honestly. I'm good." She forced a smile before waving at Kendal and turning to walk toward the front of the luxury apartment complex. Her shoulders were rounded in and her head slightly down. I almost hated Luke without really knowing him.
"She needs to get out of that relationship." Kendal wrapped his arms around the top of my shoulders. "She seems like a good woman."
"She is. She's just forgotten somehow." I pulled out of his hold and walked to the elevator. "Tell me about the situation with Bethany and Damon. You never filled me in. What happened?"
"I really don't know." Kendal moved into the elevator and pressed himself to the front of me. "I've been so lost in my own shit that I haven't reached out. Make me do that when we get home."
"Oh, and I meant to tell you, I met your other TA, Jake?"
"Yeah. Jake's a great kid. He's in the honors fraternity that I have to take over when we get back." He brushed my hair back from my neck and leaned down to suck softly at my skin.
"What honors fraternity? You didn't tell me about that." Warmth pooled in the center of my stomach, and I couldn't help but hope for a night that mimicked our afternoon.
"Beta Alpha Psi is the name of the group." He moved back and adjusted himself. "Unfortunately, Mark wants me to work with Heather as a co-adviser."
"Heather? The other professor that's trying to get in your pants?" Ice water hit my veins, effectively taking away any desire to strip down. Was Kendal really going to put himself in a situation like that? Could he help it? Maybe he didn't have any say over the matter.
"Yes." He moved out into the hall and stopped in front of Olivia's door to punch in the code. "I'm going to try to get her to take a handful of events for the group, and I'll take the other. There's no reason for the two of us to be at an event together. It's inefficient."
"And something she would be totally interested in." I hated how my voice betrayed the concern pumping through me.
"And she'd be the only one." He closed the door and moved toward me, surprising me as he bent over and swept me into his strong arms.
"Put me down! You're going to hurt yourself."
"Hush, woman. You don't weigh anything and I'm a big country boy, remember?"
I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Can you be my big country boy?"
"I already am." He leaned down and kissed me before walking into the bedroom we'd stained with our lust earlier that day. "You have nothing to worry about with Heather, Dana. I'm all yours. We just need to get through these next few months and we can start living the life we want to live."
"Together?" I couldn't even imagine how good it would feel to let the couple we were able to be in New York be us back home. Would I become friends with Damon and Bethany? With all of Kendal's other friends from college? It was like being offered a whole new place to belong. I loved it.
"Absolutely." He put me down and reached for my dress. "Now... no more talking. I still have unexplored places that are begging for my attention."
I glanced down as my cheeks grew hot. "They are?"
"Mmmhmmm." He pulled his shirt over his head and nodded toward the bed. "Get up there on your hands and knees for me. I'll show you every one of them."
There was nothing left to say. I wanted exactly what he was willing to give - so damn bad it hurt.