Dirty English

“No way.”

His lips quirked. “Yes, way. And why not?”

“I’m just surprised. I just assumed …”

“He’s a Neanderthal?” Dax said. “Most people do, but bro here is a sucker for poems and sonnets, boring tosh that makes me want to shoot myself. He’s overcompensating by opening his own gym soon.”

“You two are completely opposite,” I mused.

Dax snorted. “So, I’m the Neanderthal?”

I laughed. “No. Okay, maybe.”

A flurry of activity came from the door, and we turned to see a petite brunette in a tube top and short-shorts make a beeline for us. Lorna from the frat house. Fabulous.

She came to a halt in front of Blake, and when she took in that there wasn’t an empty seat next to him, she sent me an evil look and then moved her gaze to Declan.

“Is the seat next to you free?” she asked with a pout.

My eyes narrowed.

Had Declan slept with her?

Ugh.

Why did I care?

“Yeah,” Declan nodded, his eyes off me and on her.

“Awesome,” she said with a bright smile and made her way over to his aisle.

“She’s pretty hot, huh?” Dax whispered to me as she and Declan took up a close conversation after she got settled. “She’s limber too. All the brothers at the house love it. She can do this thing where she puts her legs behind her head and—”

“Stop.”

He grinned sheepishly. “I’m teasing. It’s her tube tops that keeps us riveted. Blokes keep waiting for one to fall off.”

I snapped my fingers. “Shucks. If only I had the guts to wear one I could be just like Limber Lorna—my dream.” I batted my eyelashes.

He laughed loudly, causing Declan to send us a sharp glare. What was his problem?

“If you do, pick a blue one to match your eyes. They’re gorgeous,” Dax said.

I blushed. “That’s sweet—and oddly the most sincere thing you may have ever said to me. Thank you, Dax. I think you’ve more than made up for almost kissing me.”

“ Almost? Trust me, love, there was some lip-on-lip action. Don’t you remember?” He leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, his full lips brushing against my skin, sending little tingles over me.

A chuckle erupted from me. With no alcohol on his breath and no crazy party going on in the background, his kiss didn’t bother me at all.

“What’s so funny? That was grade-A kissing right there from the Sex Lord,” he said, pretending to be affronted by my laughter.

I rubbed my lips. “You gave me goosebumps, goof.”

“Goosebumps today, orgasm later?”

I barked out a laugh. “Do you ever stop with the flirting?”

“I can’t. It’s like I’m hardwired to get as many girls as I can. It’s probably a coping mechanism because my mum died when I was young.” He sent me a rueful look.

He’d said it all as a joke, but underneath I sensed the truth. “Sorry. Declan mentioned some of what you went through when you came here. It must have been hard leaving everything behind for the United States.”

“Yeah, people talk funny here, and you have weird names for things. For us a lift is an elevator, a chip is a French fry, a biscuit is a cookie, a shag is a fuck, and don’t even get me started on football.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Declan cleared his throat, and I tossed a glance back to see him glaring at both of us. His hands sat on top of his desk, one clutching his pen tightly.

I arched a brow at him. Don’t even go there with me, buddy. You have no right to be jealous. You left me this morning , I wanted to yell out.

Blake leaned over until our shoulders touched. He’d been quiet since the twins sat down. “Want to grab lunch later?”

I thought about it. With Colby walking around, I didn’t want to be alone. “You mind if we ask these guys to come too?” I nodded toward the twins. “And maybe Shelley?” I wasn’t ready for the talk he’d mentioned, and I needed a buffer between us.

“Something wrong with just me?”

“No, of course not. I just want to branch out and get to know more people.”

Like a normal college girl.

Dr. Feldman came into the auditorium, saving me from Blake’s reply. She was a tall, sparse lady with long brown hair she kept in a thick braid down her back, and her face was like stone, making you wonder if she ever smiled.

Wire-framed spectacles sat on the end of her nose as she swept beady eyes across the auditorium. “I trust you’ve all read the reading list I provided when you registered?”

Silence.

“I see. Another stellar class.” Disdain dripped from her words. She shuffled some papers. “Well, for the first few weeks, we’re going to be studying Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice . I do expect classroom participation, so be aware that when I call on you you’re required to stand and present your discussion.”

Dax’s hand shot up, and she waved at him to stand.

He did. “Do you grade on our discussion?”

She arched a derisive eyebrow. “Of course.”

He shot her a cocky grin. “Brilliant, because I’m a great talker.” He plopped back down.

“Any more questions before I call roll?” she asked, looking around the room.

No one moved.

“Fine.” She ran her finger down what I assumed was the class roster and chuckled. “Is there seriously an Elizabeth Bennett in this class?”