And so it begins . . . Dax and other girls.

God.

How on earth would I be able to handle seeing him with someone?

You have to. You’ve done it before.

But, but . . . it was different this time. We were different.

No. You still have Hartford, my head reminded me.

“Is there tension between you and Dax?” He’d followed my eyes.

“No, just school starting. You know how anxious I get.” I smiled. “I haven’t even gotten my planner filled out yet.”

He nodded, looking uncertain. “Okay, but let me know if anything changes . . .”

“He said he wouldn’t be here much. I’m fine.” My voice sharpened at the end, and I immediately felt guilty.

Pivoting around so I didn’t have to watch Dax, I went into my bedroom. Hartford followed. Declan and Axel had finished getting the slats and the mattress on the bed, my dresser was against the window, and someone had even put my clock out on my nightstand.

Hartford came up behind me and wrapped solid arms around me, and I leaned back into him, needing comfort from my confrontation with Dax.

We stood that way for a while, each of us silent, until he said, “I’m not happy about you living here, but I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back on my side. This is just a bump in the road. We’ll get married as soon as you want to. Maybe after graduation?”

I turned to face him. “Maybe.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Want me to stay the night?”

“Soon.” I smiled.

His head came down, his lips taking mine gently, and I kissed him back, opening up to him. He slid an arm around me, pulling me down on him as he fell back on the bed. His hand cupped my bottom. “God, I’ve missed you, babe.”

“Me too.”

He kissed me harder, sliding his hand up my back and unsnapping my bra under my shirt. Deepening his mouth over mine, his hand caressed my breast and I stiffened.

He pulled back and stared at me, letting out an exasperated sigh as his arms dropped to his side. “What’s wrong with you? You haven’t let me near you since we broke up.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Hartford.” I rose up to sit on the edge of the bed. I fixed my bra. “And there’s a lot going on today.” Truth. We’d driven Malcolm back home to my mom’s before loading all the furniture. All I wanted to do right now was curl up in my bed and go to sleep. I rubbed my eyes.

He sent me a disappointed gaze but stood. Bending down, he brushed my forehead with warm lips. “I’ll head out so you can get some sleep.”

I nodded.

We walked out the door and down the stairs to an empty den. Wandering into the kitchen, we saw Dax and friends out on the covered patio outside.

“Let’s see what they’re doing,” he said, taking my hand.

I stiffened. “Why? I mean, you don’t even like them.”

His eyes narrowed. “If you’re going to live here, it’s a good idea if I’m on friendly terms with your landlord.”

I didn’t buy that for a minute, but I followed him.

We walked out the back door onto the patio. I didn’t see Elizabeth and Declan anywhere, and I assumed they’d already taken off, but Axel, Dax, and the two girls were there, sitting on a wicker sectional with blue cushions. A coffee table was in the middle with a bottle of Patrón on it. As we approached, I watched Dax pour a shot-glassful and toss it back.

The brunette sat next to Axel, also a Tau, while the blonde sat between Dax’s legs, a smile of satisfaction on her face. She looked like all the girls Dax went for—blonde, petite, slutty.

We said hi to everyone. Axel introduced the girls to me; the brunette was Bettina and the blonde was Alexandria.

“Did Hartford get you all situated?” Axel said with a smile. He was a popular football player; I didn’t know him well, but the general consensus on campus was he was nice to everyone.

I smiled back. “Yes, and thank you for helping.”

Dax never glanced at me, his eyes on the tequila label he currently peeled. His other hand rested on Alexandria’s inner thigh.

I tore my eyes from them.

“I still have some unpacking, but it’s a huge relief to have the hard stuff done,” I announced, even though it seemed the only ones listening were Axel and the girls. “This house is great. I love the craftsman style and the big porch. My favorite is the stone chimney . . .” I stopped. Sighed. I was rambling.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Axel said, eyeing Dax with an unsure look on his face. “Um, do you guys want to join us for a drink? We’ve been toasting the house.”

“Several times,” added Bettina, giving Axel a big kiss on his cheek.

“No, but thank you, Axel,” I said, shooting daggers at Dax. How could he completely ignore us? If this was any indication of how he was going to treat me, I wouldn’t last a week.

“I thought you liked tequila,” Dax said, his voice low but still not looking at me.

I startled. “I—yes.”

At Hartford’s questioning glance, I said. “At the club in London, I was upset about everything that had happened here . . .” I paused. No need to announce that Hartford had dumped me. “Dax, um, saw me drinking tequila.”

“Ah,” he said, his hand holding mine tighter. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

I smiled.

Axel glanced at my ring. “Did you guys set a date?”