What the hell happened? I’d watched in horror as Gavin nearly beat the snot out of Derrick. I’d spent most of the night at the hospital as they stitched a couple of gashes on his head and popped his nose back in place.

The door burst open and Reagan walked in.

“You’re finally here,” I said and steadied myself in her embrace.

I spotted the flowers and pulled back to meet her glare head on.

“What was so important I had to get back here right away?” she asked, before moving off to find what I guessed was something to put the flowers in.

“Nice. He gets points for remembering what day it is.”

I tried for levity considering her annoyance.

Sweet Reagan wasn’t happy.

“I would have had more fun on this day if you hadn’t demanded I come back. Now what’s up?”

I let my tongue run over my lips, trying to decide where to begin. “You wouldn’t believe what happened last night with Gavin.”

Her head whipped around and water overflowed the vase. “I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about him.”

I eyed her and then the water until she got the hint. “We weren’t. But since you were too busy studying last night, I went out with Gigi and Jenny.”

“Jenny?” she asked, turning back around after stuffing the flowers in the water.

So I told her the sordid story, reminding her that I’d asked her to come, but ended up with Jenny and her minion. I explained about seeing Gavin at the bar and how he went ballistic when Derrick danced with me.

“Yeah, but after the cops showed up, everyone pointed at Gavin for starting it. They took him away. Derrick was pretty messed up. I had to go to the hospital with him. But I couldn’t stop thinking about if the asshole was okay and if they’d leave him in jail,” I said.

She bit her lip. “He called Tade and he went to get him from the hospital.”

That shocked me. “He was there, too?”

Her face crinkled up. “That’s all I know.”

“I hope he’s okay,” I muttered, more to myself.

The weirder thing was how the cops had acted when I’d given them my statement. When I said my name was Megan, you would have thought I was the president of the United States the way the cops swooped in. It had taken an hour to clear up the fact that I wasn’t the missing Meghan.

The way everyone talked, they were sure she’d eventually turn up after partying with friends she had all over the world. If I hadn’t known she was somebody before, I knew it now. Her parents must be loaded.

Later, when Reagan hadn’t heard anything from Tade, I texted Gavin.

Me: R U Ok?

When the dots appeared I felt some relief. He wasn’t in jail.

Gavin: Alive.

Crap on a cracker, why did he have to be a jerk.

Me: Good.

I dropped the phone and hated myself for texting him. It buzzed, dancing on the comforter.

Gavin: Worried Angel?

My thumbs flew over the screen.

Me: Nope.

Not even a second later:

Gavin: Yes U were. U come n xx to make it better.

I dropped the phone so fast you would have thought I burnt myself. I glared at it as if he could see me. I didn’t answer.

A few seconds later he sent a laughing gif to me.

It would be several days later before I saw him again. I’d dragged Reagan to a party at one of the dorms. Just as we turned a corner, there he was leaning against the wall as some girl signed his cast.

He’d broken his arm. No one bothered to mention that to me.

Jealousy sucked. Seeing him made something burn in my gut. But I was better than him—I planned to have a good time despite him. I grabbed Reagan’s hand and marched for the open door he stood near. Before I could go in, he stopped me.

I glanced up into sky blue eyes. He didn’t give me time to say anything to my friend before he tugged me halfway down the hall.

“She’ll be fine,” he said, coming to a stop. “Tade’s in there.”

His mouth was on mine before I could answer. For a second, I melted like a Popsicle in summer. Then I shoved at his chest, only he was already leaning against the wall. He winced and I remembered his arm.

“What was that for?” I snapped.

He wore a smug grin like a badge of honor. “You owe me.”

My jaw fell open. “Owe you? You can’t be serious.”

“You were pissed he had his hands on you and I almost went to jail for it.”

“Almost is right, and I would have handled it.”

“When?” His eyes dared me to come up with an answer.

“Fine. He wouldn’t let me go. But you didn’t have to try and kill him.”

“He had his hands on you.”

Was that a growl? The air had gone chilly and we just glared at each other.

“I don’t get you. Why do you care?” He had no answer. I felt like we kept circling this question. “Besides, if anything you should thank me for you not going to jail.” His lids drew almost shut. “Yeah, that’s right. I got Derrick not to press charges.”

Then Reagan appeared and whispered in my ear. “Will you be okay if I leave with Tade?”

After a glance over at a hopeful Tade and back at her, I nodded. She gave me a tooth whitener worthy smile. They were so going to have sex.

After they left, a wicked gleam sparkled in his blue eyes.

“Go with me somewhere?”

“As if,” I said, prepared to walk away but I couldn’t make my feet work.

The way he looked at me paralyzed me.

“You and I both know they’re going to fuck. I don’t want to go home and hear it. This party is lame and you know it.”

Why was my heart a slave to this man?

Though I hadn’t said yes, he said, “Wait here.”

Five seconds later he was back with a six pack of beers hanging off his finger as he held that hand out to me.

After a moment of hesitation, I took the beer from him instead. He chuckled.

The night was cool and cleared my head some. I stopped.

“What are we doing?” I asked him.

“Hanging out.”

“Why?” The more I hung out with this man, the deeper hole my heart dug. Soon I wouldn’t be able to crawl out of it.

“I owe you for keeping me out of jail.” He had answers for everything. “Besides, there’s something I want you to help me with.”

That sounded ominous, but it made me curious all the same. He took my hand and tugged me all the way to the boathouse. He had a key.

“I need your help getting a boat down.”

I gaped at him. “I can’t carry a boat.”

“I can—I just need help getting it down from the rack.”

His hand still showed signs of puffiness.

“Why do you want to do this?”

His eyes bounced from me to study the ground. “Tade’s pissed the team’s down a man. I need to know if there’s any way I can still row.”

I moved over and cupped his beautiful face and lifted on my toes so our noses touched. “I get it, I do. But did the doctor say it’s okay?” He moved to turn away, but I held firm. “You might make things worse if you do this before you give your arm time to heal.”

His eyes closed and I missed their warmth. I gave into temptation and pressed my mouth to his. He parted his soft lips and our tongues stroked across each other’s. The kiss wasn’t frantic. It was slow and heart meltingly good.

I rocked back down to my heels, biting my lip. Feeling shy, I walked down the short pier to put distance between us.

“So it’s like that?” he called after me.

The teasing note in his voice made me smile. I sat down and let my legs dangle over the side. He followed, and as he got close I warned him.

“Don’t you dare think about getting me wet unless you plan on coming in with me.”

He chuckled and settled his weight next to mine.

“There are other ways to get you wet.”

A flush crept up my neck to cover my cheeks. “I left myself open for that one.”

His grin widened and I covered my face, realizing what I’d said. “Crap on a cracker!”

My modified curse only made him laugh harder.

I swatted at his leg. “Stop. Don’t make fun of me.”

His smile remained, but the guffaws stopped. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes under the midnight sky, but I felt their intensity. In that moment I realized how vulnerable just I felt with him. He could slay my heart in one fell swoop. So I blurted out the first thing I could to stop the impending kiss that would lead down a road we hadn’t yet traveled.

“I reached out to my father.”

He reversed the inches he’d closed between us.

“You did?” I nodded. “That’s good. Has he responded?”

I thought about what I’d done and explained.

“I couldn’t think of a way to get to see him, so I applied for a job at his company in New York.”

“New York?”

Was that disappointment I heard?

“Yeah, Reagan and I are moving there after we graduate. I figured since I had to find a job anyway, I could apply there. Maybe I’d see him in the office or catch him in the elevator.”

“I guess that’s one way to go about it.”

My insecurity about what I’d done grew when it seemed he didn’t agree with my action. I blurted, “Do you have any other ideas?”

“You could call?”

“Why? He probably has a security team for crazy chicks who want to see him. Then I’d have to explain to strangers who I am. And if they believed me, he’d find out from someone other than me.”

I panted, trying to catch my breath after having diarrhea of the mouth.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I hope it works out for you.”

Gavin was many things, but I trusted him and believed he wasn’t pacifying me to get me to shut up.

“What about you? Have you applied for any jobs?”

He gave me a head shake. “I’m sticking to working with my dad.”

“And that’s your dream? Because I don’t buy it.” When his eyes narrowed, I amended my statement. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being a fisherman. Lord knows I don’t know what I’d do without seafood in my life. It’s just…” How could I put it without offending him or his dad? “Your hydro engine and saving the world…”

“Pipe dream.”

He sounded so robotic, my heart broke. I wondered what his father held over him.

“So your engine doesn’t work.”

“It does. But just leave it, okay?”

The burden that kept his shoulders slumped had me turning away. Crickets and the hooting of an owl filled the void of silence between us.

“I’m sorry,” I eventually said. “I shouldn’t have pried.”

His good hand came up to graze my cheek. “Stop talking.” He threaded his fingers in my hair and drew me to his mouth. Fireworks exploded behind my eyes as I leaned into him, needing to be closer.

When his hand left my hair and drifted down my arm, I didn’t stop him. When it landed on my hip and trailed down my thigh, I didn’t stop him. When it stopped between my legs, I urged him on. Widening the gap, I gave him access. He hesitated and I squeezed my thighs a few times, encouraging him to find my center. A few seconds later I moaned when he hit pay dirt. He slid his hand up and down over my covered slit. I was sure my panties were damp with desire.

He made love to my mouth with his tongue and slipped a finger past the fabric to stroke my clit. My breasts were heavy with need, but his other arm, held in a sling, prevented him from touching me there. I spread my legs more in invitation and he took advantage. His finger dipped inside and my head fell back. His hungry mouth kissed down my neck until he reached my pulse point and he sucked.

It didn’t take him long before I was coming with a muffled cry. I tried to bite back a scream, wondering how he’d gotten me there so fast. Had it been that long, or was he just that skilled? I lay back in a heap, dazed but in a good way. He watched me for a second as I tried to locate air in my lungs.

He didn’t wipe his fingers on his jeans, which would have totally ruined the experience. Instead he sucked them in his mouth, never taking his eyes off mine. I thought I would combust.

Then I was on my elbows my focus on his groin. When I met his eyes again, he shook his head as if he had access to my thoughts.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because that was for you. I owed you, remember?”

I sat all the way up and shoved at his good side. “Why did you have to ruin it and say something like that?” Though I laughed when I spoke.

“Because of that.”

My brows scrunched up. “What?”

“I wanted to make you smile.”

My heart. The poor thing started a mating dance in my chest and I remembered this man wasn’t mine.

“Do you still have your no-girlfriend rule?”

Please say no, please say no.

His fingers began to tap on the pier before he nodded.

Frustration or anger had me on my feet.

“Is this the part where you march away like a crazy woman?” He sounded more irritated than I was.

“No, this is the part where I stop being foolish waiting for you to come to your senses.”

He struggled to his feet and I didn’t think an offer of help from me would be welcome. “I never asked you to wait for me.”

Crushing my hands into fists, I growled. How could he get me off in one second and piss me off in the other? I walked away, but knew he would follow.

I was calm by the time we made it to my door. I walked up the short porch. I was able to meet his eyes easier from this height.

“I’m going to date other people and you need to let me.”

“Agreed.”

He’d said it too quickly, breaking my heart even more.

“Now go inside so I know you’re safe.”

That was the last straw.

“So you can be my bodyguard but not my boyfriend?”

His shrug had my hands shaking. I wasn’t sure how I held onto my keycard as I struggled to open the door. Gratefully, I got it open before he decided to help me. I stormed upstairs, forcing myself to not look back. But when I got to the top, I gave into the need to glance out the large window before opening my dorm room door. He wasn’t there, or at least I couldn’t see him, and that should have been a good thing.