“You didn’t have to,” she called over her shoulder.
I caught up to her again and started walking backward in front of her. I was probably making a spectacle of myself, but I didn’t really care. She didn’t even seem to notice that people were staring at us.
“Look, I really do want to take you out. I’m not one to deny myself the things I want, but I was talking about eating food with you.”
“No. And anyway, how did you know to find me? Are you stalking me or something now? Should I invest in a rape whistle?”
“No, but you can blow my whistle, baby.”
“Oh, dear Lord.”
She tried to push me aside to continue walking, but I circled her wrist and pulled her back toward me. Her hand landed on my chest, and she lightly tugged on the dog tags there as she tried to regain her balance.
“All joking aside, I want to go out with you. Why won’t you go out with me?”
“Because I don’t want to,” she snapped defiantly, taking a step back.
“What can I do to change your mind?”
“Enroll at Princeton, get a higher IQ, stop having sex with the entire school,” she ticked off on her fingers. “Oh, and be someone else—someone who cares about his future, his career, and not just some stupid band.”
I leaned forward into her until our noses were almost touching. “For someone who doesn’t even know me, you’re incredibly judgmental.”
The hiccup in her breathing was the only thing that gave away her racing heart. Her eyes were fiery as if my words only fueled her, and saying no was her challenge as much as getting her to say yes was mine.
“It’s hardly judgmental when everything I said was true.”
“Just give me a chance,” I whispered, releasing her wrist and snaking my hand down to her waist.
She was skinny but soft everywhere I was touching her. She had smooth skin with just enough extra padding, and she wasn’t too muscular. I trailed my hand down lower and knew that her hips would fill out something beautiful in the next couple years. I wanted to grip them as I slammed into her. I wanted to see her pale skin flush as I f**ked her.
Fuck, I’m getting turned-on again.
Her pupils were dilated as she stepped away from my touch. Whatever had just torn through me, she was feeling it, too. If she said she wasn’t, then she was a f**king liar. She wanted me, and I was going to f**king give her what she wanted.
“You have a million other girls dying to fall into your bed. Give that chance to someone else.”
“I’m giving it to you.”
“Then, you’re only going to be disappointed, so just leave me alone.”
She scurried away, and this time, I let her. I glanced around and saw just how many people had been staring at us.
“Nothing to see here people,” I called out to the crowd.
Everyone’s eyes shot back to whatever they had been doing before and left me to stand in the middle of the field, looking out after Aribel.
What the hell am I going to do now?
Chapter 8: Aribel
My hands were shaking as I dashed across the open quad. People were staring at me from all directions. I hated the spotlight. I was supposed to be invisible. I was supposed to get high marks in all my classes, graduate at the top of my class, and then start my career as a lab researcher. My parents expected me to eventually meet the right kind of guy—someone confident and ambitious, a Princeton alum preferably. These things were important to me. I couldn’t forget that the next time I was trapped in Grant McDermott’s heated gaze. Better yet, he just needed to leave me alone.
When I made it to the chemistry building, I plopped down into the first available seat in the lecture hall, and I placed my hands flat on the desk to keep them steady. What is wrong with me? I’d never acted like this before.
Cheyenne’s words rang in my ears. Grant McDermott does not ask people out.
That had to be an exaggeration, right? Because he had just asked me out again.
“Aribel,” Kristin said in welcome. With a big smile, she took the seat next to me. “I just saw you with Grant McDermott on the quad!”
“Oh,” I said softly. “How do you know Grant?”
“ContraBand, duh! Like, everyone knows who Grant is. If you don’t follow the band, how do you know Grant McDermott?” she asked, her brown eyes wide.
I debated if I should just tell her that I didn’t know Grant, but she would probably want more details if I gave her that kind of answer. “My friends dragged me to the band’s show last night after Benjamin broke up with me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was wondering what that was all about with Grant since I knew you were taken. That sucks so bad,” Kristin said.
I hated sympathy, and I hated false sympathy even more. Kristin and I coincided in the same group of mutual friends, but that didn’t mean she knew me well enough to be this sorry about my breakup.
“It’s for the better. It’s not a big deal.”
“I still can’t believe you were yelling like that on the quad,” Kristin said.
Had we been yelling? “He was bothering me.”
“He’s gorgeous. He can bother me all he wants.”
“I’d prefer that,” I said dismissively.
“So…you have no interest in him at all?”
“Did I look like I did when I walked away?” I asked. I was getting irritated again. Is everyone going to be in my business about this?
“You guys looked like you were going to kiss.”
“Well, we didn’t.”
“Okay, jeez, I was just asking,” she said, pulling up her laptop.
At that moment, the professor walked up to the front of the lecture hall and clapped his hands. “All right, class, let’s get started.”
I tried to push aside the events that had transpired. I’d gotten rid of Grant McDermott. That was all that mattered. People would forget about our encounter on the quad. Everything would go back to normal.
I reached into my bag and pulled out my chemistry assignment. I passed it over to Kristin for the TA to collect.
“Hey, darlin’,” I heard as I ducked my head under the table.
My head snapped back up and smacked into the desk. “Shit,” I cried, rubbing the back of my head. I saw Grant’s standing in the aisle and nearly groaned. “What are you doing here?”