“Easy,” a voice I recognized said at the same time I muttered, “Sorry.”
Looking up, I felt a smile lift my lips when I saw Braxton. “We gotta stop meeting like this,” I told him, causing him to laugh.
“I don’t know. I kind of like keeping you on your feet.” Once he was confident I was steady, he released me and took a step back. Glancing at the door behind me, he lifted his brows. “Who’s your therapist?”
“Rita.”
He nodded. “She’s pretty good. I’ve seen her in action a few times. Mine is Randy. Now, he’s an asshole and a half.”
“The drill sergeant guy?”
“That would be him. But he’s gotten me further than my doctors thought would be possible at this time, so I can’t complain too much, right?” He patted his leg, and that was when I looked down, finally noticing he was wearing basketball shorts that showed off his legs.
I was expecting to see a brace on his leg like my own, but that wasn’t the case. Braxton was an amputee. His right leg was gone from above the knee, a prosthetic in its place.
“Right,” I agreed with him, pretending like the sight of his prosthetic didn’t break my heart.
Even after the pain of my second ACL tear, I still didn’t think that would come close to what he must have gone through losing half his leg. But I also knew it would probably make him uncomfortable if I let him see how upset I was. I liked Braxton a lot and wanted us to be friends.
“Where are you off to now?” he asked, changing the subject.
I grimaced and showed him my textbook. “More torture. Economics. Fun, fun, fun. But mandatory with my business major.”
“I’m a criminal justice major, so I wouldn’t know. But have fun with that.”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “See you tomorrow, Brax.”
“Be careful out there, Mia,” he called after me, and I waved.
I got to class with a good fifteen minutes to spare. There were plenty of seats left, but I was tired after my long walk and the morning therapy session. Choosing a seat three rows up, I sat in the middle, leaving several seats open between me and the group of girls at the end of the aisle.
My head felt sweaty, so I took off my hat and finger-combed my hair before throwing it into a ponytail. I was thirsty, and I was debating getting a bottle of water from the vending machine outside the classroom when someone dropped into the seat beside me.
“Morning,” a deep voice greeted, placing a bottle of water in front of me before uncapping his own and taking a deep swallow.
I glanced between the one thing I’d just been thinking of and the one man I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the night before.
“I know you’re thirsty, Mia,” he said before I could even think of anything to say. “Braxton texted me, saying he ran into you on your way out of physical therapy. Just drink the water and stop overanalyzing it, yeah?”
“What do I call you?” I asked as I uncapped the bottle and took a sip. “Beast or Barrick?”
“My mom calls me Charlie,” he said with a shrug. “Everyone else, including my stepdad, calls me Barrick outside the Underground. There it’s Beast. Take your pick. I’m not choosy.”
“Charlie Barrick is your full name?”
“Charles David Barrick Junior, actually. But if you call me Junior, we’re going to have problems.” He grinned, his damn dimple winking at me just beneath his beard, and I had to clench my fingers around the water bottle to keep from reaching out and stroking my fingers through it.
“Barrick it is, then,” I muttered, looking away from the temptation of that dimple.
“How’s the leg today?”
I stretched it out, trying to loosen it up a little. “It’s a pain in the ass, but I’ll live.”
“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”
I took another sip, trying to determine what I should tell him and leave out. Lyla knew who I was because both my parents had been with me when I first moved in to the dorm, and I had to assume her cousins would as well. But they might not know about my dance career. “I was the lead in this spring ballet thing for charity, and as I was doing a leap during rehearsal, my partner didn’t catch me correctly. I landed wrong and tore everything. It was my second tear, so I knew as soon as I took a step what happened. Only it was so much worse than the first time, and…” I swallowed hard, remembering how I’d reacted, because even then, I’d known my career was over.
“And you freaked out?”
I nodded and took another sip of water, looking anywhere but at him.
“I would have freaked too,” he said in a low voice that soothed something inside of me in an odd way. I looked back at him, and suddenly, the room felt too small, too warm as my gaze became trapped in his dark eyes. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured and turned his head, glaring straight ahead.
Heat filled my face. I’ve been called beautiful all my life, but it had never affected me like that before. It had never meant anything until then either, though. In the past, that one word had felt like it was just something people said in passing; there was no real power behind it. But with Barrick, there was something more in that single word.
I liked it—a lot.
“Are you a business major too?” I asked, needing to change the subject before I combusted beside him or something equally embarrassing.
“Yeah. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even be in college, but my stepdad wants me to have a business degree so I can take over the family business one day.” His jaw clenched for a moment, and I wondered what kind of relationship he had with his stepfather. “I’m taking classes just to get him off my back.”
I wanted to ask more, but the professor walked in and promptly started class. I tried to focus on what the man who seemed to have a chip on his shoulder was saying, but it was hard to concentrate with Barrick right beside me.
His leg brushed against mine every few minutes, and whenever I would glance his way, it was always to find his eyes on me. Every move he made, every deep breath he took, I was hyperaware of it all.
Feeling his fingers skimming down my forearm, I shivered, goose bumps popping up in his wake. “Stop,” I hissed between clenched teeth.
With a wink, he stopped his fingers, but he didn’t remove his hand.
And I didn’t try to remove it for him, because I liked him touching me.
Finally—thank gods, finally—class was called to a close, and I jumped up like my seat was on fire. Shoving everything into my bag, I wanted to run out of there, but Barrick was in my way.
Slowly, he stood, his body brushing against my own until he was at his full height. “Where to now?”
“I…I’m having lunch with Lyla,” I told him. “Then another class this afternoon.”
“I’ll walk you back to your dorm, then.” Taking my bag from me, he slipped it over his shoulder. “Knowing Lyla, she isn’t even out of bed yet.”
“She’s not a morning person,” I agreed.
“She’s not much of an afternoon one either,” he said with a grin as we walked out into the warm afternoon sunshine.
As we crossed campus, he draped his arm over my shoulders. The touch was casual, something I’d done a hundred times with Jordan, yet it didn’t feel like when Jordan did it. Nothing about what I felt for Barrick was like what I’d felt for my best friend. It was exciting and scary all at the same time.
“We’re going to a bar downtown tonight,” he mentioned as we neared my dorm. “The place is called Jameson’s. Lyla knows where it is.”
“Jameson’s?” I laughed at the irony. My mom’s maiden name was Jameson, not that I would be telling her about it if I decided to go. I was pretty sure mentioning I was at a bar wouldn’t go over well with her.
“Will you come?”
I hesitated. “I have a class to teach at six, so I’ll have to see how my knee feels after that,” I hedged.
Opening the front door to the
dorm, he waited for me to enter. “I want to see you tonight,” he said in that low, deep voice that made me shiver. Lowering his head, he stopped only a few inches short of brushing his nose against my own. “Come—for me.”
The air around us seemed to crackle with sexual tension, and I gulped. “I’ll think about it.”
He brushed his thumb over my cheek as he tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear. “See you later, Mia,” he murmured in that sexy as hell voice. Stepping back, he winked, making my legs weak for a moment as he walked away.
Chapter 5
Mia
Waving to the last of my students in my Wednesday class, I pulled my phone from my bag as I headed across the street to get back to my dorm.
Seeing I already had a text from Lyla asking if I was going out and if I wanted her to pick me up, I shot her back a reply telling her I would just meet her there. I wanted to shower and change clothes before I went to Jameson’s, and she was already out.
Which only had my phone ringing two seconds after I hit send. “Are you sure?” she asked as soon as I answered. “I’m just having dinner with my brother. I can cut it short and come pick you up.”
“No, it’s fine. I need to figure my way around this town anyway,” I told her and groaned when I got a text. Taking a glance at my phone to see who it was, I quickly put it back to my ear. “I have to go. See you later.”
“Just be careful, Mia. Take a cab or something so you don’t strain your knee.”
Smiling at the concern I heard in her voice, I agreed and ended the call so I could concentrate on the text I’d just gotten.
As I looked down at the message from my best friend, my heart lifted and I had to blink back tears.
Jordan: College sucks. I thought this was supposed to be the best years of our lives. Instead, I’m bored in class all day, then bored at these stupid frat parties I’m expected to go to. Tell me your experience is going better than my own!
Nibbling on my lip, I considered what to reply as I walked toward my dorm. We’d only texted sparingly since the night everything happened, and usually even those were tense conversations. This, however, was just like old times, and I knew I had a stupid grin on my face as I reread his message a half-dozen times.
Me: I have a badass roommate who I suspect is a local mob princess or something, from how people treat her. It’s kinda cool, and I’m glad to have the attention off me for once. Made a few other friends. No one can replace you, though. Classes are boring, but everything else is fun.
For the rest of my walk, we texted back and forth. I told him about my job, my classes, and even about meeting Braxton at physical therapy that morning. But for some reason, I didn’t mention Barrick to him. I wasn’t ready to talk about how he made me feel, and I knew Jordan, of all people, would see through my bullshit.
After a quick shower, I put on a little makeup and got dressed. On the cab ride to Jameson’s, I continued my earlier text conversation with Jordan. Since we’d been avoiding each other for so long, there was a lot to catch up on in both our lives.
The cab driver pulled up in front of the bar that had a huge sign over the entrance declaring it Jameson’s. People stood outside smoking and talking, all of them at least twenty-one. I pulled out my wallet, searching for the fake ID Jordan had gotten for me when we were seventeen. I wasn’t sure where he got it from, but the thing was exceptionally professional-looking.
A bouncer stood at the front door, checking IDs before letting anyone in. I offered mine, and he gave me a chin nod as he handed it back. “Barrick is at the bar,” he surprised me by saying.
Inside, the music was so loud it made the walls pulse, but I had to admit it was good. Glancing around, I took in the layout of the place. There were two floors, with the bar on the first level. There was a jukebox across from the bar, and at least twenty people were dancing in front of it. A set of stairs led up to the second floor on either side of the room, but the majority of the people upstairs were leaning over the banister as they talked, people-watching.
Or rather, person-watching.
It wasn’t hard to determine where Barrick was. There was a group of chicks surrounding him at the bar, making it impossible to see anything but his head from where I was standing. Braxton was beside him, and both of them had their backs turned to the females behind them.
I stood there watching them, feeling the icy hands of jealousy trying to claw their way into my sanity.
Obviously, the chicks had all been drinking, and as I looked on, two of them seemed to grow a pair and moved closer to Barrick. As he shifted, I saw he was wearing a black muscle shirt with a pair of jeans that hugged his ass just right.
But then the brave chick blocked my view as she cupped his ass in her hands, giving it a firm squeeze as she leaned in and licked his exposed shoulder blade.
My feet moved before my brain fully caught up, and suddenly, I was standing behind Miss Handsy. Grabbing her by the back of her hair, I jerked her around to face me just as Barrick and Braxton turned.
“Hey!” the drunk chick screeched. “What the hell?”
“How pissed would you be if some random guy came up behind you and did that?” I seethed. “You would be screaming assault. Double standards much, slut?” I pushed her away, disgusted by her. “Keep your hands and your nasty mouth to yourself.”
She turned blood red in the face, but tears filled her eyes, and she mumbled a slurred, “Sorry,” before letting her friends pull her toward the exit.
I glared after them, waiting until they were out the door before daring to look at the two guys standing behind me.
Braxton clapped his hands in approval, making me blush.
Grinning, Barrick grabbed my hand and tugged me up to the bar between him and his cousin. “What are you drinking, firecracker?”
I glanced at his bottle of beer, then Braxton’s glass of soda. The bartender walked up to us, his face weathered but his green eyes full of amusement. “Whatever she wants, it’s on the house,” he informed my friends. “Best show I’ve had in here in a hell of a long time. Whatcha want, sweetheart?”
I’d been ready to order a soda, but there was something familiar about this man that had me pausing and taking a closer look at him. “Do I know you?” I asked, confused because I was sure I’d never met him before in my life. “I feel like we’ve met before.”
He shrugged. “No, darlin’. Don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure. Name’s Eddie Jameson. What’s yours?”
“Mia.”
“What will it be, Miss Mia?” He leaned forward, a grin splitting his face, and the feeling that I knew him only grew. It was unsettling, and I backed up a step.
Feeling my sudden tension, both Barrick and Braxton moved in closer to me. But I quickly shook it off, telling myself I was being crazy, and gave Eddie a smile. “Ginger ale, please.”
The bartender set my glass in front of me and, with a wink, moved on down the bar to get someone else a drink.
“You want something harder?” Barrick asked as I took a thirsty swallow. “It’s fine if you do. I got you covered.”
I shook my head, placing the half-empty glass back on the bar top. “No, I’m good. I haven’t eaten dinner yet, so it will go straight to my head anyway.”
“You haven’t eaten?” His handsome face clouded over. “Why the hell not?”
“Because I haven’t had time,” I told him, not liking his tone. “My last class ran late, and I didn’t have time to grab something on my way to work.” I didn’t add that I’d been too excited to get to the bar to hang out with him to even think about eating after work. He didn’t need to know that—or have that kind of power over me.
“You need to eat, woman. No skipping meals.” He grabbed his bottle of beer, drained the rest of it, and then tossed down a few bills. “Brax, let’s go.”
Taking my hand, Barrick pulled me toward the exit. “I just got here,” I complained.
“And no
w you’re leaving.” Outside on the street, he turned left, and we walked down the street toward the parking lot. “We’re eating dinner.”
“You’re so frustrating,” I muttered as he unlocked a white Jeep Cherokee and opened the front passenger door.
“Get in, Mia. Or I’ll put you in,” he threatened.
“Maybe I don’t want to eat.” Stubbornly, I pulled my hand free from his and crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. But then my stomach growled long and loud, making him raise his brow at me.
Braxton laughed as he got in the back seat. “I want tacos.”
My stomach only growled again at the thought of one of my favorite foods. Sighing, I got in. “Tacos sound good, I guess.”
“Tacos it is, then,” Barrick said with a grin that was so infectious, I had one on my own face by the time he got behind the wheel and turned on the Jeep. “Take out, or eat it there?”
“Take out,” Braxton and I said at the same time, causing us both to laugh and Barrick to glare at his cousin in the rearview mirror.
“Ah, come on,” I said, pushing on his arm. “Lighten up, Barrick. I’ll eat if you smile for me so I can see your dimple again.” I batted my lashes at him. “Please? Pretty, pretty please?”
“Now, Mia, what happened to that double-standard speech you just gave that drunk girl?” Braxton reminded me with a straight face from the middle of the back seat. “If a guy asked you to smile for him, you would cry sexism.”
Barrick and I both turned around to look at him skeptically before all three of us burst out laughing. Seeing Barrick’s dimple, I poked it with my index finger and brushed it through his beard to satisfy the desire to feel it. “Hey, I’m hungry. What’s a girl have to do to get a taco around here?”
Catching my hand, he cupped his around my fingers until we were one fist and laid our joined hands on his thigh. “Coming up, firecracker.”
Chapter 6
Mia
Barrick and Braxton lived together in a single-story brick house just a few blocks from campus. While Braxton cleaned up the aftermath of our takeout boxes, Barrick gave me a tour of the place.
Holding Mia Page 4