by Mia Carson
“Still, did you have to do it now?” Greg said, sounding exhausted.
James sat down across from his own desk. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s their senior year, and their parents are breathing down my neck about them passing and graduating.”
“Last I checked, this was your university,” James reminded him. “Stop answering your phone.”
“They donate quite a bit of money each year,” he said, tapping his chin. “I can’t just ignore them and hope for the best.”
James shook his head, laughing, and pulled out a handful of papers from his bag. “Listen, if it looks like they’re going to kill each other in class, I’ll make sure they don’t spill too much blood, alright? But how old is this feud, really? Do they expect it to continue forever? It’s ridiculous!”
Greg pushed out of the chair with a grunt and, leaning on his cane, limped to the door. “No one said it made sense, but when they own half the state, what else can we do but bend to their will? Don’t let it get out of hand. I like you. The students like you. I’d hate to lose you,” he warned and sauntered out the door.
James sagged in his chair, waiting until the tapping of Greg’s cane disappeared before he switched sides and plopped down in his chair behind the desk. He knew exactly what he was doing with those two students. He had grown up in this town and was subjected to the same hatred the rest of them were because of the Marquettes and the Chadwicks. Knew it better than most. Even if nothing changed, at least he could say he tried to end a feud neither family even knew the truth about. Hell, anyone who might have was long dead and buried. James was an optimist, and he hated seeing this city at odds and the land divided by two ruling hands who refused to work together.
As he got to work, planning his next few days, he whistled, hoping what he began would end better than it had started.
It’d been an hour since they reached the house, and Johanna heard her brothers bitching about the rain not letting up. They’d gotten soaked walking halfway across campus to look for her when she wasn’t exactly on time and then more when they’d parked and had to run for the house. She tugged on a curl and tried to tune them out, focusing on the assignments already handed out that day.
All her classes were on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so it made for busy days but gave her two off during the week. She didn’t plan her schedule like that for herself, but for her sister so they could be home together on the same days. Since her dad, Ben, had hinted that he and their mom, Lucy, would be taking a step back in the family business sooner rather than later, the twins had acted as if they were in charge of the household. Meaning they were more controlling than their dad ever was with their sisters.
Johanna knew why her father did it, in all honesty. He wasn’t the original Chadwick, their mom was, and he had agreed to take her name when they married. She saw it in the worry lines etched onto his face, in the way he overcompensated. He worried he wouldn’t live up to being a true Chadwick. Even now, after so many years, their grandparents were hard on him. Their dad could’ve stepped back and looked at what he did to his kids instead of charging blindly ahead, driven by the constant need to prove his worth.
Johanna tried to forget the conversation in the car on the way home, wanting to deck both of her brothers for plotting out the rest of her life for her as if she wasn’t even there. Because to them, you’re nothing but a pawn, she thought bitterly, chewing angrily on her pen. Nothing but someone for them to marry off to improve the family business and increase the net worth.
She wanted to ask them why they hadn’t married yet but bit her tongue. Her brothers rolled in the family money and flashed it around as if it was nothing, going out with a new woman every weekend and acting like they were God’s gifts to the world. She was amazed they didn’t have bastard children running around already.
“Jo? You busy?”
She turned in her desk chair and smiled at Isabel. “Nope, what’s wrong?” she asked when she noticed her sister’s red eyes. “Izzy?”
“I… uh, I had to change my major today,” she said, sniffing hard, and sat down on Johanna’s bed. “Dad found out what I switched it to, and I spent all day with the counselors redoing it with him and Mom.”
Johanna’s hands curled into fists. “I’m sorry, hon.”
“I know. It’s okay,” she said, trying to smile as more tears filled her eyes. “I thought he said it was fine before I did it, but he saw a copy of my schedule and flipped out.” When the tears slipped down her cheeks, Jo got up and sat beside her sister, pulling her close. “What’s so wrong with what I want to do? I don’t want to be in the family business.”
She kissed the top of her sister’s head. “Neither of us do.”
Izzy was an artist, despite what their parents said. Her paintings were masterpieces. A lot of her pieces were good enough for a gallery, but each time she brought it up, their parents shot her down—except over the summer when their dad had been in a particularly good mood. Izzy asked about becoming an art major her sophomore year, and their dad had said yes. Guess his good mood didn’t extend to seeing his daughter happy.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to cry all over you,” Izzy said, muffled against Johanna’s shoulder.
“That’s what big sisters are for. You won’t get any comfort from our brothers,” she snapped, remembering her own tough Monday. “I wish I could get us out of here.”
“Me too,” she said. “I wish I could find a guy who would whisk me away from this life, drive us to Alaska or fly me to Hawaii—as far away as we could. Never come back.”
Johanna smiled at her sister’s ever hopeful dreaming. “You’re such a romantic.”
“One of us has to be. It's not like you ever date anyone.”
“It's not that I don’t want to,” she whispered.
Johanna wanted to date more than anything, but as her brothers kindly reminded her today, they expected her to date who they chose and eventually marry someone who walked in their social circles. Several of their friends from their Ivy League days were apparently single and looking for a wife who met their standards. Johanna, sadly, fit exactly what they were looking for.
There was a charity event coming up soon, and the twins told her quite plainly they expected her to speak with all their friends there and decide which one she’d be willing to date.
Izzy squeezed Johanna’s hand and smiled sadly. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way out of this someday, right?”
Johanna wanted to tell her they would and that eventually their lives would be their own, but she couldn’t lie. “Remember, no matter what happens, I’m here for you, Izzy.”
Izzy hugged her close, and Johanna ran her hand through her hair. She was the rock for her sister, always had been, but she couldn’t help but wonder when someone would be there for her in the same way. She couldn’t rely on either brother to care about what she wanted, and her parents tuned out any complaints she voiced. Last year, she’d given up and accepted what they told her with a fake smile and a promise to herself that somehow, someday, she’d get out of this life.
For now, she had to worry about living through the next sixteen weeks with Reider Marquette in her life. She wasn’t sure how this was going to work out between them or how the hell she was going to hide it from her family for the entire semester, but there was no other option.
“Jo? You sure you’re alright?” Izzy asked. “You look pissed.”
She forced a smile onto her face. “Rough first day of classes,” she reassured her sister. “Now, come on, dinner will probably be ready soon.”
3
Wednesday morning rolled around, and Reider groaned, wishing he still lived at the dorms so he could pull the covers up, go back to sleep, and forget about his business class that afternoon.
“Reider? You awake, son?” Peter, his dad, called up the stairs. “Reider?”
“Yeah, Dad, I’m up!” he yelled, grunting as he pushed himself up out of bed and rubbed his eyes. He’d
been up most of the night, trying to think of a way—any way—to get out of this partnership with Johanna Chadwick, but nothing came to mind unless he wanted to drop the class. If he did that, he’d need a damn good reason to tell his parents why it was going to be an extra semester before he graduated.
His earlier classes were as boring as the business one, and he wanted to ask his dad about going out to the ranch over the weekend. He needed to get his hands dirty, work off some stress from this new development, and collect his thoughts. As he headed out his door for the bathroom to hop in the shower, Micah stepped out of the guest room down the hall, his eyes red and swollen.
“Morning, Micah,” Reider called out through a yawn. “Ready for classes today?”
He’d missed his first day because he hadn’t been able to pull himself out of bed for grief, but today he was up and moving around, even dressed. “Think so. Mind if I bum a ride with you to campus?”
Reider forced his face to stay blank as he said sure, while figuring out a way to ensure Micah did not see him anywhere near Johanna. “I think you finish before me, but you can wait in the library or something.”
Micah nodded and said he was going downstairs for breakfast. Reider said he’d be down soon and closed the bathroom door behind him, locking it tightly. While he wanted to say he was still pissed about being partnered with Johanna, his subconscious had something else entirely to say on the matter. His dreams were filled with images of the two of them doing more than shaking hands as they’d done in class. In his dreams, he dragged her up against his body and kissed her fiercely, forgetting the feud between their families. He pushed her back against the desk and held her as his hands roamed over the curves he saw under her tight-fitting jeans and blouse. He woke up more than once during the night, cursing his hard-on.
It's not going to happen, so forget it, he thought, glaring at the accusing member. She’s off-limits—completely off-limits. Besides, she hates me on principle.
He turned the water on cold to chase away the lingering dreams, dragging his mind back to other women more readily available than his enemy. Anyone but a Chadwick.
If you hate her so much, why the hell did you hold her hand so long?
The thought stilled his hand on the shower curtain. He had dismissed the action Monday evening and yesterday, but after dreaming of nothing last night but Johanna, hearing her whisper his name, he remembered taking her hand. He told himself on Monday that she was the one that had held on too long, but he’d only lied to himself.
Johanna Chadwick, whether he wanted to admit it or not, was extremely attractive with her amber eyes filled with rage and fire at the same time and the pen, chewed to hell, he saw clutched in her hand. Her curves didn’t hurt either, nor did her perfectly sized chest would fit in the palms of his hands. He cursed when his hard-on throbbed with sudden want. Without waiting another second, he stepped into the icy water, his teeth chattering, and knew he needed to leave for the weekend. Go out to the ranch and work off this sudden lust before he did something stupid.
Like thinking he could ever get close to a lying, cheating Chadwick, no matter how much she fit the type of woman he looked for.
“Ah, there you are,” Peter exclaimed when Reider finally made an appearance in the state-of-the-art and over-sized kitchen in his parents’ house. “I was worried you’d drowned in the shower.”
Reider rolled his eyes. “Right, and you were worried enough to come check on me. Thanks, Dad, I'm really feeling the love,” he muttered, sticking his head in the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Micah, you ready?”
Janet, Reider’s mom, perked up at the kitchen table, glancing from her son to Micah. “You sure you’re ready to start classes? You know the headmaster said he’d give you a full week if you needed it. No need to push yourself.”
Micah, who looked similar to Reider, though scrawnier and with green eyes that looked like a swamp, shrugged. “I’ll be alright. I think it’ll be good to be out of the house.”
“Well, at least Reider is on campus with you,” Janet told him, glancing pointedly at her son. “If you need anything, he can give you his class schedule so you can find him.”
Reider bit his tongue and smiled. “No problem.”
He liked his cousin, but he wasn’t prepared to play babysitter to someone who was so deep in depression he looked like he was the one who died. The accident that took his parents’ lives had been tragic, and how Micah managed to survive was a miracle, but Reider was uncomfortable around his cousin. He was different now. Even before the accident, he’d noticed a change, and now, it was worse.
At first, it was only going to be temporary, his cousin living with them, but lately, he heard his parents talking about taking him in permanently, at least until he got through school. He was two years behind Reider, and he did not look forward to dealing with his cousin for that long. He considered bringing it up with his parents—the weird way Micah clung to Reider when he was home, being in the same room with him and not saying a word. It took a lot to throw Reider off, but lately Micah managed it with just a look.
“Dad,” Reider said, tucking his water bottle in his messenger bag. “This weekend, think I might head up to the ranch.”
“No can do, son,” Peter said without even glancing up.
“Why not? There’s nothing going on this weekend.”
“No, but I don’t think Micah’s up for traveling to the ranch with you,” Janet informed him, sipping her coffee and raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Besides, I could use some help around here prepping for the charity event next weekend.”
Reider hung his head. “Another one? How many do we have to attend?”
“You’ve never had an issue with them before,” his dad said, shaking out the paper with a frown. “Besides, it’s high time you found yourself a pretty girl you can settle down with. I hear the Chadwick twins are lining up suitors for their sister, and if it’s any of the families I’ve heard whispers of, you best get a move on.”
Reider’s eye twitched as his hand tightened around his jacket. Johanna, being married off by her brothers. For reasons he couldn’t begin to describe, a white-hot pain shot through his chest before he gritted his teeth and said he’d be sure he was around to help.
“And find a date,” his dad called after him. “Dates for both of you!”
Reider didn’t say anything or look at Micah to see if he followed. His Wrangler sat in the driveway, ready for him to jump into and drive off into the vast plains, but as much as he wanted to simply disappear, he threw his stuff into the back and climbed in.
“There’re no doors,” Micah said, standing on the passenger side and staring at the open space.
“Yeah, I like it that way,” he returned, his tone close to rude. “Be happy the top’s up. If I’d been on time this morning, I would’ve taken it down.” When Micah made no move to get in, Reider sighed. “Listen, I’ll put the doors back on tomorrow, but if you don’t get in now, we’ll be late. You might have an excuse, but I do not.”
Micah rubbed his neck and finally climbed into the Wrangler. Once he was belted in, Reider took off down the drive and out the gated entrance to their street, hopped on Route 34, and sped towards campus. Micah’s hands paled as he gripped the dashboard, and Reider let his foot off the accelerator a little. He didn’t want his cousin having a panic attack on the way to his first day at classes. Neither had said a word the whole trip, and Reider parked in his usual place towards the back. There was less chance of someone hitting his baby than up front.
“Right, you have my cell,” he told Micah as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “If you need me, text, but if I’m in class, I won’t answer right away.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, Reider,” Micah said, sniffing hard.
Reider pushed at his lip with his tongue. “Never said you did, but if you don’t start acting normal, my mom is going to make sure I look after you so you don’t do anything stupid.” He meant it to come out sounding b
etter than it did, but Micah’s face fell as he balled his fists. “They’re worried about you. It’s been weeks. You have to start living your life again.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you later,” he barked and shoved past his cousin, storming off towards campus.
Reider counted to ten in his mind and forced his feet to move away from his Wrangler before he jumped back in and took off for the campus. He hadn’t had his coffee yet, so he checked his watch and used a few of his precious minutes to swing by the campus café and snag one, black with a drop of creamer. He had it all ready to go and put the lid back on when he turned and ran into Johanna, spilling his coffee between them.
“You jackass!” she shrieked, fuming at him.
With coffee burning his hand, Reider did the only thing he could think of. He grinned. “Well, good morning to you too, sunshine.”
She glowered. “You did that on purpose.”
“Yes, I purposely waited here on the off chance you would be getting coffee the same time I was,” he snapped, losing patience.
“I always grab coffee before class,” she snapped. “You, however, do not. Otherwise, I would avoid this area—and thereby you—entirely so you wouldn’t have a chance to do something like this!”
She had a point, but he didn’t admit it. Several people gathered around to watch their exchange, but he was too transfixed by the sight before him to notice them. Her blouse was light pink, and all she had on underneath was a bra, cupping each breast tightly and leaving very little to the imagination.
“You might want to find a different shirt,” he whispered as he leaned towards her.
Her eyes shot down to her chest, and she crossed her arms over her breasts quickly. She looked ready to slap him but stormed away instead, and Reider was disappointed he’d said anything about it to begin with. The view of her storming away was quite nice, though, and his eyes didn’t leave her rear until she turned the corner.
One glance at his watch said he didn’t have time to grab another coffee, so he chugged what little was left in his cup and tossed it, rushing to his first class of the day. Once he slid into his seat and got his notebook out, he took a moment to appreciate the seat he had in the very back of class. The erection bulging in his jeans would be a bit hard to hide, otherwise.