He smiled. “Nah. You just need more practice.”
“What I need is the number of a good cab company.”
He grinned. “Don’t try and go anywhere,” he quipped and jumped out of the car.
“Ha-ha,” I muttered.
He pulled open the driver’s side door and leaned down. “Get out.”
“With pleasure.”
I stood back as he threw all the textbooks I’d been sitting on in the passenger seat and slid in. He adjusted the seat and then patted his lap.
I looked at him like he was insane.
“Let’s try it this way.”
I snorted. “You just want me to sit on your lap.”
“Hells yeah.” He winked. “Come on.”
How he thought we were going to drive with me sitting in his lap was beyond me, but I did it anyway.
Maybe I just wanted to sit in his lap.
“All right,” he said, his voice close to my ear, “put your feet over mine.”
I did, but they barely reached so I scooted forward on the edge of the seat between his legs and put my feet over his. Then he took my hand and put it on the stick shift.
Little shivers of electricity raced up my arm and down my spine when his large, warm hand covered mine.
“I’m gonna start out. You can feel how the car moves beneath us, get a feel for how your feet work.”
“‘Kay,” I replied, breathless.
I felt his leg muscles work as he pressed in the pedals and started the car. With ease, he pushed the car into first gear and let off the brake slowly. The car rolled forward. His foot moved over and touched on the gas. The car responded and purred to life, going forward.
He shifted again, my hand sandwiched between his and the gear shaft. He spoke quietly as he drove and shifted, explaining everything as we went. We circled around the lot more times than I could count, and eventually, I got into the rhythm with the car.
“Are you ready to try by yourself again?” he asked as the car rolled to a stop.
“Maybe,” I said, settling back against him. He was so warm and so strong. Maybe car lessons weren’t so bad after all.
His arm slid around my waist and he pulled me tightly against him. His teeth scraped over my earlobe, and I groaned.
“You trying to distract me?” he asked.
“Says the boy with my earlobe in his mouth.”
“You like it,” he whispered.
“Oh yes,” I whispered back.
I could feel him stirring against my backside, and the inside of the car was filled with lusty desire. Romeo groaned. “C’mon. One last try before we go.”
“Fine.”
Once he was settled in the passenger seat and I was back on my stack of books, I tried again, remembering how it was when he was driving and trying to match that.
I got halfway through the parking lot before the Hellcat stuttered and shut off.
“I did it!” I exclaimed and threw my arms around his neck.
He chuckled and tugged on the ends of my hair. “Wanna drive yourself to the shelter?”
I made a face. “You really want me to drive out on the road with other people?” I asked and tilted my head to the side.
He grimaced. “Maybe I should drive. Besides, the poor transmission is probably screaming for a break.”
I had no idea what a transmission was, but I agreed just so I didn’t have to drive anymore.
Outside the shelter, I turned to him. “Wanna come in for a while?”
“Can’t. I’m meeting Braeden at the gym,” he said and leaned forward to kiss me.
“If you need a ride back to campus when you’re done, call me.”
“I can walk. It’s only a couple blocks.”
He frowned. “It’s cold out.”
“It’s not so bad,” I replied. I wasn’t going to call him to stop what he was doing just for a ride. I used to walk all the time when Michelle couldn’t give me a ride.
“It’s probably gonna be dark. I don’t want you out walking at night. It isn’t safe.”
That made me think of Zach. “Do you think they served him by now?” I whispered.
Romeo’s face hardened. “I sure as hell hope so.”
It was supposed to be done first thing yesterday, but he wasn’t there when the courier went to the frat house. They tried again later, but he still hadn’t been there. Romeo was convinced he somehow got tipped off about the order and was purposely avoiding the frat house so he couldn’t be served.
As far as we knew, he’d yet to be served today either. It was making me a little nervous. Zach was sort of like a loose cannon. I had no idea what he was going to do, and if he really did know about the restraining order, he might be really mad.
“You know what?” Romeo said. “Just wait for me tonight. I’ll pick you up.”
“I’ll get a ride from Michelle.”
“Rim,” he half growled.
I sighed. “Fine.”
There was no use in arguing. Until we knew what’s Zach’s reaction was going to be, we couldn’t be too cautious.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Romeo
“I thought we were going to the gym,” Braeden said from the passenger seat as I slowed the Hellcat and parked it across the street from the Omega House.
“Yeah, we are,” I said, cutting the engine and staring at the house.
“He still not been served?” Braeden surmised.
“Fuck no. Little bastard’s laying low. Meanwhile, Rim’s out walking around with a goddamned target on her back.”
“Or maybe this time he’s coming for you.”
I glanced at Braeden. “Good. Let him. He needs to stop taking shots at my girl.” I blew out a breath. “What kind of punk bitch goes after a woman?”
Braeden shook his head. “Wanna go find him?”
That thought hadn’t really occurred to me. I’d been too busy thinking about Rimmel and making sure she was safe and busy with me. But I could only find so many ways to keep her at my side until we both had to get back to life.
It’s the reason she was at the shelter right now and I was supposed to be working out.
“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s see if we can find him.”
“Hide and seek college style.” Braeden grinned and rubbed his hands together. “This is gonna be fun.”
I grinned. “I wanna talk to Trent first, see what the word is around the house.”
“Let’s do it.” Braeden threw open the door of the car, and I did the same.
Just as I was about to get out, a car drove up to the frat and parked along the side in the members’ lot. It was a silver BMW. Zach.
“Hey,” I said and slipped back in the car and shut the door. “He’s here.”
“Aw, man,” Braeden complained and got back in the car. “I was looking forward to hunting him down.”
I smiled. I kind of was too, but I was glad I knew where he was.
I grabbed my cell to call my dad and tell him Zach was here and to get the messenger over pronto, but Braeden slapped me on the shoulder.
“Check it out,” he said in hushed tones.
I glanced up to see an unmarked sedan appear at the curb. A man in dress pants and a button-down shirt got out immediately. He was carrying a yellow envelope.
“That’s gotta be the court guy or whatever,” he said.
Zach was walking toward the front of the house from the parking lot. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. God, his ego was the size of a freaking small country. Anger still swirled within me. I wondered if I would ever be able to look at him and see anything other than the bruises on Rimmel’s arm or the way he must have looked lurking when she was showering.
“Ah, shit.” Braeden laughed. “Karma is coming, asshole.”
His running commentary came courtesy of the fact Zach finally noticed the man headed for him on the sidewalk. Zach paused and gave the man a hateful stare. It proved he knew people were looking for him.
The man with the envelope called out to Zach, and he stiffened. Then he drew himself up tall and stepped up closer.
The man said something short. Zach nodded and then he was given the envelope. The man turned and walked away. Zach stared after him with anger in his face.
Once the official was gone, Zach glanced at the envelope. He tore off the seal and pulled out a stack of papers. Papers I knew had Rimmel’s signature on the bottom.
Zach flipped through them once. Then twice.
A look of pure hatred crossed his features, and he bunched the papers up in his fist before holding them at his side and stalking toward the front door of Omega.
“That dude is a class-A douche nozzle,” Braeden said.
I had to agree.
As Zach was pulling out his keys for the front door, it swung open. He looked up and so did Braeden and I. No one stepped out, but there was movement in the doorway. A large suitcase and an equally large duffle were tossed out onto the concrete porch.
I reached over and turned the key in the ignition just enough so I could hit the button and roll down my window a bit. We were pretty far away, but if he started yelling, we would be able to hear.
“From hide and seek to college-style stake out.” Braeden laughed and held out his fist in the center of the seats.
I couldn’t leave him hanging, so I pounded it out.
“What the fuck is this!” Zach yelled. His voice was low, but I still heard him.
Trent appeared on the steps, firmly closing the door to the house behind him. He was a big guy, tall with wide shoulders. He worked out hard just like the rest of the team, and I knew he could wipe the pavement with Zach.
He was dressed in a navy T-shirt with the Omega symbol stretched out across his chest. He didn’t say anything at first, just crossed his arms and stared Zach down as he gaped incredulously at what I assumed was his shit on the steps.
Trent’s lips moved, but I couldn’t hear him. It didn’t matter. I knew what he was doing.
He was giving Zachy boy the boot.
Zach lunged forward and shoved his face up in Trent’s. To his credit, Trent didn’t move. His eyes only followed an angry Zach.
“You can’t kick me out of here!” he yelled.
Trent said something again, low and calm enough that I couldn’t hear. Then he gestured to the crumpled restraining order still clutched in Zach’s fist.
“This is a fucking joke!” Zach said and threw the papers on the ground.
Braeden shook his head and sighed dramatically. “No respect for the law.”
I grunted and kept my eyes trained on Zach.
Trent said something else. His face held a note of warning and a note of finality.
“That bitch is just being dramatic!” he yelled.
I stiffened and Braeden laid a hand on my arm.
Trent stepped forward and lowered his face until it was right up in Zach’s. I saw his lips moving but heard nothing. Zach’s face grew red with anger, but Trent ignored it. Then without another word, he turned and went back in the house.
Zach was left staring at the closed door with his belongings and the papers of the restraining order littering the ground around him.
It was done. He was out of Omega and he wasn’t getting back in. And if he even stepped close to Rimmel, I would make sure he was hauled off to jail.
“You feel better now?” Braeden asked.
At the same time, Zach spun and his eyes found my car. Even with the distance, I knew he knew I was watching. Through the windshield, our eyes met.
There was unspoken animosity seething into the winter air around him.
I didn’t look away.
I wasn’t going to back down.
Braeden didn’t bother asking his question again. He knew the answer.
No.
I didn’t feel better.
If anything, I was afraid things were going to get worse.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rimmel
The shelter was still one of my most favorite places. A lot of people thought of these places as depressing and sad. A place where lonely animals sat in cages all day, forgotten and unloved.
And yes, some days it was sad.
I wished every animal had a loving home, but wishing something didn’t make it true.
But there were more good days at the shelter than sad ones. The animals here were not forgotten and unloved.
I loved them.
And so did everyone else who worked here.
Everyone here gave their time and care to these animals. We were a no-kill shelter and that meant we were overcrowded. But even still, we didn’t turn away an animal in need.
Michelle, the woman who was in charge around here, worked closely with several local pet rescue and fostering places to help keep the crowding down and to find loving homes.
Today was a happy day at the shelter. One of the animals, a long-haired four-year-old Chihuahua was being adopted. He’d been here for several months, sometimes looked over for some of the larger more popular breeds. I called him Sailor, for reasons I didn’t know other than I liked the name.
He was a brown dog with brown eyes and a pink nose. I knew he was going to make a great companion and the people who adopted him were going to give him a great home.
Since his new family was coming to pick him up at any moment, I finished getting him ready. I brushed through his soft hair and folded the blanket he’d taken a liking to. I wanted him to have it. It was familiar to him.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a little blue sweater with an anchor on it and smiled. “It’s cold out there, Sailor,” I told him and ripped off the tags. “I got you a little going away present.”
He was patient as I pulled it on over his head and his furry brown ears popped out. Once he was dressed, I stood back and admired how cute he looked.
“Good boy,” I told him, and his tail wagged back and forth.
Michelle came into the back and looked at us and shook her head with a smile on her face. “You bought him a sweater?”
“I couldn’t resist,” I said sheepishly.
“Well, I can see why.” She smiled and scooped up the dog to love him. “Good luck at your new home, boy,” she said and scratched him behind the ears.
After she put him down, she looked at me. “Can you make sure he gets off okay? I have to run and get some food for the dogs. We’re low. Again.”
I frowned. “We’re low already?”
Michelle nodded. “With all the cold weather, we have more animals than usual. It’s really draining our supplies.”
“Next time I’m out I’ll pick up some too.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know,” I said. “But I want to.”
“Most college students go shopping or buy beer with their money.”
I rolled my eyes. I’d rather help the animals here. Besides, most of us here at the shelter donated supplies whenever possible because the truth was there was never enough.
“Becky will be in later,” Michelle said, grabbing her coat and bag. “You won’t be here long by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
When she was gone, I finished getting Sailor’s paperwork ready, then took him and his things out front to wait for his family.
I sat at the front desk and put him on the surface. He sat expectantly and waited like a little gentleman. I laughed and scratched his ears.
The front door opened and I made an excited face at Sailor. “Here they are!”
I glanced up and did a double take.
It wasn’t Sailor’s new family.
It was Valerie Anderson.
“Mrs. Anderson,” I said, shocked, standing up. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Please, call me Valerie.”
I nodded even though I probably wasn’t going to.
“Romeo isn’t here,” I said. “He’s with Braeden.” I figured the only reason she would be here would be to see
her son.
“I wasn’t looking for Roman. I came to see you.”
“Me?” I couldn’t hide the shock in my tone.
She smiled slightly. “Yes. I wanted to see where you volunteered.”
“Oh,” I replied.
She gave me a knowing smile. “I know you’re surprised. But you’re my son’s girlfriend and I’d like to get to know you better.”
Did this mean she approved of her son and me?
“And I have to admit I’m impressed you spend so much of your time volunteering.” She glanced around the room, and I tried to see it through her eyes.
She probably just saw a no-nonsense building without much style. Oh, and it smelled like animal in here too.
“Well, I do get credit for all the hours I spend here. It counts as clinical hours. I need to have between five and six hundred when I apply to veterinarian school. The more I have, the better I’ll look.”
“Something tells me that isn’t the only reason you come here.”
“No.” I shrugged. “I like it here.”
Sailor pushed against my hand, and I smiled. “I know you’re there.” I giggled and picked him up.
“Who is this?” Valerie asked.
I walked around the desk so she could see him better. “Sailor. He’s being adopted today.”
“Well, that’s an awfully cute sweater,” she said, eyeing the dog. It was clear she had little to no experience with animals.
“I couldn’t resist.” I grinned.
“You bought it for him?”
“Yes. Kind of a going away present.”
She glanced around, her eyes taking in the room. “Where is everyone else?”
“I’m the only one here right now. Michelle went out to buy some food. We’re running low.”
“Does the shelter pay for that?” she asked.
“Well, usually. But sometimes we run out so we all pitch in.”
“Do you get paid for your work here?”
“Oh, no. It’s volunteer. But I have a little leftover every semester from my scholarship. And also my dad sends me money.” I frowned.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Uh, no.” I smiled. I just realized my father hadn’t sent me a check since I’d been back from break. “So do you want me to show you around?” I asked, not really sure what else to do.
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