by Minard, Tori
I didn’t agree. There was so much more I wanted to do for her. “It would ease my mind if I knew you were safe in your room.”
“Max, the dorm is locked. Nobody’s going to attack me here.”
“It’s a coed dorm. There are men living here who could hurt you.”
“And you’re a man.”
This argument wasn’t going my way. “Can’t you just humor me?”
“It’s not a good idea.” She slid out of my jacket and gave it to me. “Thank you for everything tonight. I really mean it. You saved me.”
The elevator arrived. The doors opened. She stood there looking at me. I should leave but I didn’t want to. The doors closed again.
Did she have any idea how hot she was? How much I hungered for her? This wasn’t only about payback for Trent and never had been. I wanted Caroline for my own.
I wanted her so fucking bad my hands started trembling. I stuck them in my pockets.
“I need to go to my room,” she said softly.
“I know.”
“I’m going to call the elevator again.”
I leaned forward, slowly, giving her time to say no or back away. She waited for me. Her face tilted up and her lips parted and they were so damned sexy, those lips. I caught her lower one between both of mine, my heart pounding so fast I could almost hear it.
My hand made it out of my pocket and up to her face before I knew what I was doing. I palmed the side of her face. Her skin felt smooth and perfect under my hand and her lips moved beneath mine.
She sighed. Her mouth opened enough to accept my tongue. As I tasted her, she slipped her arms around my waist and my cock jumped violently behind my jeans. A moan escaped me.
Her body felt perfect against mine. I put my arm around her back, holding her to me as I explored her mouth. This was a mistake. It was too early; she didn’t trust me enough yet. I should keep my hands off her, but I didn’t want to stop just yet.
A little more. I’d take a little more and then I’d stop.
Her body undulated against mine as her hands slid under my jacket to stroke my back. I clasped her head, trembling, wanting, plunging my tongue into her as if I could claim her that way. She wanted me just as much as I did her, and the cold, watchful part of my mind rejoiced in that fact because it would help me take her from Trent.
The rest of me only wanted to bury myself deep inside her and never leave.
The elevator pinged and the doors began to open. I released her with a start as the doors slid back and some guy I didn’t know got out. He gave us a cursory glance before walking across the lobby. I hadn’t even noticed the elevator leaving, I’d been so wrapped up in Caroline.
She stared at me, her breath fast and uneven, her lips reddened by my kiss. I couldn’t look away. Her eyes looked so dark they were almost black with arousal. I leaned in for another kiss.
“No.” She held up a hand. “I can’t.”
“Caro—”
“No, Max. It isn’t right.” Her eyes glistened. She looked like she was about to cry.
Damn. I never meant to make her cry.
“All right. I understand.” I backed away.
She took a deep breath. “Thank you. I’m going now.”
“Okay.”
I watched as she got into the elevator. She didn’t look at me at all, kept her eyes trained on the floor as the doors closed and shut her away from me. That kiss had been a bad idea, but I hadn’t really been thinking when I did it. Apparently, neither had she.
Nothing I’d done with Selene had made me feel the way kissing Caroline did.
If I’d ruined whatever trust we’d built up between us, I was going to have to start over with her. I needed to keep better control over myself. The one thing I wouldn’t do, though, was give up. I had to have her. Now that I’d tasted her, I knew I had to have her.
***
Fred showed up just as I left Caroline’s dorm and started across the quad, a kind of courtyard on steroids that filled in the central space created by her dorm and another three which all connected in a giant square. The quad was pretty dark at this time of night, and I figured most people weren’t looking out their windows, so when Fred appeared beside me I didn’t scold him. He wore a denim jacket and jeans, a kind of outfit I’d rarely seen on him, since he usually wore the clothes of his own era.
“You look like a student,” I said quietly.
“That’s the idea.”
“Can other people see you right now?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. I think it depends on the abilities of the one who’s looking.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket and looked at me. “You saved her.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“They didn’t have good intentions, Max.”
I nodded. “I know. Thanks for the heads-up.”
“I was glad to help. I’d hate to think of Caroline being harmed.”
“Me, too. I could have killed those bastards just for scaring her.”
“You care for her.”
I shot him a sidelong glance. “Maybe a little. But I wouldn’t let any woman be abused.”
I really didn’t want to talk about my feelings for Caroline. They were private. And also incredibly stupid. If I let myself become emotionally involved with her, my plan would go sideways in a hurry. And right now, I wanted to hurt Trent more than I wanted any woman. Even her.
“I know what you’re doing,” Fred told me.
“Oh? What’s that?”
“You think if you seduce Caroline, it’ll hurt Trent.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“Don’t you think it’ll hurt her, too?”
“I’m not going to force her to do anything, Fred. She’s a free agent. If she wants to be with me, who am I to say no?”
He shook his head. “You’re better than this, Max.”
“Apparently I’m not.”
We fell into silence as we left the quad and headed toward downtown Avery’s Crossing. The mist had turned into bona fide rain, yet Fred didn’t seem to be getting wet. I guess the dead need their little perks, since they can’t eat or dream or have sex anymore. That must really suck.
“How did you die, Fred?”
He jerked his head around. “What?”
“I was just wondering. Were you as young as you look when it happened?”
“How young do I look?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Twenty-five, thirty maybe.”
“I was thirty-five and I was shot.”
“Damn. I’m sorry.”
He waved that off. “It was a long time ago. I’m over it.”
“Really?” It seemed hard to believe. How did you get over being murdered?
“Yes, really. And don’t change the subject. You shouldn’t be toying with Caroline. It isn’t right. It’s dishonest and dishonorable.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Max, you could really hurt her. You could hurt yourself.”
I gave a short laugh. “Myself? I’m the last person you should be worrying about in this situation.”
“Actually, I think it’s Trent who has the least to lose.”
“Now why would you say that?”
“Figure it out for yourself,” he said, gazing off into the dark distance.
“What, you’re going to lecture me about honesty and then pick that one thing to go all mysterious about? That isn’t right.”
He spread his hands. “You don’t want to listen to me. So I’m not going to talk about it anymore.”
He vanished. I stalked down the sidewalk, my head bent against the rain as I fumed. He’d done that just to tease me. To make me think about what a fool I was to choose this method of getting back at my stepbrother.
Of course, Frederick the Wise would probably tell me I shouldn’t be seeking revenge at all. Well, fuck that. Someone had to take my prick of a stepbrother down a few notches, and that someone was going to be me.
Chapter
13
Caroline
Max’s kiss left me shaking. I ached and tingled all over, especially between my legs. It had taken all my self-control to make him stop, because what I’d really wanted was to bring him up to my room and ravish him.
I had to lean on the wall the whole way down the hall to my room, because even with the brace my ankle wouldn’t hold me. All the while I was wishing I’d asked Max to come with me; instead I’d sent him away. I’d done the right thing and I knew it, so why was I feeling so regretful?
His kiss had turned me on in a way I didn’t even know was possible. I ached for him, for pity’s sake. My panties were wet. I’d never ached for Trent, not even a little. And that made me feel like shit.
What kind of girlfriend was I? All this time I’d thought of myself as the loyal, supportive, good girlfriend who would never cheat or even look at another guy. And here I was, head over heels in lust with someone else. Clearly I was not the person I’d always thought.
Max and I were going to have to stay far away from each other.
What about Tiffani, though? Didn’t Trent deserve what I’d done, considering he’d been all over another woman that very night?
Maybe he did. Maybe my actions hadn’t been quite as wrong as I’d first thought, in the context of Trent cheating. However, I could have broken up with him first and then thrown myself at another man. I paused in my snail-like progress down the hall.
Break up with Trent? Was that what I really wanted?
I should at least give him an opportunity to explain himself...although what believable explanation he could give me totally escaped me at the moment.
***
He knocked on my door at ten o’clock the next morning. I’d just gotten back from breakfast and was putting my hair in a French braid to keep it out of my way. I sighed, abandoning the braid, and opened the door.
Trent looked like hell. He had big, dark circles beneath his eyes and his hair stood out in a dozen different directions. Brown stubble covered his cheeks and he still wore the same clothes he’d had on last night. Stubble wasn’t a good look for him.
Standing there with him in the hallway, staring down at me, I didn’t know what to feel. Last night, I’d been furious. Now I was numb.
“What do you want, Trent?”
He hung his head. “To apologize.”
“Oh? For what?” I wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“I know you saw me with Tiffani.”
“You do? How would you know that?”
He turned his head to look both ways down the hall. “Can I come in?”
“Be my guest.” Not that the cardboard dorm walls would give us much more privacy than the hall did. I shut the door behind him.
“She threw herself at me,” he said. “She’d been drinking. So had I. I wasn’t thinking, that’s all.”
“Uh huh. You do that a lot?”
He frowned at me. “No. Of course not.”
“You had your hands all over her. On her ass, Trent. You had your face in her tits.”
He flushed. “It was just a stupid, drunken mistake. I’m really sorry, baby. It won’t happen again.”
“How do I know? Why should I believe you?”
He took my hands. “I swear to you I won’t touch her again. I won’t even look at her. I love you.”
Whoa. I felt like the breath had just been knocked out of my lungs. He was looking at me with a little smile, and there was something almost smug in his face, as if he thought he had me all wrapped up with those three little words. He hadn’t even asked how I’d gotten home last night or asked me why I had a brace on my ankle. How could he claim to love me?
The smug expression drained from his eyes. “Caroline? Don’t you love me too?”
“Right now I don’t know how I feel about you.”
His mouth opened. “I thought—but you—we have something really good here. I know you’re angry, but...”
“Trent, you haven’t asked me how I got home.”
“Um...did you take a cab?” he said in a hopeful tone.
“No, I did not. My phone’s battery was dead. I tried to walk.”
“Tried?”
“It’s hard to walk in five-inch heels. Some guys in a car harassed me.”
His brows came down. “Who? Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, but only because Max came along.”
“What?”
“Your stepbrother happened along just in time to keep those creeps from—from doing whatever it was they were planning to do. He saved me. And you weren’t even there.” Until I spoke, I hadn’t realized how angry I still was.
Trent’s lips tightened and his eyes narrowed. “So you were with Max last night?”
“He helped me get home.”
“Great. That’s just great.” He flung up his hand in obvious frustration. “I told you to stay away from him.”
“Oh, so I should have let myself be raped so I wouldn’t have to talk to Max?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
I put my fists on my hips. “What did you mean then?”
“I don’t know! Fuck.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m glad you’re safe. But Max—”
“He protected me because you weren’t there. And he called a cab and got me to the urgent care clinic and wouldn’t let me pay for any of it. He was really nice, Trent. I think you’re being totally unfair to him.”
“The urgent care clinic? I thought you didn’t get hurt.”
“I sprained my ankle trying to get away from your terrible, evil stepbrother.”
Trent’s jaw worked as he tried to digest this piece of news. He pressed his fingers against his temples. “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it.”
“Has it occurred to you that he might have been waiting around for you to come out of the house?” he said, glaring. “He could have even hired those guys to bother you.”
“Do you know how paranoid that makes you sound? How could he have known that I would go home early and by myself?”
“I don’t know. He’s strange. Sometimes he knows things nobody else could know.”
“Oh, please.”
“No, really. He’s weird and he’s involved in some spooky stuff. He’s a magician, remember?”
I wasn’t going to give Trent any wiggle room.
“You know what? I don’t care right now how weird Max is. I don’t care if he can turn me into a newt. What I care about is the fact you were so busy feeling up Tiffani that you didn’t notice I’d left the party. And just now you didn’t ask me how I’d gotten home or even notice I have this brace on my leg. You love me, Trent? Really?”
At least he had the decency to look ashamed of himself. “You’re right. I should have done a lot better and I’m really, really sorry. Please forgive me.”
He sounded contrite. He looked contrite. I let out a heavy sigh. The truth was I didn’t want to break up with him. The thought of being on my own again...God, I was a coward. And he was right. We did have a good thing. If I dumped him, I’d lose what we’d built, and over nothing more than a single slip-up.
But it wasn’t really him I wanted. It was Max, whispered a little voice in my mind.
“Okay,” I said, shoving my misgivings out of my mind. “I forgive you.”
Trent broke out in a huge grin and threw his arms around him. “Thank you.”
“Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“It won’t.” He kissed me and somehow we ended up on the bed and half undressed before I knew it.
They always say make-up sex is the best, but for me it wasn’t any different than any other time I’d been with him, except for being even more awkward due to the ankle brace. I found myself staring at the ceiling and waiting for him to finish. This wasn’t how it ought to be. Why couldn’t we have the same kind of fire I felt with Max? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about Max?
I was more than disappointed with mys
elf.
***
On Monday, Max came into the essay class we had together, his black leather jacket glistening with rain, and sat down next to me with a casual smile, as if we hadn’t shared the most passionate kiss I’d ever experienced just a couple of days before. Was he going to pretend nothing had happened? I’d spent the whole weekend thinking about him, about how he’d tasted, how he’d felt, and yet trying not think about him. Now we were together and I was so embarrassed and shy I could hardly look at him, and here he was acting totally normal.
“How’s your ankle?” he said.
“It’s better. Thanks for asking.” I buried my nose in my laptop.
“Are you icing it and keeping it elevated?”
Raising my head, I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mom. I promise I’m being a good girl.”
He grinned. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”
My whole body turned hot. I ducked my head again. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Did you tell Trent I helped you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How did he take it?”
I made myself look at him. “How do you think he took it? He didn’t like it, of course.”
“What I meant was did he get nasty with you?”
“No. You two sure have a low opinion of each other.”
His mouth twisted wryly. “It’s warranted.”
“Oh both sides?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head. “You are a complete mystery to me.”
“I worried about you after I got home. I thought he might get mean. Because of me.” He regarded me with an unwavering stare. “You didn’t tell him we kissed.”
It sounded almost like an accusation.
“No. Why should I?”
Max blinked. His heavy black lashes lowered, obscuring his eyes. “Okay, I guess I deserved that.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not going to ruin what I have with Trent just because you and I had a two-minute make-out session.”
His beautifully curved lips twisted again. “Okay. Fair enough.”
All my words seemed to come out wrong. The truth was, I was rethinking my whole relationship with Trent, but I couldn’t admit that to Max. I was being too hard on him. But I didn’t know how to behave with him anymore. Let’s face it, I’d never known how to behave with him. He completely threw me.