Flash Point

by Brooke Blaine

  Well, maybe she’d offer Garrett—Jason—one. Just one, though. Surely he was too preoccupied with his crossword puzzles to notice her stuffing her face with the other eleven.

  After placing one on a plate, she ventured over to where he sat in his favored armchair and stuck the cupcake under his nose. A shiver ran through her at being close enough to touch, and then the flutters were back in her stomach.

  Jesus, hold it together.

  “You’re welcome,” she said.

  “I didn’t ask for one,” he said, not bothering to look up.

  “True, but I figured I tortured you enough with the smell of them all night that I can sacrifice one.”

  His eyes flicked up to hers. “I appreciate that, but I’d hate to put you out.”

  “No bother. Take it.”

  “Giving up on your friend already?”

  She set the plate on the coffee table next to him and then flopped on the couch. “He’s not coming.”

  “How do you know?”

  “It’s after ten.”

  Jason cocked an eyebrow. “Do you have a curfew I don’t know about? You are twenty-two, right?”

  Narrowing her eyes at him, she said, “Are you suggesting I’m lame? I’m on house arrest.”

  “You’re not on house arrest.”

  “Um…yeah, I am.” She gestured around the room. “What do you call those iron bars on the window? And I don’t even have a phone.”

  “Really.”

  “Okay, fine, so you can’t see the bars, but it doesn’t mean they’re not there. And I can only use your emergency phone.”

  When Jason stayed silent, her eyes shifted to the front door. “Do you really think he’ll come?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “Exactly. It’s not like I did anything wrong. I don’t know why he’s being weird.”

  Jason mumbled something under his breath, and she gave him a sharp look. “What?”

  “Not a thing.”

  “No, you said something. What, do you know something I don’t?”

  He sighed and put down his pen. “Look, it’s none of my business. I’m not your advisor, and I’m not your buddy. But if you don’t see that the boy is obviously in love with you, you’re not as smart as I thought.”

  Stunned, she fell back against the couch. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know that. She did, and had for years, but it was one of those unspoken rules that said if you acknowledged the elephant in the room, everything would change. And she didn’t want it to change.

  How the hell did the fucking bodyguard pick up on it? Wait—did he just acknowledge I’m smart? Before she could summon a response, there was a knock on the door. Jason shot out of the chair and motioned for her to stay where she was.

  Steven.

  As he walked inside and was subjected to a pat-down from Jason, his baffled eyes found hers.

  Shrugging, she said, “What, groping doesn’t happen every time you walk in someone’s apartment?”

  After Jason nodded an all-clear, Steven straightened his shirt and hesitated by the couch. “Sorry it’s so late. I was trying to finish a paper and lost track of time.”

  She studied him, this time through a different lens. A potential lover lens. His chestnut hair was a tangled mess, probably from gripping the strands while working on his schoolwork, like she’d seen him do so many times. He lived in collared shirts and khakis, no matter the weather, and he hadn’t bothered with a jacket tonight, even though it was a few degrees above freezing outside. And he was handsome, if the way other girls reacted around him was any indication. He’d dated on occasion, but rarely went through the pretense of having a long-term girlfriend.

  Not that it had ever bothered her when he did, which should’ve been enough of a sign that she didn’t have any romantic inclinations toward him. It had been a source of contention when she’d had boyfriends, however.

  “You can have a seat. I even took the plastic off for you.” She gave him a cheeky wink.

  “Fancy digs, Kat,” he said as he sat down. “It even smells like chocolate.”

  “Oh yeah.” She grabbed the plate off the table and held it out for him. The nervous tingle that had shot up her arm when she’d offered the same cupcake to Jason earlier didn’t make a reappearance. Her stomach wasn’t full of butterflies, and she didn’t feel heat rushing to her face…or between her thighs.

  Was that because she knew him too well? Maybe if she kissed him she’d feel differently… No. No, she couldn’t imagine that.

  Steven’s brow rose in surprise. “Wow, had I known you baked, I would’ve said screw the paper.”

  “Not gonna lie, I was hoping you wouldn’t show so I could eat my sorrows.”

  He took the plate from her and sank his teeth into the cupcake. “Fucking delicious,” he said with his mouth full and his eyes rolling back in his head.

  “Well, at least now I know how to bribe you when you’re giving me the cold shoulder.”

  “No,” he said, licking the frosting off his thumb. “It wasn’t that.”

  “You’re a bad liar, Chambers.”

  He shoveled the rest of the cupcake in his mouth and swallowed. “You got any more?”

  She pointed toward the kitchen. “Help yourself.”

  Steven started to get up, but then caught sight of Jason sitting on one of the barstools in front of the container and changed his mind.

  “Is he gonna be in here the whole night?” Steven asked in a low voice, nodding at Jason.

  “Well, he is my bodyguard. Doesn’t make a lot of sense for him not to be near my body.”

  If he only knew how I really meant that…

  Steven looked around nervously, and she pushed his shoulder.

  “Seriously, what’s with you? Spill it.”

  He shook his head, and she groaned, her head falling on the back of the couch. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and curled her legs underneath her, facing him. Whatever he wanted to say was on the tip of his tongue, she could tell, but what the hell could be so bad?

  “Okay, I know I was awful the other day,” she said. “To you, to everyone. I was on my best asshole behavior, which you know only happens in the company of my father, so…I apologize. But come on, it’s not like we haven’t seen the worst of each other. And you totally out-tantrum me.”

  His lips tipped up. “Maybe.”

  “It’s true. So…is that it? Am I forgiven and we’re still best friends forever and ever?”

  He set the empty plate between them and raked his fingers through his hair again. Nervous energy poured off him. “Of course we’re friends, don’t be silly. I just…had some things come up that I need to deal with.”

  “What kind of things? Can I help?”

  “No. And I can’t tell you.”

  What?

  She felt the sting of his words like a slap on the face, but she kept her expression neutral. “You can’t tell me what’s going on with you?”

  His anguished eyes found hers, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “You’d never look at me the same way, Kat. And I don’t wanna lose you.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” she said, unable to keep her voice from rising. “You don’t trust me with your secrets?”

  “It’s not that, you just wouldn’t—”

  “No, don’t say it. Don’t say I wouldn’t understand. Who are you, my father now?”

  He bent over with his elbows on his knees as he dropped his head into his hands. After rubbing his face, he said, “I’m sorry, I am. It’s just bad timing.”

  “What is?” she shouted, jumping to her feet. “You’re not making any sense, so spit it the hell out or get out.”

  Lifting his head to look at her, he nodded once and stood up.

  “Wait,” she said, panic beginning to overtake her when she realized he’d rather leave than face whatever was going on. Grabbing his shirtsleeve, she turned him toward her, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Please. Please talk to me. I do
n’t understand.”

  “I’ll tell you when the time is right, but for now…I need some time, Kat.”

  “But…” There were a million reasons why she couldn’t give him time away from her, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was: “I need you.”

  Steven glanced over at the quiet bodyguard. “Just stay with them, do what they say, and you’ll be fine. Be safe, Kat.”

  He kissed her on the cheek before giving her a strained smile and then left her standing there, her head spinning, and wondering if she’d just imagined that he came by. He’d dropped a bomb on her, and she still couldn’t fully grasp what he’d said.

  That wasn’t her friend. Some psychotic, mind-gaming alien must’ve taken over his body, because he would never just leave her. Not for a day. Not for a week. Not for some time.

  She stumbled onto the adjacent stool from where Jason sat in the dark, unlit kitchen. “What the hell just happened?”

  He peeled the wrapper off a cupcake, took a big bite, and then licked his fingers. “Hate to say it, Shaw, but I told you so.”

  YOU WOULD’VE THOUGHT her fucking dog died, she was so miserable. Katherine had been moping about for well over a week now, and she’d hauled Kirkpatrick all over campus to sneak peeks of Steven to try to figure out what was going on. Even the chocolate cupcakes had gone untouched until they’d turned into the consistency of rocks, and Jason had forced her to dump them in the trash.

  She sat across from him now at Java House, a coffee shop on campus, enjoying a late night macchiato. Her hand was clenching a colored pencil as it flew across the sketchpad, and her long hair hung like a curtain over part of her face. Every now and again, she’d move back and he caught a glimpse of what she was drawing. It was strange to him that she was always hiding what she worked on when it was surprisingly good.

  “This is a passion of yours?” he asked when she sat up to sip on her drink.

  Quickly shielding her arm across it in an attempt to cover it, she said, “No.”

  Hmm. Licking her lips. Eyes darting to the left. Knee bouncing. She was lying.

  “Wasn’t your mother an artist?” he asked.

  She narrowed her eyes at him and turned her attention back to the drawing. “How would you know?”

  “Those paintings in your house—”

  “Not my house,” she said under her breath.

  “Did she draw those?”

  When she stayed silent, he pushed her again.

  “When we were doing a sweep of the house, I noticed there was an art room upstairs—”

  Slamming her pencil down, she snapped, “Aren’t you awfully chatty today? What, did you get to bust out that fancy revolver on a few unsuspecting patrons during your morning donut stop?”

  “You seem to be confusing me with a cop.” His eyes bore into hers. “Do I look like I couldn’t break someone with my bare hands?”

  “That would be useful, since that’s what you’re getting paid for.”

  Leaning in close, he said, “With all due respect, Miss Shaw, if you could thaw out the ice queen, that would be fucking perfect.”

  She held his gaze, fire burning behind her eyes, and the tension crackled between them.

  “Katherine?” a female voice squeaked, and a buxom redhead he recognized from the file as her roommate, Bree, came jogging over to the table. He stood up as she approached, and her eyes widened before she halted her steps. She looked back and forth between the two of them, unsure of what to do next, but Katherine jumped up and wrapped her in a hug. That seemed to relax her, because she squeezed her back and then let Katherine have it.

  “Where the hell have you been? And who is that? Why did a bunch of guys come and take all your stuff out of the apartment? Are you coming back?” She gave him a once-over and then grabbed Katherine’s left hand. “Are you married?”

  “No, no,” Katherine said, snatching her hand back and crossing her arms. “I’m sorry, Bree, I wanted to call you or come see you, but I’m on a bit of a lockdown at the moment.”

  “A lockdown?” the girl repeated. “For fucking what?”

  “It’s a long story, and I can’t really say right now.”

  “The hell you can’t. And who’s that guy, your bodyguard?” When she snickered and Katherine didn’t laugh, Bree’s face fell. “Wait…he’s your bodyguard? You have a fucking bodyguard? Jesus.” After looking around the room, she moved closer and whispered, “Is this some mafia shit?”

  “No, it’s not like that—”

  “Is it money trouble? Because I can talk to my dad—”

  “Bree, stop. No, it’s not about money. I just have to lay low for a while. I’m sure you can understand.” Katherine gave her a meaningful look.

  “Lay low…” Bree said slowly. “Right. Okay, yeah, I never saw you.”

  Katherine smiled. “Good. So how’re things?”

  Bree gave a dramatic roll of her eyes and launched into a long monologue about Greek life, parties, and the many dates she’d been on over the past couple of weeks. As she droned on, Jason considered stabbing himself in the ear with one of Katherine’s pencils. Even at her worst, Katherine could never be this insufferable. He’d rather hear her sing cheesy songs all day than have to be in a room with the other girl for half an hour.

  How the hell did these two end up as roommates?

  “…So you totally have to come to the Valentine’s Day soiree, it’s gonna be the biggest party of the year.”

  Katherine bit her lip. “I wish I could.”

  “Kat…you have to. Besides, Danny Riley will be there and he has not shut up about you. I’ve humored him by listening because, hello, he’s gorgeous, but ugh. I do not wanna talk about you all day. No offense or anything.”

  This girl is a piece of work…

  “I don’t know…” Katherine said, glancing his way.

  He didn’t have to shake his head for her to get the picture. At least someone was getting the message. Bree was not that someone.

  “Kat, you have to. I mean it. Call it life or death or whatever, but I need you there. At least try?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Okay,” Bree said, her attention turning to him. “By the way…your bodyguard does allow conjugal visits, right?”

  Katherine looked over at him and raised a brow. “I haven’t tested that yet.”

  “Well you should,” she told her, and then reached down for Katherine’s coffee. “Is this a mocha?” Not waiting for an answer, she took a long sip and then pulled back, disgust written over her face. “Ew, what the hell is that?”

  “A caramel macchiato. I don’t drink mochas.”

  “Oh. Right.” She set the coffee back down and plastered a big, fake smile on her face. “Well, I hope you change your mind about the party,” she said, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a flyer to hand to Katherine. “You really should come.”

  Katherine gave her a tight smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Danny’ll be so excited. And so will I, of course, I mean, I never get to see you anymore.” Bree stuck her bottom lip out in a pout so fake Jason had to look away before the urge to wipe it off her face became too great.

  Strike the roommates deal, what the hell is that girl doing in the same room with her?

  After they said their goodbyes, Jason turned back around.

  “That’s Bree?”

  “The one and only. Fabulous, right?” Katherine said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Heinous is the word that comes to mind.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, she’s something, but she’s right about one thing—I could use a night out. Something stupid and fun where I don’t have to think and I can drink copious amounts of alcohol and make bad decisions.”

  “So, typical college behavior.”

  “Exactly.” She shoved the flyer inside her sketchpad and tucked her pencils in her pocket. “Ready?”

  When he nodded, she threw her coffee away and they headed out into the c
hilly night. The cold didn’t seem to deter a group of guys playing glow-in-the-dark disc golf nearby, and he steered them to the sidewalk to keep out of their way. They walked in silence along the path, the shouts of the rowdy group echoing off the buildings. Katherine seemed lost in thought, so he nudged her with his elbow.

  “What’s the saying? Penny for your thoughts?”

  Twisting her lips, she said, “You’d have to pay me more than a penny for those.”

  “Is nothing free anymore?”

  Managing a half-smile, she hugged her sketchpad closer. “Questions are free if I want to answer them.”

  “Generous of you. Can I ask why you’re friends with someone like Bree?”

  “I wouldn’t call us friends exactly. We’re roommates.”

  “You didn’t choose each other?”

  “No, I was assigned one when I stayed in a dorm, and it was easier to stick with her when I came back in the fall than find someone else. Plus, she had rented an apartment so I wouldn’t have to stay in the dorms again or try to find something of my own last minute.”

  “I don’t like her.”

  She laughed. “I can tell.”

  “No, I mean I don’t like her with you.”

  Katherine stopped moving, looking up at him with a curious expression on her face. Before she could respond, a disc went flying at her head and he grabbed her waist and yanked her back, the long length of her pressing firm against him. Having her in his arms felt natural, and the intensity he saw in the green eyes that flickered up at him sent an unexpected shot of heat coursing through him. What? Fuck no. He jerked away from her as though she’d stung him.

  No. No, that is not gonna happen. Christ.

  A look of surprise crossed her face as she gauged his reaction, and then the shutters went back up and her cool, unaffected air returned.

  “Nice reflexes,” she said before yelling a choice word at the Frisbee guys. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to bring up a very important topic.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I can’t be seen with you anymore if you’re gonna dress like that.”

  “What?”