by C. Morgan
“I’ve been thinking about your apology, and I figured I owed you one in return,” he said, his voice quiet and sincere as his gaze captured mine. “I’ve been acting like an ass. What happened, happened, but it was a long time ago. We were kids. It’s not like fifteen-year-olds always make the best decisions.”
I wanted to believe him so badly, but I’d seen the hostility in his eyes last week and the shock when he’d found out who I was the week before. It seemed highly unlikely that he’d just let it go.
“What are you saying, Dax?” I asked, holding his gaze and doing my best not to get lost in the aquatic depths of his eyes.
His fingers pressed down a little harder, like he was trying to use his touch to prove his point. “I’m saying that I forgive you. Neither of us knew who we really were back then, but I know who I am now, and it’s not someone who holds ancient, childish grudges.”
A silent beat passed between us as I mulled over his words. He seemed so sincere, but I just didn’t know if I could trust him. “What do you expect me to say?”
“That we can be friends again.” He smiled, then slowly lifted his hand to brush the backs of his fingers over my cheek. “That you’ll forget I was such a dick to you last week and let me make it up to you.”
“Make it up me?” My heart skipped a few beats as I frowned at him, my head cocking. “Make it up to me how?”
“How about a trip to Hawaii?” he asked with a smile playing on the corners of his lips. “It’s my mom’s birthday in a few weeks and I thought you might like to come home with me. The mansion will be decked out and we can spend the weekend at the pool, or doing whatever else we want.”
I blinked at him, so surprised by his offer that I was speechless, but evidently, he wasn’t even done yet. “I’ll take you shopping in Waikiki. We can go to a Luau if you want.”
“Are you serious?” He couldn’t be. There was just no way. “This is another prank, isn’t it?”
His features softened. “It’s not a prank, Hadley. I’ve missed having you as a friend for years, and I’d really like to get back to that if we can. Just think about it, okay?”
Dr. Hastings walked in before I could reply. Daxton shot me a final smile, then turned toward the lecturer and spent the hour listening carefully and taking notes of his own. When the class was over, he waited for me to pack up and walked out of the lecture hall with me.
“So, are you going to think about it?” he asked. “My dad is sending his plane to pick us up. If you want, we can go to dinner tonight to talk about it.”
“I’ve never even left the state and now you’re telling me I could get to go to Hawaii? On a private plane, no less?”
“Yep.” He grinned and playfully bumped my shoulder with his arm. “Dinner? We’ll discuss the trip. I’ll prove to you that I have good intentions and that I only want to make it up to you.”
“Fine,” I agreed eventually. “We can have dinner, but not tonight. I’m not agreeing to Hawaii just yet either. Only to dinner.”
“Of course,” he said. “Wednesday night, then?”
I dragged in a deep breath, hoping that I wasn’t walking into a trap just by agreeing to share a meal with him. “Fine.”
“Great.” He flung his arm over my shoulder as we walked down the corridor, holding me close to his side and doing all kinds of things to my insides. “Do you still like pizza?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” I asked.
“Fair enough.” He laughed. “It’s pizza day at the cafeteria today. Mind if I have lunch with you?”
I glanced up at him and found him staring at me with so much hope in his eyes that I could practically feel it blooming in my own chest. I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
“I’ll see you at noon, then,” he said, pulling me in closer for a side hug before stepping away. “I’ve got to run to my next class, but have a good morning, Haddie. Thanks for giving me a second chance.”
He disappeared into the crowd with a wave given over his head. Then he turned to smile at me again at the last minute. I was completely dumbstruck, my head spinning with the events of the morning so far.
Deciding to play it by ear, I took a cleansing breath and marched my dazed butt to my next class. By the time lunch rolled around, I was halfway convinced that I’d imagined it all. It was only when I got to the cafeteria and saw him waiting there for me that I started to believe it might be real.
“Hey, you.” He tugged lightly, almost affectionately, at my ponytail when I went to stand next to him at the counter. “I was wondering if you were going to show up or if you were going to blow me off.”
“Likewise,” I retorted, and he laughed.
It was a deep, smooth sound that made my stomach clench and my heart flutter. He leaned down to whisper to me as we moved up in the queue, his lips brushing my ear as he bent his head close to mine.
“I’ll always show up for you, Hadley. If I say I’m going to be somewhere, you’d better believe I’ll be there.”
For the next few days, he kept that promise. At times, it felt like Dax was everywhere. He came over to talk whenever he saw me, doodled palm trees in my notebook during our next Business 101 lecture, and was the charming guy I’d gotten to know so many years ago.
It was almost impossible to believe that he’d done a complete one eighty in less than a week, and yet, that seemed to have been exactly what’d happened.
A part of me still felt like it was too good to be true, but a larger part of me was starting to believe that maybe being so mean and taking my notes had only been a knee-jerk reaction. After all, he hadn’t been expecting to see me here, so his initial shock at finding out who I was and not knowing what to do about it was understandable.
As for having been an ass last week, I’d never condone the way he’d treated me, but I had the capacity to forgive him for it. If it had all been linked to his shock over seeing me and feeling all that old hurt and pain flooding to the surface again, then surely I really could give him a second chance.
Just like the one he seemed to be giving me.
Chapter 13
DAXTON
“Hadley’s eating this shit up,” I said. “It’s only been three days, but I’ve got her right where I want her.”
“You’re fucking diabolical, man,” Thomas said, laughing as he sat back on his lounger in the garden at the frat house. “I’m getting a real kick out of it.”
Colt was tossing a football to another one of our brothers, but he was close enough that he was part of our conversation. “You really think she’s falling for it?”
I shrugged one of my shoulders, letting my beer hang between my fingers as I crossed my arms over the back of the chair I was straddling. “Sure fucking seems like it. I’m taking her out tonight, and I’m expecting to get her answer about coming to Hawaii with me.”
The guys roared with laughter. I’d spent the last few minutes letting them in on my plan while we shot the breeze outside. So far, everyone thought it was hilarious except for Ryker. He was more than a little put off by the whole idea.
“Let me get this straight,” he said, dark eyebrows pinched together. “You’re duping this girl, spending the next few weeks buttering her up, then you’re taking her to Hawaii and leaving her there?”
“Yep, sure am.” I waggled my brows at him and drained the rest of my beer. “Genius, right? It’s no less than she deserves. Trust me.”
A few of the guys shouted some suggestions about what else I could do to her while I was pretending to be making it up to her. Some of what they had in mind was downright vile, but a lot of it was pretty legitimate.
Getting to know her secrets and weaknesses? I could do that. I could also think of quick and easy ways to exploit them after I got back from Hawaii. There would be time to set things up for her return since I’d get here with at least a few hours head start. It could even take her days to find her way back.
Filing every evil and mischievous suggestion away for later consideration, I t
ossed my empty bottle in the trash and got up. “I’d get better get going. I don’t want to be late for my big date.”
The guys laughed, but Ryker simply sighed and glanced away instead of wishing me luck like the others. I knew he was opposed to this plan, but fuck… Hadley was a selfish bitch who needed to be taught some fucking humility.
It was rich coming from me. I knew that, but at the same time, I’d also never betrayed a friend. I’d never turned my back on someone close to me who desperately needed my help, and I definitely hadn’t done it in front of an audience.
While I grabbed a quick shower and got dressed, I replayed what’d happened back in the day in my mind. I wasn’t usually this guy. Being him for as long as it was necessary for me to be would mean keeping that anger and betrayal close to the surface. Somewhere I could call it up easily whenever I started forgetting what this was all about.
Sweet revenge. Nothing more. Nothing less.
After getting dressed in a clean pair of jeans and blue shirt, I grabbed my stuff and headed off to Edgewater Halls. I remembered how much Hadley used to love me in blue, and since I could use any advantage I could get, I’d chosen this shirt with her in mind.
The gamble paid off, too. She was already waiting for me on the front steps of her dorm when I got there, and I didn’t miss the way her cheeks flushed when she saw me, or the way her eyes practically devoured me.
I grinned, but I had to admit that she looked pretty damn cute in her bright yellow sundress and strappy sandals. Her black hair was shiny and loose, a thin braid across the top of her head keeping it out of her eyes. As always, she’d skipped super heavy makeup in favor of just mascara and lip gloss.
I’d always thought she didn’t need mascara. Her lashes were naturally so darn long, but she used to tell me that it still accentuated her eyes. She was right about that.
There seemed to be an extra sparkle in her chocolate browns today, and they were bigger and brighter than ever before.
“Hey,” she said, getting up when I drew near. “You came.”
“There are so many comments I could make to that statement, but I’m going to ignore them all and just say yes.” I opened my arms to offer her a hug, smiling when she sank into me without hesitation. “Of course I’m here. I’ve got the hottest date on campus tonight. Where else would I be?”
She chuckled, the sound muffled since her head was still resting against my chest. “Date, huh? I thought we were just having dinner to discuss how you’re going to take me to Hawaii.”
“If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck.” I squeezed her tight before letting her go, then winked when she looked up at me as she took a step back.
“Then it’s probably a duck?” she said.
I laughed and snapped my fingers. “Exactly. Are you ready to go? It’s still a bit early to go straight to the restaurant, so I thought we could go for a walk first?”
“A walk sounds good.” She smiled and took a visible breath before sweeping her hand out to the side. “Shall we?”
I took the hand that was still hovering off to her side even though I knew she wasn’t offering it to me, then wound our fingers together as we made our way down the stairs. “You look gorgeous by the way. I meant what I said about having the hottest date on campus.”
The tops of her cheeks flushed bright red, but she tightened her grip on my hand. “Thanks, so do you. Unless you think it’s emasculating to be told you look gorgeous. In which case, I’m willing to change it to handsome. I always loved you in blue.”
Fuck. Yes. “I’ll take gorgeous if it’s coming from you. What do you say we take a walk along the river? I rowed there on Sunday, but I haven’t had a chance to really explore the banks yet.”
“Lead the way,” she said. “I’ve barely seen the water since I’ve been here. Trust you to have made the biggest, baddest team on campus already, though. I haven’t even seen the river and you’ve already conquered it. Sounds about right.”
“I haven’t conquered it.” I waited until she caught my gaze before rolling my eyes at her, but I couldn’t quite keep from smiling. “I’m going to, though. On a day when I’m not hungover preferably.”
She arched a brow as she stared up at me. “You made the team while you were hungover?”
“And when I’d been in a fight just hours before,” I said, adding a shrug so I didn’t seem overly cocky.
“I heard about the fight.” She seemed to look at me even closer, her eyes filling with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Most of the guys were pretty drunk. Our side and theirs. Some of them landed a few shots, but I think the worst of the injuries are from guys who tripped over their own feet, to be honest. Just don’t tell them I told you that.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” She mimed zipping her lips with her free hand, then sucked in soft breath as we broke through the trees and she caught sight of the river. “Wow. I saw this on the website, but it’s even more beautiful in real life.”
For a minute, I forgot all about my plan as I stood there, staring at her while she stared at the landscape. For just that one minute, I was catapulted back to a time when that innocent awe that she had on her face right now had captivated me. Completely fucking bewitched me.
I used to be so in love with this girl, and in that moment, I remembered why I used to think she was the most beautiful girl on earth. Thankfully, a group of students laughing where they sat on the grass yanked me out of my head before I could dwell too much on it.
“You’re really going to get to row here all the time, then?” she asked. “That’s pretty awesome. You couldn’t have asked for more natural beauty around you for practices.”
Refocusing, I hit instant replay of why I’d come up with this plan in the first place and steered the conversation back to it. “It sure is pretty, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Hawaii. If you say yes, you’ll see that for yourself soon enough.”
“You really still want me to come?” She glanced up at me, and I didn’t miss the doubt clouding her eyes. “I kind of thought it was just a spur of the moment invite.”
“It was spur of the moment, but I still want you to come.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip and she chewed on it before looking back at me. “Are you sure your parents won’t mind? How are they anyway? They might not be thrilled to see me again.”
“They’ve always loved you,” I said honestly. “I think they were pretty pissed at everyone from back home for a while, but they understood why things went down the way they did.”
She fidgeted with her dress, her gaze firmly fixed on the water now. “Did they ever consider moving back after your dad got acquitted?”
“Nah.” My chest was getting tight talking to her about this, but I knew it had to be done. “By the time my dad joined us after the trial was over, I was doing pretty well at school there. Mom was settled. They figured it was best to just keep going with our fresh start.”
“How did your dad keep managing the firm from all the way over there?” The curiosity in her voice was sincere, and yet I knew she wasn’t trying to push.
“He put a pretty good team in place during the trial to keep things going. When he moved to Hawaii, he just worked remotely and his team kept managing things on the ground. He makes the commute every once in a while, but it’s not even really necessary for him anymore.”
“That’s pretty cool,” she said after a beat, then stopped walking and moved in front of me, looking me right in the eye as she squeezed my hand. “I really am sorry about everything that happened to you. I’m also sorry that the state got my dad to testify against yours. He didn’t want to, but they subpoenaed him. He didn’t have a choice.”
I felt my jaw tic, but it was more important now than ever to keep my poise. “That’s not on you, Hadley. It’s not even on your dad. They knew he had the contract to repair some of the employees’ computers. It made sense that they got him to come talk about what he’d found.”
> “I’m just glad there wasn’t really much he could say,” she said, blowing out a deep breath as she squared her shoulders. “Are we really okay, then? I know we’ve both apologized, but it just feels like there should be more to it.”
“There’s nothing more to it,” I said with a hint of finality in my tone. It wasn’t the truth, but if I wanted her to trust me, I needed her to believe it was. “We should drop it now. How have your parents been? And your brother? Is Julio still giving everyone gray hairs prematurely?”
Hadley laughed, and it sounded genuine and free. The ice between us seemed to be well and truly broken now as she launched into stories about the things her younger brother had gotten up to.
I was careful to keep my guard up while we walked, but it wasn’t always easy. Everything felt so natural with her—like we hadn’t skipped a beat over the past few years.
Her laughter came easily and she was as playful as I remembered her being. It was a good sign, considering that it meant that I was winning her trust back.
Now all I had to do was to keep my eyes on the prize, and not get sidetracked by falling back into my friendship—or more—with her.
Chapter 14
HADLEY
Daxton and I sat at a small, round table at a local spot just off campus. It clearly wasn’t meant for students since the prices were exorbitant and the menu might as well have been written in Greek.
Actually seeing as that was the cuisine the restaurant specialized in, I was willing to bet all the foreign words on the menu really were Greek. The atmosphere was awesome, though.
The walls were washed with white and there were blue accents everywhere. There were portraits and prints up of several landmarks in Greece and others depicting the day-to-day life there. Even though it had been pretty cool outside as dusk fell just before we’d walked in, it was nice and toasty in here.