Addicted

by Claire Adams

  "You're a slut and a disgrace to the Gammas. We should out your ass right now." Katelyn poked her finger into Carolyn's chest and pushed.

  "What I do with my private life is none of your concern." Carolyn swatted Katelyn's hand away from her as she glared at all the girls around in the circle. "It's nobody's business. Paul and I have been in love for a long time."

  "Then why was he with me?" Some part of me wanted to keep silent, but I wasn't doing anyone any favors by having Katelyn fight my battles for me. Besides, I was more than capable of doing it myself.

  "Good question." Katelyn moved toward me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "We should out Carolyn and have Val take her place. You guys know as well as I do that if she'd wanted any of our men, she'd have done the same damn thing. Don't think you're immune to that viper."

  "Shut up. I'm not sitting here listening to this. I'm the president of this sorority and my personal life has nothing to do with me running this place. It's thriving, and you've all said so yourselves." She was losing her cool, and it was almost fun to watch. Almost.

  I lamented over not being more of a bitch, but something about feeling free that morning for the first time in a long time made me want to let things be.

  "I'm outta here. Paul's as much at fault as you are, and honestly, you deserve each other. Neither of you gives two shits about anyone but yourself. I'll be running for your spot in May when your term is up." I shrugged and moved through the crowd of Gammas to the fridge.

  "You'll get it, too," one of the other girls spoke up, and within minutes, they were all sharing their feelings about Carolyn's actions. How she thought that she could stab one of her own and get away with it was almost humorous. I walked toward the front door, turning only as Katelyn called to me.

  "You need a ride?" She moved up beside me. Her cheeks were slightly pink, which only seemed to make her prettier.

  "Yeah. Can you take me by my car after lunch today? I'm going to walk to campus this morning. I need some exercise." I pulled my jacket tighter and let my eyes take in the beauty of the freshly fallen slow.

  "You're not walking in this. It's fucking freezing out here." She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a funny sound.

  "It's not that cold, and I've lived here all my life. I'm somewhat used to it by now." I laughed and made a left turn. "I'll see you at Barney's Cafe at noon. That good?"

  "Suit yourself, crazy girl. First letting Carolyn off the hook and now this? We might need to check your head. You didn't fall down the stairs at the party last night, right?"

  "Nope. Just feeling good today." I shrugged, but didn't turn back to look at her. I was feeling good. Really good.

  It had to be the fact that I was going to take the car over to Tate's garage later that day. He hadn't stopped playing along my mind all night. I'd been a bitch and he'd been a perfect gentleman. Funnily enough, our looks alone said that the opposite response should have been true for both of us.

  I wanted to know his story. Why was he so calm and assured of himself, yet driving a motorcycle in the snow? The tattered edges of his leather jacket left me to guess that he was either poor or really loved his coat. It had been worn to death and couldn't be enough to keep him warm.

  I pulled out my phone and called the number on his business card, checking to make sure it was in fact an auto repair shop. It was, and nervousness pumped through me over the idea of seeing him again later that day.

  "Hey." A handsome guy held the door for me as I jogged up the stairs and entered the business building.

  "Kade, right?" I walked into the warmth of the building and tugged my scarf from my neck as I turned to focus on him.

  He pulled off the black beanie he wore and gave me a warm smile. "Yeah. You remember. I must have made quite an impression."

  I rewarded him with a chuckle before starting down the hall to my business law class. He was cute and entertaining myself from time to time with him seemed almost like a good idea, but I couldn't shake the idea that someone was coming, heading my way.

  "You treated my friend Amy well. I'm thinking that's worth remembering. At least, for me." I opened the door to Dr. Griffith's class. "This is me. Have a good day."

  "It's me, too. I'm the TA for this class this semester." He smirked and moved in behind me. "Make sure you talk good about me in here. Everyone needs a spotter."

  "A spotter?" I gave him a confused look to match the emotion swimming around in my chest.

  "Yeah, you make sure the weight doesn't fall on my throat and take me out. The girls are vicious in here. They're going to be lawyers. Well, most of them hope to be." He winked at me and walked to the front, leaving me to stare after him like I wanted more of his time, which I didn't.

  I found a seat in the middle of the room, not wanting to look too much like a slacker by taking the back row. The class filled up, and Kade worked beside Dr. Griffith to go over the basics of business law. I thought I would have to work to keep my eyes open, but the subject was actually riveting – exciting.

  "All right. Make sure you study for the quiz on Wednesday and start looking for a partner for your midterm projects. One of you will have to work with Kade here seeing that there are an uneven number of you." Dr. Griffith started to pack his bag as hands shot up around the room.

  I rolled my eyes, grabbed my bag, and walked to the door.

  When I noticed Paul was waiting outside in the hall for me, I considered turning back and going into the classroom to search for another exit. The last thing I needed was to talk with the cheating bastard that had left me feeling inadequate.

  "Val, wait." He moved toward me, and I couldn't help but notice the way the other girls looked at him.

  Good. Have him.

  "I have nothing to say to you." I pulled my bag onto my shoulder and turned, bumping into someone who had moved up behind me.

  Kade wrapped an arm around my shoulders and extended his hand to Paul. "Hey, I hear you fucked up with this pretty girl. Your loss. My gain."

  I wrapped an arm around Kade's back, and we walked down the hall to the exit door.

  "Thank you," I whispered and released him before moving out into the freezing cold. "I owe you one."

  "Naw, we're good. You deserve someone better than him." He shrugged.

  "Like you?" I gave him a cocky grin as I walked backward away from him.

  "Me? Hell, no. I'm way worse than him. There's some good guys out there, though. We need to find you one." He winked at me, waved ,and turned, walking away as I watched him.

  Feast or famine.

  *

  "Sooo...you doing okay?" Katelyn glanced over at me as we drove to my car.

  "Yeah, I'm actually okay. It's still a little hard to swallow that Carolyn would sink that low, but it's just who she is. I don't mean to sound like a charity case, but it's not like I could keep a guy like Paul happy. He's like my mother – I'd never be able to measure up. I'm not Allison." I shrugged and glanced out of the window. I sounded hurt by everything, and to some degree I was, but I wasn't nearly as beat down by it as everyone would expect me to be.

  "You're right."

  I glanced over at her and snorted. "I am?"

  "Yep. You're not Allison. You're you, and I for one am damn glad that you are you. You're funny and smart, athletic and giving. You have a great sense of humility and you care about other people. It's refreshing. You're just hanging around the wrong people."

  "You especially, right?" I poked at her as she swatted at me.

  "You know what I mean." She switched on the defrost and turned the windshield wipers on high. "Where is the car again? It's snowing so damn bad that I can barely see the road."

  "Just up here." I squinted and leaned forward as my dark blue car caught my eye. "There. Pull over in front of it. I just need to see if it will start. If not, I'll call a tow truck."

  She nodded and pulled in front of my car. "I'll wait here unless you want me to come with you."

  "No, I know you hate the col
d." I gave her a smile before getting out and jogging back to my car. It was beyond freezing inside it, but I was bundled up properly. I'd survive.

  I put the key in the ignition and much to my surprise, the car started. I texted Katelyn that I was good to go, but she wasn't going to leave me there.

  She followed me all the way to Tate's garage and rolled down her window as I got out of my car.

  "This the place with the hot biker guy that Lucinda said you were talking about last night?" She lifted her eyebrows and smirked.

  "I sure hope so. Seeing him again would make my day – or better yet, my week." I tucked my keys into my purse and waved at her. "I'll see you in a little while."

  "Okay. Call if you need me to come get you, and if biker-boy has a friend, don't forget Lucinda. She needs a good lay." The sound of her laughter left my lips turning up into a smile. She was a good friend, but all of my close friends were. Where my family treated me like shit, all three of my girlfriends made up for it.

  I walked up to the run-down garage and opened the door to a small office. A friendly redhead glanced up before standing and smiling.

  "Hi, hun. What can I do for you?"

  "Hi, I had the beginnings of a flat tire last night, and one of your mechanics stopped and helped me. His name was Tate. He's not here by chance, is he?" I slipped my hands into my jacket pockets, feeling nervous all over again.

  "Of course. You called earlier, right?" She turned as an older man walked from the back room.

  "Yes, I did." I glanced around as butterflies started to dance in my stomach. It was silly and made no sense at all, but I couldn't help it. I'd started to build this sexy stranger into some kind of hero that was going to come sweep me off my feet. It wasn't fair to him or me. He was a friendly guy who worked on cars. Nothing more.

  Except that he's incredibly hot.

  "Jerry, go grab Tate for me," the woman said to the older man as I walked to the waiting room, which consisted of two chairs and a small table overflowing with magazines.

  "Can I get you a drink or something, miss?" she asked.

  "No, thank you. I'm good." I sat down and pulled out my phone, flipping through my messages before checking my e-mail. There was nothing new, but there never was. My life was simple and as uncomplicated as I could get it outside of family drama.

  Not dating Paul was just going to make things easier for me. I could get back to hanging out with my girlfriends and reading good books. No more dates where we did something Paul loved to do and I had to pretend to be interested. Just back to being me.

  "Hi, there. I almost thought you'd fixed the tire yourself." Tate's voice was deep and a little scratchy. The sound of it drove a tendril of desire through me.

  I glanced up casually and shrugged. "It's not every day a girl gets the offer for a free tire."

  "I said I'd give you the work for free. You're on your own paying for the tire." He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans, drawing my attention to the long line of his body.

  "This is true." I jerked my eyes back up to focus on his face and the fluttering in my stomach only intensified.

  His warm brown eyes moved around my face, as if working to uncover something about me I wasn't willing to share.

  "Let me get the car back there, and we'll get started on it. You wanna learn how to change a tire?" His lip lifted in a sexy smirk.

  I almost missed the five o'clock shadow that wasn't there anymore.

  "Not in the slightest." I lifted my eyebrow at him. "That's what I'm paying you to do, right?"

  He extended his hand. "Give me the keys, hottie-tottie, and let's get this date started."

  I handed him the keys and almost wished I'd put on makeup that morning. He was too cute not to work to impress, but then again, I wasn't quite sure what guys like him liked in a woman. Probably someone in leather and willing to play with chains and whips in the bedroom. The thought didn't disturb me, which very much disturbed me.

  I followed him back out of the office into the late afternoon. My eyes moved down to the lovely way his jeans hugged his hips and accentuated the swell of his rear. It'd been a really long time since my body had reacted to anyone; this guy wasn't trying at all, and yet my pulse spiked.

  "So, you work here?" I almost kicked myself for asking the question, but in my need to move past the chains and whips, I'd blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

  "Nope. I just show up and start the fire for the guys every morning. They like roasting marshmallows at lunch from time to time. We're having s’mores today. You want one?" He winked at me before squatting by my car. He was being cheeky about my comment the night before.

  I chuckled and nodded. "I deserved that."

  He glanced up. "Yeah, you did."

  Chapter 8

  Tate

  She was beautiful – far more beautiful than I remembered from the night before. I'd dimmed her a little within my daydreams and lusty thoughts. Her long brown hair was up in a high ponytail, leaving her to look sporty and ready to have some fun. I couldn't stop imagining how good it would feel to tug her ponytail down and slide my fingers through her hair. It had to be silky and soft.

  "Come here, and I'll show you what I'm looking for." I moved back a little and waited until she squatted next to me. "See here how the tire looks depressed or deflated compared to the back one?"

  She tried to move back a little while squatting and almost fell. I reached out for her and grabbed her arm, but fell on my ass right beside her instead of helping.

  We laughed and something inside of me opened up a little. I could see myself on the date with the pretty girl. Sex was always at the forefront of my mind, but wanting to take someone out for a meal?

  Hell no.

  Besides, I didn't have the money or the emotional energy to deal with someone finding out about my situation and leaving me because of it.

  I was working my way out of poverty and could hold off on dating until I got out of it. No need to set myself up for a failure that was sure to happen.

  "I'm sorry." She got up and offered me a hand.

  "No, you're not." I took her hand and was surprised by her strength as she helped me up. "You're strong."

  "For a girl?" She put her hands on her narrow hips and gave me the cutest look I thought I'd ever seen.

  I laughed and moved back down to pull the nail from her tire. "No, for a man. Better?"

  Her turn to laugh. "No, not much."

  Her stomach growled loudly and her cheeks colored pink as I looked back up at her. "You hungry? There are some candy bars in the back room. Need me to get you one?"

  "No, I try to stay away from sugar. Makes me sluggish, which doesn't work on the courts." She tilted her head as she studied the front tire and then moved back to study the back one.

  "You go to UMN?" I got up and walked around to the driver's side. "Do you play sports there?"

  "Yeah. Both. I'm on the basketball team." She moved back a little and glanced up at me. "Fix the tire and then let's go grab something to eat."

  "I can't." I hated to deny her, but it wasn't going to happen. I needed every minute on the schedule that day to help make rent.

  "I thought you said you were a mechanic." She lifted her eyebrow at me, and I could see myself falling in love with a girl like her. She was sassy, and I enjoyed it a bit more than I should have.

  "No, silly. I can't grab a bite to eat. I'm working all afternoon." I glanced back at the sound of Jerry's voice.

  "Sure, you can. We'll be open late tonight. Just put in an extra hour then. There's no way you're passing up a meal with this pretty girl." Jerry extended his hand toward the girl, and I realized that I still didn't know her name. "I'm Jerry. Nice to meet you."

  "Val Scott." She shook his hand.

  "Scott. Like David Scott of Scott enterprises?" His eyes widened a little.

  I wanted to ask if Val was her full name, but there would be time for that over lunch – apparently.

  She blushed and loo
ked toward the ground as she nodded. "Yes, sir."

  "Oh, wow. We have royalty in the house today. Your father is a legend in the mining industry, as was your grandfather." Jerry chuckled and patted her arm. "Good to see you here in our little shop. I hope Tate treats you right."

  I'd heard of Scott Enterprises; hell, anyone in Minnesota had. They were the wealthiest family with the most land. Greedy as all get out, too. I gave her a once over, realizing how incredibly uncomfortable she was all of a sudden.

  "Alright, well, let's get something to eat and then we'll fix the tire." I shoved her keys into my pocket and pulled mine out. "You good riding on the back of my bike? It's a little cold."

  "I don't mind." She glanced up at me with gratefulness in her eyes. It melted me even more. She was beyond wealthy, and yet couldn't be Daddy's favorite from the looks of things. I wanted to dig into her, to hear her story and learn more about her, but I needed to tread carefully. She had nothing to gain from a friendship with a guy like me, and I had everything to lose.

  "Be careful. Her dad could sue the nation and would come out on top," Jerry laughed, obviously not realizing how crass he was being.

  "Alright, funny guy. We'll be back." I walked to the bike and handed her a helmet.

  She fiddled with the strap for a few minutes as frustration moved across her perfect features.

  I stepped up and took it from her as a chuckle escaped me.

  "Here, let me help you." I couldn't help but look her in the eye as I worked to get the helmet on her. "Never been on a bike before?"

  "I've never done a lot of things." She pursed her lips, and I couldn't tell if she was being flirty, honest, or sexy. Maybe all three.

  "Well, it's time to live a little then, I guess." I got on the bike and offered her my hand. "Come on, princess. Your chariot awaits."

  "Don't call me that." She sat behind me stiffly as if completely uncomfortable.

  "Wrap your arms around me." I paused. "Princess."