“Wherever you feel most comfortable,” she said but didn’t meet his gaze. She went to stand, and he did as well.
“You have to leave already?” God, he sounded needy. “I mean, you just got here. Maybe you want to sit down and join me for lunch?”
She started playing with the end of her braid and stared at him.
“I actually have to get back, but thanks for the offer.” Before he could feel like a dumbass she grinned at him. “Listen.” She bent down and grabbed her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. “How about I give you a call before Friday just to make sure everything is still good to go?”
“Yeah, all right.”
“I saved your number in my phone, and I know you have mine.” She smiled again, and he couldn’t help but notice the way her lip gloss glistened under the sun, and imagine what her lips would look like wrapped around his dick. She lifted her hand in a wave and turned to leave. And like a freaking creeper, Alex stood there and watched her go. Was it wrong of him to want to hope there was a big gust of wind that would blow her dress up?
“Shit.” Scrubbing a hand over his mouth he sensed someone step up to him. Jessica stood there, her teeth tugging at her lip, and her eyes slightly lowered. Yeah, she was trying to appear sexy. He had seen that exact expression a thousand different times, and although he had found it attractive each and every time, it did nothing for him right now.
“So, uh, about our earlier conversation.” He reached in his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out some money, handing it to her.
“Thanks, Jessica, but maybe some other time?” It was just a saying, because really he was only thinking about one girl, and until he had her no one else would sate this ridiculous appetite he suddenly had.
Chapter Five
Holy. Shit. Mary walked quickly to the OSU library on 18th Avenue, trying to get her mind off other things, but only being able to think about her little meet-up with Alex. It had taken a hell of a lot of strength on her part not to look over her shoulder. She had felt his eyes on her so palpably it was like he had been actually touching her. She was rather proud of herself for at least acting semi-normal, but toward the end it had been damn hard when she had felt the way he looked at her, like he wanted to do really wicked things to her body. It was also a little unnerving and distracting when she noticed his erection, which he either didn’t care that she saw, or thought it was something that would go unnoticed. Even now, just thinking about the way his biceps had bulged underneath his t-shirt, and of the way his abdomen muscles had been clear as day through the thin material, had goose-bumps forming along her flesh. She must be a masochist, because the only thing Alex would be sure to give her was a broken heart. There had been plenty of girl talk around campus, and she would have had to be hard of hearing not to catch all the horrid details of the hearts he left in tatters. Mary found it all rather ridiculous that the girls around campus knew how Alex Sheppard was, yet they still ran up to him like he was some rock star. The red stone, arched entryway building came into view. When she reached the entrance she pulled the door open and walked inside.
Taking a seat at an available computer, she started searching titles for her courses, but concentrating on anything was pointless, especially when all she could think about was how her parents would react when she brought Alex to Margo’s wedding. A lot of eyebrows would raise, a lot of gasps would sound, and slightly covered mouths would be obvious as they whispered how scandalous it was that she brought “trash” to their uppity little gathering. Maybe it was a bit childish to want to shock the lot of them, but all her life she had felt like an outsider, like the square peg trying to be shoved into the circle slot. A small part of her also grew warm at the idea that Alex agreed to go with her. For a wealthy community that her family ran in, they were worse than the ones they looked down on. They lifted their noses to the lower class, had the most scandalizing secrets, and stabbed each other in the back. But face-to-face they were all smiles and catty humor. Mary wanted to show them that it didn’t matter how much money a person had, or what they looked like. They were still human beings and deserving of respect. Hearing her mother repeatedly ask about bringing a date, her sister’s nagging about what she should and shouldn’t do, and the overall anxiety that seemed to plague her on a daily basis made her feel unsteady and out of place Inviting Alex to join her had seemed like the perfect release.
Release.
Such a simple word, but it meant so many different things. The one meaning she was currently thinking about was the sweet release that she knew she would surely have by being with Alex. Mary wasn’t a virgin, but she certainly wasn’t an expert on sex. Alex on the other hand was, and that could be very intimidating. But no, Mary couldn’t go there, wouldn’t. She wasn’t in the habit of letting her heart get broken, and she also wasn’t the type to have random sex. Emotions were always involved, for her at least.