“Wait here,” I say, and I walk past him and sneak into my room. Tiptoeing across the floor, I try not to wake Evie from her snoring sleep. We have a little fridge standing in the corner, and I grab a bottle of water from it. I hurry back to Hunter and open the cap.
“Here. Drink some.”
I hold up the bottle, and he just stares at me with a bewildered look on his face.
“You look like you could use some help,” I say.
He turns around and faces me. Then he starts walking toward me with slow, heavy steps.
I inch away until my back is against the wall, but he keeps coming closer. He towers above me, and only now do I realize how much larger he is. How much bigger, stronger, more muscular. His black tee can barely hide the straining muscles underneath.
He places both hands on the wall beside me and lowers his head to meet my eyes. I cower underneath him, shuddering from being so near to him.
“I don’t need anyone,” he growls, his lips barely parting.
I can feel his breath on my skin, and it makes me gasp. He’s so close now, I could touch him if I reached for him. If he stepped forward a little more, he’d be on top of me.
It scares me to death.
My heart is thumping in my throat, and I can barely breathe. Lifting my head, I gaze into his glaring eyes. Those vivid gray irises that amaze me. There is something in there that sparks my interest, secrets and hidden emotions he keeps far away from the world. Things I want to know.
His chest heaves, and one of his hands drop. I swallow as he steps back again and stares at the ground. I wonder what is going on inside his head.
His hand reaches for mine, and for a second I’m almost convinced I’m going to pull back if he touches me.
But I don’t. He grasps for the bottle, and our fingers briefly graze. I shudder from his touch as he takes the bottle from my hand and puts it to his lips. I watch him gulp it down with eagerness. Rivulets of water stream down his chin and end up on his shirt, making him look even rawer and more intense than before.
The way he drinks makes me swallow, too. As if there’s some kind of lump in my throat. His lips suck the opening of the bottle, and it looks … My God … Too hot to handle.
For a brief moment I imagine jerking the bottle away and pressing my own lips on his.
It strikes me that I’m having these weird fantasies about him. I haven’t seen him like this before. Somehow he looks sexy. And I like it.
As he lowers the bottle again, he gazes at me with a fierce look that makes me want to step back a little. He seems angry, but I know it’s not because of me. I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Thanks,” he says in a gruff tone.
It doesn’t sound thankful, but mostly because I know he’s pissed at something else. The something that made him cry.
Hunter Bane, of all people, is standing outside his room, crying.
I didn’t expect to witness something like this.
“No problem,” I say, and I turn the cap back onto the bottle.
“Please don’t tell anyone you saw me,” he says, glancing sideways at his dorm room, avoiding my eyes.
My breath hitches. Why would he ask me that? Is he afraid or something?
“Good night,” Hunter says, and he puts his hand on the door handle.
“Sure … good night,” I say, and I turn around as well.
Biting my lip, I walk toward my room, every step feeling like a mile. Before entering my room, I turn my head to watch him walk into his room and close the door.
Sighing, I enter mine, too, and close the door behind me.
Chapter 4
Out of my League
I couldn’t close my eyes last night. Not one second did I sleep. One moment I was thinking about Hunter so much I thought I was dreaming, but of course I wasn’t. Sometimes I even wondered if he was awake, too.
Dragging myself out of bed this morning was no easy feat. Normally I wake Evie up, but this time it was the other way around, which is unusual, to say the least. With half-mast eyes I make my way to class and sit down somewhere comfortable.
Suddenly the door to the classroom opens, and someone comes stumbling in. Everyone turns around in their seats, but I don’t really care today. I’m way too tired to check and see who it is.
“Well …” the teacher says, and puts down his book. “Mister Bane.”
The moment I hear his name my eyes jerk open, and I turn my head like an owl peering around. Hunter walks down the steps, carefully watching where he puts his feet. His eyes look even more swollen than last night, which I thought wasn’t possible until now.
“Be on time from now on. Next time you can wait outside,” the teacher says, his eyes following Hunter all the way down.
Until he sits down right next to me.