With Every Heartbeat(139)

“I guess,” I said. “So you can go back to wherever you came from now and leave me alone.”

She stood with a sniff and couldn’t seem to get away from me fast enough. I watched her go and let out a shudder of relief. Then I smiled to myself. It’d felt kind of good to stand up for myself and send her away like that.

I reached behind me for my backpack to pull out my phone, so I could text Zoey. Feeling this good always made me want to talk to her. Plus, I wanted to wash my conversation with Rachel out of my head with a pure, sweet one with my girl. But I couldn’t find my phone anywhere in my bag’s front pocket where I usually kept it while I was in class.

I was still frowning and searching for it when the professor started class. Damn. I hoped I hadn’t left it at home. I didn’t want to suffer through an entire day without even being able to text Zoey.

After history, I had a free hour—an hour where I usually found Zoey in the library—so I hiked over there, hoping to catch her. I checked our spot first. My cock twitched when I stood in the place where she’d gone down on me between the book stacks. But Zoey wasn’t there.

I had a couple papers to work on and tests to study for, so I found a table out in the front and pulled out my calculus book. I hadn’t even studied for five minutes when a shadow fell over the page I was writing on. My breath caught in my chest, thinking it was Zoey. But when I looked up, Cora smiled at me.

“Hey, baby.” She pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. “I heard Rachel hit on you in history class. I’m sorry about her. She has no control over her ovaries.”

I smirked at her. “Must be why you two are so close.”

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise before she murmured, “Well, look who’s turned into a smart-ass,” as if impressed with my verve.

I sighed and glanced away from her. “What’re you doing here, Cora? You have to know you’re not getting anything from me.”

She slid her arm around the back of my seat, much the same way Rachel had last hour. I glared at her, but she just smiled back, refusing to move away. “I just want to make amends between us, Quinn. You’re the sweetest, most forgiving person I know. And I hate thinking you might hold a grudge.”

A nasty flavor flooded my mouth. I shook my head. “You’re just going to have to learn to adjust, then, because I am still holding a grudge against you, and I don’t feel like getting over it any time soon.” I glanced distastefully at her proximity. “Do you mind leaving me alone now? I really, honestly want nothing to do with you.”

She drew in a breath and slid her arm off my chair as she straightened. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way.”

I wasn’t. I kept giving her a hard stare until she stood up, lifted her chin and strode away. I blew out a breath, glad to be rid of her, even though I was pretty sure I wasn’t done with her for good. People like Cora didn’t just fade off into the woodwork. And her being Zoey’s roommate was going to make it real ugly in the future when she found out about us. With a sigh, I buried my face in my hands and tried not the think about what would happen when all that went down.

A chime from my book bag had me lifting my face.

What the…?

I twisted and unzipped the pocket where I hadn’t been able to find my phone earlier. After digging my hand inside, I jolted when my fingers almost immediately wrapped around it.

Pulling it free, I found a new text from Zoey. I can’t stop thinking about what we did in the library.

All other thought flushed from my brain. My body responded immediately. I cursed the fact that I’d have to work tonight and couldn’t spend it with her. But maybe…

I’m here now. Want a repeat?

I bit my lip waiting for her answer, hoping she was willing to be as wild and abandoned as we’d been on Tuesday.

I wish. But I’m stuck in the print lab waiting in the longest line ever to get a paper printed. Tonight?

Disappointment had my shoulders sagging. I have to work, remember? Unless you want to come over after… I ended my pleading with an emoticon to show her just how much I wanted her to say yes.

Sorry, my big man. I have a big paper to finish. I promise I’ll make it up to you after you win your game tomorrow. K?

My stomach roiled. Her excuse sounded exactly like the million and one excuses Cora had always given me when we’d been together. A moment of fear clouded my brain. Was Zoey playing me, too? But then I reread the text, and something else odd triggered in my brain.

Big man. That was what Cora had always called me. Surely, Zoey hadn’t been around her roommate enough to glean that nickname off her. But that could only mean…