“Please, I’ll do anything.”
“Hey, Cora.” We both turned, and my jaw clenched.
Colt Conway.
Frat boy from Delta Ep and a major sleazeball.
“This guy giving you trouble?” He jerked his chin toward me, and I scowled. Like he’d give a shit if I was. The guy was a douchebag and a half.
“No. We’re just deciding…”
“Oh, on?” Colt asked, his nosy ass worse than my grandma’s book club.
“On what movie we were gonna watch after dinner,” I said, taking my life into my hand as I moved in closer to her, wrapping my arm around Cora’s slim shoulder, praying she wouldn’t knee me in the balls.
To my surprise she didn’t.
Instead, she leaned into me. Instantly reminding me of how good she felt in my arms. My breathing stalled when she looked up at me, and it was the evil smirk that had me waiting for her evil side to show.
“Yeah, my Milo here really wants to watch The Notebook, but I’m not in the mood,” she added sweetly, and my brows narrowed. My Milo?
“The Notebook?” Colts brows rose, and my head tipped upward as I tried not to flinch. So, this is her play, huh?
“Yeah. The Notebook. Right, honey? It’s one of your favorites?” Her eyes glittered, and I wasn’t sure if she was hoping I’d call bullshit, or if she literally wanted me to play along.
“Honey?” Colt repeated, the little weasel’s face turning a slight shade lighter than his usually pale ass as he looked back and forth between Cora and me. “Wait, are you two a thing?”
“Oh, yeah.” Her fingers dug into my side, and I nodded.
“Oh. Shit, man. I didn’t know, or else I wouldn’t have been asking her out.”
“Pestering,” she corrected with a tight smile, and a lightbulb flickered.
Colt Conway had been trying to start something with her, not getting the hint to shove off, and I was the lesser of two evils.
“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to talk to you, man.” I stood straighter, puffing my broad chest out. “She didn’t wanna tell me, but we don’t keep shit from one another. She really doesn’t appreciate you coming at her. And I really don’t appreciate you not taking no for an answer.” I stepped up closer to him. The idea of Colt sniffing around Cora started to make me see red. Especially if she had already told him she wasn’t interested. “No means no, Colt.”
“Man, it wasn’t—”
“So, how about you keep your distance from here on out,” I said, not as a question but as an order.
“Baby,” she said, her hand on my waist, her body behind me. It was like a balm to soothe my angry edges
“No more calls. No more dropping by out of nowhere. No more texts,” I ticked off on my fingers, and by the nervous energy radiating off Colt, I knew I’d hit the nail on the head as I stood right in front of him. “Take a girl at her word when she says she’s not interested.”
“Milo, babe, I think he gets it,” she whispered against my back, her hands spanned on my abs, and I was acutely aware of her. My body reacting to the feel of her like any other twenty-two-year-old.
“Do you?” I asked almost in a growl, and he nodded with his hands out in front of him.
“I do. I do. I’m sorry, Cora. I should go.” He waved and ran off, but I stood there watching until he disappeared into his frat house.
“Douche Epsilons,” I muttered under my breath and picked up the sound of her soft laughter. It settled deep in me.
“Thank you for that,” she said. I turned, not moving her hands from my waist, and didn’t miss the way her eyes widened when we were chest to chest, my hands on her lower back.
“You’re welcome, baby,” I mumbled, my eyes on those red-stained lips, my body turning up a couple degrees as all the blood in my body surged southbound. The apples of her cheeks brightened, and my free hand moved to trace the line of pink.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a whisper even though we were the only ones around.
“Making it look believable,” I said and hoped to fucking god she believed me. Jesus, she was gorgeous.
“Believable?” she repeated, her eyes on my mouth. I didn’t hesitate and leaned in closer.
“In case he comes back.”
“Oh…” Her breath was warm as it hit my fingers on her face. “Good thinking.”
“I’m pretty witty sometimes.”
“Just not when it comes to Greek mythology?”
“Exactly.” I grinned, giving her my most charming smile, but she didn’t crack. Her studious eyes didn’t miss a thing.
“I guess I could help you,” she finally said, breaking the silence and taking a weight off my shoulders.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes sparked. “I scratch your back, you scratch mine,” she stated like a ruthless negotiator.
“Excuse me?”
“Do me a favor, and I’ll help you with yours.”
“Didn’t I just help you out with Colt?”
“He’s persistent,” she filled in, and I nodded.
“Hmm, so this would be a quid pro quo type situation?”
“Those are some fancy words for you, aren’t they?” she teased, but holding her in my arms, I didn’t seem to mind it so much. Letting her believe I was nothing but a dumb jock could potentially work to my advantage.
“Fine, I’ll scratch your back, and you return the favor.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She stepped away and shrugged. “I need a date.”
“Umm, what?”
“Kappa Sweets has a Halloween party thing with the Deltas.”
“Okay?” I knew all about it. Despite having a couple douchecanoes, Delta Eps had some great parties. Their Halloween one was the way they kicked shit off for the year.
“Go with me.”
“Why?”
“I need a date, and if I don’t tell the girls I’m already going with someone, they’ll play matchmaker.” Interesting, if not a little meddling, but girls were like that.
“And?”
“And I love my sisters, but they suck at matchmaking.”
“They might surprise—”
“Trust me, they won’t,” she quickly cut me off, and I narrowed my eyes.
“How are you so—”
“Colt was bachelor number one on their list for me,” she pointed out, and I tried not to wince.
Poor girl.
Colt was a pain in the ass.
“They thought you two would hit it off?” I asked, and she nodded with a look that said ‘It can only get worse.’
“Fine,” I agreed easily. The idea of going to a party with her a month out didn’t sound horrible. Especially if that meant a month of tutoring.
“I can help you with mythology. That’s my last class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“Mine too.”
“Perfect. We could get together after class and go through the material we’ve covered and any assignments that pop up.”
“You’re really going to help me?” I couldn’t help but sound suspicious. All I had to do was take her to one party while she was going to be tutoring me twice a week for over a month.
“I said I would.”
“And all I have to do is go to this party with you?” I questioned, feeling slightly off. Like this had come together all too easily.
“Oh, umm…” She worried her lower lip, and I knew the proverbial shoe was about to drop.
Want more? One-Click today! Free on Kindle Unlimited!
Books by Mayra Statham
Timeless Series
5 More Minutes
Minute by Minute
Last Minute
Kappa Sweet Series
His Smarty Pants
His Hot Tamale
His Airhead
Her Goober- Coming 2020
Right Men Series
LIE
STEAL
CHEAT
DRINK- Coming 202
0
Beech Grove Series
Burning Bridges
Donut Tucker Out
Knoxed Up
More than a Knight
Quite Frankly
Kissing Gabe
Little Black Dress
Mamacita Needs a Margarita
Never Too Late Series
Longing For You
Wishing For You
Lucky For You
Six Degrees Series
Crown’s Chance at Love
Etched in Stone
Carried Away
Davenport Harbor
Standalones
Already Home
Cookies & Kismet
Mistletoe Wishes
Something Worth Saving
Zaiden- A Scrooged Christmas
Acknowledgments
When a book is created it’s not just an author in front of a computer. It’s a team of people that help make it come to life.
I love my people.
Julia, Teeny, Kelly: Thank you for everything you do. We are scattered around the globe but I want you to know our friendship, support and love mean the world to me. Love you!
My babies and hubs: Thank you for your patience and support. Thank you for being my number one cheerleaders.
You, the beautiful reader: Thank you for taking a chance on this story. You have no idea what it means to me. If possible, please leave a review.
About the Author
Mayra Statham resides in southern California with her three kids and husband. When she isn’t writing or hanging with family, you can find her hidden behind a romance novel while enjoying a highly caffeinated drink.
She loves hearing from readers. Connect with her on social media platforms @mystathamwrites or email her at [email protected]
Last Minute (Timeless Series Book 3) Page 9
