by R. Linda
Dread filled me, and I wanted to run, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t move.
I was stuck, rooted to the spot. I couldn’t even open my mouth to speak.
Chace pulled out the chair beside me and sat down.
My hands clenched on my lap, and I stared straight ahead, not making eye contact. Not even blinking for fear it would give him the green light to harass me or something.
He’d sent a few messages over the last couple of weeks, all asking the same thing. And each time I replied with a resounding no.
He’d never sought me out, though.
Was that what he did just now? Looked for me? Hoping to corner me somewhere alone and make me talk to him? Or was it pure luck?
Really bad luck, on my part.
“I was hoping you’d hear me out.” He placed his hands on the table and folded them together.
I glanced down at his arms, more specifically the leather cuff on his wrist that looked a lot like the one Ryder wore. My gaze betrayed me as I took in his appearance. Gone were the loafers and pressed polo shirts. In their place were jeans and an unbuttoned shirt over a plain t-shirt. A leather necklace hung around his neck with a silver pendant on it.
What the hell did he do? Raid Ryder’s wardrobe?
The only thing he was missing was the chunky silver rings on his fingers.
If I looked at his face and saw a goddamn lip or eyebrow ring, I was going to lose it.
I glanced up and was relieved to find no piercings on his face at all. At least he hadn’t taken things that far. What was he thinking? I had to admit, it suited him. He looked less like a douche, but maybe that was just because I loved Ryder’s style.
I mean, he was a narcissistic asshole, and I hoped he’d rot in hell, but he’d at least still be pretty while doing it. He was one of those classically beautiful people. The ones whose face graced the covers of magazines. With a blindingly white smile, he could be a walking, smiling billboard for a dentist.
He wasn’t my type. At all.
I had one type, and that was Ryder.
But Chace, I understood the appeal and the attention he got from women. Attention he wasn’t going to get from me. Not if my life depended on it.
“I never apologised for what I did back in school, and I just wanted to—”
“Save it, Chace. I don’t care anymore. Not about what you did then. Not about you now. I don’t need your apologies. I need you to leave me alone.”
I folded up my newspaper, switched off the computer, and threw all my stuff into my bag and left, wondering why I got nasty glares for a vibrating phone, yet Chace only received admiring smiles when he sat down uninvited and started talking to me. In. The. Freaking. Library.
I was almost to the door when a strong hand gripped my wrist and pulled me to a stop. Looking up into the stormy blue eyes of Chace, I snarled. Maybe I had learned a few things from Christina, like how to act like a rabid dog. “Let go.”
“Not until you let me explain, B.”
I closed my eyes and tried to pull my hand from his grip. It was going to leave a bruise, and Ryder would freak out. And I might just let him. Normally, I’d be the voice of reason, but Chace had to know this wasn’t okay.
“Chace, you’re hurting me,” I whispered, and he still didn’t let go. I thought he squeezed tighter.
“Hear me out. It won’t kill you,” he said through his clenched teeth.
“No, but Ryder might kill you if he catches you handling his woman like that.” Jayden came out of nowhere, eyes narrowed on Chace’s grip around my wrist, which he dropped immediately.
I rubbed the tender skin and took a step back, grateful for Jayden’s appearance.
Throwing his head back and laughing, the sound so carefree and normal, Chace eyed Jayden up and down. “No harm. Bailey and I are friends from way back. Isn’t that right, B?” Chace’s eyes bored into mine, leaving me with an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I swallowed.
“Oh, yeah?” Jayden raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “My bad, man. I didn’t know.”
What was he doing? I thought he was going to help get me away from Chace, but he was apologising.
“Honest mistake.” Chace shook off his apology.
“Jayden,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand for Chace to shake.
“Chace.” They shook hands, and Chace smiled at me. It was sinister, didn’t reach his eyes, and gave me all sorts of creepy vibes.
“I know.” Jayden crossed his arms and moved beside me. “You’re the dick who knocked up Kenzie and cheated on Bailey with her best friend.”
Chace’s mouth dropped open, and his shoulders tensed.
“Like I said, Ryder wouldn’t be too impressed with you touching Bailey like that, and if you’d like to keep your dick attached to your body, you’d do well to remember that.”
Jayden grabbed my bag from my shoulder and, with a gentle push in the centre of my back, he guided me out the door, leaving Chace behind.
“Thank you,” I said, not looking back to see Chace’s reaction.
Jayden shrugged like it was no big deal and placed his hands in his pockets, my bag slung over his shoulder. “Can I walk you somewhere?”
I nodded. “Ryder’s dorm, please. I’ll stay with Jack until he gets home from work.”
We walked together across campus to Ryder’s building, and I filled him in on everything with Chace.
“The guy’s missing something up here,” he said, tapping his finger to his head.
“I think so. Or maybe it’s just the way he was raised. You haven’t met his parents. I’ve never known anyone with so much power and control. They want something, they get it. They want something taken care of, all they have to do is snap their fingers. I think he’s so used to getting his own way and getting away with everything all the time, that he doesn’t realise his behaviour isn’t normal.”
“That sounds an awful lot like you’re making excuses, Bailey,” Jayden said, his brows creased.
“Not at all. Nothing excuses his behaviour. It’s just the optimist in me. Wants to see the good in everyone, even jerks like douche face.”
Jayden laughed. “Douche face?”
“Ryder’s nickname. Kind of stuck.” I stopped outside Ryder’s door and turned to face Jayden. “Thanks for walking me.”
“I’ll wait to make sure he’s home, if you don’t mind.”
“Okay.”
I reached for the door handle and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t turn. That could mean one of two things. Jack wasn’t home. Or Jack was home, and he wasn’t alone. I knocked, just in case Jack locked the door mistakenly, but received no answer.
“Okay, where to now?” Jayden asked.
“You don’t have to walk with me. I’m sure you have better things to do at this hour on a Wednesday night.”
“Yeah, like sleep. It’s fine, Bailey. Besides, Ryder would kill me if I left you alone after that run-in with douche face.”
I smiled. “Okay. I’ll try Indie’s dorm.”
Jayden’s steps faltered. “Uh…”
“Oh, right. You don’t have to walk me there.”
I’d forgotten about the almost relationship Jayden and Indie had until he bailed on her. They hadn’t spoken since high school.
“No, it’s fine. Is she dating that guy yet?”
“Which one?”
“Her brother’s friend. The one who threatened me and forced me to cancel prom on her at the last minute.”
It was my turn to falter in my steps. “He what?”
“Didn’t you know? That’s why things never worked out for Indie and me. I really liked her too, but when your balls are threatened with a dull razor, you have to sacrifice your wants for your needs. Like my need to survive.”
So, that was what happened? Indie had been devastated the night of prom when Jayden cancelled on her. She almost didn’t go, but then Linc came to the rescue and showed up in a tux to take her. I laughed. “I can’t believ
e he did that. That’s interesting.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. And no, they’re not dating because he’s engaged to be married.”
“Not what I was expecting. I was sure he wanted me out of the picture so he could have Indie for himself.”
“I think you’re right. But for whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”
I knocked on Indie’s door when we arrived, and Jayden stood to the side out of sight, not wanting to piss her off. It was two years ago, but she held a grudge. It was a shame because I liked Jayden, and he probably would have hung around us a lot more if it weren’t for Indie’s terrifying looks.
My knock went unanswered, and despair started to creep in. I couldn’t go back to the library in case Chace came back. I didn’t really want to hang around any public areas alone for the same reason.
“Now what?”
I sighed and pulled my phone out of my bag on Jayden’s shoulder. I could call Indie or Jack and see where they were.
My phone was dead.
Great.
“I’ll just go back to Ryder’s dorm and wait outside until one of them gets home.”
“You can’t go to your room?”
“Umm, no.”
“Well, you can’t sit on the floor in the hallway all night. Why don’t we go and get a coffee and wait for Ryder to finish work?”
I smiled. “You’d do that?”
“Sure. What are friends for?”
“Okay, I’d like that.” Coffee sounded much better than waiting alone for who knew how many hours until Jack came home or Ryder finished work.
Chapter Nineteen
Ryder
I couldn’t find Bailey anywhere. She wasn’t in my room when I finished work, and Jack hadn’t seen her when I called him. I stopped by Indie’s room to see if maybe Bailey decided to crash with her for the night, even though I knew Indie was out with Jack somewhere.
She wasn’t in her room. Christina was sitting on the bed sticking pins into a canvas stuffed doll that was dressed remarkably like Chace when I walked in. I shuddered and wondered briefly if her voodoo was working and if he could feel the pain in his groin every time she stabbed another pin in there.
It made me smile.
I hoped he was suffering.
I checked the dining room. The Coffee Pot. The library.
She was nowhere to be found.
Cursing my boss Tony for throwing extra hours at me helping with the bookkeeping a couple of nights a week, I was getting agitated because I didn’t know where she was, and it was late.
I tried calling her phone for the hundredth time, but it went straight to voice mail.
Pulling on the ends of my hair, I closed my eyes and tried to think of where else she could be.
The common room in her building. It was the only place I hadn’t checked. I turned on my heel and booted it across campus back to Bailey’s dorm before the panic truly set in.
I hated that she didn’t have her phone on and was worried something had happened.
All sorts of thoughts ran through my head, and none of them were good.
I ran through the doors of the common room, only to stop short when I realised it too was empty.
Where the hell was she?
I wandered around and around campus for so long that I lost track of time. Exhaustion was setting in, so I decided to head back to my dorm and hope I found her along the way.
I climbed the stairs to my floor, yawning. I had to be up in a few hours for my morning class. In the dim of the lights, I noticed bodies on the floor leaning against the wall near my room. I slowed my steps and approached them cautiously, not wanting to startle anyone.
It wasn’t until I got closer that I realised one of those bodies was Bailey. She was sleeping. Her head rested on the shoulder of the person beside her. Jayden. His jacket was draped over her.
Jealousy flooded my veins, and I knew it was irrational. There was probably a very good reason why I walked around campus for hours looking for her, only to find her curled up asleep with Jayden.
Touching her shoulder gently, I gave her a small shake. “Wake up, love.”
She stirred, snuggling into Jayden’s jacket more. I wanted to rip it off her and burn it.
“Bailey.”
Still nothing.
With a sigh, I stood and kicked Jayden’s foot with my boot. “Hey, dipshit. Get up.”
Jayden jumped, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.
That worked.
Bailey opened her eyes, yawned, and stretched her arms over her head before her gaze landed on me. She gave me a sleepy smile. “Hi.”
I looked from her to Jayden, who still seemed dazed. “Hi. What’s going on?” I said.
“Long story, but Jayden stayed with me until you came home.” Bailey handed Jayden his jacket back and thanked him before raising her hands to me so I could pull her up.
Totally irrational to be jealous of him, but still, that feeling intensified. He was with her when I couldn’t be.
“Okay, well, I’ll catch you guys later,” Jayden said with a yawn as he jumped to his feet and pulled his jacket back on.
“Thanks for staying with her, man,” I forced out through gritted teeth.
“No worries. We had fun.” He held out his fist for me to bump and gave Bailey a smile before walking away.
Fun?
They had fun?
I wanted to chase him down and tackle him to the ground. Again, irrational, but still…Bailey was mine. I frowned.
I opened the door and let Bailey walk inside first. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“My phone went flat, and my charger is here.” Bailey sat on my bed and leaned down to unstrap her sandals.
I kicked off my shoes and emptied my pockets onto my desk, then pulled my shirt over my head and handed it to Bailey.
She smiled gratefully and brought it to her nose, breathing it in. I loved that she loved wearing my shirts so much.
The stupid jealousy that bubbled inside me began to ebb as I watched her pull my shirt on.
Sure, she spent the night having fun with Jayden, but she was wearing my shirt and sleeping in my bed.
“Where were you?” I stripped out of my jeans, throwing them over the back of the chair, and climbed into bed while Bailey finished getting changed. She did that magical thing only women could do where she pulled her bra off through her sleeve and folded her clothes in the corner.
“I was in the library and ran into Jayden. He walked me here, but no one was home, so we tried Indie’s but she wasn’t home either.”
“She’s out with Jack,” I answered, pulling back the covers for Bailey to get in with me.
“This late? On a Wednesday?” Her voice was surprised.
“You were asleep with Jayden, so I don’t think you can be shocked that she’s out with a friend.”
“Is that a hint of jealousy in your tone, Jones?” I could hear the smile in her voice. She snuggled against me, her back against my chest. I folded my body around hers, and slipping a knee between her legs and throwing my right arm around her waist, I let my hand rest comfortably on her breast. They were a match made in heaven. My hands and her breasts.
I refused to admit I was jealous. “Curiosity.”
“It was nothing.”
“Still curious how running into Jayden in the library led to you sleeping on his shoulder outside my room.” I squeezed her breast.
Bailey moaned softly. Bringing a hand up behind her head, she threaded her fingers in my hair and stretched her body along mine.
“After we left Indie’s, I had nowhere to go, so Jayden suggested we get a coffee and wait for you to finish work. So we did. And when I knew you’d be home, we came back here and waited. Only you didn’t show up when I expected. But Jayden wouldn’t leave me alone. Eventually, we fell asleep.”
“That’s it?” I slid my hand under her shirt.
“Yes,” she breathed as my fingers tickled her ribs, my thu
mb brushing over her nipple. Her body arched, her ass pressing back into me as she ground her hips against mine.
I groaned, losing my train of thought. “Wh—Why wouldn’t he leave you alone?”
She shook her head. “Not now.”
I stopped all movements, let my hand drop from her skin. She protested at the loss of contact.
“It has to do with Chace, doesn’t it?” I asked, already knowing the answer. She never lied to me. But when it was something she knew I wouldn’t like, she tended to avoid giving a direct answer for as long as possible.
“Ryder, please.” She reached down, sliding her hand along my thigh, digging her nails in, squeezing, and when I didn’t respond, she lifted my hand, placing it back on her breast. I still didn’t move. “Tomorrow. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Her voice was needy, pleading.
“Now. And I’ll give you what you want,” I growled in her ear, pulling her earlobe between my teeth.
She moaned, her breath growing heavier. “Chace. He was at the library.”
I slid my knee between her legs again. “And?”
“He wanted to talk. I said no.” Her hips bucked, trying to move against mine.
My left hand found hers, resting near the headboard. Her arm folded under her head. I threaded our fingers together. “Then what?”
“He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Followed me out, grabbed my wrist, and that’s when Jayden showed up. He didn’t want to leave me alone in case Chace found me again.”
“I’ll kill him.” I kissed Bailey’s neck.
“Tomorrow. Kill him tomorrow.” She turned her head to look at me.
“And now?” I leaned over her, tracing my tongue along her bottom lip.
“Whatever you want.” She pushed back into me, grinding her hips, squeezing my hand on her breast.
I captured her mouth, delving in with my tongue, massaging hers. Her soft moans were my undoing. It was Wednesday, and Jack could be home at any moment, but I didn’t care.
I needed her like I needed air.
Sliding my hand from under her shirt, I skimmed my fingers across her stomach, tickling the skin above the elastic of her underwear. Her breaths were coming faster, expectant. Every stroke of my finger on her skin, she flinched.
