by Mia Carson
Izzy hugged her close, and Johanna ran her hand through her hair. She was the rock for her sister, always had been, but she couldn’t help but wonder when someone would be there for her in the same way. She couldn’t rely on either brother to care about what she wanted, and her parents tuned out any complaints she voiced. Last year, she’d given up and accepted what they told her with a fake smile and a promise to herself that somehow, someday, she’d get out of this life.
For now, she had to worry about living through the next sixteen weeks with Reider Marquette in her life. She wasn’t sure how this was going to work out between them or how the hell she was going to hide it from her family for the entire semester, but there was no other option.
“Jo? You sure you’re alright?” Izzy asked. “You look pissed.”
She forced a smile onto her face. “Rough first day of classes,” she reassured her sister. “Now, come on, dinner will probably be ready soon.”
Chapter 3
Wednesday morning rolled around, and Reider groaned, wishing he still lived at the dorms so he could pull the covers up, go back to sleep, and forget about his business class that afternoon.
“Reider? You awake, son?” Peter, his dad, called up the stairs. “Reider?”
“Yeah, Dad, I’m up!” he yelled, grunting as he pushed himself up out of bed and rubbed his eyes. He’d been up most of the night, trying to think of a way—any way—to get out of this partnership with Johanna Chadwick, but nothing came to mind unless he wanted to drop the class. If he did that, he’d need a damn good reason to tell his parents why it was going to be an extra semester before he graduated.
His earlier classes were as boring as the business one, and he wanted to ask his dad about going out to the ranch over the weekend. He needed to get his hands dirty, work off some stress from this new development, and collect his thoughts. As he headed out his door for the bathroom to hop in the shower, Micah stepped out of the guest room down the hall, his eyes red and swollen.
“Morning, Micah,” Reider called out through a yawn. “Ready for classes today?”
He’d missed his first day because he hadn’t been able to pull himself out of bed for grief, but today he was up and moving around, even dressed. “Think so. Mind if I bum a ride with you to campus?”
Reider forced his face to stay blank as he said sure, while figuring out a way to ensure Micah did not see him anywhere near Johanna. “I think you finish before me, but you can wait in the library or something.”
Micah nodded and said he was going downstairs for breakfast. Reider said he’d be down soon and closed the bathroom door behind him, locking it tightly. While he wanted to say he was still pissed about being partnered with Johanna, his subconscious had something else entirely to say on the matter. His dreams were filled with images of the two of them doing more than shaking hands as they’d done in class. In his dreams, he dragged her up against his body and kissed her fiercely, forgetting the feud between their families. He pushed her back against the desk and held her as his hands roamed over the curves he saw under her tight-fitting jeans and blouse. He woke up more than once during the night, cursing his hard-on.
It's not going to happen, so forget it, he thought, glaring at the accusing member. She’s off-limits—completely off-limits. Besides, she hates me on principle.
He turned the water on cold to chase away the lingering dreams, dragging his mind back to other women more readily available than his enemy. Anyone but a Chadwick.
If you hate her so much, why the hell did you hold her hand so long?
The thought stilled his hand on the shower curtain. He had dismissed the action Monday evening and yesterday, but after dreaming of nothing last night but Johanna, hearing her whisper his name, he remembered taking her hand. He told himself on Monday that she was the one that had held on too long, but he’d only lied to himself.
Johanna Chadwick, whether he wanted to admit it or not, was extremely attractive with her amber eyes filled with rage and fire at the same time and the pen, chewed to hell, he saw clutched in her hand. Her curves didn’t hurt either, nor did her perfectly sized chest would fit in the palms of his hands. He cursed when his hard-on throbbed with sudden want. Without waiting another second, he stepped into the icy water, his teeth chattering, and knew he needed to leave for the weekend. Go out to the ranch and work off this sudden lust before he did something stupid.
Like thinking he could ever get close to a lying, cheating Chadwick, no matter how much she fit the type of woman he looked for.
“Ah, there you are,” Peter exclaimed when Reider finally made an appearance in the state-of-the-art and over-sized kitchen in his parents’ house. “I was worried you’d drowned in the shower.”
Reider rolled his eyes. “Right, and you were worried enough to come check on me. Thanks, Dad, I'm really feeling the love,” he muttered, sticking his head in the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Micah, you ready?”
Janet, Reider’s mom, perked up at the kitchen table, glancing from her son to Micah. “You sure you’re ready to start classes? You know the headmaster said he’d give you a full week if you needed it. No need to push yourself.”
Micah, who looked similar to Reider, though scrawnier and with green eyes that looked like a swamp, shrugged. “I’ll be alright. I think it’ll be good to be out of the house.”
“Well, at least Reider is on campus with you,” Janet told him, glancing pointedly at her son. “If you need anything, he can give you his class schedule so you can find him.”
Reider bit his tongue and smiled. “No problem.”
He liked his cousin, but he wasn’t prepared to play babysitter to someone who was so deep in depression he looked like he was the one who died. The accident that took his parents’ lives had been tragic, and how Micah managed to survive was a miracle, but Reider was uncomfortable around his cousin. He was different now. Even before the accident, he’d noticed a change, and now, it was worse.
At first, it was only going to be temporary, his cousin living with them, but lately, he heard his parents talking about taking him in permanently, at least until he got through school. He was two years behind Reider, and he did not look forward to dealing with his cousin for that long. He considered bringing it up with his parents—the weird way Micah clung to Reider when he was home, being in the same room with him and not saying a word. It took a lot to throw Reider off, but lately Micah managed it with just a look.
“Dad,” Reider said, tucking his water bottle in his messenger bag. “This weekend, think I might head up to the ranch.”
“No can do, son,” Peter said without even glancing up.
“Why not? There’s nothing going on this weekend.”
“No, but I don’t think Micah’s up for traveling to the ranch with you,” Janet informed him, sipping her coffee and raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Besides, I could use some help around here prepping for the charity event next weekend.”
Reider hung his head. “Another one? How many do we have to attend?”
“You’ve never had an issue with them before,” his dad said, shaking out the paper with a frown. “Besides, it’s high time you found yourself a pretty girl you can settle down with. I hear the Chadwick twins are lining up suitors for their sister, and if it’s any of the families I’ve heard whispers of, you best get a move on.”
Reider’s eye twitched as his hand tightened around his jacket. Johanna, being married off by her brothers. For reasons he couldn’t begin to describe, a white-hot pain shot through his chest before he gritted his teeth and said he’d be sure he was around to help.
“And find a date,” his dad called after him. “Dates for both of you!”
Reider didn’t say anything or look at Micah to see if he followed. His Wrangler sat in the driveway, ready for him to jump into and drive off into the vast plains, but as much as he wanted to simply disappear, he threw his stuff into the back and climbed in.
“There’re no doors,” Micah said,
standing on the passenger side and staring at the open space.
“Yeah, I like it that way,” he returned, his tone close to rude. “Be happy the top’s up. If I’d been on time this morning, I would’ve taken it down.” When Micah made no move to get in, Reider sighed. “Listen, I’ll put the doors back on tomorrow, but if you don’t get in now, we’ll be late. You might have an excuse, but I do not.”
Micah rubbed his neck and finally climbed into the Wrangler. Once he was belted in, Reider took off down the drive and out the gated entrance to their street, hopped on Route 34, and sped towards campus. Micah’s hands paled as he gripped the dashboard, and Reider let his foot off the accelerator a little. He didn’t want his cousin having a panic attack on the way to his first day at classes. Neither had said a word the whole trip, and Reider parked in his usual place towards the back. There was less chance of someone hitting his baby than up front.
“Right, you have my cell,” he told Micah as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “If you need me, text, but if I’m in class, I won’t answer right away.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, Reider,” Micah said, sniffing hard.
Reider pushed at his lip with his tongue. “Never said you did, but if you don’t start acting normal, my mom is going to make sure I look after you so you don’t do anything stupid.” He meant it to come out sounding better than it did, but Micah’s face fell as he balled his fists. “They’re worried about you. It’s been weeks. You have to start living your life again.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you later,” he barked and shoved past his cousin, storming off towards campus.
Reider counted to ten in his mind and forced his feet to move away from his Wrangler before he jumped back in and took off for the campus. He hadn’t had his coffee yet, so he checked his watch and used a few of his precious minutes to swing by the campus café and snag one, black with a drop of creamer. He had it all ready to go and put the lid back on when he turned and ran into Johanna, spilling his coffee between them.
“You jackass!” she shrieked, fuming at him.
With coffee burning his hand, Reider did the only thing he could think of. He grinned. “Well, good morning to you too, sunshine.”
She glowered. “You did that on purpose.”
“Yes, I purposely waited here on the off chance you would be getting coffee the same time I was,” he snapped, losing patience.
“I always grab coffee before class,” she snapped. “You, however, do not. Otherwise, I would avoid this area—and thereby you—entirely so you wouldn’t have a chance to do something like this!”
She had a point, but he didn’t admit it. Several people gathered around to watch their exchange, but he was too transfixed by the sight before him to notice them. Her blouse was light pink, and all she had on underneath was a bra, cupping each breast tightly and leaving very little to the imagination.
“You might want to find a different shirt,” he whispered as he leaned towards her.
Her eyes shot down to her chest, and she crossed her arms over her breasts quickly. She looked ready to slap him but stormed away instead, and Reider was disappointed he’d said anything about it to begin with. The view of her storming away was quite nice, though, and his eyes didn’t leave her rear until she turned the corner.
One glance at his watch said he didn’t have time to grab another coffee, so he chugged what little was left in his cup and tossed it, rushing to his first class of the day. Once he slid into his seat and got his notebook out, he took a moment to appreciate the seat he had in the very back of class. The erection bulging in his jeans would be a bit hard to hide, otherwise.
***
Reider’s cell vibrated again in his pocket, and he groaned. The second he saw it was Micah, he turned the thing off and shoved it back in his bag. His cousin had texted him nearly every half hour all day long, and he was ready to track him down and tell him to stop freaking out every two seconds. Reider had stopped reading the messages two hours ago and dreaded the car ride home. He’d never hear the end of how he ignored Micah’s need to be near the one person he could lean on without feeling embarrassed or ashamed all day. Yet this morning, all he’d seen was anger from Micah before he’d walked off to class.
Whatever his cousin was going through, maybe it was time he saw a shrink before he decked Reider out of spite.
He reached the lecture hall for his last class of the day and glanced around, but there was no sign of Johanna yet. He picked his seat in the front row again and waited to see what her move would be. He heard her before he saw her and looked up. When her furious glare struck him, he straightened in his seat and cursed. So much for this being an easy afternoon. She’d changed her blouse and wore a tight black t-shirt instead. Her friend said she would see her after class and went to find her partner, leaving Johanna to approach the seat beside Reider.
“Nice to see you weren’t permanently damaged,” he muttered, lounging back in his seat and meeting her furious glare with one of his own. “Going to stand the whole class?”
“Checking to make sure you don’t have anything else you could spill on me.”
“I think you’re safe,” he grunted.
She dropped her tote to the floor with a thud, nearly hitting his foot, and slid into the open seat. He watched, unable to look away, as she pulled out a notebook and that same pen with the chewed cap. She tapped it on the desk then brought it to her lips and bit down hard on the plastic.
As her lips closed around it, he shifted in his seat, mentally cursing her and those perfect pink lips on the pen instead of somewhere on him. Where the hell did that thought come from? You can’t do this! He pinched his arm and focused on the throbbing pain instead of watching whatever Johanna did beside him. Thankfully, Professor Ashford walked in and greeted the class warmly. His gaze lingered on Reider and Johanna for a moment, and he smirked.
“Now then, if you’ve all had a chance to introduce yourselves to your partners, we’ll begin today’s lesson. Towards the end, I’ll give you a little time to go over exactly what is expected of you both,” Ashford told them.
Reider prepared for an hour of boredom as Ashford started his lecture. His eyes were drawn to Johanna again. Her pen rarely left her paper as she jotted down nearly every word Ashford said. He smiled and settled back in his chair. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he didn’t have to take notes the whole semester. Every time she glanced his way, he made sure to glare so she wouldn’t see what he was really thinking about with her sitting so close. The hour ticked by, and Reider found himself doodling in his notebook in a furious effort to stop thinking about Johanna’s breasts with their perky nipples or the dreams returning to his mind.
When Ashford clapped his hands and told them they had the remaining time to look through the assignment and make plans with their partners, Reider needed the time to readjust himself before he could stand again.
Johanna stuck her pen in her mouth, chewing on the cap as she flipped back through her notes. When her gaze landed on his blank sheet of paper, minus the scribbles, her face fell and reddened. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Seriously? You didn’t take a single note?”
“Why should I when you’re over there zooming through it?” he said. “I’ll snag whatever I need from you.”
“Like hell you will,” she muttered and slammed her notebook shut.
He shrugged as if it didn’t matter and leaned closer. He flipped open the packet of papers they got Monday as she did the same. He read over each assignment briefly, and the good mood fantasies of Johanna put him in earlier disappeared in a shot.
“This is going to take hours to finish,” he said. “Outside of class.”
She nodded and chewed on her pen. He didn’t want to feel anything but contempt for this woman, or the heat pouring through his body from checking her out, but when the fire disappeared from her eyes and was replaced with worry, he couldn’t stop the ghost of sympathy filling him.
“We’ll have to f
ind a place to meet outside of town,” he told her firmly. “Somewhere neither of our families will see us.”
“Still,” she said quietly, “this is a ton of work. There’s no way they won’t find out.”
“We have to be careful,” he warned. “I’ll give you my number, but don’t save it in your cell. We’ll keep it pretty far out, a place they wouldn’t expect us to go.”
She nodded. “Perfect. Looks like our first assignment is due in two weeks. Want to meet this weekend?”
“Can’t,” he said. “Might be better to keep our meetings during the week, anyway.”
“Why’s that?” she asked sharply.
“How easy is it for you to disappear from your brothers on the weekend?” he asked, looking her in the eye. The words were harsh, and when he caught the glimmer of pain dance over her face, he frowned, mentally kicking himself. She’s a Chadwick, he reminded himself hotly. You don’t care about her emotions, you idiot.
“Not easy. You’re right, during the week is better,” she replied quietly. “I’ll text you a place and time, say next Wednesday?”
They exchanged numbers, and as they packed up in silence, Reider did his best to keep his mouth shut, telling himself he didn’t care about the woman beside him. Not in the least, but the question slipped out before he could catch it. “Rumors are going around that your brothers are setting you up with a future husband. How’s that going?”
Her hands stilled, and a tremor passed over her body. Ashford announced that class had ended and they could leave. Johanna slid out of her seat and stood, slinging her tote angrily onto her shoulder and nearly whacking him in the face in the process.
“Let’s make one thing clear, Reider,” she snapped. “We are only partnering to get through this class, pass, and graduate. I don’t care about your life, and if you ask me anything like that again, I will ram my pen into your eye socket. Got it? See you Friday.”
She stormed out of the room before he could say another word, not even waiting for her friend, who rushed after Johanna after shooting Reider a glare. He slammed his things back in his bag and ignored Tommy when he called out for him to wait up. Reider needed a drink… a few drinks. Once he was out the door, he turned his cell back on and wished he hadn’t. There were messages from Micah and a few voicemails saying he was ready to leave an hour ago. He had texted Micah his schedule earlier and tucked his cell away after texting his cousin back, saying to meet him at the Wrangler.
