by C. Morgan
He chuckled behind the beam, which was not only blinding me but also preventing me from getting the name of the man who could stir shit up for me if he really wanted to. Better make it clear to him that he doesn’t want to.
“If you want to keep your job, I suggest you let me go,” I said before he could answer the question I’d asked a second ago. “Right the fuck now.”
“Really?” he asked, and even in my less-than-sober state, I heard the amusement in his tone. “Why’s that? I’m going to need to see some ID, son. There are so many alcohol fumes coming off you, it could get me drunk but it doesn’t look to me like you’re quite twenty-one.”
My ID was in my wallet, which was in my pocket. But that was my real ID. The one that would tell him that he was right. I wasn’t twenty-one yet. Getting a fake ID was on my to-do list, but I hadn’t exactly gotten around to it on my first fucking day.
Which meant I was going to have to play this a different way. I thrust my chin into the air and stared the guy down—even though the fucking light was still blinding me. It didn’t matter, though. I didn’t need to actually see him to intimate him. It was all in the expression, and it was one I wore well enough that I knew I could pull it off even in this state.
“Don’ t you know who the hell I am?” I asked, allowing a smirk to tug at the edges of my lips as I kept my gaze locked on where I hoped the man’s eyes were. “Trust me, rent-a-cop. I’m not the guy you want to fuck with.”
Chapter 4
HADLEY
Ruby wasn’t great company. She’d studiously ignored me while I’d moved in the rest of my things, only looking up every once in a while to sigh at me while I’d been unpacking. While I’d tried to move around as quietly as possible, it seemed like I’d still been disturbing her anyway, judging by the looks she kept throwing my way.
Eventually after all my things were put away, I decided to leave her be. As I’d unpacked my books and stationery, setting it all up on my desk, I’d hoped something would catch her eye. I thought that, just maybe, we might discover a mutual love of stationery and that it would help her warm to me.
She’d glanced up a few times while I’d been arranging it all, but she hadn’t taken any interest in it whatsoever. My hopes of having epic study sessions with her were all but dashed at this point.
A small part of me was holding out hope that things would get better with time. But in the meantime, I refused to sit around my room and mope. Instead of dwelling on my college-roommate fantasy not having panned out, I went to explore the grounds.
Most of the campus was private property and the town itself was well secured with guards ensuring that students roaming around were safe. The grounds and town were well lit, and there were enough other people around that I wasn’t worried about walking around by myself.
It was nearly midnight, but there was music thumping in the distance and a festive atmosphere in the air. I breathed in the cool air, burrowing my hands further into my pockets as I walked. The campus was beautiful at night with well-positioned lights shining on some of the buildings and statues, stars visible through the gnarled old branches overhead, and manicured lawns stretching between the cobblestone paths.
It was everything I’d always dreamed about, except for the fact that I was exploring it alone. With my hectic schedule over the last few years, I’d gotten used to not really having time for friends but I’d also almost never been alone.
Between my parents and brother at home, my little sister in the Big Sister program, my coworkers at the mall, and my regular study groups, there had always been people around me. There was a certain sense of freedom that came with being alone now, but I still wished there was someone for me to talk to. The university and its campus had so much history that I’d memorized, and it would’ve been nice to share what I’d learned with someone.
Oh, get over it. There will be plenty of time to make friends.
I’d left my campus map back in my room, but I figured I could retrace my steps back to the dorm easily enough. Wandering around aimlessly was more relaxing than I thought it would be. Or at least it had been, but that was only until I rounded a corner and stumbled into an altercation between a security guard and a student.
The student was being loud and obnoxious, clearly intoxicated. He was also being pretty haughty and aggressive, though. A fact which clearly wasn’t lost on the security guard as the guy took a menacing step forward.
The guard reached behind him, the beam of his flashlight moving up and down the student’s body as he checked whether the guy might be reaching for something that could be used as a weapon. They were arguing, with both their voices rising with almost every word they spoke. Unless I was very much mistaken, it looked like things were on the brink of getting physical.
“Try it, asshole,” the guy snarled. “If you do, you’ll be handing in your fake badge and gun before dawn.”
Something deep inside me pricked with recognition when I heard the student’s voice. It made no sense since I didn’t know anyone on campus, but there was a familiarity in the smooth richness of that voice that I couldn’t shake but I also couldn’t place.
I stilled in the shadow of the nearest building, about to get the heck out of there when the guard’s light traveled back up to the guy’s face. Even at a distance, I recognized him instantly.
Daxton Breyer.
I hadn’t seen him since… Well, since his last day in the middle of tenth grade when everything had fallen apart.
My heart started slamming in my chest and I blinked hard, staring at him from the shadows like a freak while trying to confirm what I already knew to be true.
He’d grown since the day he’d left, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was him. Some people—some faces—were just so unforgettable that even seeing them just once would mean remembering them for life.
Dax had one of those faces, but even if he hadn’t had one, I’d still spent enough hours with him that said face was permanently burned into my brain. I could’ve lived to be a thousand years old without ever having seen him again in between, and I’d still have been able to pick him out of a crowd.
The guard’s beam lingered on Dax, illuminating the man who’d once been the boy who used to be my best friend. He’d always been heart-stoppingly beautiful, and age hadn’t made him any less so.
His golden blond hair was longer than it used to be, accentuating the slight curl to it that gave him a distinctive surfer look. It was cold out, but judging by the way he was slurring and swaying, I assumed he had enough alcohol in his bloodstream that he didn’t feel the chill in the air.
Whether he felt it or not, he wasn’t dressed for colder weather in a fitted black short-sleeved T-shirt. With his arms bare and the deep V in his neckline, it was easy to see that his skin was tanned almost to the point of being a light caramel.
I couldn’t see them right now but I imagined that those piercing, bright blue eyes of his probably sparkled even more now that he was so tanned. Standing at just over six feet with his toned swimmer’s build, he really was something to look at.
There was an air of masculinity about him that never used to be there. It was in the sharp cut of his features and the angular planes of his body.
As he moved, I stood as entranced as I would’ve been if I’d been watching my favorite sport. Not that I had a favorite sport, but there had been a time when I might as well have turned staring at Dax into one. I’d done it enough that I certainly would’ve qualified for a team jersey or something.
“You might want to stop threatening me, boy,” the guard growled. “You rich kids always think you can get away with everything, but I’m still going to need to see some ID. The law is the law.”
My spine shot ramrod straight as I shook myself out of the shock of seeing Daxton in the last place I ever expected to. A wave of guilt and shame washed over me when I thought back to the last time I’d seen him.
I hadn’t handled things well at all, but maybe this was an o
pportunity to make it up to him. He needed help. Dax was nineteen, just like me. If the guard forced him to show him his ID, he’d be busted for underage drinking. It was obvious to me that he didn’t have a fake ID with him, or he would’ve shown it to the guard ages ago and been on his merry way.
If he even remembered who I was, he wouldn’t thank me for swooping in to save him. Not after the way we’d left things. I still had to try, though. The guard wasn’t messing around and I owed Dax at least a try.
Mind made up, I ran my hands through my hair to smooth it down and swiped my tongue over my lips. I’d have preferred to look like a million bucks when I saw Dax again, but the campus grunge look was going to have to do.
Making a beeline for him and the guard, I went right to his side like I belonged there and linked my arm through his. I raised my other hand to shield my eyes from the guard’s flashlight and smiled up at Dax indulgently.
“There you are, baby,” I said, injecting as much relief as I could muster into my voice. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
His body stiffened next to mine, but he didn’t move away or shake my arm free of his. Somehow, he even managed to mask his surprise at a random girl attaching herself to him. He pulled me closer, lowering his head to press it against the top of mine for a second.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I came out for some fresh air and Superman over here decided that I was the villain in tonight’s story.”
The guard released a deep huff from behind his bright light. “You should move along, miss. Your boyfriend isn’t cooperating, so I’m going to need to take him down to the security office.”
Ooof. A visit to the security office in the first week wouldn’t look good on anyone’s record. Time to turn on the charm.
Shifting my body to face Dax’s but keeping my head facing toward the guard, I flashed my sweetest smile and made my eyes big and apologetic. “I’m so sorry, sir. He doesn’t mean any harm. I know he can come across as a bit of an ass, but he’s a really good guy.”
The guard snorted. “Good guy or not, I can smell the alcohol coming off him and he’s refusing to provide me with his ID.”
“That’s because he left his wallet in his room,” I lied smoothly. “We were having some champagne to celebrate being back here for our final year, but he’s not a big drinker so even a bit of bubbles goes right to his head. He wandered off while I was helping out some freshman.”
“If he doesn’t have his wallet with him, why didn’t he just say so?” the guard asked, clearly not believing me.
Crap. I’m really going to have to sell this. I forced an edge of exasperation into my smile, glancing at Dax before looking back at the guard and leaning forward a little like I was about to take him into my confidence.
“When I say he’s not a big drinker, I mean that he’s really not a big drinker,” I said softly, speaking directly to the guard. “It’s doubtful that he even understood what you were asking him. He definitely won’t remember any of this in the morning.”
“He understood well enough to threaten me,” the guard scoffed. “Where’s his room? I’ll follow you there and you can get me his ID.”
“We’re in Edgewater Halls,” I said. “I’ll take him back there and give him a scolding. This won’t happen again, sir. I never should’ve asked him to drink the champagne with me. I promise I’ll keep him in line and I’ll make sure he goes straight back to sleep it off.”
For a long minute, the guard didn’t respond. Just when I thought he was going to insist on walking back with us, he sighed and finally lowered his darn flashlight.
“Fine, I’ll let you go,” he said, then held up his hand. “On one condition. If I see either of you out here again tonight, you’re both going to the security office with me. No more chances.”
“No more chances,” I repeated after him as solemnly as if I was taking an oath. “We promise you won’t see us again, sir. Thank you so much.”
Dax relaxed slightly beside me, scowling at the guard before he simply nodded and started pulling me away. I exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. This probably wouldn’t make up for everything that’d happened back in high school, but it should count for something at least.
If Daxton Breyer and I were going to be on this campus, I wanted to know that things were all good between us. If not, we were both stubborn enough that there would end up being an all-out war, and that was the last damn thing I needed to kick off my freshman year.
Chapter 5
DAXTON
“I can’t believe you’re here,” the girl said quietly as we walked away from the wannabe cop. “You must be loving the campus. Isn’t it incredible? I think it’s incredible. When did you get in? I only got here earlier today, so there hasn’t been too much time to explore, but I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of it.”
Who the hell is this chick? My head was still way too fuzzy to keep up with her. In my opinion, she was too chatty to have to put up with in my state.
She’d saved my ass, sure, but I’d also let her hang all over me, so I was pretty sure we were square. Before I could even begin to formulate any response to anything she’d said, she kept right on gushing.
“What are the odds of us both ending up here? I mean, obviously it’s one of the best universities in the country, but there are so many others we could’ve gone to. The odds can’t have been great for us to both be here, and to run into each other on the first day.”
Jesus. She’s making my head hurt. “Actually, the odds of me coming here have always been excellent. My father practically guaranteed it.” Regardless of the fact that I was still hammered and slurring, I smirked just fine. At least, I thought it looked normal and not too sloppy. “I’m a legacy at Sigma Xi Delta and I’ve been on track for the Finance program here since junior high. I don’t know about you, but I was always going to end up here.”
“You don’t know about me?” she asked after the only beat of silence there had been since we’d walked away from the security guard. “Really?”
In the back of my mind, it occurred to me that she seemed put out by me, but that couldn’t be right. I hadn’t done anything to her and I hadn’t asked her to intervene with that guard either. In fact, I had no idea why she’d jumped in to help some stranger, but I appreciated the fact that she did.
“Yeah, really,” I said, pulling my arm free of hers to snake it around her waist instead. “Just because I don’t know about you now doesn’t mean I don’t want to know about you, though.”
There was suddenly an undertone of lust in my voice that was so potent even I could hear it, but why not? It had been a long day and a little stress release wouldn’t hurt either of us. Besides, from what little I could see of her between my double vision and the low light, she seemed hot enough to be my maiden fuck at Edgewater U.
She was curvy and thick, with smaller boobs and a bigger butt. Long, thick black hair tickled my forearm where my arm rested around her waist, and her eyes were a dark brown that reminded me of a chocolate fountain.
Fuck, I could do with a chocolate fountain right about now. I almost groaned at the mere thought of it.
“Are you seriously coming onto me?” she asked, sounding completely incredulous.
I shrugged, glancing down at her before realizing that moving my eyes that fast was a bad idea. “Sure. I owe you one but all I said was that I could get to know you even if I don’t know you now. Technically, I haven’t come onto you yet.”
“Yet?” Her voice raised an octave or two as she asked the question. “Does that mean you’re going to try?”
“I don’t try, baby. I succeed,” I slurred. “You’re already walking me back to the frat house and you told that guard you’d stay with me tonight to keep me out of trouble. What do you say you and I cause trouble together in my bed instead?”
“Did you really just ask me that?” she muttered with the strangest mix of disbelief, disgust, and amusement in her voice. “I didn’t even know people used lin
es like that in real life.”
“It’s not a line.” I laughed and raised my free hand in surrender. “Okay, maybe it was a line, but it’s also true. You did me a solid back there and I want to return the favor.”
“You think you’d be doing me a favor by taking me back to your room?” A soft exhale came from her as we passed in front of a well-lit building, and I could’ve sworn she seemed disappointed. “Also, for the record, I wasn’t walking you back to your frat house. I was just walking away from the guard.”
“The house isn’t far from here.” I shrugged, tightening my grip on her waist as I bent my head down to speak the next words into her ear. “The favor wouldn’t be taking you back to my room. It’s what I’m going to do to you when we get there.”
“Oh, wow. You really went there.” She ducked out of my grip and shoved her hands into her pockets.
I frowned when I realized I’d had the opposite effect on her that I’d meant to, but maybe she was just a shy one. “Of course, I went there. I’ll go anywhere you want me to go with you all night long.”
“All night long, huh?” She glanced at me, peering up from between thick lashes as she pressed her lips together.
“All night long,” I repeated confidently, assuming that she was starting to come around. “My name is Dax, by the way. Just so you know what you’ll be screaming later.”
“Who the hell are you?” she mused softly, but I heard her.
I laughed, holding out my hand toward her. “Daxton Breyer. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.” She shook her head. “That wasn’t what I meant. Where’s this frat house? I need to get back to the dorms before that guard sees me again.”
“It’s right down there,” I said, then pulled up short in front of one of the houses about a block away from mine. “Hold up. Are you saying you’re not going to come to my room with me when we get there? Maybe we should get you a drink. That’ll loosen you up a little.”
