by Ali Parker
“So,” I said. “You want to grab dinner with my parents later? Before I cram for my calculus test?”
I felt Talon’s body stiffen against mine. “Hmm, tonight is no good for me. I’ve got a few errands to run.”
I pulled away from him, and his arm slid from my shoulder. “Errands? Really?”
“Yeah, it’s no big deal, but I don’t know how long it’s gonna take. I don’t want you and your parents waiting around for me. Plus, I’ll be out of your hair so you can focus on your Calc studying.”
I nodded, but something felt off about the whole thing. I’d felt the way he tightened up when I asked him about dinner. It was like he’d gotten nervous. What the hell was going on?
He walked me the rest of the way to my class, talking about random stuff. I was only half-listening. My thoughts were preoccupied with wondering what was happening with Talon. It felt like he’d been a lot more secretive lately. Like he was holding something back from me, which he’d never done before.
We said goodbye, and I walked into the review session. My best friend Katie was already sitting there with her notes out. She waved me over when she saw me walk in.
“What’s up, slut?” she asked happily when I sat beside her.
When I didn’t smile, laugh, or come back at her with an equally offensive name, her smiled faded, and her brow furrowed.
“Uh oh,” she said. “Is something up? Did you bomb your sociology final?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not the final, although lord only knows how I did on that.”
“Then what’s up?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, sighing. “I’m just being stupid.”
“Well, that’s nothing new,” she said, grinning.
“Ass,” I said, smiling back at her.
Katie always knew how to brighten my mood. We’d gotten randomly paired up as roommates freshman year, and we became instant friends. We’d lived together until the beginning of our junior year when I moved in with Talon.
“Come on, spill it before the review gets started,” she said. “Professor Math is already gearing up for a bore-a-thon.”
I laughed. “You know that’s not his name.”
She made a face. “Well, his name is long and Russian, and there’s no point in learning how to pronounce it now. And stop trying to change the subject.”
“It’s probably nothing,” I said. “I just keep getting this feeling that Talon is acting strangely recently.”
“Oh no,” she said. “Trouble in paradise? I refuse to believe it. You two are so in love with each other, it kind of makes me sick.”
“I know,” I said. “I think I’m just jumping at shadows. With finals and my parents here, I’m just tightly wound up.”
She nodded. “That’ll do it. Is there anything specific that’s freaking you out? Lipstick on the collar? Unfamiliar panties in the laundry? Maybe a new Tinder account?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, nothing like that. I don’t know. Like, last night, he kind of freaked out when my dad asked us if we were going to get married.”
Katie giggled. “Fucking Bob, dropping the marriage bomb on you guys.”
“Yeah,” I said, laughing. “Talk about awkward.”
“So you’re telling me Talon, a man, is uncomfortable talking about commitment?” she asked. “Because no man in history has ever freaked out about that.”
I snorted a laugh. “Yeah, fair enough. But I don’t know. When I asked Talon about grabbing dinner tonight, he said he had to go run errands or something. I felt like he was making up an excuse.”
Katie looked at me like she was expecting me to say something else. When I didn’t, she tilted her head at me in confusion.
“Is that it?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You’re right,” she said.
“About Talon acting weird?”
“No, about you being stupid,” she said. “Everything sounds normal to me. I don’t see any reason to freak out about anything yet.”
I nodded, even though the twisting feeling in my stomach refused to go away.
Chapter 3
Talon
I waited outside of Charlotte’s review session. It was due to let out any minute. While she was there, I’d gone to the Starbucks at the student center and studied for my chemistry final tomorrow. I hated chemistry, but it was the last science class I would ever take in college, and in life, I hoped.
Before I left to meet up with Charlotte, I grabbed an Americano for her. Three sugars. No cream. It was her favorite, and after being up most of the night last night, I was sure she could use the pick me up.
Plus, I figured it couldn’t hurt to butter her up a little. I felt bad about making up an excuse to get out of dinner with her parents, but it had to be done. After talking with Julie earlier, I had big plans for the evening, and tonight would be one of the few nights I could get away from Charlotte and her parents without anyone getting suspicious.
I hated lying to Charlotte, but with everything going on in my life, I didn’t have much of a choice. With the way our relationship was going, it was just time. And hiding it from Charlotte was for her own good. It was just better this way for everyone involved.
Still, keeping secrets from her meant it was weird to be around her sometimes. She knew me well, and she could tell when something was bothering me. It was one of the things that made her so great, but it also made it difficult to do anything behind her back. I just had to make it until after Christmas. It would all be over then, and she would know everything.
Charlotte and Katie came walking out of the classroom with their heads bent together, whispering about something. I didn’t think anything of it until Katie shot me a judgmental look. Oh, shit. Were they talking about me? Had Charlotte noticed how I was acting? She had seen me talking to Julie, after all. If she was worried about my behavior enough to tell Katie about it, then I might be in serious trouble.
I pretended like I didn’t notice. I smiled at them and held out the cup of coffee to Charlotte. Her eyes lit up when she saw it.
“An Americano?” she asked.
I nodded. “Three sugars. No cream. Just how my princess likes it.”
Charlotte smiled, and Katie rolled her eyes. “Get a room, you two,” she said.
“Good to see you, too, Katie,” I said.
Charlotte took the coffee from me gratefully. “Thank you, Talon. This is exactly what I needed.”
“I figured, after a pulse-pounding calculus review session,” I said.
“It was actually helpful,” Charlotte said. “Now I know what to focus on when I study tonight.”
“Speak for yourself,” Katie said. “It’s still gibberish to me. I’m gonna have to sleep with Professor Math to pass this class.”
I looked at her and then at Charlotte. “Who is Professor Math?”
Charlotte grinned and shook her head. “No one. Are you ready to go?”
“Ready when you are,” I said.
Charlotte turned back to Katie. “See you tomorrow, bright and early,” Charlotte said.
“Not if I quit school and run away to join the circus,” Katie said seriously.
“I thought they got rid of freak shows in the circus,” I said, smiling.
Katie laughed and shot me the finger. She turned to walk away and called out over her shoulder, “Congrats on the upcoming nuptials!”
My heart froze in my chest. Charlotte shot her a glowering look, but Katie didn’t see it. She was already gone. Charlotte looked up at me nervously.
“What is she talking about?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound as jittery as I felt.
“Nothing,” Charlotte said, turning and walking in the direction of the parking lot. “I just told her about what my dad asked us last night.”
I followed her. “You told her about that?”
“Yeah, just in passing,” she said. “I told her it was super awkward.”
“It wasn’t that awkward,” I said,
even though it totally had been.
“Well, it was a little awkward,” Charlotte said. “But anyway, I think she was just trying to mess with you, after that ‘freak show’ comment.”
I chuckled to myself. “Come on, that was funny.”
Charlotte smiled. “It was kind of funny, but kind of mean.”
“Oh, come on,” I said, laughing. “Katie has said way worse things to me. She called me ‘Twatzilla’ once. Completely unprovoked, I might add.”
Charlotte giggled. “I remember that.”
“So, it’s just our thing. We break each other’s balls. She’s like a sister to me at this point.”
“Oh, yeah?” Charlotte asked, eying me. “So, you’re saying my best friend is like family to you?”
I was puzzled by the oddly specific question. “Yeah, I guess so. Why are you looking at me like that, weirdo?”
Her face broke out in a secretive smile. I had no idea what was going on in that pretty little head of hers, but it seemed like whatever I’d said pleased her somehow. So, I didn’t pursue it.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get out of here.”
We headed back to the apartment. Neither of us said much. I was lost in my own tangled thoughts, and Charlotte was probably just thinking about math formulas and equations that I would never understand.
When we got inside, Charlotte collapsed on the couch, sighing happily. “It’s good to be home.”
I sat down beside her. “Yeah, I hate spending all day at school. It’s only five o’clock, and it’s already dark outside. It feels like the whole day is gone.”
“It’s that late already?” she asked. “I need to call my mom and see what the deal is for dinner. Are you sure I can’t persuade you to come with us?”
I sighed and got up from the couch. “You know I hate saying no to you, but I can’t tonight.”
She looked down at her lap. “Right. You have errands to run.”
I nodded. “I do. Speaking of which, I should head out soon. Tell your parents I’m sorry, but that I’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Fine,” she said, but the tone of her voice told me it was anything but fine.
I didn’t have the time or the energy to talk about this right now. I headed into the bedroom and opened up the closet. The clothes I was wearing were my normal beat up jeans and t-shirt, but they wouldn’t work for tonight. I didn’t have to get dressed up or anything, but I sure as hell didn’t want to look like a bum, either.
Of course, I had to be careful about getting too dressed up. I wanted to look nice, but I didn’t want Charlotte to notice my wardrobe change and question me about it. That would just lead to a discussion—or a fight—that I didn’t feel like having.
I got undressed and threw on a less faded pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater that made my blue eyes pop. Charlotte had gotten it for me last Christmas, and I knew I looked damn good in it. I took a quick look in the mirror. The outfit would work. I ran a hand through my dark hair a few times, getting it just the right mix of styled and messy.
Perfect.
I paused at the bedroom door and listened. Charlotte was still in the living room, talking on the phone with her mother. Now was the perfect time to leave, while she was distracted. I grabbed my coat and held it at my side so Charlotte wouldn’t get a good look at my clothes. Then, I hurried out of the bedroom to the front door.
“I’m heading out,” I said quickly. “Be back later.”
Before Charlotte had a chance to respond, I was outside with the door closed behind me. I paused and took a deep, shaky breath.
My neighbor, Zak, was walking up the stairs with a hot little brunette sashaying behind him. Like most of the people in these apartments, he went to school with us. The guy had a new girl on his arm every week. He reminded me of myself before I met Charlotte. Always keeping things casual, playing the field, and bedding more than my share of college cuties.
That had been a long time ago. Charlotte had come into my life, and nothing had ever been the same since.
Zak nodded at me and grinned, almost proudly. We weren’t friends exactly, but we spoke on occasion. He was kind of a douche bag, and I wondered if that was what I’d been like before Charlotte.
I nodded back at him. “I see you’re studying hard for finals.”
He laughed. “Something’s gonna be hard tonight. That’s for sure.”
The girl behind him giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world. Well, they seemed perfect for one another. I let them pass and then headed down the stairs, putting Zak out of my mind and focusing on the errand I had to run. With any luck, I could make things quick and be back before Charlotte got home from dinner. Things would be better that way.
Chapter 4
Charlotte
Talon was just stepping out of the shower when I got back from having dinner with my parents.
“You’re already home?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, things went quicker than I expected. Which is good, because that chemistry final tomorrow is gonna be rough. I’ve got a ton of studying to do before I can even think about getting some sleep.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I said, pausing. “So, can you tell me what the errands were? Now that they’re done?”
He tented his hands together like a scheming supervillain. “It’s a secret, my dear.”
I looked at him skeptically. “Is that right? And this secret. You had to take a shower afterward?”
His eyes widened, and then he grinned. “You caught me. I didn’t want to tell you this before, but Christmas gifts are expensive. So I’ve joined an underground fight club to make extra money.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. You’ve never been in a fight in your life.”
“Actually, that’s not true,” he said. “I’ve been in exactly one fight. With Millie Gardener in the second grade. She whipped my ass for tugging on her ponytail. But whatever, I held my own.”
He dropped into a fighting stance, bobbing on the balls of his feet and punching the air. Wrapped in just a towel, his hard, muscular body flexed with every movement, filling my stomach with a fluttering heat.
Even after four years together, Talon still had a rocking body. If anything, he looked better now than when we first got together. His body was thicker and stronger now, making him look like a man, instead of a boy. His broad shoulders tapered down to his chiseled waist, where his abs formed a V-shape like an arrow pointing to his thick, meaty cock.
The sight of his rock-hard physique still made me dizzy with lust, and I felt an ache between my legs, begging for attention. If I wasn’t feeling so conflicted about what he’d been up to, I would have pushed him onto the bed and had my way with him.
Instead, I smiled and shook my head at him. It was impossible to stay mad at him. Whatever secrets he was keeping from me, Talon was still as charming as the day we’d met. Still, I wasn’t going to let that charm distract me from my question.
One of the major signs that a person was cheating was them taking showers immediately after they got home. So they could wash off the smell of the other person. I hated to even imagine Talon could do something like that to me, but that was why I needed him to tell me the truth.
“For real, though,” I said. “What’s with the shower?”
He walked over and wrapped his arms around me. Despite myself, I leaned my head against his chest, comforted by his strength.
“Fine, I wasn’t at my fight club,” he said. “I’m just tired as hell, and I need to study. So, I took a shower to wake myself up. I also made a fresh pot of coffee—I figured you could use some, too—and I bought some of those pecan bars that you like on the way home. If caffeine, sugar, and a shower can’t get me through the night, nothing will.”
I frowned. I was torn between trusting him like I always had, and giving in to the uneasy feelings churning in my gut. Talon had never given me any reason to doubt him before, but then again, he’d never kept secrets from me before.
&nb
sp; I didn’t like this new side to Talon. It wasn’t like him at all, and it was making me doubt our entire relationship. I’d been cheated on by ex-boyfriends before, and I’d had trouble trusting guys ever since. In fact, I didn’t think I could ever open myself up to another man and let myself fall in love until I met Talon. If he hurt me, too, I didn’t think I would ever recover. I’d never be able to trust another man again.
But his explanation and the feeling of his strong arms holding me tight eased my fears enough so that I wasn’t mad at him. Whatever he was up to, I had to force myself to have faith in him. I couldn’t let my imagination start running wild with crazy theories about betrayal and cheating. That way lies madness.
