Graduating (Covenant College Book 5)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “If you ever try touching her again, I’ll kill you,” Aric warned. “You got off lucky last spring. There was a lot going on. I was distracted. I’m not distracted now.”

  Aric applied more pressure to Will’s closed fist, the unmistakable sound of bones breaking filling the night air.

  “If you ever look at her again,” Aric growled. “If you ever even look at her, I’ll kill you.”

  Brittany’s self-righteous indignation had turned to fear. “Will?”

  “I’ll kill you, and I won’t look back,” Aric continued. “I know what you are. I know what you’re trying to build here. And, yes, I know what you’re doing with Reagan. You’re never going to be in power, Will. You’re never going to be higher than you are now.

  “The sad thing is, you think you can take control here,” he said. “You think you’re somehow better than you are. All you are is the guy who lost the amulet. All you are is a guy who lost the girl you’re so desperate to get back.

  “And, yeah, I know you want her back,” Aric said. “I know you probably cry at night because you lost her – especially given all you know now. You’re desperately trying to figure out a way to fix things. That’s why you’re with Brittany – even though that has backfired. You can never get her back, though. You can never be more than you are.”

  I was worried. There was a part of me that thought Aric might kill him right here. I reached over, putting my hand on Aric’s tense bicep to still him. “He’s not worth it,” I said.

  The nerve in Aric’s jaw was twitching, but he finally relented and let Will’s hand go. Will cried out in relief – which made my pity him all the more – and cradled his injured hand to his chest.

  Aric shook his head, his eyes finally clearing, and he focused on me. “Let’s go,” he said. “We’re done here. We’re not coming back.”

  November

  Twelve

  “I can’t believe you’re actually instituting date night.”

  It was Sunday, and Aric was trying to focus on anything but the job he hated, while I was trying to pretend the party at Alpha Chi two days before wasn’t still haunting me. The outcome – for both of us – was mixed.

  “It’s not date night,” Aric protested, giving me a look. “Old people have date night. This is just a chance for us to spend some time together.”

  We were waiting for a table to open at a local restaurant, and my growling stomach told me the wait had better not be too long. The lobby of the restaurant had been busy a few minutes before, but the hostess was moving people to tables quickly. I had hope.

  “If you don’t want to stay at the house with me, you don’t have to,” I said. “I know having that many girls around is annoying to you – especially since Kate won’t stop flirting.”

  Aric smirked. “That doesn’t bother me.”

  “Well, it bothers me.”

  “I know,” Aric said, reaching over to squeeze my thigh. “That’s why it doesn’t bother me.”

  “You like that I’m jealous?” I hated the feeling, but I could admit it. Kate’s interest in Aric was almost more than I could bear.

  “I like that you love me,” Aric said. “The jealousy is just an added benefit.”

  “Well, I don’t like that I’m jealous,” I admitted.

  “Why not?”

  “It bugs me that I’m not secure enough to just let it go,” I said.

  Aric shot me a curious look. “What are you insecure about?”

  “Not you,” I said hurriedly. “I know you love me. I know I love you. I don’t think you would ever cheat on me.”

  Aric smiled reassuringly. “I would never cheat on you. Never. There’s not anyone that even remotely piques my interest. I need you to be secure in that.”

  “I know,” I said. “It still bugs me that Kate fawning all over you gives me this … twinge in my chest.”

  Aric frowned. “Twinge?”

  “I’m pathetic,” I said. “I know it. You don’t have to get off on it.”

  “I’m not getting off on it,” he said. “I’m just curious. What does this twinge feel like?”

  “It’s like a pain,” I said, moving my head so he couldn’t see my face. “I know in my heart you would never hurt me, and yet I want to beat her face in every time she flirts with you.”

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, I want to beat Scott’s face in every time I come to the house and find you playing euchre with him,” Aric said.

  I snorted. “We’re just playing cards. I’m not interested in him. If I was interested in him, I could’ve had him last year. Instead, I was too busy mooning over you.”

  “And that’s why I don’t beat his face in,” Aric said. “I know you would never cheat on me. It’s not in you.”

  “So, why am I so pathetic?” I asked.

  “You’re not pathetic,” Aric said. “You see Kate as moving in on your property. It’s normal.”

  “Maybe in wolf world,” I said. “It’s not normal in my world. I feel … irrational. She just won’t stop touching you.”

  Aric knit his eyebrows together. “What?”

  “It’s a girl thing,” I explained. “When a girl is trying to anchor a man’s feelings for her, she touches him. It might just be a touch on the arm,” I said, demonstrating for emphasis. “Or, it might just be a pat on the shoulder, but it’s there. Every time she touches you, I want to smack her.”

  “I guess I never noticed,” Aric said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “I mean, I notice when people touch you. I guess I don’t notice when they touch me.”

  “Who touches me?”

  “Um, Scott.”

  “No, he doesn’t.”

  “Yes, he does,” Aric said. “He’s always putting his hand on your shoulder and brushing up against you. He’s hoping I won’t notice, but I notice.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” I said. “I’ve never once noticed him touching me.”

  “And I’ve never once noticed Kate touching me,” Aric said. “In fact, the only one I’ve ever noticed touching me is you.”

  Well, that was interesting. “Why do you think that is?”

  “Because we’re in tune with each other,” Aric said. “Everyone else ceases to exist. We’re in our own little bubble.”

  “I know Scott exists,” I scoffed. “I just don’t think he exists in my romantic … um … scope.”

  “Yes, but for me, he does exist in your romantic scope,” Aric countered. “I notice every time he even thinks of touching you.”

  “And I notice every time Kate touches you,” I mused. “Maybe we’re sick.”

  “Or maybe we’re just in our own little world,” Aric said.

  “You’re kind of … romantic,” I said.

  “I’m not romantic,” Aric said. “Men aren’t romantic.”

  “You are,” I said. “You’re romantic and sappy.”

  “And you have deep thoughts,” Aric shot back. “You’re not as immune to this whole thing as you think you are.”

  He had a point. “Well, I say we take your sap and my deep thoughts, get a good dinner, and then go and explore these emotions back at your place.”

  Aric smiled. “You had me at dinner.”

  I frowned. “That romance-and-sap thing you have comes and goes.”

  “DO YOU care if I get the prime rib?”

  We’d finally been seated, and were now perusing the menu. I had money, but Aric seemed to have an endless stream of it. Sometimes I felt like I was taking advantage of his generosity.

  “I’m getting the prime rib,” Aric said. “Why would I care if you get it?”

  I bit my lower lip. “Well, it’s expensive.”

  “So?”

  “I … I’ll just get something else.”

  Aric frowned. “Get the prime rib.”

  “I feel guilty about the money you spend on me sometimes,” I admitted.

  “Well, don’t,” Aric said. “I have tons of money. I have more money than I know what to do with. Don
’t feel guilty.”

  The waitress chose that moment to arrive at the table. “Do you know what you want?”

  “Yeah,” Aric said, glancing down at the menu one more time. “I’ll have the prime rib, rare, a baked potato, and a dinner salad with the house dressing.”

  The waitress turned to me. “And you?”

  “Um … .”

  Aric rolled his eyes. “She’ll have the prime rib, too. Medium. Give her a baked potato with sour cream, and the house soup.”

  “How do you know what I like?” I challenged.

  “Because I know,” Aric said, gathering my menu with his and handing them to the waitress. “And, if you can get the food to us quickly, I’d appreciate it.”

  “I’m not the cook, sir.”

  “If you get the food to us in less than ten minutes, I’ll give you a fifty-dollar tip,” Aric said. “We’re hungry … and I have plans for later.”

  I waited until the waitress left to unload. “That was kind of … bossy.”

  “You’re always bossy,” Aric said. “Why is it only a problem when I’m bossy?”

  “What if I didn’t want the prime rib?”

  “You love prime rib,” Aric said. “That’s one of the reasons I love you. You don’t eat like a chick. You like a good meal. We were together all summer. Why is this money thing only coming up now?”

  “It’s not a thing,” I said. “It’s just … with Kate fawning all over you because your dad is a senator, it just occurs to me that I’ve been living off your money without thinking about it for months.”

  “No, you haven’t,” Aric said. “You’re the one who paid for us to go golfing this summer.”

  “I flirted with the golf pro to give us the open slot on the course for free,” I said. “That’s not the same thing.”

  Aric sighed, the sound dramatically tragic and relentlessly annoyed. “I want to buy dinner. I like buying dinner. I like you fed so I can use all that excess energy up to my advantage. I’m not going to just sit here and pretend that I don’t like to eat – and you don’t like to eat – and that we’re both not happy eating.”

  “I know,” I said. “I just don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”

  “Baby, I want you to take advantage of me,” Aric said. “If I could buy a year’s worth of prime rib and have it delivered to the house, I would be happy. If you fed me that prime rib naked? Yeah, I’d be in Heaven. I think this is probably the silliest conversation we’ve ever had, and I once let you go on for an hour about why Converse were better than Vans.”

  “You’d tell me, right?” I prodded, ignoring his shoe comment. “You’d tell me if I was taking advantage of you.”

  “You’re not taking advantage of me,” Aric said. “Don’t make me come over there and embarrass you with kisses – and the occasional spanking – until you understand that.”

  “You have a filthy mind.”

  “So do you.”

  I was quiet for a second, sipping from my pop to keep my mind busy. Finally, Aric couldn’t take my uncertainty a second longer.

  “Hey, blondie, I love you,” he said. “I also like to eat out. I want you to eat out with me. Lord knows neither one of us can cook. Your best meal is grilled cheese and canned tomato soup, and my best meal is … well … picking up a takeout menu. If you don’t let this go, I’m going to be pissed.”

  “I love you, too,” I said, meaning all four words. “Sometimes I don’t know what you see in me, though.”

  “Right back at you, baby,” he said. “We’re a work in progress. Oh, look, here comes our dinner. That was fifty bucks well spent.”

  I smiled despite myself, a hint of movement catching my eye over his shoulder.

  Aric thanked the waitress profusely, asking her to refill our drinks before she left the table. Once it was just the two of us, he focused on me again. “What are you looking at?”

  I pointed.

  Aric sucked in a breath when he realized what had caught my attention. “What are Professor Blake and Mark doing out together? I thought Mark was done with the Academy?”

  That was a really good question. “I don’t know.”

  I watched the duo talk for a few more moments and then get to their feet, exiting the next room through a different hallway. They never looked at us, and as far as I could tell, they’d never seen us.

  “What do you think?” Aric asked.

  “I think Mark is lying about something,” I said. “I also think I’m going to find out what it is.”

  “Eat your dinner,” Aric instructed. “You’re going to need a full stomach for what you’ve got planned – and for what I’ve got planned later tonight.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Really? This doesn’t bother you?”

  “I didn’t believe Mark’s story,” Aric said, shrugging. “I expected it. Hooking up with Heather was too much of a coincidence.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I was incensed.

  “Because I wanted you to come to the conclusion yourself,” Aric said, his eyes softening. “I know you have a soft spot for Mark.”

  “I don’t have a soft spot for him,” I protested. “I just thought he was … more than this.”

  “We don’t know why they were here,” Aric cautioned. “They could have just been having dinner. Maybe Blake was trying to recruit him again.”

  I knew Aric was trying to placate me. I sawed into my prime rib thoughtfully, swallowing a big hunk before I spoke again. “Or, maybe he’s been lying all along.”

  “There is that,” Aric said. “Clean your plate. You’re going to need the calories. It’s going to be a long night.”

  Thirteen

  After seeing Mark and Professor Blake together, I was obsessed with finding out why. My roommates were less enthusiastic.

  “Maybe Blake was just trying to recruit him back,” Kelsey said, pointing at the television. “Turn it to General Hospital. I don’t care what those women are gabbing about on The Talk. It’s just noise.”

  I flipped the channel. “Come on. It’s got to mean something.”

  “I think you see a conspiracy around every corner,” Paris said. “I don’t blame you. Last time I checked, people do try and kill you every time you turn a corner, but I just don’t see it in this case.”

  “Mark said he dropped out of the Academy.”

  “I was there,” Paris said. “I heard him.”

  “If he dropped out of the Academy, why is he meeting with Blake?” I pressed.

  “I have an idea about that,” Kelsey said.

  I waited for her to continue.

  “What if Blake is trying to fill in the holes in his memory by talking to people who were there that night?”

  Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.

  “Why would they go out to dinner to do that?” I countered.

  “Maybe Blake is trying to woo him,” Kelsey said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Be serious.”

  “Hey, we don’t know how Blake rolls,” Kelsey said. “Maybe Mark is his type.”

  Paris lifted her finger to her lips in warning, motioning toward the open doorway. From our position on the couch, Kelsey and I were cut off from the view down the hallway. After a few seconds, Heather and Kate wandered in.

  “Hey, guys. What are you doing?”

  “Just watching television,” I lied.

  “What were you talking about?” Kate asked. “Or is it a secret, like usual?”

  “I was just telling them about my dinner last night,” I said. “Aric took me out to that ritzy place up by the casino.”

  Kate frowned. “That place is really expensive.”

  “We had prime rib,” I said. I had no idea why I’d picked this topic to cover with. It was just giving Kate fodder for her imagination.

  “He eats red meat?” Kate wrinkled her nose.

  “He loves red meat,” I said. “He’d roll around in it naked if he could.”

  Paris snorted. “There’s a visual for
you.”

  “What can I say, the man loves his beef.”

  “And his wood,” Kelsey said, teasing.

  I managed a smirk as I risked a glance in Heather’s direction. “So, Heather, how are things going with Mark?”

  Heather furrowed her brow. “Good. He’s a really great guy. I like him. He’s got a really artistic side. He’s not trying to be anything that he’s not.”

  “He’s a good guy,” I agreed, trying to ignore the daggers Paris was shooting in my direction. “How did you guys meet again?”

  “It was at the rally for Governor Reagan.”

  “Uh-huh. And, um, you’re a fan of Reagan’s?”

  “I think he has some interesting positions,” Heather said. “He’s pro-family and pro-life, both things I believe in strongly. He’s also anti-labor, and a fiscal conservative. I think those are all positive things.”

  Most of that zoomed right over my head. “And Mark is a fan of Reagan’s?”

  Heather shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. We don’t really talk about stuff like that.”

  “What do you talk about?”

  “You’re acting really weird,” Heather said. “Why are you so fixated on Mark?”

  Because I think he’s evil. Duh. “I’m just interested in finding out where his head is at these days.”

  “And where is your head at?” Heather challenged.

  I faltered, suddenly unsure of myself. “What do you mean?”

  “You guys seem to live in this little bubble where you think you’re somehow above the rest of us in this house,” Heather said. “You’re always whispering and joking, and I know we’re the butt of a lot of your jokes.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything.

  “I mean, the three of you are so caught up in your own stuff you don’t pay attention to anyone else,” Heather said. “That has to be exhausting.”

  “Excuse me,” Kelsey challenged. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “There are other people in this house,” Heather said. “I have issues of my own, but every time I turn around it seems to be you guys forcing your own issues on us and trying to be the center of attention.”

  “What are your issues?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even and pleasant.