[2016] Bad Judgment

by Meghan March

  “I know, but it’s not about the money for me.” And it wasn’t. It never has been.

  Justice Grant’s smile is sincere, but I can tell he thinks I’m partially an idiot for not looking for a higher-paying job.

  “It’s admirable, for sure. They need good lawyers just like everyone else. So, how do you feel about handing in your notice to the library and starting at the firm next Monday?”

  Today’s Monday, so that’s only a week’s notice. I feel bad about it, but the offer he’s made me is not only interesting, but will help me pay off a chunk of the loan before I graduate.

  “How much will they pay?” I ask, needing to hear an actual number before I accept.

  When he gives it to me, I school my expression not to show my shock. It’s not just twice what I make at the library—it’s over three times as much. I quickly calculate in my head, realizing I’ll be able to get a good head start on knocking out this debt before I even graduate. And if Justice Grant says the work would be interesting, I believe him.

  “Okay, I’m interested.”

  “Great. I’ll make a call and have HR and the chair of the practice group e-mail you the details.”

  “I don’t need to interview?” I’m shocked that it could possibly be this easy.

  Grant shakes his head. “They’ll accept my recommendation in place of an interview.”

  It always comes down to who you know . . . But in this instance, I’m not complaining.

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll watch for the e-mail.”

  We both stand and I shoulder my bag. He’s walking me to the door in the outer chambers when he adds, “I’d like to keep this new arrangement between us still, but if you want to tell Ryker about the job, feel free.”

  I keep my voice calm and steady, but inside I’m cringing. Should I argue that we need to tell him everything? I glance up at Justice Grant, and I can’t find the words to question him.

  “Okay . . . if you think that’s best.”

  “I do. For now, anyway. Especially given the confidentiality clause you kept in your agreement.”

  As soon as I’m out of the office, I’m kicking myself. Why did I include the confidentiality clause? Did some part of me want to put off telling Ryker? Clearly, his dad doesn’t want him to know yet.

  The guilt I’d just hoped to banish creeps back in.

  It’s not forever, Justine. He just said—for now. Everything’s going to be fine.

  I keep telling myself that for the next half hour as the bus takes me home.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Ryker

  I haven’t had a girlfriend in years. I’ve had hookups and casual sex, but not girlfriends. So how the hell do I break it to Justine that that’s exactly what she is? She’s mine, I’m hers, and neither of us is touching anyone else.

  Not that I’m worried about her touching someone else, but I feel the need to make it extremely clear when I walk out of the parking garage and see her standing next to a pickup as some guy lifts her bike out of the bed.

  “Thanks! I appreciate the ride.”

  Justine, being the stubborn woman she is, still won’t let me give her rides to and from school. So why the hell is she taking rides from strangers?

  The guy leans down and gives her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before watching her ass as she pushes her bike toward the law school. Finally, he catches sight of me and looks away before jogging around the truck and climbing back inside.

  I wait next to the bike rack, but Justine doesn’t notice me as she settles her bike in and locks it up.

  “Hey,” I say to get her attention.

  She jerks her head up and smiles when she sees me. “Hey. I didn’t see you there.”

  “I noticed. Who was the guy?”

  Confusion mutes her smile. “What guy?”

  “The one in the truck you just got out of. If you needed a ride to class, I would’ve grabbed you.”

  She looks toward the road but the guy is already gone. I’m not sure how she missed the rumble of his exhaust as he revved the engine and pulled away.

  “Elliot is a guy who lived in my dorm in undergrad. He saw me about a mile away and stopped to offer me a ride.”

  “A guy who lived in your dorm in undergrad.” My tone takes on a dangerous quality. “Do you even know him? Trust him?”

  Her brow furrows. “It was a mile. He offered a ride, I was cold, and I took it. Not a big deal, Ryker.”

  She’s oblivious to the fact that if she’d offered to skip class and go home with the guy, there’s no doubt he would have taken her up on it.

  “Call me next time. It’ll be snowing before you know it, so you’re going to have to stop riding sooner rather than later. Might as well get into a new routine. And for the record,” I lean in and brush my lips across her earlobe, “my lips are the only ones I want to see on you.”

  Justine jerks back. “Are you jealous?” The disbelief in her voice surprises me more than her words.

  “Are you surprised?”

  She blinks. “Yeah, I guess I am. And you know what? I don’t know how I feel about that.”

  I glance at my watch. We only have fifteen minutes before class starts, which isn’t long enough to make my point the way I need to. But I will. After class.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Justine

  Ryker’s reaction to Elliot giving me a ride is still swirling through my mind as he wraps my hand around a large cup of tea from the café and pulls me into the elevator. I see the looks we’re getting. His actions are making it abundantly clear that we’re . . . what are we exactly?

  The crowded elevator is taking us to the third floor, and Turner’s class is not the place to pose that question.

  Do I need an answer? Do I want an answer?

  What if we’re just friends with benefits? Am I okay with that?

  The doors open on the second floor and, of course, Kristy Horner is standing there.

  “Room for one more?”

  No one in the elevator can miss the way she devours Ryker with her gaze.

  Being that Kristy’s blond, built, and hot, it doesn’t surprise me when two of the guys step backward and make room. I squish toward the back corner, attempting not to whack the tiny girl behind me with my backpack.

  Ryker takes a step back too, but Kristy presses her chest up against his anyway.

  “Sorry, guys. Didn’t mean to make it a crush.”

  Liar.

  I can see her profile over Ryker’s shoulder, but she’s not paying any attention to me. The standard awkward elevator silence fills the car as it goes up one more floor before jerking to a halt.

  Kristy takes this opportunity to fall forward against Ryker, both hands pressing against his pecs. The guy to her left reaches out to steady her, but she moves closer to Ryker instead.

  I can’t make out her whispered words, but it sounds like, You always did know how to keep me steady.

  The doors slide open, and Kristy waits an extra beat before lifting her hands off Ryker’s chest. She gives him a wink before strutting out, confident that every eye is on her.

  I really hate that girl.

  A niggle of . . . something sneaks into me along with the echo of Ryker’s words—“My lips are the only ones I want to see on you.”

  Apparently, my hands are the only ones I want to see on him. But I say nothing and follow the crowd toward the classroom. Ryker reaches back and grabs my fingers, lacing his through mine.

  He releases me when I stop by a single empty seat, and I drop my backpack on the counter without bothering to cushion the thunk. His eyebrows knit together, but all he says is, “I’ll see you after class,” before moving down the row to the next empty chair.

  The lecture drones on, but I force myself to pay attention and take verbatim notes like I normally would. It’s a good way to block out the stupid rush of jealousy I feel every time Kristy blatantly stares at Ryker. Is she feeling desperate now that he has clearly turned his attention els
ewhere?

  I shove the thoughts down. I need to concentrate. No distractions. That was the deal. But I didn’t take into account my own feelings when I made that decree.

  Yeah, he and I need to have a little chat after class. Maybe I’ll feel better if I know where we stand.

  Ryker is by my side as I finish packing up my laptop and shoving my casebook in my backpack. “Library?”

  “Sure.”

  I lead the way out of the room and across to the third-floor entrance where the private study rooms are. Ryker looks in the windows until he finds one that’s unoccupied, and flips the sign before letting me in.

  “We need to talk.” The words come out in a serious tone from Ryker’s lips. But what surprises me most is that he beat me to it.

  “I think you’re right.” I take a seat on one side of the table, in view of the window, and he takes a seat on the other side.

  I open my mouth to say something, but Ryker jumps in first. “This thing between us? It’s exclusive. No one puts his hands or mouth on you but me. Got it?”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I lean back in my seat. “Then same goes. Because you didn’t exactly push Kristy Horner off you in the elevator.”

  “That’s not the same—”

  “Bull. Shit.” I emphasize both syllables.

  “She fell into me.”

  “On purpose.”

  “And?”

  “And I didn’t like it.”

  Ryker leans forward, propping both elbows on the table. “And I didn’t like watching some guy you barely know put his lips on you. I’ve never been the possessive type before, but when it comes to you, I want to drag you away from any guy who tries to touch you. Fuck, Justine, there aren’t two minutes that go by when I don’t want to drag you away, period. Get you alone. Make sure that sweet little pussy is wet and ready for me.”

  My eyes widen at his words, and my body reacts predictably. How can it not when he’s staring at me like that? And his possessiveness? Why does that make me even hotter? I shouldn’t like it. I shouldn’t be this thrilled that he feels this way. But I can’t help it. I am. The flare of heat in his eyes says that he knows it too.

  “You love it when I talk dirty to you, don’t you, baby?”

  His low, husky words jerk me out of my slide into lust. “We’re in the library. We can’t talk like this here.”

  Ryker glances to the little window in the private room and back to me. “No one can hear us, and what’s more, no one will be able to see what I’m about to do.”

  Oh. Hell.

  He stands and flips the lock on the inside of the door before grabbing my backpack and pulling out my laptop, opening it on the table in front of me. Next, he pulls out my casebook and sets it beside the keyboard.

  “You’re going to look like you’re studying your little heart out if someone looks through that window. They’re going to have no idea that I’m eating your pussy until you’re ready to scream. But you’re not going to scream—you’re going to bite your lip and let that orgasm rip through you, and no one is going to be the wiser. After, you’re going to go to class, your pussy ready for my cock, and then I’m going to take you home, make you sit across the table from me while we both do all of our reading. I’m going to feed you before I fuck you all night and you can scream as loud as you want.”

  I’m not sure he needs to say anything else, because I’m ready. I’ll do whatever he wants as long as he gives me everything he says he will.

  “Now, pick up your highlighter and start your reading. I’ve got work to do.” And he ducks under the table and disappears from sight.

  Today I opted for comfort over fashion, going with black leggings, black boots, and a tunic-length gray sweater. Simple, but it works.

  Ryker doesn’t waste any time tugging my leggings down and smoothing my sweater along my leg so there’s no visible skin.

  Is he really going to . . .

  Cold air hits my bare skin as he tugs my panties aside.

  “Fuck, you’re already wet, baby. I’ve been dying to taste you since yesterday.”

  My grip on the highlighter tightens, and I stare blankly at the words on the page in my casebook, pretending to concentrate as the first swipe of his tongue laves me from bottom to top.

  Oh God. I can’t do this. I’m never going to be able to stay quiet.

  I squirm in the seat as Ryker murmurs from beneath the table. “You better make it look like you’re studying, baby. You don’t want anyone to know that I’m eating this pussy, do you? Hold still. You’re not going to last long.”

  I open my mouth to protest that he can’t possibly know that, but two fingers slide inside me, and I shut my mouth with a snap.

  Oh. Shit. I’m going to come. In the library. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it silently.

  His mouth latches around my clit, and when he sucks, I know I’m screwed.

  “Oh shit. Oh shit,” I murmur.

  “Quiet, or I’m not going to let you have it. I’ll stop right now.”

  I bite down on my lip and squeeze my eyes shut, hoping like hell no one looks in the window. The orgasm slams into me, and I drop the highlighter to grab the edge of the table.

  “Good girl,” Ryker says as he slides his fingers out of me, replaces my panties, and pulls my leggings back up my hips. I release my grip on the table to yank them up the rest of the way, my gaze darting to the window.

  I’m not sure if I was expecting a crowd of gawking onlookers, but there’s only one set of eyes. They’re on Ryker as he comes out from under the table.

  Fucking Kristy Horner.

  I slam my casebook closed and she darts away, a look that could kill on her face.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  I don’t even want to say it. It doesn’t matter. She’s not going to do anything. Right? Then again, he should know too.

  “Kristy Horner was by the window. She saw me. Saw you. Us. Whatever.”

  Ryker’s satisfied smile falls away. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “No.” My voice strikes out like a lash.

  “I’m sure as hell not going to let her tell anyone. This was my idea, and I’m not letting you get in trouble for it.”

  His concern for me quells some of the rising panic. “Do you really think she would?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know. She’s a piece of work, but she’s not a bad person. I’ll talk to her.”

  I narrow my eyes and pitch my voice as seriously as possible. “If she says she needs the same treatment to keep it quiet, I will shank her.”

  “Not happening, babe. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll do damage control, and you get on with your day.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Ryker

  I track down Kristy Horner in the International Law Journal office. She’s the editor-in-chief to my assistant EIC position. When I shut the door, she turns in her seat from the desk in the back.

  “Wow, I guess you don’t spend much time afterward with any girl. And here I was starting to think Porter was special.” Kristy’s tone is snide and triumphant.

  “You’re going to erase what you saw from your brain, and if you ever tell anyone, I will unleash hell on you.”

  Her face molds into its most comfortable expression—snotty princess. “There’s nothing you can do to me if I decide to tell people. Gosh, what would Daddy think if you got kicked out of school because of that skank?”

  My hands curl into tight fists. If she were a man, I’d drop her to her knees with one shot for talking about Justine like that. But I don’t need to touch Kristy to take her down a peg.

  “You’re not going to tell anyone a fucking thing. You know why? Because all those slutty little porn shots you sent me might find themselves resurrected from the depths of my phone.”

  She sucks in a breath. “That’s called revenge porn. There are cases.”

  “And these were unsolicited. Why should that be okay when men are humiliated for sending unsolicited
dick pics? Actually, wouldn’t that make a hell of an article for the student paper. I bet I could get the editor to write a piece on the double standard.”

  “Fuck you, Ryker.”

  “That ship has sailed. But if you say a single word about Justine, for any reason, I will fuck up your world.”

  Her glare could peel paint off a wall. “And what the hell makes her so goddamned special? You would never have threatened someone for me.”

  “She just is. And it’s none of your fucking business anyway. Quit the bullshit games and leave her alone.”

  “Someday you’re going to realize that you missed out on something awesome with us.”

  “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

  I grab the door handle and yank it open. I’ve got better things to do than waste my time with her.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Ryker

  “Babe, you have to quit looking at me like that or I won’t be able to concentrate.”

  Justine is sitting across from me at my kitchen table, and the look on her face says she’s worried about studying.

  I snap the cap on my highlighter and drop it on the table. “Seriously. Don’t make me go study in another room.”

  “But I can’t stop thinking about the library. Not the crappy part where Kristy Horner peeped through the window, but the part where you made me be quiet when I wanted to scream.”

  Yeah. There’s no concentration happening here because now my dick is as hard as a rock. But I’m not going to let us be the distraction she’s been worrying we would be from the beginning. I promised myself I wouldn’t let this interfere with school, and I’m not going to.

  Okay, so the library might’ve been a little interference, but . . .

  “Let’s make a deal. We both finish all our reading and I’ll clear this table and fuck you across it. Then we’ll eat.”