Page 40 of The Rookie

He wipes his mouth, then turns to me, too close, too warm, too much like the guy who had me pinned against a brick wall at the club tonight.

The air shifts, just slightly.

His gaze flicks to my mouth.

I pretend I’m checking my face in the mirror for pimples, like that’ll somehow restore balance to the universe.

“One time, huh?” he murmurs, voice low, teasing, dangerous.

My breath catches, but I recover quickly, lifting my chin. “That’s right. One time.”

Griffin exhales, shaking his head as he leans back against the counter.

I roll my eyes and finish up, wiping my mouth on a towel. He waits until I’m mid-rinse before dropping his next line.

“This is serious married couple energy right now,” he says, waving his toothbrush at me. “Arguing while brushing our teeth? I think we’re halfway there.”

I choke on the water, grabbing the edge of the sink for support. “You’re out of control. Reel it in.”

He shrugs, spitting his toothpaste out. “Just saying.”

I shake my head and move back toward the beds, where I sit down on the edge of mine and run my hands through my hair.“For the record, I’m not having a relationship for a long time. Not going to be relationship jumping.”

Griffin leans against the bathroom doorway, crossing his arms. “Who said anything about a relationship?”

I freeze, staring at him as he steps back into the room. “You’re the one talking about the married couple energy.”

“Not sure if you’ve ever heard of one of these, there’s this new thing. It’s called a joke.”

I roll my eyes.

“We could just have a no-strings-attached thing,” he says, like it’s the most obvious solution in the world. “If I’m just a rebound, then why not embrace it? I’ll get you over your ex in no time.Gauran-fucking-teed, or your money back.”

I laugh, though it comes out more like a scoff. “No way. I don’t do those. Thank you very much.”

“Why not?” he asks, sitting down on the edge of his bed, which is entirely too close to mine. “It was your idea that sparked it. Remember? You were talking about friends with benefits last night. Since you just got out of a long relationship. A no-strings-attached fling—with open communication, of course—is exactly what you should be looking for. And I’m obviously a great selection for that.”

I glare at him, my mouth opening to argue, but the worst part is, I can’t deny he has a point.

“That was just cloud talk. The answer is no way,” I say again, more firmly this time. “You’re the king of casual. All those...hookups on campus. It’s just not my thing to get with a guy like you. Sorry. No offense. You’re just…you know. You. People talk.”

His eyebrows lift, a smirk tugging at his lips. “All those hookups on campus, ey? Like who?”

I falter. Dammit. I press my mind foractualdata—not the rumor mill—and I come up empty. Either Griffin keeps hishookups ultra down low, or he’s actually not the manwhore I thought he was.

“You know who,” I say weakly, hoping he’ll bite and confess. I’ve always been curious what kind of woman he actually goes for, anyway.

“Well, there was that one girl,” he says, his smirk widening.

“Exactly,” I say, pointing at him. “That one girl.”

“Who?”

He leans back on his elbows, pretending to think. “Let’s see... she’s about this tall,” he says, holding his hand just above my head. “Has this incredible smile, great legs. Kind of crazy. Which I like. Great at twerking. She looked super hot playing volleyball the other day in a polka-dot bikini—oh wait.”

I gape at him, my brain short-circuiting.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say, shaking my head as I grab my pillow and launch it at him. I actually face palm. I can’t believe I just fell for thatagain. Am I the most gullible person in the world? I use the fact that I’m still a little drunk as my excuse.

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