Page 8 of Tempt Me

“No, I’m in my car.” She pauses for a second and then says, “Well, the windows are down, and there’s a guy parked beside me.”

“Perfect,” I groan and roll my eyes as Professor Peterson tips his head toward me and slips into the room. Like the other students, he fits the part by wearing black pants, a white button-down long-sleeved shirt, and a black sweater vest with a textbook tucked under his arm.

“It’s fine. He’s not listening. Oops.” She giggles until she snorts. “He’s listening.”

“Roll up the windows.” I glance at my watch. Five minutes until class starts.

“Fine,” she grumbles, but the sounds of the engine starting, and the window closing follow her agreement. “So, what happened?”

“Dominic got into a texting war with Brock and demanded he leave me alone.”

“That’s….” There’s a pause before she says, “Nice? Yes, that was nice of him.”

“Yes, it was nice.” Heat settles in my core. Stop. Don’t start weaving silly little girl fantasies about him.

“It sounds like he took a bigger interest in the situation than a brothers’ best friend response.”

“I think he has a new girlfriend. A woman named Rissa, with whom he works. He was going on and on about her to Ben.It was crystal clear that he’s infatuated with her and thinks she’s amazing.”

“I’m sorry. I always hoped the two of you would date. But maybe it’s time for you to let me set you up with one of the guys at the gym.” Her current job is as a receptionist for a gym in the city.

“I’m fine.” The door closes as the last student flies inside. “I’ve got to get to class. I’ll talk to you later.”

The second the phone clicked in my ear; I remembered Jake showing up. I groan as I shove my phone into my back pocket. I meant to ask her if she knew he was back in town and how we were going to break the news to Emily.

Chapter Four

Dominic

I shut off the engine after navigating the campus parking lot until I found Bella’s car. My extended, lifted 4x4 pickup truck makes her Honda appear tiny.

Now what? I tap my fingertips on the steering wheel and watch traffic flow as students drive in and out of the different parking lots.

In front of the buildings are lines of students, marching from one structure to the next like ants carrying food back to their hill. I should’ve asked her when she had a break. It’s not like I have all day to wait for her to get out of class with work in an hour.

I punch my index finger on Sam’s face and wait for him to answer.

“Yo, what’s up?”

“What time does Bella get out of class?” Heat rises from my chest, along my neck, and trails upward over my cheeks.

“How would I know what she does?”

“She’s your sister,” I bite out with more irritation than I intended as my blood pressure skyrockets. Sam and Bella have bickered since I met them, but he tends to push things too far. Teasing, I’m okay with. Insulting or hurting Bella’s feelings? That’s a no-go for me.

“So? Just because she’s my sister doesn’t mean I have my head stuck up her ass. She’s twenty-one years old. She doesn’t need a babysitter, but if you really need to know, why don’t you call her?”

“I don’t want to call her if she’s in class.” A male student walks in front of me and climbs inside the vehicle on the other side of Bella’s car.

“Why exactly are you calling her anyway?” The question hangs heavily in the air. Sam, more than Ben, has made it clear that none of the three of us are to date their sister. It was about three days into our friendship, and it has never changed. “Are you asking her out?”

“No, of course not. That won’t….” Ever happen. I can’t choke the words out. They’re true, but it doesn’t make it any easier to admit them out loud. Even if Sam wouldn’t castrate me, I’m not good enough for her.

“That’s good because you know the deal. No ‘hitting and quitting’ our sister. It would make things too awkward at family dinners. Bella would get butt hurt and throw a fit. Mom and Dad would force us to kick you out. You know the baby always gets what she wants, and if you blew her off, she’d want you gone.”

He’s half joking and half butthurt himself. He’s always been jealous of how Bella got preferential treatment from their parents. How heperceivedshe did anyway. The last baby was replaced by the new baby syndrome.

“You might remind Xavier of that.” My hands curl into fists on top of the steering wheel. I love my best friend, but if he breaks her heart, I’ll kick his ass.

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