Page 18 of Limbo

I suppress the hell out of a smile and force an eye roll. I return my attention to my novel, and Jordan lets out an exaggerated sigh. Once his shadow stops darkening the page, I look up and watch him walk out of the library.

It’s just a facial expression, Henders. And one attached to an arrogant guy at that.

Thursday night means movie night for those of us who regularly sleep in our suite. But when I step out of my room, only Felicia is waiting on the couch.

“Jess?” I ask, claiming my spot at one end of the couch.

“She’s on Vee patrol.” Felicia hands me a stack of DVDs.

“The same guy?”

She nods.

Jess’s sister, Vanessa, loves herself a project, but—shocker—they never work out for her.

Last semester, she chased no less than five guys, each telling her from the start that they wanted nothing serious. Of course, she fell head over heels for them anyway, convinced she could change their minds. Typically, she recovers and moves on within a few weeks, but she still can’t let go of one from over winter break. Although, from the sounds of it, he’s dropped off the face of the Earth to avoid her. Jess volunteered to serve as her sponsor, keeping her distracted so that she won’t attempt to track him down.

I sort through the movie options Felicia presented me with and hand them back. “No to every one, Gibson.”

Her obsession with documentaries and artsy flicks will create a rift in our suite if we let it. Since I picked last time, the choice of the night belongs to Jess, so I channel her and select a romantic comedy from the cabinet.

“Compromise?”

Sappy Felicia enthusiastically nods, and I pop it in. I return to my end of the couch, and all snuggled up in a blanket, I hit play on the remote. Within the first fifteen minutes, someone taps on the door. Someone almost always being Jordan Waters.

“No.” I push pause as Felicia jumps up. “Don’t answer it.”

She ignores me, answering with a cheesy grin. “Hey, come on in,Jordan.”

He follows her in, and I roll my eyes, pushing play on the remote again.

“I was driving by and thought—”

My finger presses the volume button until the movie drowns him out. I cup a hand to my ear, signaling I can’t hear him.

He tries again, so I hold the button and mouth,What?

His eyes close for a second, a chink in his self-confidence armor. Recovering as quick as ever, he smiles on his way over. He leans down, his face a few inches from mine when he starts talking. I can’t hear him over the TV and study his lips, hoping to discover that I’m a lip-reading expert.

Oh … little … no…

Probably none of those words. Damn it. Intrigue wins out, and I hit pause on the remote.

“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

A fucking nursery rhyme.

I smile—frustrated, amused, and bested. He smiles back, the real one he gives more often. For a moment, I almost forget he’s using a fake challenge to try to screw me. For a moment. And almost. My expression fades, returning to its natural state—unimpressed.

He stays close with his intense eyes on me. “Do you need anything?”

I shake my head, distracted by his gaze lowering to my mouth.

Another moment. Another almost.

He straightens up fast. “All right, beautiful, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

My brain functions better with him farther away and snaps into challenge mode. “Come prepared. Felicia and I bet double or nothing.”

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