Page 11 of Hush, Hush

I lock my jaw down, breathing through my nose. I wish I could take away all of my senses, but I can’t. His dirty words, his dirty mouth, they make a pool of lava form in my belly, stretching out toward my core. He reads me too damn good to lie, too.

He grins. “I told you, Delilah.” Leaning forward, his lips touch the shell of my ear. “You want me. Let me give you a good fuck to unwind all that stress inside you. That perfect, business-like, Barbie doll image you’ve got in your head. Let me make you scream it out.”

His chest presses against mine. I breathe into him, my nipples brushing against his hard pecs. He shifts until his stomach is against mine too. The tease of his abs makes my brain go foggy, and I lose my breath when his erect cock comes next, bracing against his khakis as he rolls into me.

Before I lose myself in him, I push him back. He’s a lot easier to take when he’s glaring at me. I can form thoughts better. I can make more practical decisions. “I’ve been waiting for you to grow up for a long time,” I tell him. “Don’t go down this road, Keegan, or I will find someone else to lose my virginity to.”

I push away, and he doesn’t follow. My legs wobble as I make my escape, but I know that’s not the end of it. It never is with Keegan Forbes. “What? Like with that loser in there?”

I peer over my shoulder. “If that loser wouldn’t ever tell a whole group someone’s virginal status, then yes. I’d take him any day over you.”

The look of pure hatred that follows sends shivers down my spine.

My dad wasn’t kidding when he said growing up with these kids was just like being involved in a hostile business takeover. You’re either enemies, or your allies.

Keegan’s supposed to be my number one ally, but I have no idea what happened.

ChapterSix

After morning classes, where I spend my time staring at people I know and wondering if they’re looking back at me because Anne-Marie couldn’t keep her mouth shut, or if they’re just, in general, looking at me, I drop back by the café. Not only did I get a bunch of homework dumped on me by professors who apparently missed their students too much, I’m pretty sure I’ve only been half functioning all day due to my run-in with Keegan.

While I wait in line, I check my social media to make sure Anne-Marie hasn’t been doing something so dreadful as to post sneaky updates alluding to my status. Thankfully, her timeline has been quiet all morning. Her last post was of her lying in bed, dark hair fanned out over a silk pillow, telling the world she’ll be back at CU in the morning.

The customer in front of me finishes ordering and steps out of the way. That same gruff voice sounds again, and I peer up, blinking. The barista from this morning waits to take my order. My cheeks heat so fast I’m sure he can see the embarrassment on them for himself. I slip my phone in my pocket and give him a timid smile. “Hi.”

He blinks at me. “French vanilla cappuccino, right? I’ll get you one on the house since you didn’t get to drink yours this morning.” He stares at me afterward as if he’s waiting for me to acknowledge.

I give him a quick nod. “You don’t have to do that though.”

He shrugs, immediately turning to start making my drink. The other barista finishes with the previous customer and moves to the back. The speaker overhead plays a soft, languid tune. Looking around, I realize the place is mostly empty. It’s just him, me, and the complicated coffee machinery.

Watching him work intrigues me. I’ve always found it fascinating to observe people while they’re in their element. Gorging on hours of reality medical shows isn’t abnormal for me, usually putting them on for background noise while I study. There’s something so calm and reassuring about people who are good at what they do. It makes the world a little less chaotic.

He peers over his shoulder. “You can sit. I’ll bring it to you.”

I give him a smile as a thanks and then turn around. I have my pick of seats this afternoon. Avoiding the couches from this morning like the plague, I choose a high back armchair with a perfect view of the quad.

I barely have time to put my bag down before he’s coming over with the café’s signature, bright white coffee mug. He sets it on the small, circular table in front of me. Reaching for my bag, I say, “Are you sure I can’t pay?”

He shakes his head. “Like I said, it’s on the house.” He shifts from foot to foot. “I was—” He clears his throat. “—sorry, I was thinking about you today. I know I don’t know you, but I wanted to see if you were okay?” He ends the sentence like a question, as if he’s unsure of himself.

It’s a change of pace to see someone speaking without absolute authority. It’s kind of nice, actually. His green hat is spun backward now, hair still curling out over the edges in an adorable way. I’m sure Keegan and I made quite the scene this morning. Any normal person would ask me if I’m okay since he basically dragged me from the café, but we’re not always talking normalcy when we’re in my world. “Yeah, sorry about that earlier. I’m fine, actually. Just...” I let the sentence stand on its own because I can’t explain to this guy what happened. How embarrassing.

“Just a guy being a jerk? Your boyfriend?”

I wrap my hands around the huge mug, my thumb lightly moving over the warmed ceramic. “That’s going to be an even longer story,” I joke. “How much time do you have?”

He smirks, and a dimple appears in his cheeks. As men go to lose your virginity to, he looks like a great option. Not that I’m actually still contemplating that. I only said it to piss Keegan off, but of all the guys I could’ve picked, at least he’s believable. “At the moment, not many since I’m on the clock.”

I peer over at the counter. No one is in line yet, but the other worker is currently wiping down the flat surfaces, shoulders shifting with the overhead music. “Don’t get in trouble on my account,” I tell him. “I really am fine. Just a guy being a jerk. I can handle that.”

He shifts his gaze down my body, hitting my toes before working his way slowly upward as if he’s really trying to gauge whether or not I can handle myself. It’s not an awkward feeling to have him size me up. It’s nice. It’s real. “My name’s Tim, by the way.”

I stand, reaching my free hand out. “Delilah. Thank you for helping me earlier.”

He slips his coarse hand over mine, and I give him a quick, firm handshake just like my father taught me. However, he doesn’t let me go right away. It’s only a fraction of a second, but it’s enough to make me look him in the eyes before he smoothly releases my hand, making sure to drag his fingers over mine before fully releasing his hold. “Nice to meet you, Delilah. You should tell your friend that I don’t take people like him treating women the way he did lightly.”

His words vibrate around me, and I lower my gaze. “I will,” I tell Tim, immediately regretful that I brought any more attention to myself and this screwed up scenario I have going on with Keegan. I definitely don’t want him to get hurt. I just want him to grow up a little. “He’s actually not that bad when you get to know him.”

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