Page 16 of Crazy Pucking Love
At the end of the hour, I packed up, paying extra care to my pencils and calculator. A thrill went through me when Dane waited for me instead of charging out of the classroom. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I asked.
“Was he even speaking English?”
“He did kind of jump right into it.” In most of my other classes, the professors took the time to introduce themselves and go over the syllabus. Professor Stewart just launched into a lecture and gave us a massive assignment. As much as I liked math and learning new terms, my love had its limits. Those homework problems were going to take a lot of my time, and I had assignments in my other classes to tend to as well.
“I’m sure you’ll get it once you dive in,” I said.
“I’ve tried that method. Granted, I more belly flop than dive in.”
I laughed, and he bumped his shoulder into me, a big goofy grin on his face. Damn it, how was I supposed to not continue to crush on the guy when he did things like that?
Since the moment he’d strolled into the classroom, I’d let myself forget that despite hitting a lot of boyfriend-potential qualities, he was officially out. He’d made it clear he didn’t want a relationship, and I did.
So I shouldn’t get wrapped up in great sense of humor, or start thinking about how much we had in common, or the way my body hummed around him.
“Maybe if I had a study buddy who actually understood the material…?” Before I could volunteer as tribute, he shook his head. “Forget I said that. After everything, I wouldn’t want to put you in that position.”
“You mean since you’ve put me in a compromising position before?” I leaned in and whispered, “To tell the truth, I rather enjoyed it.”
He stutter-stepped, missing the strap of his backpack he was trying to loop his free arm into.
Speaking of shouldn’ts, flirting with him was definitely on the list. Then again,Ihadn’t decided I couldn’t do this. If he thought I was going to make it easy for him to ignore our chemistry and simply walk away, he could think again. I was done holding back and thinking twice before saying anything.
Bonus, he was damn cute when he was flustered. “Is that pink I see in your face, Kowalski?” I poked his cheek, and he reached out and caught my wrist, so fast my breath lodged in my throat.
For a second, time froze. His dark eyes searched my face, and I licked my lips. He rubbed a circle over the pulse point in my wrist, sending the blood rushing under the skin into a frenzy.
Hope sparked—he felt it, too, I could see it in his dilated eyes and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Maybe if our connection continued to grow, he’d change his mind. He had to, right?
An annoyingly logical voice in the back of my head told me it was foolish to entertain the thought of him changing for me, but the electric zing traveling up my arm chased it away.
“I better get to practice,” Dane said, his voice low and husky. “I’ll see you next class, I’m sure.”
“I’ll be there. And if you need help with your homework, you’ve got my number.”
Chapter Eight
Dane
My phone rang, my sister’s name flashing across the display. My muscles complained as I lifted my phone to my ear, the simple gesture suddenly more than my body could handle. Practice had been brutal this week, and I couldn’t decide if my thighs or arms hurt worse—no matter how much I tried to keep in shape over breaks with lifting and cardio, they couldn’t hold a candle to Coach’s sadistic practices.
“What’s up?” I asked Cassidy, the oldest of my sisters, and the one I’d always been closest to.
“You know how Lissa was all moody over Christmas?”
Honestly, I hadn’t noticed. When it came to that many women living under the same roof, moodiness was a given. “Let’s say for the sake of this conversation, I do.”
“She’s been hanging out with Jazmine and her crowd lately.” The name stopped me cold. “I’m worried. Can’t you call Jazmine and tell her to leave Lissa out of whatever she’s got going on?”
Sure. Just call my ex-girlfriend and remind her that she hangs out with the wrong crowd and makes all the wrong choices, and that not only did I leave her behind and not show up when she needed me most, but I also wanted her to stay away from my family. That sounded about as much fun as swimming through shark-infested waters with a bloody slab of meat attached to my back—both would result in my ass getting chewed.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “You think Lissa’s just drinking? Or worse?”
“Worse,” Cassidy said, her voice low but certain. “She’s up and down, and she’s hiding things from me, and when I ask her about where she’s going, she lashes out. Mom and Dad are so stressed about the money situation that they don’t see it. Not that they’re even home for long enough to notice.”
“Are they still fighting?” I held my breath for the answer. My parents had been together a long time, and while they’d argued plenty over the years, I hadn’t ever seen them scream at each other the way they’d done over Christmas break.
Mom had cried about how little there was under the tree, even though we all assured her we had plenty, and then Dad told her he was sorry that he couldn’t provide for her the way he used to. I wasn’t sure how it’d escalated so quickly, but the next thing I knew they were shouting at each other.
