Page 18 of Chasing Xander
She leaned closer to him and was immediately struck by his scent, a unique combination of soap and woodsy cologne, and it was the best thing she’d ever smelled. “Really? How long did it take?”
He dipped his head so their faces were almost touching. “Six weeks.” Then he straightened and averted his gaze toward the front of the room.
She stared at him a moment. “You’re such a bullshitter.”
He raised a brow. “Am I?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to point out how he talked a damn good game, but when it came right down to it, he wouldn’t make a move. The more she thought about last night, the heavier the self-doubt became. Why hadn’t he kissed her? Had her breath smelled bad? Had there been food in her teeth? Or maybe, once he’d gotten up close and personal, he decided he wasn’t all that attracted to her. She narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. Class progressed without any further talk, and she scribbled notes as fast as she could.
“There’s a study group that will meet in the library once or twice a week. I highly recommend you utilize it.” Professor Jamison pushed his glasses back up his nose again. “For our next meeting, please read pages twenty-seven to forty-three and work on the problems at the end of the chapter.” He dismissed the class with a wave of his hand.
Kylie shoved her textbook into her backpack, then stood, waiting for Celeste. “I don’t have another class until this afternoon, so I thought I’d go brave the bookstore line.”
“You’re such a badass.” Celeste stood and flung her backpack over her shoulder.
“Shut up,” she teased. She turned around to leave and ran face-first into Xander’s chest. He was solid, unmovable.
“Now you’re resorting to throwing yourself at me?” He smirked.
A frenzy of butterflies filled her stomach. “Yeah, you wish.” She stepped back and smoothed her hands down her hair.
“On that note…I do have another class.” Celeste looked back and forth between them. “You two try to stay out of trouble, huh?”
“I’ll see you later,” Kylie said.
“Bye.” Celeste left with a wave.
“So, where are you headed?” Xander asked.
“The bookstore. Exciting, right?”
He put his hand on her lower back and escorted her out of the building and into the warm Florida sun. Having grown up in Ohio, where the weather was fickle, she would never get used to the constant heat around here.
“What about you? Where are you headed?” she asked.
Before he could respond, Finn rushed over and grabbed Xander in an awkward hug.
Xander laughed and shoved him away. “Get off me.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Brad’s asking to see you,” Finn said.
Xander’s smile faded. “About what?”
His entire demeanor changed at the mention of Brad. That was odd. Who was Brad, and why did Xander seem to dislike him? “It’s okay,” Kylie said. “You go do your thing. I need to get to the bookstore, anyway, and then I have another class.”
He nodded. “Can I call you later?”
She smiled. “If you’re lucky, you’ll get toseeme later, too.” She winked, then spun on her heel and walked away. She headed toward the bookstore, the smile never wavering—until her phone rang. “No way,” she mumbled, her eyes widening at the name on the screen. Her stomach dropped, and her vision blurred. She blinked, praying she hadn’t read the name right. She swiped a trembling finger across the screen. “Hello?”
“Hey there, baby girl! How’s college?”
She slowed her steps, then stopped completely. Her head spun, and everything around her faded into the background. Her father hadn’t called her “baby girl” in well over ten years. Hell, he hadn’t even called her at all in well over a year. “It’s fine. Why are you calling me? I thought you were in jail.”
“I was. Got bailed out.”
“What?” she shouted, garnering concerned looks from passersby. She took a deep breath. “Sheriff Rick said there wasn’t going to be any bail this time.” Her tone was harsh, and a fleeting wave of guilt washed over her. She was going to have to call Rick and find out what was going on.
“Rick’s a dirty, lying pig.” His words were slurred, and it sounded like he spat.
