Page 77 of Obligation
Carissa loved listening to Bradley talk about his family. The love, respect, and adoration he had for them rang through clearly in his voice. She wished she had a better relationship with her father. She used to, before Danny. Maybe her and her father could repair things now that Danny wasn’t in her life anymore.
“That’s awesome. Are your brother and sister in business, too?” she asked.
Bradley shook his head. “Not the same business as Dad. Beth, my sister, and her husband own a ranch that caters to at-risk kids. My brother… he’s still trying to find himself. He’s jumped around from job to job, but I think he finally found something he loves.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Efficiency consultant.”
“A what?” she asked around a laugh.
“Companies hire him to go in and find ways to make the company more efficient and profitable.” Bradley shrugged. “He’s damn good at it, too. He saved my father’s company millions by streamlining a few processes.”
“Wow.” Before she could ask another question, the TOP house came into view. She released Bradley’s hand. “I’ll be right back.” She took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned back to him. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” His southern drawl was thick and quite clearly intentional.
Carissa couldn’t stop smiling as she rushed inside the Theta Omega Pi house.
Chapter Thirty
As soon as Carissa came bounding out of the sorority house a few minutes later, Bradley took hold of her hand again, and they headed toward her residence hall. Ditching class today had been the best decision he’d made in weeks. He still couldn’t believe she and Danny had broken up, but that was a dream come true for him. Now all he had to do was convince her not to go back to that asshole—and he’d pull out all the stops to make sure she didn’t.
“Okay, so I know what your sister and brother do, but what are you going to do once you graduate?” she asked, picking up their conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted by her errand.
“I’m planning to work with my father. I know the business well, and I do enjoy it. But as the owner’s son, I get treated like that’s the only reason I have a job waiting for me. I want to prove that I’m just as qualified as anyone else.”
“That makes sense,” she said.
“What do your parents do?”
“My dad is an attorney. He has a very exclusive clientele, mostly celebrities, and my mom doesn’t have a paying job. She does volunteer for a lot of charities, though, and she was very involved in the PTA when us kids were in school.”
From the second Bradley met Carissa, he’d known she came from a wealthy family, and now he understood more of her situation. Money wasn’t a deal breaker for him, but knowing she wasn’t after his was a huge selling point. He’d had his fill of women who actively searched for a wealthy husband.
Moments later, they arrived at Carissa’s residence hall. She scanned her key card to get into the building, then led him up to her room. She unlocked the door and walked in. He followed.
Being in her room, in her private space, was highly intimate. His nerves raged in his stomach, and he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He was here to settle a bet. Nothing more. Not like they were going to make out again. Though, if they did, there wouldn’t be any interruptions like last time.
“You can sit, if you want,” she said and tossed her keys onto her desk.
“Right.” He nodded, his gaze darting from one bed to the other.
She nodded to the bed on his left. “That one’s mine.” She gave him a knowing grin.
Bradley set his backpack on the floor, then sat on her bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. Not quite as soft as his, but not horrible, either. “Okay, let’s do this,” he said, his words intentionally suggestive. “Prove me wrong. If you can.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, then crouched at the foot of her bed. She rummaged around until she found the tote in question. Holding it up, she said, “Time to show you just how wrong you are.”
“By all means…” He waved his hand in her direction.
Carissa set the tote on the bed and flipped off the lid. Her eyes widened with horror, and she jerked her head up to look at him. “This isn’t possible.” She lifted the shirt from the tote, her hands noticeably trembling. “I swear to God, I did not put this shirt in here.”
Bradley was on his feet in a flash, and he snatched the shirt from her hands before she could stop him. “Sure you didn’t.” He smirked and held the shirt up to study the picture on the back. “Just admit it, Carissa. I won’t make fun of you. Promise.”
“Tiffany,” she grumbled. “I’m going to kill her.”
Laughing, Bradley lowered the shirt. “I’m going to have to send her a thank you gift.”
