Page 49 of Don't Leave
The worry pricking his voice makes me feel like crap.
“I’m so sorry about flaking on you. I was at the library studying and turned off the ringer on my phone.”
“Are you still there?” The fear that had filled his voice drains away.
“I’m leaving right now.” I’m huffing and puffing as I reach the glass doors that lead outside. “I can meet you at the Union, if you’re still there. It’ll only take me a few minutes to get across campus.” I’ll have to run, but so what. Spending a few minutes with him before the game is worth it.
“No, I had to grab something without you. I need to head over to the arena and get ready. I’m already in the car. Stay where you are. I’ll pick you up and take you back to the dorms on my way.”
Disconnecting from the call, I shove my cell back inside my bag. A few moments later, Cole rolls up and I dash over to hiselectric blue Mustang, yanking open the passenger side door and sliding in next to him. Instead of pulling away from the curb, he allows the car to idle before leaning over and pressing a kiss against my lips.
And just like that, a little piece of normal falls into place between us.
Once we break apart, I whisper, “I’m so sorry about missing dinner. I was working on econ and completely lost track of time.”
When his lips quirk into a lopsided smile, my heart melts. “Wow…thrown aside for economics.” His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Talk about a blow to my ego.”
A lighthearted smile springs to my lips as I give him a heavy-lidded look. “Well, economicsispretty damn sexy.”
Before I can say anything else, he nips at my neck, and I squeal before giggling. “I’m kidding! You’re way sexier than arbitrage, fiscal drag, and monetary policy.”
“It would be sad if I weren’t.” With a grin still hovering around the corners of his mouth, he kisses me until I can barely think.
His tongue slips inside my mouth, rubbing against mine, slowly exploring every part of me until I have no idea where I end, and he begins. A whimper of need slips free.
If only it were possible to go back to his place.
When he finally pulls away, I see the desire that has flared to life in his eyes, and it turns me on even more.
“Are you still planning to come to the game, or do you have too much work?”
“I was able to get most of it done at the library.” There’s no way I’d miss one of his games. Since we became friends, and then more, he’s always done everything he could to support me. “I’ll be in the stands, cheering you on. Promise.”
His dimples flash and that’s all it takes for my pulse to kick into overdrive.
“Good.”
Just as he’s leaning toward me again, there’s a knock on the passenger side window. Startled by the unexpected noise, we jump apart. Something uncomfortable twists in the pit of my belly when I see Luke standing on the other side of the glass staring at us.
“What the hell does he want?”
Even though Cole mutters the words, I still hear them. Instead of letting me go, his arms stay wrapped around me.
It takes Cole a couple of seconds to hit the button and unroll the window. Luke leans down, resting his forearms against the car so that his face is level with ours. His gaze touches mine before bouncing to Cole, who sits tensely behind me.
“Hey.”
Cole jerks his chin. “What’s up?”
Luke’s gaze arrows back to mine. “You forgot your econ notebook. I wasn’t sure if you needed it tonight.” He holds out the notebook for me to take. As my fingers wrap around the edge, I realize they’re trembling. “You took off like a bat out of hell.”
“Thanks,” I whisper.
I don’t understand why it feels as if I’m locked between these two men. There isn’t a choice to be made.
I’m with Cole.
Not Luke.
