Page 106 of Devoured

I nodded.Wait.“I may have mentioned to Matt that Rob was visiting. Maybe. I don’t remember. Or Rob may have mentioned it to Matt or Mason. And Rob knows my address.”

“Oh.” Ian nodded. “Good. I was definitely worried, but that makes sense.” He looked down at the invitation again. “The Caldwells are probably trying to bury the hatchet.”

“Yeah. That must be it.” We used to meet up for drinks every now and then, trying different bars. It made sense. It was still weird that they didn’t sign it though. And they could have just texted me.

The invitation didn’t look like something Matt or Mason would send. But…I didn’t know them that well anymore. That was the whole point. And I really hoped that hanging out again would bring us closer together.

I stared at the invitation for another second. Maybe it was an invitation to Mason’s new sex club. That would explain the secrecy of the whole thing. But I thought I’d made it pretty clear to Mason that I wasn’t interested in that. I put the envelope down on the coffee table. I’d text Matt or Mason about it later. First I needed to get back control of my life that Isabella was trying to unravel.

Chapter 26

Tuesday

I’d told Penny I’d tell her the truth tonight. The day somehow ticked by extremely slowly and way too quickly at the same time. And now I was sitting in my car outside her apartment, debating whether to call her or just drive off the side of a cliff or something. But Delaware was frustratingly flat. I’d barely even seen any hills.

What the fuck am I doing?I pulled out my phone and shot her a text before I could chicken out: "I'm outside."

She didn’t text me back. Penny and I didn’t play dumb games. If she wasn’t texting me, she was probably just coming right out. I took a deep breath and drummed my fingers on the steering wheel.

A few minutes later the door to the back of her dorm building opened and there she was.

I climbed out of the car and walked around to the passenger side door. But instead of opening it, I pulled her in close. I’d missed her all day. I’d been stressed all day, and she always made me feel better. I wished we could go back to New York and just be us.

"Someone will see..."

I silenced her with a kiss. I didn’t care if someone saw. I needed her. And she needed me too, because she immediately kissed me back. She needed the same reassurances that I did. That we were going to be okay.

Penny’s cheeks were flushed when I finally pulled back. "You look so beautiful,” I said.

"You look so handsome.” Her eyes wandered down my neck to where a few of the buttons of my dress shirt were undone.

I strongly doubted I looked good right now. I’d been a fucking mess all day worrying about this conversation. Even the distraction of tweaking my security system didn’t distract me like work normally would.

I just had this fear in my head that this was going to be goodbye. And I knew I couldn’t take it.

I opened up the door for her. She climbed in and I closed it behind her. I took another deep breath as I rounded the car and got in. I buckled my seatbelt and then I just sat there. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know how to start this conversation. I didn’t want to.

"Are we going to your place?" Penny asked.

"It's too stifling." I didn’t want to go back there. Picturing Isabella in my apartment made it hard to breathe.

"Maybe we can go for a walk?"

"We can't. Not here."

"You just kissed me outside of my dorm. It's dark. It's fine."

Fair point.And the fresh air would be nice. "Okay." I pulled the car into a parking spot and got out. Penny climbed out before I had a chance to open the door for her.

"I'm not used to dating a gentleman,” she said, the flush back on her cheeks.

"I know." I smiled at her. I was good for her. I really was. Or…I could be.

I grabbed her hand and we walked toward the green. The area between the dorms was filled with a manicured lawn, walkways, and benches. And the chilly air had sent most of the students back to their dorms. There was barely anyone out on the brick paths. I kept my eyes trained on the ground though, hoping to avoid anyone’s gaze. The last thing I needed was for my almost-stalker Kristen Dwyer to pop out of nowhere and recognize me. Shit, this was a bad idea. I was pretty sure she lived in one of these dorms.

But it was easier to breathe outside. Especially with Penny’s hand in mine. Our feet crunched on the fallen leaves. I tried to focus on the sound as we veered down a side path, farther away from the dorms. It was a little easier to breath over here. We reached a bench that seemed particularly shadowed, and I gestured for her to sit.

I stared at Penny as she sat down. The dim light made her look younger for some reason. She just looked so…innocent. Sitting there staring up at me with her big blue eyes. Or maybe I just felt old because of the conversation we were about to have. I didn’t want to tarnish her. But hadn’t I already?

---