Page 68 of Devoured

"And what are those?"

"I don't like to see you upset. And I'm pretty sure you'd be upset if you failed a class."

"Yeah, probably." She ran her fingers across the palm of my hand and up the inside of my forearm, sending shivers down my spine. "Any other reason?"

"If you have to retake classes you'll be in school forever."

"And that would bother you?"

"Yes, it would bother me." I didn’t want to have to hide our relationship for any longer than necessary. I hit my turn signal and pulled into the parking garage underneath my apartment building. I slid into one of my spots and cut the engine. "When you graduate I can finally have you all to myself."

I grabbed my sweatshirt out of the back seat and climbed out of the car. I opened the door for Penny.

She grabbed my hand, but she looked apprehensive for some reason.

We stepped onto the elevator and the doors slid closed. Silence surrounded us. And I wondered if I’d said something wrong.

"Well after I graduate, I'll get a job,” she finally said. “If anything, we'll probably have less time together."

Oh. So that’s what this was about? Because I said I’d have her all to myself? I meant it. "Maybe."

"You don't think I'll be able to find a job?"

She was taking this all wrong. "I didn't say that." I dropped her hand and leaned against the wall to stare at her. She had to know what I meant by this. She knew I was wealthy. She wasn’t going to be working as an unpaid intern after graduation. Not when she didn’t need to.

"Then what do you mean?"

I shrugged. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what I had to say. "I just meant that you won't really need to work."

"Of course I will."

"Not necessarily." It seemed like this was leading towards an argument. And I was so sick of fighting with her. I lifted her into my arms, hoping it would make her laugh. It did not. But I still carried her into my apartment.

"So that's your master plan for after I graduate? You want me to stay in your apartment all day while you work? I'd be bored out of my mind."

"Well, it would be our apartment, not mine."

"No it wouldn't. I wouldn't have any money to pay for my half of the rent."

This was ridiculous. I couldn’t help but laugh as I put her down on the couch. I knelt down on the floor beside her. "I have enough money for both of us, Penny. Besides, I don't rent this apartment. I own it."

"James...I'm getting a job after I graduate. I want to be able to provide for myself. I'm not going to mooch off of you."

Hmm. I lifted up her tank top and kissed her right below her belly button. God, her skin was so soft.

"Hey, stop trying to distract me." She cupped my chin in her hand.

I smiled at her. How could she not see how silly this conversation was?

"It's a good thing I am young. Because now I have extra time to convince you that that's a terrible idea."

"Mhm. It doesn't sound that terrible to me right now," I said.

"Certainly you'd be sick of me by then anyway."

Did she seriously think that? I lifted her legs, sat down on the couch, and put her legs down on my lap. "No, I don't think so." I’d never grow tired of her. I loved every inch of her. I slowly unlaced one of her sneakers, pulled it off her foot, and dropped it on the floor. I repeated the process with her other shoe.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

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