I looked over to catch Lowe sending me a curious sidelong glance as we both scooped glasses into the ice. He lifted his eyebrows. “Not that it’s any of my business or I’m judging or anything,” he was quick to add. “You just sounded pretty adamant the other night that you weren’t.”
“What makes you think she’s my teacher?” I evaded, curious to know how he’d come to such a conclusion. Risking a peek over my shoulder, I took her in. In blue jeans and a cashmere top with her hair pulled up in a perky ponytail, she looked like an undergraduate. Not a single professor vibe seeped from her.
Lowe just grinned. “My girlfriend and I take World Masterpieces from Dr. Kavanagh together. And Ten said her name the first night I worked here, so...” He let me figure out the rest of his deductive reasoning for myself.
Well, shit. If one guy could figure us out so effortlessly, then how easy would it be for anyone else to? Just how perilous to her job was it for me to even talk to her?
Feeling fiercely protective, I scowled at Lowe. “I think you’re reading too much into something that’s not there.” The look in my eyes and tone in my voice told him to back the hell off.
“Hey, you don’t have to worry about me.” He lifted his hands, trying to tell me everything between us was cool. “I wouldn’t say anything, and besides, I was just teasing you.”
No. Ten teased me, thinking I wasn’t even interested in her. I could tell Lowe knew I actually was.
I looked her way, every muscle in my body tense. I didn’t want to cause her trouble. I didn’t want some guy I barely knew and couldn’t trust yet getting her into trouble either. But then she turned her attention our way as if she could feel my gaze on her, and we made eye contact. Christ, but I couldn’t stay away from her either. The pull I felt toward this woman was crazy, and I knew I should fight it, but I kept forgetting why.
When the tops of her cheeks flushed and she darted her glance away, I jerked my elbow Lowe’s way. “She doesn’t seem to recognize you from one of her classes.” And that’s when it hit me. Aspen didn’t recognize Lowe. In fact, she didn’t even seem to be aware of him working alongside me.
Since the bastard had started, every woman had skipped over me to check him out first. Without fail. Everyone but Aspen. She didn’t even realize he existed because she was busy sneaking another discreet glance my way.
Heat seized me. I wanted to go to her, and grab her, and just...brand her as mine. Such barbaric, caveman urges had never afflicted me before, but they roared to life now. She preferred me over Mason Lowe. Hot damn. Made me want to prefer her over every woman I’d ever known too.
Or maybe she just hadn’t really looked at him yet. A scowl marred my brow as I studied her. I didn’t like the self-doubt these thoughts caused. I hadn’t experienced anything like it since I’d been here. In Ellamore, I was treated like royalty. Strangers loved me for my football skills. Ladies loved me for my looks. And guys loved me for my cool-ass attitude. I never had to wonder who thought I was a piece of trash, because they told me I was amazing. Until Aspen Kavanagh came along. And now the uncertainty was creeping its way under my skin and making me itch for answers.
Her fingers tapped idly against the countertop to the beat of the music playing as if she was waiting for something. For me.
But I didn’t go to her.
“Hey, you take care of her for a little while,” I told Mason, tugging the drink from his hand and handing him the one in mine so we could trade places.
He sent me a surprised glance. I didn’t give him a chance to refuse, because I was already delivering his order to his customer. I barely paid the middle-aged guy any notice as I covertly watched every move Lowe made. He approached Aspen and set her soda on the counter. She turned to him with a ready smile, which only faltered when she discovered he was serving her. Then she glanced my way and I rushed to look busy.
Lowe stuck around for a couple minutes, saying something I couldn’t hear from my end. She responded with a nod and vague smile. His posture turned flirtier than I’d ever seen it before, and I had to scowl, ready to kick his ass. What the hell did he think he was doing?
Instead of batting her lashes at him, or blushing, or even—God, help me—giggling, Aspen merely slid her gaze to me. Jesus, she sat right in front of Catnip Lowe and her eyes still wandered my way. I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this. Awareness spiked through me and I wanted to claim my woman so badly I actually balled my hands into fists to fight the urge. Tugging her attention back to Lowe as if it took everything she had to focus on what he was saying, she nodded and replied to whatever he’d asked.
I rested my hands on the bar to catch my breath. It felt as if I’d just run a mile. And my skin was alive with this oversensitive prickly sensation. Jesus, I hoped I wasn’t breaking out into hives. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable feeling. It was too new to be cozy, but I craved more of it. I wanted to look at her again just to hoard up more of the rush that just looking at her gave me.