I giggled as I replied.
You saw my pretty little face yesterday in class.
He replied right back.
That’s true, but there are things I want to do to you that would get me fired if I did them to you in the classroom.
“Hey, slut.”
I turned around and glared at Paige, who stood behind me, scowling, with one hand resting on her hip. So much for her leaving me alone.
“What do you want, Paige?” I sighed. I was not in the mood for this. Not today.
“I just wanted to talk. For old times’ sake.”
I snorted. What the hell was she talking about? I rolled my eyes and adjusted the bag of books over my shoulder, waiting impatiently for her to get to the point.
“Leave me alone, Paige. You know the best thing about leaving this place in two weeks’ time? Never having to see your skanky little face again.” I turned and began walking away.
She sniggered behind me. “Really? I would’ve put money on it being you being able to fuck your boyfriend without him at risk of losing his job.”
What? I froze, positive I’d misheard.
There was no way in hell she knew. It just wasn’t possible. Paige walked slowly around me until her eyes were level with mine. “Yeah, that’s right. I figured it out. And your reaction just now? That confirmed it for me.”
“What do you want?” I said through gritted teeth.
She laughed. “Nothing you can give me, that’s for sure,” she smirked. “I’ll be in touch.”
I watched her walk away.
“Oh, and Wrenn?” she said sweetly. “Tell that boyfriend of yours he could’ve done so much better than you.”
***
After practically running home and locking myself in my bedroom, I called Dalton.
“Hey.” He sounded happy to hear from me.
“Paige knows. She knows about us.” I sank down onto my bed, covering my face with my hand. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“What did she say?” Dalton’s voice was flat.
I recounted our conversation, leaving out the last bit where she’d said he could do better.
“I knew it. She practically propositioned me after class today.”
Huh? She what?
That fucking bitch. Suddenly, all I felt was anger.
“I’m sorry Dalton, I know how bad this will be for you—”
“Hey,” he cut in. “If she tells, she tells. It doesn’t change how I feel about you, okay? And honestly? I’m not that worried. I think the last thing Paige would want is for her classmates to think of her as a rat.”
I wished I was that convinced.
“Maybe we should lay low for a few days,” I muttered, my head a scramble of conflicting thoughts. The idea of not seeing him was torture, but this was turning into a mess.
“I can’t not see you,” he murmured. “Come over tonight. Spend the night with me.” His voice dropped low and husky. How could I say no when he sounded so damn sexy?
“Okay,” I sighed. “I just can’t say no to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
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Dalton
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I hadn’t slept at all. I’d spent the whole night with her in my arms, watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed. So innocent, as though nothing in the world could touch her. Thoughts invaded my head, all about her and what she was doing to me. It was like I was scared to go to sleep just in case I woke up and all this was only a dream.
Just before five, I woke her. The sun was coming up, and I knew if we left it any longer the risk of us getting caught would increase. She stirred, but didn’t rouse. I smiled and leaned over to her, my lips touching hers. This time she smiled, her eyes opening and gazing up at me.
“This is a nice way to wake up,” she mumbled, stretching her body. I ran my hand under the covers, gently stroking her breast. She smiled again, lifting her mouth up to meet mine.
“It’s getting light outside. You’d better go,” I said, not bothering to hide my disappointment. If I could’ve held her captive in my bed all day, I would have.
“Yeah, I know,” she grumbled, fishing around for her clothes. “I can’t wait until I don’t have to sneak off. I just want to be able to lie in bed with you.”
“I know,” I muttered. I reached for her arm, pulling her back down onto the mattress.
She laughed, letting herself fall over me—her hair over my face, her lips slammed against mine; I couldn’t get enough of her.
Hours, days together—none of it was enough. A lifetime with her wouldn’t be enough.
She struggled away from me, laughing. Her cheeks flushed red. Her green eyes narrowed at me as she put enough distance between us so that I couldn’t reach out to her again. I shook my head and chuckled, watching her dress. Fuck, she was so sexy. Standing there in her mismatched panties and bra, trying to figure out what way around her top went—every part of me ached for her.
She bit her lip and smiled at me as she wriggled into her jeans. With one last kiss, she was gone. Out the door, and into the night. I fell back to sleep, imagining she was still there with me.