Oh God, he didn’t want to be exclusive, did he? And oh hell, had he already been non-exclusive with some other girl since we’d started sleeping together? How many had there been? Did I need to get myself tested?
Taking my hands, Colton looked me in the eyes and dropped the bomb. “I don’t care if it’s casual or serious, when I’m ...involved with someone, that’s it. There’s no one else.”
My lips parted, and I had to blink before crinkling my eyebrows and croaking, “What?”
He grinned. “I just said I only sleep with one woman at a time. Why are you staring at me like I’ve grown a second head?”
“I...I...I don’t know.” I shook my head, still stunned. “I just...you...we never discussed it, so I thought—”
“That I fuck every woman who crosses my path?” he guessed. “Yeah, sorry, I don’t work that way. I just don’t see the point. To me, it’s more fun to focus all my attention on one at a time, instead of trying to juggle and keep track of who likes what and where and how hard, and—”
I cut him off by leaping at him and kissing him hard.
He laughed against my lips before kissing me back. Our mouths opened and tongues touched. In that moment, I wanted to kiss him for the rest of my life. “I guess this means you’re cool with being exclusive,” he muffled against my lips.
“Yes. Hell yes.”
He pulled back and declared, “You know, we should end all our discussions this way.”
With a nod, I agreed. “I could handle that.”
One second, he was grinning at me in the middle of the university’s courtyard. The next, his eyes flared as he glanced over my shoulder, and he was hissing, “Shit,” as he jerked to his feet away from me.
“Wha…” I started, standing as well so I could whirl around and face what he’d just seen, only to gasp when I realized Brandt was right there. Like right there.
He hadn’t seen us yet; he was too busy reading something on his phone as he approached. There was no hiding, though. As soon as he looked up he’d see us because he was seriously right freaking there.
“Yo, the nursing building’s that way,” Colton said, making Brandt pop his face up and break out into a grin.
“Hey, punk.” He slapped his brother companionably in the arm. “I wondered if I’d ever bump into you on campus. I was headed to get some coffee. Come with me.”
Colton glanced at me before he could answer, which caused Brandt to finally notice me as well.
“Juli!” he greeted in surprise. “What a coincidence.” Then he glanced between the two of us and winced toward me as if in apology. “He’s not annoying you again, is he?”
I opened my mouth, wondering how I should answer. He’d think it was weird if I suddenly got along with his little brother who typically irritated me on every level ever invented. Except I couldn’t even pretend to act as if every breath Colton took still pissed me off.
So I sent big brother a tight smile and murmured, “Surprisingly, no. He hasn’t annoyed me at all today.”
Colton flashed me a million-watt grin while Brandt gave a low, impressed whistle. “Really?” Messing with Colton’s hair to purposefully jumble it out of place, he said, “That’s surprising.” But then his eyes flashed eagerly as he returned his attention to me. “Guess what? I did it.”
I stared stupidly a moment before it struck me what he was talking about. Then I blurted, “Oh my God, really?” I pressed my hand to my heart. “That’s uh…” I wasn’t sure what it was, so following his expectant smile, I lamely finished with, “Congratulations.”
“Thanks, I—”
“You did what?” Colton asked, darting a confused scowl between us.
When Brandt frowned at him as if reprimanding him for butting into our conversation, I cleared my throat. “So how did Sarah take it?”
“You totally called it,” he gushed, turning back to me. “She was ecstatic and wouldn’t stop smiling all night.”
“Hey?” Colton burst out, obviously tired of being left out of the conversation as he waved his hand between us. “What the fuck did you do?”
I froze at his pissy demand while Brandt stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“He quit his job,” I finally explained, feeling the need to soothe him.
It took Colton a second for the words to sink in. He was too busy switching his gaze between me and his brother, his expression revealing every suspicious thought zinging through him. Then he kind of paused before veering his attention to Brandt. “Wait. What? You quit your job at Forbidden? Why?”
“I’ll tell you all about it over coffee.” Brandt hitched his chin toward the nearest coffee shop located inside the student union.
But Colton took a step back. “No. I gotta get to class. I’ll see you later.”