“Evangelina, so help me god . . .”
Oh man, I was in trouble. He never used my full name.
“All right!” I snapped. “Come sit down at least.” I stomped to the couch and slammed myself down in a huff. But he was still looming over me, arms crossed, foot tapping, and his tongue shoved into his teeth.
“Well?” I raised my eyebrows at him.
“I’m not sitting. Speak.”
“You’re really going to stand over me like this is an interrogation?”
“E-vang-e-lina, Now!”
I let out an irritated sigh. “Ugh, you’re such a bitch sometimes. Fine. That night at the frat party I had this weird attraction to him I didn’t understand. I tried to brush it aside because it didn’t make any sense. After, when I was lying on the ground, the minute he was near me I just felt . . . calm. I think that freaked me out even more. He was touching me and stuff and I didn’t care. I almost wanted him to . . . I think.” My eyebrows puckered as I contemplated that notion. “Then yesterday I was in the cafeteria, trying to get my head on straight, and all of a sudden he was just there. He was so close and something came over me. I’ve never felt like that before. I was all tingly and sweaty and couldn’t breathe right. I was a fucking mess, but not a nervous mess or a scared mess. A hot, turned on mess. I mean did you look at the guy?”
He wasn’t budging yet, so I gave him the rest. The part he was looking for.
“Anyway, I didn’t know how to handle it, so I tried to get away from him. Turns out, since I have the luck of a degenerate gambler, he’s in my class too. So I was stuck with that very hot, very sweet, fine piece of ass for the next two hours. Which, by the way, I spent panting and squirming in my seat every time he turned those unnaturally gorgeous fucking eyes in my direction. It’s freaky. It’s like there’s an electric current running between us or something. I ran away from him as soon as the class was over, and left him with his mouth hanging open, but the damage was already done. Let’s just say I had a very rough night.”
Looking away, I hung my head in defeat and lowered my voice. “Happy now?”
Unfolding his arms, he relaxed his stance. Very gently, he lowered himself down next to me and pulled me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist, putting my legs over his lap as he pet my hair.
“No, Eva. I’m not happy now. Why would that make me happy?”
“I don’t know what to do, Jace.” I sniffled. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be scared, baby girl, and don’t you cry either. There’s been enough of that. What happened when I left you today?”
“We spent the afternoon lounging and talking at the park, and then we went to lunch. It felt so . . . normal.”
I unwrapped myself and concentrated on his face. “I’m in serious trouble. First of all, he likes me. I mean, abnormally likes me. And the guy’s persistent. I told him I had a boyfriend, and he didn’t even blink. I’d be able to handle it, except . . .” I threw my gaze away from him, unable to bear the scrutiny.
He took my chin between his fingers, bringing my focus back to him. “Except you feel the same way and don’t want to push this one away.”
“Jace, what am I gonna do?”
He took me by both shoulders, his eyes understanding and sympathetic. “Listen to me, sugar, it’s okay. This is okay. It’s normal. You’re supposed to let yourself feel these things. You deserve to feel this. That wasn’t why I was coming down on you. You don’t know this guy. I didn’t know how far it went or why you were keeping it from me. You can’t hide things from me, Eva—ever. You understand that, right?”
I nodded.
“Promise. Out loud,” he demanded.
“I promise,” I said solemnly, hooking my little finger with his and sticking our thumbs in our mouths. It was the familiar pinky swear we’d been doing since we were five.
Jace finally relaxed. “I have to say, though, when you do something you sure do it right. That guy is sex on legs.” He fanned himself.
I shot to my feet and began the endless pacing I did when I was nervous. “He’s perfect! I’ve tried a million times over to find something, anything, wrong with him. All I find is another reason why he’s so damn perfect. This is so bad. You know I can’t pursue this. It’s impossible. But I don’t know how to get rid of him. Every time I try, he won’t let me, and I don’t have the strength to force him. He breaks everything down inside me. I’m like jelly the second he looks at me. It’s complete insanity. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, the guy is a total fucking chivalrous sweetheart.”
I stopped pacing and turned abruptly as the answer to my prayers slapped me in the face. “You. You need to get rid of him for me. Yes, that’s it!”