“Uh-huh.” Looking at him sideways, I headed for the door. “Thanks for your help.”
“What do you say we make it a more permanent situation?” He followed me into the hall but wasn’t making eye contact. Was the Jaxton Ryder nervous? I should put him out of his misery, but where was the fun in that?
I brushed my arm against his, ignoring the spark of energy from the simple touch. “You think? I was thinking one of the group studies might be worth a try.”
His head snapped to me so fast it was clear that for all his being awkward, he fully expected me to say yes. For a second, I wanted to keep going to see how far I could push him, but I gave him a big smile. “You still good with Thursdays?”
The first emotion that flashed across his face was relief, but it was quickly followed by him looking like he wanted to throttle me. “What the hell, Sid? You are so much fucking trouble.”
I couldn’t help but let out a full-hearted laugh at his serious face.
His eyes narrowed, and I felt pinned by his stare. So caught up in him, I was nearly plowed over by another student. Jax gripped my hip, tugging me out of the way just in time, and growled, “Hey, fucker, watch it.”
The guy looked at him with wide eyes before scurrying off. Jax’s chest rose and fell rapidly, breathing as hard as I was. I sucked in my lower lip, and his eyes tracked the movement. A tortured rasp slipped from his lips. We stared at each other, and I grinned when a smile broke across his face, and he winked at me. I closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath and take in the lightness of this moment.
Jax cleared his throat, bringing my gaze to him. “Yeah, Thursdays work for me.”
I took a second to remember what he was talking about. “Cool, I’ll meet you at the library—”
Jax looked away as he cut me off. “Or… if you’re comfortable with it, would it be okay if you just come over to my place? That way, I could grab some food and not have to rush so much.”
Did I want to go to his place? Maybe a little too much. “What’s in it for me?”
His eyebrow rose in surprise, then eyes quickly narrowed. “Well, you’ll have amazing company.”
Grinning at his expression, I countered, “I’d have that at the library.”
A cocky smile slid over his mouth. “So, you admit it’s amazing?”
“What’s amazing?”
“My company.”
“Is Jaxton Ryder searching for compliments? Oh yes, you are the most amazing, the amazingest. No one knows just how amazing you are.” Jax threw a crumpled piece of paper at me, and I laughed so hard a snort escaped. Which made me laugh harder.
“Laughing suits you.” He stared at me, and a broad smile crossed his face. His voice turned playful and drew all of my attention. “What if I bring home a chocolate milkshake?”
I held my hand out. I meant to shake on it, but I was so distracted that I gently ran my fingers along his, and a ripple of sensation went through me. Taking a deep breath, I close my fingers around his, locking our hands. “Deal, but only if you make it strawberry flavor instead.”
ELEVEN
JAX
I opened the playbook and adjusted myself on my bed, determined to get them memorized tonight. These past few weeks had flown by, and I couldn’t afford to fall behind in my game. The couple of PR events Rocky set up had bombarded me with new press.
Which I knew was the point, but I was tired of seeing my face everywhere. I had this constant inkling that I should talk to Sid about it, but there was a distinct part of me that wanted to keep her out of it.
I spent the next hour immersed in studying, but I couldn’t stop picturing the feisty brunette currently running circles in my brain. Just being near her calmed the restless part of me. The part that thought I would never be enough. She was addictive, and it was more than just the challenge of her ridiculous rules. Now all I wanted to do was figure her out.
Her pouty lips and her smart-ass mouth had been the star of an embarrassing number of my fantasies. She had drive, tenacity, a stubbornness that nothing and no one could get in her way. She reminded me of Marcus. I bet she saw her dreams as a “when” and not an “if,” just like he did.
Of course, with all the girls chasing me, she had to be the one pushing me away. Oh, she was attracted, sure, but she put as much space between us as possible. Last week, I thought she was going to fall out of her chair because she leaned so far away.
I should’ve been insulted, but for all of her attempts to look unaffected, her eyes still drifted back to mine. Sid showed me she wanted me, whether she knew it or not. When she concentrated on her notes, her body slowly listed my way, as if she was being drawn into the same current I was. Then there was the way her cheeks flushed pink when I brushed against her.
I caught myself paying more attention to her than the class. She did this thing where she pulled her hair up with a deep red elastic, revealing the smooth column of her neck, or pushed it all behind her shoulders, filling the space with her citrus scent. Then there was the way her teeth gnawed her bottom lip as she fought for every second of concentration. And when she laughed… Fucking bottle that shit up and sell it to all the lonely men out there because it felt like coming home.
Unable to resist, I reached for my phone and sent her a quick text.
Me: You’re wrecking my concentration.
Staring at my phone, I watched as the little bubbles danced at the bottom.
Trouble: I’m ruining your concentration? You texted me.
Me: There’s that sass I love.
I paused, not knowing what to say, but I didn’t want to stop talking to her.
Me: I’m tired of running through plays and now I’m bored.
Trouble: Sounds like a YOU problem.
Me: Come on, don’t be like that.
Trouble: Fine. Read something.
Me: Like a book?
Trouble: Yes, genius. A book.
Me: Yeah, ok not my smartest answer.
Me: What kind of book?
Trouble: IDK anything you like. You have read books, haven’t you?
Me: Yes, Sid. I’ve read books.
Trouble: Alright… What did you like?
Fuck, what did I like? I didn’t know. I liked Game of Thrones, but I lost interest after the third book. Dune was an… experience. Not one I was down for diving back into. When the hell was the last time I read anything good?
Me: What do you like?
It took so long for her to answer I thought she’d left me hanging.
Trouble: You’re not going to like what I like.
Me: What? Why?
Trouble: Because guys don’t read the type of books I read.
Me: Well, now you have to tell me.
Trouble: Yeah, I don’t think so.
Me: Why the fuck not?
Trouble: Because, no.
My mouth twisted in a grin. Now I needed to know exactly what books she liked.
Me: What are you afraid of?
No reply.
Me: Are you reading dirty books, Sidney?
Bubbles appeared and disappeared as she typed. When they stopped and nothing else popped up, I sent her another message. I sounded desperate, but fuck it. I wanted to know. Something about getting my hands on a book so filthy she was embarrassed to tell me about it had my entire body vibrating.
Me: Tell me a book to read and I’ll tell you how much I like it.
I dropped my arm and ignored the pounding in my chest. Fuck. Did I push her too far? Did she think I was some kind of perv? I typed out, “just kidding,” but her message appeared before I hit Send.