Palm South University Season 1 Omnibus (16 page)

“I ordered us a large pepperoni. You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”

“Nope. Total meat lover here.” My eyes grow wide as the words leave my lips and I realize the implication behind them.
Could I be any more of a spazz?

Adam smirks. “Good to know. How was the beach?” As his eyes scan my bathing suit and small cover-up I suddenly wish I would have taken the time to change. I can only imagine how my hair looks after being in salt water and wind all day.

“Fun. Coming home, on the other hand…”

“What happened? Roommate drama still?”

“Unfortunately.”

Adam crosses his arms across his chest and leans back. “Whatever. Her loss. Zetas are bitches, anyway.”

I laugh at that just as the waitress drops off our pizza. Adam immediately digs in, draining the rest of his beer to wash down the first slice which I’m almost positive he just inhaled. There was no chewing going on.

“You going to Ralph’s next week for Halloween?”

“I heard that I really don’t have a choice,” I reply. “Sounds like that’s what everyone does.”

“It’s a huge block party. There are other bars hosting events, but Ralph’s is the place to be. It always has been.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll be there.”

“Cool. Me too. Is Skyler going?”

My heart sinks along with my smile. “I’m not sure. She’s been really busy training lately.”

“Training? For what?”

“She has a poker tournament this weekend.”

“Oh shit, I didn’t know she played. That girl is full of surprises.”

“Yeah.”

Adam watches me carefully for a moment before speaking again. “Well, regardless, I’ll be there. Do you know what you’re dressing up as yet?”

“I’m deciding between Ariel from
The Little Mermaid
and a zombie bride.”

Adam quirks a brow. “Those are two very different directions.”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t decided if I want to be cute and innocent or scary as hell.”

He smirks, wiping his mouth with a napkin and finishing his second beer. “Well, my vote is for Ariel.”

“Yeah? It’s not too cliché?” I twirl a strand of my frizzy, beach-blown hair around my index finger. “You know, red hair and all?”

“Nah,” he asserts, watching me with a sideways grin. “Besides, I think you’d be cute in a little purple shell bra.”

My cheeks flush, but I don’t know if Adam notices as he calls the waitress over for the check. He pays and then walks me back to my dorm, chatting about the concert almost the entire way. Once I’m back in my room, I strip down and run a cold shower. Even with the icey water raining down, my skin is still red hot.

And something tells me it’s not a sunburn.

I’VE NEVER REALLY LOVED SCHOOL, but class feels especially long tonight. It could have something to do with the fact that Jarrett’s eyes haven’t left me for more than thirty seconds. Every time I glance over at him, he’s staring at me – and not in a creepy way, but in the way that makes me feel like he’s weighing all the options he has for how to take my clothes off.

It’s so strange, seeing him dressed in sharp black slacks and a gray button up shirt with a black vest to match. I’ll always see him in board shorts and a t-shirt, just like that first night. Just like yesterday on the beach when I avoided him. That man belongs on a beach – or at least somewhere where he’s not restricted by clothes.

When Dr. Maynard releases us and Jarrett finishes calling attendance, I pack up my bag and keep my eyes fixed on the door as I walk past him. When a strong hand wraps around my wrist just as I reach the door, I close my eyes and exhale through my nose.

“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” I say softly, watching the other students pass. None of them notice us, but I’m still paranoid. When the last person leaves and we’re the only ones left in the room, Jarrett curses.

“It’s been almost two months. Why are you avoiding me?”

I scoff. “Really? If you have to ask, you’re seriously stupid.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Jess.” His dark eyes are sheltered beneath furrowed brows. “I don’t… I didn’t want what happened to be a one time thing.”

“Yeah, well, it was.”

Jarrett blinks. “Is that all you wanted?”

No.

“Obviously. You knew that when you took me in the back of your truck.” Saying the words out loud, even though we’re alone, makes me blush. And I
never
blush.

Jarrett’s mouth thins out into a flat line. “Don’t act like you’re not still attracted to me. Don’t act like you don’t watch me every class. Don’t act like you don’t have the same things going through your mind that I do right now.” He steps closer to me, reaching his hand up to grasp behind my neck. My eyelids flutter at the contact but I keep my cool. “You want me. And I want you.”

Fuck.

Like seriously, FUCK.

Pulling away, my eyes fall to the floor and I notice his bag is packed with a change of clothes – board shorts included. I need to kill this – whatever
this
is – between us, and I think I know exactly how to do it.

“You’re my professor’s assistant,” I state firmly, though my voice sounds shaky. “The only thing I want from you is the answer key to our next test.”

With that, I turn on my heel and push through the heavy wooden door of the classroom.

Then, I set my plan into motion.

MY VAGINA is trying to talk me out of my plan the entire drive to the beach.

What is wrong with you? Fuck him, you idiot!

But it’s not that simple. Do I want to keep hooking up with Jarrett? Obviously. The way he pulled my hair and grabbed my neck in the back of that truck has me more than curious about what he could do with an entire bed at his disposal. The sad truth is that he
is
my professor’s assistant. He could get fired, I could get expelled, we could both damage our reputations – both professionally and socially.

So tonight, I’ll get my point across.

My light cotton spaghetti strap dress sticks to my skin as I walk through the sand to the beach bar. I could blame the still-hot-even-though-it’s-October Florida air, but the truth is that I’m nervous. I don’t know if what I’m doing is even what I really want. All I know is that it has to happen.

Jarrett’s eyes find mine as soon as I walk through the entryway. His hand that was just wiping down the left end of the bar halts and he stares. Swallowing, I walk purposefully up to him and order a beer. As soon as he slides it into my hand, I drop cash on the bar and strut over to a group of guys I recognize from school.

Game time.

One of the guys is Josh, Clinton’s little, and he just so happens to be the easiest guy I’ve ever known. I’m pretty sure he’d hit on a plastic bag if the wind blew it in a way that made it resemble tits. As soon as he sees me, he jumps out of his chair.

“Oh shit! J-Love has graced us with her presence!”

“And you’re damn lucky, too.”

He swoops me up into a hug and I giggle, though only for show. I am not into Josh in any way, shape, or form. Josh has an amazing upper body, but he’s missed one too many leg days and his skin is constantly a burnt orange from the self-tanner he applies daily. His hair is a light brown, but I swear he dyes it. There is no way this kid isn’t a ginger. If his freckles aren’t a dead giveaway, the brownish-red beard he’s sporting right now certainly is.

Josh’s brothers order the first round of shots and I make sure to lean into Josh more than necessary, letting his hands rest on my hips and ass. I don’t even have to look Jarrett’s way to know he’s watching. I can practically feel my skin burning.

“Where’s Bear tonight?”

“No idea. Probably changing his tampon.” My brows shoot up. Josh has always been very respectful to Bear. “He’s been a pussy lately. He keeps raggin’ on us for partying, saying shit about how we’re going to get us in trouble. Plus he’s been moody as hell for no damn reason. Don’t you remember him freaking out on Skyler at our party a few weeks ago?”

“Oh yeah. That was awkward.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” He grins with a smile too big for his face and pulls me in closer. “The real question is, what do you want to drink next?”

Ick. Typical Josh. He always has to get a girl wasted before he can get laid, which only makes my skin crawl more at the fact that I have to use him of all guys to get Jarrett off my ass. But he’s easy, and he’s working. I saunter up to the bar pretending like I’m still giggling about something Josh said and order another round of shots.

Jarrett fills the order silently, slamming glasses around more than necessary. After he pours the blue liquid in a straight line over the shot glasses, he snatches the cash from my hand but holds my gaze.

“What are you doing?”

“Paying for shots,” I deadpan. “Should I be doing something else?”

With that, I gather up the shots and make my way back to the table, casting a glance back at Jarrett just to confirm that he’s watching my ass.

And he so is.

As the night progresses, Josh pushes his luck more and Jarrett watches every minute of it. I feel kind of shitty using Josh, but I need to piss Jarrett off. I need him to see that I’m not interested, he was just a one night stand, nothing more and nothing less.

Even if it is a lie.

The truth is, I would love nothing more than to take him in his truck again and feel his strong hands splayed on my lower back as I ride his massive cock. But he’s my teacher – or, pretty close to it – and he could get fired. For some reason, I care about him enough to not want that.

Which is also weird.

“You’re so damn sexy,” Josh whispers into the nape of my neck before kissing his way up to my earlobe. He bites it seductively, but I don’t feel the slightest bit turned on.

“Can you walk me to my car?” I flirt, biting my lip. I made sure to stop after the first two shots, fake drinking my beer and refilling the guys’ drinks as necessary. I fully intend to drive my happy ass home tonight.

Josh groans. “Gladly.”

As we stumble toward the door, Josh cups my ass in his hands and I swat at him playfully, letting him kiss up and down my neck. When we reach the entryway, I cast one last glance at Jarrett. His dark eyes are haunting, his jaw tense beneath the skin stretched over it. His nose flares with every breath as he watches Josh push me the last bit out the door, and then he’s out of view.

And I’m off the hook.

I keep Josh occupied for a half hour, kissing him feverishly in the back of my BMW. When I think it’s been long enough for him to walk back into the bar and raise eyebrows, I peel him off me and open the door.

“Thanks, Josh. See you around.”

“Wait, what?” The look on his face almost makes me feel bad.

Almost.

“Yeah, not happening, Josh,” I say, crawling into the front seat. The engine purrs to life and Josh slowly crawls out of the back seat, his face still twisted in confusion.

“What the fuck was all that?”

I shrug. “Just having a little fun. Like I said, see you around.” I flash him a smile and then pull away, leaving him stroking his ego and maybe something else in the parking lot.

The farther I get away from the bar, the more I feel like I can breathe. I blast Eric Church as loud as I can to drown out whatever thoughts of Jarrett are still stuck in my head, but it only helps momentarily.

It was luck running into Josh tonight. I figured I’d have to work hard for some business suit to walk out the door with me, but I lucked into him and his brothers breaking away from the normal college bars. Jarrett saw everything, he saw that he wasn’t anything special, and now I don’t have to worry about him trying to seduce me.

Mission accomplished.