Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) (23 page)

“I had a notion you’d run, sweetums.”

She could only sigh when he slipped his arm around her waist. “I need to wear a ‘Don’t Touch’ sign on my body. It’s not for your use, Maxwell.”

There was that familiar smirk. “I like your ass, Blake. And if you’re honest, you like mine. So, confess. Did you or did you not sleep with Alex?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Why do you want to know so much?”

“So we can make it a threesome, of course.”

That wrung out another laugh. She wasn’t sure which she wanted more: kneeing him or slapping him. Actually, it was probably a tie.

“I’ll pass,” she said.

Amused malice lit up those dark eyes. “Your loss, darling. For someone as fuckable as you are, you don’t really know how to play nice. You just cut dicks off. I think that’s what you did to Alex. Make no mistake about it, you had him.”

“I don’t make a career of playing up to Alex’s ego. He has plenty of girls for that.”

“No, he just has Bri now.”

That stung more than she cared to admit. “Yes, well, he’s her problem.”

“Not so fast. You can still get him back.”

“What if I don’t want him?”

“Oh, if you want to play it that way, I’ll start digging my bomb shelter.”

She left him looking after her, as she went off to gym class. He wasn’t there when the class concluded, and she wasn’t sure if she was surprised or disappointed. No matter, she had to eat lunch next, and that was an ordeal she didn’t want.

Some people at Alex’s cafeteria table straightened when she sauntered over to them. No doubt they all believed she’d slept with Alex, and no doubt they wanted to dissect her behavior for any trace of jealousy.

“Hi, everyone,” she said, smiling as she sat down. Her voice was a little lower than she would have liked, but at least it was strong and even. “Anything exciting going on?”

Much to her irritation, everyone looked to Alex.

His mouth quirked. God, he was gorgeous, and what was worse, he knew it. Even now, her stomach fluttered. She couldn’t help but remember what they’d done in bed together, only two days ago.

Why, Alex? Why?

“Bri and I are dating,” he said.

“Congratulations. You can’t do any better than Justin’s sister.” She glanced at Bri Latimer. “Maybe you’ll be the girl who finally tames him.”

That won a quick smile from Bri. “Maybe.”

Alex’s smile was no more than a glitter of teeth. “I decided I’d rather have quality instead of quantity. Better a girl who has an actual brain than a girl who only knows how to run her mouth.”

Bastard, Adrian thought. “I agree.” She turned up the wattage of her smile. “Better a guy who has an actual personality than a guy who isn’t that great in bed.”

Now
she could hear Quentin’s stifled laughter.

Bri was looking back and forth between her and Alex. Maybe it was Adrian’s imagination, but she could have sworn that the girl’s smile had chilled considerably.

“We’ve known each other forever,” Bri said. “Alex and me. So we thought that we should give it a try. It’s not like I recently moved here or something.”

In that moment, Adrian knew she had just made an enemy of the girl.

Her fingers curled into claws under the table. “Then you’re lucky, Alex,” she drawled. “Not every girl will ignore the fact that you snore.”

Gasps traveled around the table.

Alex didn’t react outwardly, but despite that, Adrian still thought he was surprised that she’d even brought it up, that she’d dared to confront him in public. He was watching her, clearly trying to gauge what she had in mind.

“No one’s ever complained,” Alex said.

“Maybe they just didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” she said.

Bri put her hand on Alex’s arm, a possessive gesture that didn’t escape Adrian’s notice. “And how would you know that he snores?” she said.

Adrian shrugged. “We live in the same house.”

“Oh. Of course.”

“Of course,” Adrian said, deliberately echoing Bri.

Color crept into the other girl’s face. She opened her mouth and then thought better of it, and started unpacking her lunch.

Only then did Adrian realize she was hungry. She hadn’t brought any lunch from home, but before she could get up and join the cafeteria line, Quentin pushed his food across the table.

“You can have mine,” he said.

“Feeling gallant?” she said.

His dark eyes were dancing. “Just think of it as a small token of my appreciation. I haven’t felt this entertained in weeks.”

People raised their heads. There was a stir in the cafeteria as if everyone was looking at someone. Curious in spite of herself, Adrian looked too.

Justin Latimer had finally surfaced, but instead of joining them at the table, he was stalking out of the cafeteria. Adrian hadn’t noticed him earlier, so he couldn’t have been here for too long. It sure seemed as if he’d initially entered the room and decided that he wasn’t so hungry after all.

Alex’s mouth tightened, and Adrian almost felt sorry for him. Almost. No one had forced him at gunpoint to date Bri.

Like everyone else, Bri had seen her brother. There was color blooming in her cheeks, but instead of looking contrite, she lifted her head.

“I swear, he overdoes the big brother act sometimes,” she said to no one in particular.

Grant abruptly tossed his half-eaten sandwich onto the table. It wasn’t unusual for him not to say a word, but Adrian had seldom seen him lose control like that.

Alex cast his gaze down, but when it came up again, it centered on Travis who had turned up. “Why so quiet, Cates?”

Adrian tensed.
Oh no, you don’t.

Someone stomped on her foot under the table. More likely, it was Vaughn, and with an effort, Adrian kept her mouth shut. If she rushed in to defend Travis, she would undermine him.

Travis’s guileless eyes opened wide. “Dude, I’m just enjoying the show.”

That faint, unsettling smile still played with Alex’s mouth. “So you’re saying that you won’t throw your beer at Bri? She’s different, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah, she’s different,” Travis said amiably. “She hasn’t got any tits like Mandy.”

Adrian bit the inside of her cheek, so she wouldn’t laugh aloud. Why had she even bothered? Travis could take care of himself.

Vaughn fell into step with her after lunch had ended. “Well, if that wasn’t the cattiest gathering I’ve ever been to …” Her smile faded as she studied Adrian. “So what do you intend to do?”

The rush of adrenaline was long gone, but Adrian didn’t let her shoulders slump. She had too many people watching. “I’ll think of something,” she said. “I don’t really have a choice but to play, do I?”

The blonde’s smile was sympathetic. “One doesn’t take Alex Montgomery on without a strategic plan and a life insurance policy.”

Adrian hadn’t quite told Vaughn the truth. She did have a tentative plan taking shape, but the question was if she had enough guts to go along with it. But before she could think about it, one more person approached her.

Grant caught her arm before she walked into Calculus. “We need to talk,” he said briefly. “If you want to do something to Alex, then I’m in.”

“What makes you think I want to do something to him? What makes you think I’d tell you anyway? You’re his friend, not mine.”

Anger flared in those pale blue eyes. “Well, that’s what I thought until Alex screwed Justin over. He broke the goddamn code, the only one that matters.” Grant released her arm. “Don’t fence with me, Adrian. You want to hurt him, you have my help.”

She looked at him closely. “You’re really sure you want to do this?”

Now Grant was smiling. “You don’t think I can do it? Maybe it’s time for him to find out why you don’t fuck with me.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

She spun her locker combination. It had been a long, long day, and all she wanted to do was to crawl into her bed and never come out, but Grant had said he would meet her after school, so she had to wait.

“What do you know about Grant?” she’d asked Vaughn earlier.

“He’s always been a little of a mystery,” the blonde had replied. “He moved here when we were still in junior high. Even then, he was practically a mute giant.”

“Sounds like he hasn’t changed much. Has he ever dated anyone?”

“He brought a few girls to school dances, but it never went past that. There used to be some buzz that he was gay.” Vaughn’s suddenly demure expression left no doubt as to who had started that alleged rumor. “But that didn’t last.”

“Some guys tried to mess around with him. But he just looked at them with those freaky eyes,” Travis put in, “and they shut up.”

Adrian knew exactly what he meant. Grant wasn’t the type who deliberately used his size to intimidate people, but he so seldom said a word that it was easy to mistake his silence for menace. Even then, his silence said volumes.

She had just finished packing her backpack when Grant showed up. He nodded a greeting as he leaned against the adjoining locker. His muscular frame took up most of the space, but she’d be damned if she stepped back from him.

“So what do you want to talk about?” she said.

Grant smiled briefly. “Alex needs his ass kicked.”

“Why now?”

“He went too far this time.”

“Yes,” Adrian agreed. She’d never really had close friends back in Chicago, but even she understood that what Alex had done was wrong. “But if anyone has the right to be upset, it’s Justin, not you.”

There was a flash of anger in those eyes. “Justin will never confront him.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

It surprised Adrian. She’d always known Justin was different from his friends, but could he be that passive? Would he really bite his tongue and look the other way as his best friend waltzed off with his twin sister?

Grant was watching her. She had the feeling that he’d understood her mental process because he said, “Not everyone is like you, Adrian.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Take it however you like.” His eyes moved over the empty hallway. “Alex has it for you so bad that he’s screwing Justin over. Whether you’re worth it, I don’t know, but if you screw with Justin, I will burn you. And trust me, you do not want that.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Grant. I can take anything you dish out, but if I were you, I’d be more furious with Alex. He’s the one who betrayed your friendship, not me.”

“Fair enough. Do you have something in mind?”

Adrian hesitated. It was hard to break her lifetime habit of not confiding in anyone. Odd how she’d spent three years with Jason, and yet she’d talked to him so little. No, they had never been meant to last.

“Alex has an ego,” she said.

“Yes.”

“He wanted me to cry my eyes out when I saw him with Bri.” As she said the words, she could still feel that sting. “He wanted to break me.”

Now there was a glint of humor. “I don’t think he succeeded in breaking your heart,” Grant said, “but by all means, feel free to cry on my shoulder.”

“Here’s the thing. Two people can play that game.”

He raised his eyebrows, and in that moment Adrian knew he understood. And if she were a betting person, she would have said he knew exactly who she was thinking about. Nicky had once said he was a spooky cyborg, and she hadn’t been wrong.

“You have any objections?” she said.

“Too many.”

“Then what do you suggest we do? Alex’s not playing nice, and if we’re playing nice …”

“I didn’t say I disagreed.” Grant looked thoughtful and remote as always, but she knew the anger was there. “If you think it’s what you have to do, go ahead.”

“Are you going to tell Justin about this?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“He’ll do anything for Bri. He’ll hope that Alex can make her happy.” Grant said the last few words with a nearly invisible roll of his eyes.

She knew Grant was right. Justin was more soft-hearted than his friends, and she wondered why they even put up with him. Or why he put up with them when he could do better. It was such an unlikely quartet, but she’d formed an unlikely trio with Travis and Vaughn, so maybe she wasn’t one to talk.

“All right, so we don’t tell him anything,” she said.

“Yes. If we’re going with your idea …” His smile was faint. “I’d offer myself up, but I’m no good at this kind of thing.”

She had expected nothing less, but even so, it was a loss. She’d asked Vaughn for information about him, so she could figure out who he was, but she’d also asked to see if Grant had ever dated. If they pretended to date, it would quite possibly send shockwaves roiling throughout the school, and that was exactly what she wanted.

“Any chance you’ll reconsider?” she said.

“I’m flattered,” he said, “but no.”

“Why? Because you don’t like me?”

“Because you’re Alex’s. Or he’s yours. Either way, it’s the same.”

Her mouth twisted. “I rather doubt that.”

“Believe what you want, but I know what I know.”

Irked, Adrian picked up her bag and shouldered it. She didn’t need to think about what he’d just said, because it was so patently untrue. If Alex had cared for her at all, he would never have gone off with Bri.

“The list of available guys isn’t that long,” she said. “There isn’t much competition here.”

“There’s one guy you haven’t mentioned.”

She grimaced. If she was honest with herself, she’d floated that name in her mind all day long, but now that she was actually discussing the possibility, she still didn’t like it.

“Quentin,” she said.

“Yes.”

“He’s my number one candidate as you probably know, but I don’t want him feeling me up every chance he gets.”

Oh yes, she could just imagine it. Quentin would stand too close to her, his hands in places where she didn’t want them to be. His lips on hers, and … just, no. The first time he tried something she didn’t like, she would slap him. And that would be the end of the charade.

“That’s a problem, yes,” Grant conceded, “but you do want someone who will act as if he’s into you. Like it or not, you’re going to have to do some PDA. He’ll be only too happy to volunteer his services.”