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My heart was racing a mile a minute as I tried to squash down the irrational feelings of hurt and jealousy bubbling up inside of me.
What had I expected? Archer to show up solo? For him to sit across from me and pine for me, the way I would him? How naïve could I get? But the idea of watching Archer wine and dine another man while I was across the room, unable to touch him, made me want to both throw up and punch something.
“No. I didn’t.”
“Yeah,” West said as he cautiously backed him and JT away from us. “We’re going to head to class now.”
Travis pointed at them and nodded. “And I’m gonna go with.”
I couldn’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to be around me right then either. I felt like an idiot. Like some stupid, lovesick, overeager kid who’d built up this fantasy in my head where someone as charismatic and sophisticated as Archer Carrington could possibly want more with me than a couple nights in his bed.
How stupid was I?
“Preston?” Serena’s voice was soft, like she was trying to soothe me. But it was too late. My insecurities had already taken over.
“Can you give me a minute?” I fished my phone out of my pocket and held up my cell. “I just want to?—”
She nodded, squeezing my arm. “Take your time. I’ll wait for you over here.”
I took in a breath, trying to calm the riot of emotions wreaking havoc on my mind, and walked to one of the windows looking out over Astor’s main courtyard.
Was I kidding myself to think that Archer and I could have any kind of real relationship? I was still in college, for God’s sake. He was out running a multimillion-dollar company.
But…he’d been amazing this weekend. So sexy and attentive, funny and smart, the best date I ever had—and now all I could think was: would Rodney feel the same way?
I tightened my hand around my phone, the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head—and how odd it was over something as simple as date after what we’d done this weekend with Raul and Johan.
Somehow, though, this felt more personal. Not only the thought of his spending time with someone else, but the fact he didn’t tell me? It hurt.
I stared down at the screen and pulled up a message thread with FILTH, his nickname now mocking me.
You have a date for the Winter Ball. Guess you made time in your schedule for that.
Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I hit send.
THIRTY-ONE
archer
PRESTON WASN’T RETURNING my texts. Or my calls.
That they weren’t going directly to voicemail meant his phone was on, but he waschoosingto ignore me, and that was something I wouldn’t let slide.
Even if it was my fault he was obviously upset.
I yanked open the main door of Astor University with more force than necessary, pissed at myself that I’d put us both in this situation. Until Benoit brought it up last night, I’d completely forgotten about Rodney, and by the time I left the Elysium, it was well after midnight. Waking Preston up to share that bit of information was the last thing I’d wanted to do, but had I known the way it would blow up this morning, I would’ve done it anyway.
How had he even found out?
A security guard started in my direction as I made my way deep into the school, but then stopped and waved when he saw it was me. Being on the board of directors here wasn’t usually filled with any perks, but the freedom to walk in without being harassed was one of them, at least this morning.
Though what I was doing here was beyond all rational thought. Then again, I’d lost all common sense the second Itouched Preston. What was racking up one more sin on my ever-growing list?
I checked the time as I headed in the direction of his current class—information, I was ashamed to note, I’d learned from Serena when Preston didn’t answer me back. I hated that she was involved in this already, which was just one reason why I should never have let this happen.
But it had. Because I could finally admit to myself that maybe I was enjoying Preston’s company a little too much.
No communication, though? Not having it. I’d canceled a meeting and headed straight here, something that had surprised my assistant more than it had me. I didn’t rush out of work unless there was an emergency, so what the hell was I doing here? Why couldn’t I have waited until the end of the workday like a normal human being?
