Anna’s elbow strikes me again, this time in my ribs and somewhat more violently.
“What?” I whisper.
Anna’s eyebrows crease. “You know this. Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I shake my head. Another student answers Professor McGregor’s question and Anna slumps back in her seat.
I release a breath and my eyes sweep over the hall, halting on the man Anna pointed out earlier. He’s relaxed back in his chair, hands tucked into the pockets of his chinos. His long legs are extended, ankles crossed as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. I frown at the heavy shadow of his blond beard, concealing the strong jawline beneath.Wait. How could I possibly know that?
The corner of his mouth curves upward into a sexy, tight-lipped smirk, as if he’s heard something amusing. A dimple appears in his cheek and a wave of heat races through my body, an image of a hand trailing up my thigh flashing in my mind. Cheeks on fire, I tear my gaze away, but within seconds I’m biting my lip and scrutinizing the tanned skin on the back of his neck. Why does he seem so familiar to me?
“You’re drooling, babe,” Anna says out of the corner of her mouth. “I told you he was a baddie.”
I let out a small laugh, and more than one classmate turns in their seat. I clamp my hand over my mouth with a sharp inhale. “Sorry,” I mumble, returning my attention to Professor McGregor, who’s now going over key points for our upcoming exam.
Concentrate, Mariella.
But my eyes pull back to the man, like a compass needle to magnetic north. He’s sitting next to a dark-haired woman I’ve also never seen in this class. Her black sweatshirt brushes the man’s shoulder each time she leans over to whisper in his ear.
She’s strikingly beautiful despite the dark crescents under her eyes and her gaunt face. The harsh scowl on her olive skin’s a mere distraction from those prominent cheekbones and full lips. There’s something dangerous about her allure, reminding me of a leopard stalking its prey. Strands of dark hair frame her face and her onyx eyes prowl the room, frequently dropping to her dated analogue watch as her slender leg jitters underneath the fold-out desk.
I focus again on the overhead screen and my stomach twists. The class is almost over and for the first time in my life, I haven’t typed any notes.At least I can copy Anna’s.
I stifle a smile. Anna’s asleep, her head resting on her desk with saliva creeping from her mouth.
“Good luck with your midterm,” Professor McGregor concludes.
The lecture hall swells with activity as students gather their things to leave. Anna jerks awake, her precisely drawn eyeliner now smudged along her temple. As we wait for thecrowd in front of us to file out, I locate the man I’ve been watching, still seated and surveying those around him. His roaming gaze passes over me at first, but then his head snaps back and our eyes lock, his widening. He rises to his feet, mouth slack, hands falling by his sides.
My immediate instinct is to look away, but something holds me in place.
“Ella, get your shit,” Anna says, startling me.
I bend down and shove my laptop into my satchel. A wall of my chestnut hair blocks the man from view, yet I can still sense him watching me.
Don’t look!my brain screams.
I look up. He’s definitely still staring. And it’s—rude. Body rigid, he scrutinizes me. I wait for him to move. To blink. Do anything other than gawp at me with wide eyes. A jumble of emotions flicker across his face before his chest rises with a deep inhale, as if he’d forgotten for a moment that he needs to breathe.
My heart rate spikes. Does he recognize me from somewhere?Where?Maybe he knows someone from boarding school? Has he heard the rumors?
He slips his hand into his pocket, and the corner of his mouth kicks up into a slow, disbelieving smile, emphasizing the dimples in his cheeks.
Could this line move any slower?
My gaze drops to my feet and, when I look up, the man is gone.
2Rose
“Rose, wait,” Parker calls behind me.
I storm out of the lecture hall, swearing under my breath. My head’s pounding. I shove two painkillers into my mouth and swallow them dry.Ugh.How isthiswhat I’ve become? Popping painkillers like an addict. Taking uncalculated risks. Crashing a lecture full of people. What if someone recognized us? I’ve never been this stupid before.
You’ve never been this desperate before.
“This was a dumb idea,” I mutter, more to myself than Parker, who’s trailed out behind me. “Why do I listen to you?”
Lips pressed together and eyes vacant, he only shrugs. I grit my teeth.
