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I head into the Science Building and find the small library reserved for studying. I loved the smell of the old parchment from the books and inhale deeply as I sit and open my book along with the notes from my last Chemistry class.
But my mind won’t let me concentrate on the complicated material. Felicity’s comment about me being family now distracts me. It’s silly but I do actually feel a little like family now. It feels like I have brothers the way Raider, Colt, Tanner, and even Matt have started teasing me lately. It feels like I have a sister in Felicity, and now Willa. I’m sure I can add Raven to that category too, but I haven’t seen her since Sunday morning. Bash feels like the family patriarch the way he’s always tossing out orders and people—mostly guys from the club—that keep showing up at the Hannigans’ house to ask for help.
And Hawk … Well I’m not sure what category I can place him in. I know what one I’d like to put him in though.
Things are complicated with Hawk. I’m twisted up inside over him. Logic tells me that I should be terrified of everything male because of what had happened at the party just a week ago. And I am skittish of most guys now, even the ones I’ve grown to accept as friendly like Raider and Colt. Hawk is a different story.
I go to sleep every night in his bed—alone. I wake up every morning with his strong arms wrapped around me. His warm, bare chest presses against my back, his hot breath breathing against the back of my neck sending shivers down my spine. I can’t remember him coming to bed, can’t remember anything except that there have been no nightmares.
Sighing, I push my hair back from my face and force myself to concentrate on the notes I’ve diligently taken. I have a quiz today, and I desperately needed to get an A on it. We only have three tests for the semester: Midterm, Finals, and Lab. Even with help, I’d barely gotten a C on my midterm. Luckily, the professor is a decent enough guy. Since most of the class hadn’t even passed that first exam, he’s started giving quizzes before each class. The points earned from each quiz go toward bringing up the midterm grade.
Thirty minutes later the professor walks into class with a determined look on his face. I keep my gaze on him so I won’t be tempted to glance behind me to see if what-ever-his-name-is is in attendance. It wasn’t until I left campus the evening before that I remembered the guy that tried to help Brayden rape me is also in my Chemistry class. It kept me up most of the night, and when Hawk had finally come to bed I was still wide awake.
I stupidly told him what was bothering me, and he tried repeatedly to get me to not go to class today. He was pissed off when I finally fell asleep, and still tried to talk me out of going this morning. I hate that he’s upset with me, but this is my last semester and I need Chemistry class to complete my degree and get into Creswell’s law program.
I’m not going to let a creep who tried to destroy me stand in my way!
Professor Schmidt passes out our quizzes on the material from the week before, and I carefully answer each of the ten questions. We never know what we get on these freaking things and won’t until the week before finals. Thankfully that’s only a few short weeks away. If I don’t pass this class with at least a B, then I won’t graduate with honors. I want that prestige for no other reason than to make my mother proud. I know it’s a stupid reason, but it seems like every time I succeed at something in school my mother has always been at her happiest. Now that she’s gone, I like to think that she smiles down on me from wherever she is every semester that I finish on the Dean’s List. That she’s happy—proud—of me even in death.
Once the quiz has been collected, the professor dives right into a new lecture and doesn’t come up for air until it’s time for our break. I wait until the room is empty before standing. My trip to the ladies’ room is uneventful, but I can’t help how I keep glancing around like an escaped con looking out for the cops. I don’t even know that loser’s name, and yet he is making me paranoid to the point of embarrassment.
On the way back to the class room, I stop in front of the vending machine. I’m starving and know I won’t make it through the rest of the class unless I have a snack. The bag of salted peanuts would have been the best choice, but my gaze keeps going to the sticky honey bun. When the girl in line behind me clears her throat, I push a dollar into the machine but my fingers hover over the button.
“Pick the honey bun, Gracie,” a deep voice murmurs from right beside of me.
I blink and turn my head to find Hawk standing right there. Right there! My heart twists like a pretzel then melts. With a grin he reaches around me and pushes the button that makes the honey bun fall. He bends to retrieve my snack and hands it over. “Let’s get back to class.”
I frown at him as he walks beside me toward the right class room without any direction from me. The halls are complicated. How did he know where to go? “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He thrusts his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “I hated the thought of you being in the same room with that bastard … By the way, his name is Kevin Samson. His dad is some kind of big deal in San Francisco. The party last weekend wasn’t the first time he…” he breaks off, clenching his jaw “…tried to hurt a girl. He transferred here from UCLA because he was expelled for the same thing.”
“How do you know all of that?” I ask, opening my snack and pinching off a small piece.
“I have connections, sweetheart. Powerful connections.” He winks as he lets me walk into class ahead of him. I go to my desk at the front of the class and sit down. Hawk carelessly drops down into the chair beside me.
I grin. “Oh yeah.” I roll my eyes at him. “I forgot.”
He slings an arm around the back of my seat, leaning closer. “You’re really cute when you concentrate hard, Gracie. Do you even realize that you were twisting your hair around your finger as you were taking your test?”
“What? No, I didn’t even notice.” I tear off another piece of the honey bun and offer it to him. “So you’ve been here the whole class?”
Hawk leans forward a little more and takes the offered bite with his lips, his tongue lingering on my thumb just before pulling away. He doesn’t seem affected at all, but I’m sure I’ve stopped breathing. Sweet Holy Hotness!
“I got here before you did. I was in the back keeping an eye on Samson.”
Before I can find my voice, Professor Schmidt reenters the classroom, and I have to find the brain power to concentrate on the rest of his lecture. Easier said than done when my heart’s racing, my panties are suddenly damp, and every breath I inhale brings the scent of Hawk.
I’m so screwed for the quiz next Friday!
Raven
I really don’t want to like Willa. I want to hate her. I want to scratch her eyes out when I look at her. She’s why my friend is so unhappy. She’s been living with my boyfriend for over a year, playing happy family that I didn’t even know I want to be playing.
I can’t hate her.
I try hard … for about an hour. But during the time we wait in my new room keeping Lexa from the ugliness that’s taking place downstairs, I realize that I like Willa Blackstone. She’s feisty, funny … nice. When I find myself smiling at something snarky she says, I fe
el like a traitor. Spider’s hurting and here I am finding myself warming up to the female that has caused him so much pain.
