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I wanted to eat her up the other night, but she was so relaxed and happy that I didn’t want to erase that by coming on strong. She said she didn’t like to be touched. I wonder where that came from and who I was going to have to rub out because of it.
There’s no reason to rush things, I decided. It’s best she gets used to me, which is why I’m here waiting for her to be done with class.
The five minutes stretch into ten. I lay my head against the edge of the thin wooden seat and contemplate our dinner options. Mexican bowls, bahn-mi sandwiches, or fried chicken all sound appealing. I don’t know if she has any food allergies. I’ll have to figure that out.
“Noble Patton White?”
Lazily, I roll my head to the side to see a pair of legs and short shorts. I have no idea to whom they belong. “Yeah?”
“It’s Lia. Lia Melbourne from your marketing class. I didn’t know you were taking English Comp.”
I shove myself upright. “Is that what class I’m in?”
“It is in thirty minutes. I’ll sit beside you since you look like you’re alone.” She steps between my legs. I don’t know if I shift or she moves or we both do it at the same time, but in the next moment, her hands are on my shoulders and her boobs are about one inch from my face. I throw my hands up to her waist to prevent her from giving me an unintentional motorboat.
“Noble?”
I hear my name again, but this time I recognize the voice. Hastily, I push Lia off of me and scramble out of the seat, the desk catching my shin and nearly making me fall on my face. “Autumn. I was waiting for you.”
“Sure looks like that.” Her eyes flick over my shoulder to Lia. “Don’t mind me. Go back to whatever you were doing.”
A hand comes over my shoulder, and I feel Lia pressing herself against my back. “Who’s this, Noble?”
“My girlfriend,” I snap, and step out from Lia’s touch.
Autumn gives a laugh. “No, I’m not. He’s all yours, but you should be careful. I think he lies a lot.”
“Not to me he doesn’t,” Lia chirps.
I give her an incredulous look. I don’t know Lia at all, and we’ve never spoken more than a half dozen times and all in the context of classwork.
Autumn waves her hand dismissively and walks off. I do something I’ve never done before in my entire twenty-two years. I chase after her. “Wait a minute.”
She doesn’t slow down, but I’m six-foot-three and she’s five-foot-nothing, so it’s no time before I catch up to her.
“Don’t put me in that position again,” she snaps.
“What position? The one where I tell everyone you’re with me? I thought we decided that the first time we met.”
“We never decided anything. You said things because—I don’t know why you said them. Maybe you were feeling kind in the moment, but I’m not someone you can use as an excuse or a cover for shitty behavior.” She throws open the door to her dorm and storms through.
“What shitty behavior?”
“Obviously you led that girl on and now you regret it.” She stops in front of the elevators and punches the button. “Can you leave? This is an all-girls dorm and last I knew, you weren’t a girl.”
“I’m sure you can make exceptions.”
“Don’t make me call security.” Autumn punches the button once more, and when the elevator doesn’t arrive, she spins on her heel and brushes past me to a door that is markedStairs. I follow.
“You’ve got it wrong. I was waiting for you. Lia showed up, and she was taking a seat. She tripped and fell. I caught her because I didn’t want to have her end up in my lap. Next time I promise I’ll push her down the stairs.”
Autumn stops and halfway turns toward me. “I don’t want to see you again. I don’t want you waiting for me after class. I don’t want your money or your pity job. Leave me alone, or I’ll report you as a harasser. I know it won’t go anywhere because your last name is Patton, but maybe someone with principles will take my case, and you’ll get a taste of what it’s like to live like a normal person.”
With that, she races up the stairs. I start to give chase and then stop because it feels like I’m scaring her. I drag my hands down my face and scrub my scalp. This isn’t how I thought the afternoon would go. My plans were to wait for her to get done with class, take her out to dinner, and then lure her back to my room, where we’d watch more ofTheOfficeand I’d get her used to my presence. If one thing led to another and our clothes ended up on the floor, all the better.
But somehow, one thing went wrong, and now she’s treating me like a leper. I want to storm her castle gates and insist she let me inside, but I have a feeling she would call the police on me. A rueful grin curls up the corners of my lips. I like that, to be honest. I like that she’s strong and principled and doesn’t care about the size of my bank account. It only makes me want her more.
CHAPTER8
