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His eyes flicked over my tight, cropped red sweater and the v-neck that showed a peek of cleavage. Without apology, he lingered on the sliver of bare skin above my black leggings. As hot as the room was, goosebumps sprang up on my skin.
When he looked back at my face, I had a sudden urge to tell him that I hadn’t showered because my water heater was off. That I’d done my makeup in the bathroom of the engineering building because I couldn’t see in my apartment. That I’d skipped dinner because I was too stressed to eat. That I was determined no one would know any of this.
“Darts?” He nodded toward the board.
“Sure.” I swallowed a mouthful of beer and set the cup down where I could keep an eye on it.
He put a dart in my hand. “You first.”
My hand shook. I squinted at the dart board and took aim. It went wide, quivering in the outer ring. I glanced at Patrick and went for another sip of beer.
“What’s your major?”
His dart sailed to the bullseye.Thunk.It stuck there, mocking me. “What’s yours?” he replied.
“Tell you later.” I grabbed another dart and tried again. The point caught in the second circle. Patrick’s dart flew straight to the center, keeping his first one company.
“Stop showing me up.” I pushed my hair back from my face.
“I’ve had a lot of practice.”
“With darts?”
He shrugged his huge shoulders. I stared at the points caught in the bullseye.
“I fell asleep in one of my classes today,” I blurted. “I’ve never done that before. I woke up to the sound of thirty people laughing at me. Hilarious.”
His mouth twitched. “Sleeping Beauty.”
A flush spread down my chest.
“Nah. I’ve never been a fan of that story. Sleeping Beauty doesn’tdoanything. The princes are the ones who struggle with the thorns.”
“So who are you?” His deep voice was amused behind me.
I’d always liked Little Red Riding Hood, but I wasn’t going to say so. “You tell me.”
He took aim with another dart. “I prefer reality.”
“I broke up with my boyfriend,” I announced, in case he was wondering.
“Congratulations.” He dropped the dart and clinked his plastic cup against mine. Clear liquid rippled inside. “Cheers.”
“That’s a full cup. No mixers?”
One dark brow lifted. “Water. I told you I don’t drink.”
“In November! Things could have changed since then. Did you take a vow or something? C’mere.” It wasn’t like me to come on this strong. “Let me smell your breath.”
“No.” He cocked his head. “You’ll have to take me at my word.”
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment.
“You asked what my major was,” I snapped. “Well, I’m majoring in finding out why you’ve been giving me the eye and you’re doing nothing about it.”
His brows lifted sardonically. But there was no mistaking the sudden flash in his eyes — the hunger. He took a step toward me.
“You call this nothing, Christina?”
