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He had their food neatly arranged on the coffee table, he’d cleaned both the downstairs bathroom and his own. In case he actually got her up to his room tonight. He had his essay typed and printed for her to look over. He’deven went out and bought her a red pen so she could mark it all to hell if she needed to.
“No, I’m not in love. I’m in lust.” He tapped the paper he’d sat on the coffee table beside the broccoli and beef. “Shakespeare says it makes one a little bit mad.” He grinned, happy with himself for not only understanding the poem, but using it to relate to real life, like a true scholar.
“Well, mad I’ll give you.” Riley plopped down on the couch, his gray sweats making Jasper wrinkle his nose.
“Go change, quick, before she gets here.”
Riley glanced down at his casual outfit. “Why the hell do I need to change? We’re at home, eating Chinese food on the couch.Myfinals are done, and in about thirty minutes I’m going to pull my mate upstairs and hold my hand over her mouth while I make her come on repeat.”
Blake licked her lips and perched on Riley’s lap, making Jasper roll his eyes in annoyance. “While I truly appreciate you muffling the overly loud sound of Blake’s orgasms while we have company, I need you to change anyway. You’re wearing sweatpants that make the outline of your dick clearly visible.”
“So are you.” Riley gestured toJasper’sown barely hidden bulge.
Jasper tuggedupBlake, then hauled Riley to his feet as well.“Well, yeah. ButI want Callahan to noticemydick, not yours.” Jasper put his palms together, pleading. “If you go change, I swear I won’t mention that one time we both fucked Blake until fall semester starts.”
His best friend’s eyes narrowed in challenge. “’Tilspring semester.”
“Uh, how about you never mention it again, ever?”Blake stated.
Both shifters ignored her. Riley and Jasper knew he wouldn’t be able to go the rest of time without making jokes about their one and only threesome. There was no reason to sethimselfup for failure.
“Deal. Spring semester.” He pointed to the second floor. “Now change. Sheshould be here anyminute.”
Riley stomped up the stairs, irritated,butdoing what Jasper wanted nonetheless.Blake sat, going back to her box of greasy noodles. “You’re acting like a real loon, you know that,right? You could walk down sorority row and end up in an orgy if you so pleased, so what gives with this girl?”
“She doesn’t want me.” He peered down at the pretty girl who stole his best friend’s heart and soul. “I’m a wolf. Thechase is making me fucking giddy.”
“That sounds like you’re on your way to a felony.”
He scoffed. “I’d never hurt her, or anyone for that matter.” Although that wasn’t entirely true, was it? He’d almost hurt Madden, and then Blake. He’d wanted Axie,and if Riley hadn’t pulled him away, he’d have bitten her. He hated his wolf for reacting so strongly to the unfulfilled mating call of a woman’s body. If he could change anything about himself, that would be it. “I mean, I uh, it’s not like that with her.I—”
“Stop.” Blake reached up, taking his hand in hers. “You aren’t a criminal, and I know you would never intentionally harm anyone like that. Even on your most wolfish days, you’ve never crossed that line. I was joking.I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I love you. Youknow that.”
“I love you too.”
His grip tightened in hers as Riley came bounding down the stairs. “Quit touching my mate.” He popped him on the back of the head before joining them on the couch in a pair of basketball shorts.
Chapter Five
Callahan
Blake and her boyfriend went upstairs almost an hour ago, and yet she was still seated on the couch next to the incorrigible Jasper. Sheshould’veleft the moment they were alone together. Their time in the library made heradmithe was a real person with feelings and thoughts. Then he’d gone and given her chills with his softly spoken words about lust and Shakespeare. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d experienced lust in her entire life.Jasper.He’d made her want him,andfor a small moment in time she’d imagined climbing into his lap and begging him to keep whisperingSonnet 129in her ear.
She gave herself a mental head shake, choosing to concentrate on the real reason she was hereinhis house, surrounded by his spicey scent and greasy Chinese food. “Your essay is really good.” She handed it back to him, with only a few notes and corrections made in red ink. “I have no doubt you’ll pass the final tomorrow.”
“Really?” His grin grew as she nodded in response. “Will you come over to celebrate after? We could have a drink, maybe go out with Blake and Riley for a couple hours?”
She wanted to say yes, which was exactly why she wouldn’t. “I can’t.” She stood, a small frown on her face, like she was sorryshe’dturned him down. She wasn’t sorry though. Shewas full of self-preservation and inhibitions. The way she’d been so carefully raised to be. “I have other plans.” Plans that included packing to move home for the summerbeforefalling asleep alone in her dormroom, reading a romance novel, and eating a sleeve ofGirl Scoutcookies.
“Oh, okay.” His disappointment was clear, his pretty eyes losing some of their light. Jasper tended to deflate a bit every time she told him no. She chose not to dwell on why it always made her take pause and consider changing her mind. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in class?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” She picked up her bag, shoving her cell into the front pocket. “Thanks for dinner.” She shut the front door before she could even hear his response.
She put all thoughts of Jasper out of her mind for as long as it took for her to climb into bed with her Kindle and her cookies. She sighed, glancing around her lonely half-packed dorm room. Her roommate was always out having fun and meeting up with friends. At first she used to inviteCallahanalong. Butafter so many times of Callahan turning her down, she’d stopped. She’d been away at college for two semesters and she could count the number of good times she’d had on one hand. How sad was that? Sure she had a sparkling GPA, and an empty TBR list. But what was it worth?
She’d enjoyed Jasper’s company, and he’d turned out to have some actual humility and substance. She wanted to see him again, so why push that desire away? Who knew when she’d feel it again? She was going home for the summer,which meantshe’d be boring and repressed, and stuckwith her family. Might as well experience a small piece of college life while she had the chance. She doubted she’d even see Jasper again next semester.
She plucked her phone off the charger, pulling up his name.
