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I was so busy staring up at the mcmansion outside my window that I hadn’t realized Beau had turned off the car and gotten out until he appeared in front of me, pulling my door open.
“You gonna get out so we can get this project done, or sit here and gawk the whole time?”
“I—Beau, this was a mistake. I think you should just take me home.” I didn’t belong here. That much was evident.
He rolled his eyes like I was being ridiculous. “Will you stop being dramatic? We have to do this project, so let’s go.” Instead of waiting for me, he leaned across me and unbuckled my seatbelt before grabbing my hand and tugging me out, giving me no choice but to follow after him.
He didn’t bother releasing my hand as he dragged me from the Jeep and up the steps of the impressive front porch to the heavy beveled-glass double doors.
If the outside was impressive, it was nothing compared to what the inside of the house looked like. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to live in a place like this. It didn’t feel cozy or comfortable like my home did, but that had nothing to do with the size. My house actually felt like ahome. This place felt like... a museum.
I stared around in awe, oblivious to where Beau was leading me until the toe of my shoe caught on the edge of a step.
I gave my hand a little tug, trying to get free or at least slow him down. Neither happened as he continued up the staircase at the same pace. “Where are you taking me?”
His answer had my stomach bottoming out. “My room.”
I stumbled, nearly faceplanting on the stairs. “Beau, wait.” I tugged harder on my hand. That finally got him to stop, but he still didn’t release it. The heat from his palm seeped into mine and traveled up my arm and through my entire body, sparking like a live wire. “Maybe we shouldn’t?—”
The rest of my objection died on my tongue when he turned to look back at me. “What are you so afraid of, Bubbles?” he asked, something in his voice sending a shiver up my spine. “You scared of me?”
Was I?
It didn’t really matter whether he scared me or not, because I’d never let him know. That would have only given him one more thing to hold over me, and I would be damned if I added to his arsenal.
“Please,” I scoffed indignantly. “You don’t scare me. You’re just another spoiled, self-centered jock with too much money and not enough sense.”
His brows inched higher on his forehead. “Then what’s the problem?” The way he phrased it made it feel more like a challenge than a question, and I’d be damned if I was going to be the one to back down.
Lifting my chin, I squared my shoulders and shook off any of the lingering doubts I’d had only moments ago. “Not a thing. Lead the way.”
However, as I followed him the rest of the way up the stairs and down a long, plushly-carpeted hallway, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being led by the devil himself.
“I’m telling you,we should go with what I suggested.”
I rolled my eyes at the ceiling and threw my pen down on the textbook I had open on Beau’s bed. I let out a huff and looked to where Beau sat in the rolling chair that he’d pulled over to the bed from his desk so he could kick his feet up on the mattress and relax.
“I’m not writing that down,” I argued for the millionth time. We’d been working on our project for the past hour. And what a surprising hour it had been.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I’d been teamed up with Beau, but I could admit that some of the worst-case scenarioshad filtered through my head. I was shocked when he’d taken the work seriously—well, with the exception of trying to get me to sprinkle a few sexual innuendos into the conversation we had to create. But other than that, we’d actually worked pretty well as a team.
I definitely hadn’t seen that coming.
Another thing I never would have expected in a million years was that... I was actually having a good time. Color me surprised as hell, but it was the truth. When he wasn’t going out of his way to piss me off or make me miserable, Beau Wade was actually pretty funny. I was seeing a side of him I’d never known existed. I could have actually seen us maybe being friends. Or at least friendly.
I didn’t even mind the nickname so much anymore.
“Come on, Bubbles. Bet she gives us extra points for creativity.” He winked at me and I felt my cheeks flush with heat.
I balled up a discarded piece of paper and tossed it at his head with a laugh. “More like we’d get expelled.” I picked up my pen and pointed it in his direction as he lifted the soda can to his lips and drank. “Don’t push it. I’m kinda sorta starting to not hate you a ton. Let’s not ruin that.”
He placed his hand to his chest. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” he joked playfully.
I looked down at my notebook, grinning as I wrote down the next sentence we agreed on. “Well, it’s not like you’ve given me much to make nice comments about. What with you hating me and all.”
I expected some smart reply or teasing insult, but he went silent. When I looked back up, he’d shifted in his chair, lowering his feet to the floor and leaning closer to me. His features had gone hard and the air charged. The atmosphere had gone from fun and playful to intense.
“Beau? What’s?—?”
