Foreplay: The Ivy Chronicles Page 18

“Guess we’re not that different, after all,” he added.

  I rested my cheek on his chest, knowing we were going to have to get up in a few minutes and get dressed, but for now, we held each other as his words sank in and made my stomach knot. We’re not that different. Two people that didn’t have the faintest clue about belonging to a normal, loving family.

  “No. I guess not.”

  I hurried across campus, stopping at the crosswalk for the light. I bounced anxiously in place, burying my hands deep in my jacket pockets. I was already late for Statistics.

  “Hey, Pepper! Hold up!”

  My head whipped around to watch Hunter jogging toward me. He gave me a light hug. I closed my eyes, enveloped in him.

  “Hi! How’s it going?”

  “Good.” He nodded across the street. “Headed that way?”

  “Yeah. Kensington.”

  “C’mon. I’ll walk you. I just got out of class.”

  We crossed the street together. My hand escaped my pocket to flex nervously around my strap.

  “I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. I need a break.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” I returned. “Can’t wait to see Lila.”

  He rolled his eyes. “We’ll have to hear about her new boyfriend.”

  I tsked. “Behave. This one is nice.”

  “Do I have to be? She changes boyfriends like socks.”

  “We can’t all be devoted to someone for years on end,” I teased.

  He looked at me with wide eyes. “First of all, it was maybe, maybe two years.” He waggled two fingers at me. “And we’re not dating anymore, remember?”

  I grinned, staring straight ahead. Sensing his gaze on me, I slid him another look and my pulse quickened at the way he was studying me. Almost like he had never seen me before.

  “What about you? Are you dating anyone?” Two things happened in that moment. First, an image of Reece flashed across my mind. Not that it should. I hadn’t seen or heard from him in a week. Not since he spent the night with me in my dorm. Second, I realized that he was asking if I was single. He’d never asked me if I was dating anyone before. Obviously he’d never cared enough to ask. But he cared now.

  “No. Not really.”

  “Hmm,” he murmured. “You sound a little uncertain. There’s someone. And now your cheeks are pink, so I know I’m right.”

  I pressed a hand to my face as if I could feel said pinkness there. “No, they’re not. It’s just chilly.”

  “Oh, you have a boyfriend.” He chuckled.

  “Shut it! I don’t.” We stopped before the steps leading into Kensington. I stepped to the side, clear of the flood of students passing in and out of the double doors. I stood on the bottom step, which brought me almost to eye level with Hunter.

  He smiled, that dimple I loved so much denting his left cheek. “Maybe not yet. But there’s someone. I can see it in your eyes.”

  You. I wanted to shout. It’s always been you.

  His gaze flicked up and down, quickly looking me over. “You look good, Pepper. Did you do something to your hair?”

  “Oh. Thanks.” I smoothed a hand over my hair, glad I’d worn it down and not in a ponytail. “Yeah. Some highlights.” Thankfully my voice sounded natural. Like compliments were something I heard all the time. Reece’s voice floated through my mind. You’re beautiful.

  I glanced over my shoulder. “I think I’m late.”

  Hunter nodded. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’ll text you. You okay to leave on Wednesday?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Great.” He walked backward several steps before turning and merging into the flow of students.

  I watched him go even though I was already late. Staring at his back, I tried to recall whether Hunter had ever paid me a compliment before. Sure, he had always been nice to me, but he’d never looked at me the way he just did. Like he saw me as something other than his little sister’s best friend.

  Like he saw me.

  Chapter 20

  Emerson walked into my room, cracking the stem of a banana as I worked on a paper at my laptop. “So no Reece tonight?”

  The question hit a nerve. There shouldn’t be an assumption that I would be with him just because we’d spent a few nights together. Should there?

  I wanted to snap that I hadn’t heard from him in over a week, so why would she think I would be seeing him again? But that might reveal just how much I wanted to see him again. Instead, I answered, “No. Just trying to get some work done. This is due Thursday, but I have to work tomorrow so I’m getting it done now.” I glanced at her.

  “Hmm,” she murmured, taking a bite from her banana.

  I leaned back in my chair and stared at her evenly. “What?”

  “Well, you haven’t seen him since you took care of him, right?”

  I had told Georgia and Emerson all about staying with Reece when he was sick. I just never mentioned the follow-up night when he brought me a cupcake and stayed over. Georgia had been at Harris’s that night, and Em got in so late that Reece and I were already asleep. She never heard a sound from next door. Not even when he left in the morning.

  I frowned. “I didn’t take care of him.”

  Emerson had looked confused when I explained about nursing him through his stomach bug. Clearly, if there wasn’t making out involved she wasn’t sure what I was doing with him. Valid confusion. To be fair, I suffered from some of the same confusion. Only Georgia had looked vaguely knowing. Like she understood perfectly what I was doing with him. I resisted the urge to ask her what was behind her meaningful little nod. I didn’t need to let on just how adrift I felt.

  She arched an eyebrow.

  “I just got him some medicine,” I denied lamely. And curled up with him and held him through the worst of his fever.

  “Oh, really?” She looked amused. “The last time Georgia was sick, I stayed far away just so I wouldn’t catch it. And we’re best friends.” She cocked her head. “What do you do for some guy you just met?” She pointed a finger at me somewhat accusingly. “You skip work and nurse him like a regular Florence Nightingale.”

  I shrugged. “I have strong immunities.” Not much of an excuse, but it was all I could think to say.

  Suddenly my phone vibrated. I picked it up and felt my stomach pitch. Speak of the devil.

  Reece: Hey. How are you?

  What? Had I summoned him with my thoughts?

  “Who’s that?”

  “Just my lab partner,” I lied. I’m not sure why I felt compelled to lie, but it was my first impulse. I put my phone facedown.

  Accepting my lie, she continued, “So you have no plans to see him again? You don’t want to go to Mulvaney’s this weekend?”

  “No.”

  “Hm. Just thought you might be missing him.”

  “Nope.” Avoiding her gaze, I returned my attention to my monitor and typed another word. “It’s not like we’re a thing, Em. I know it and so does he.” My gaze flicked to my phone again. Then why was he texting me?

  “Yeah.” She sounded unconvinced. “But the friends with benefits thing can get tricky.”

  “We’re not even that.”

  “Well, whatever you are.” She waved a hand dismissively. “You’re done with him then?”

  I typed another word. “Yeah. I guess. I haven’t really thought much about it—about him.” Only all the time. “I’ve been busy. And he has my number anyway.” I glanced again to where my phone sat.

  “Ah. So you’re waiting for him to call.”

  Too late, I regretted saying that. “I’m not waiting for him to do anything.”

  “Okay, okay.” She threw her banana peel into my trash can. “Just checking on you, that’s all.”

  “Thanks, but everything’s fine, Mom. I’m going home with Hunter for Thanksgiving. That’s what this whole thing with Reece was about. Remember?”

  “Oh, I remember.” She nodded. “I was just curious if you still did.” With that parting remark, Em glided b
ack through our adjoining door.

  I resumed tapping at the keys, struggling to concentrate on my concluding paragraph. I finally gave up and pushed back from my desk. Standing, I rubbed my hands over my face and paced the small space between my desk and bed.

  The conversation with Em hadn’t helped. I’d been thinking about him a lot. Especially after he opened up to me and told me about his mother. My mom might have left voluntarily, chosen addiction over me, but we’d both grown up motherless. He was right. We weren’t that different. Deciding it wouldn’t be wrong to at least reply to his text, I plucked my phone off my desk. His message stared back at me. My fingers paused a moment before typing.

  Me: Hey. How’s it going?

  I hesitated, reading the simple line, making certain it was what I wanted to say. Not too much. Not too little. Satisfied, I hit SEND.

  Setting the phone down, I sank back in my chair and reread my last paragraph. Text sent, I was determined to finish this assignment.

  And then my phone buzzed. I snatched it up.

  Reece: I’m good. Ever since this excellent nurse took really good care of me a few days ago I’m better than ever

  Smiling, I typed back, my thumbs flying.

  Me: Lucky u

  Reece: She tastes good, too. Like cupcake

  My face flamed as I typed.

  Me: That’s what happens when someone feeds her cupcake

  Reece: She just needed one of those sexy nurse outfits to make my fantasy complete

  I giggled.

  Me: Your fantasy involves puke and a nasty stomach bug???

  Reece: It involves you

  The smile slipped from my face and my breath caught. Shit. He wasn’t even here, and just like that he made my knees go weak and my face heat. My fingers trembled over the keys, unsure how to respond. Then I noticed he had started typing again. I waited for the words to appear.

  Reece: When can I see u again?

  My heart raced at the idea of seeing him again. At my place? Or his? I gnawed on my bottom lip, thinking.

  Reece: Can u grab lunch Wed?

  I blinked. Lunch out? Not his loft or my dorm. What was that about? Friends went out for lunch. And couples. We weren’t a couple, but I guess we could be the latter. Friends. Would that be too weird?

  Reece: Hello?

  Me: Yes. Wed works

  Reece: How about Gino’s?

  Gino’s served the best pizza and calzones in town. The popular pizza parlor wasn’t far from Mulvaney’s off the strip.

  Me: Sounds good. What time should I meet u?

  Reece: I’ll pick u up at noon, ok?

  I frowned. Picking me up made it feel like a date.

  Me: It’s just lunch. I can meet u there

  Reece: I’ll pick u up

  I stared at the screen, debating arguing. Instead, I just typed okay.

  Reece: See u then

  Setting my phone on my desk, I looked at the adjoining door. The sound of the television floated into my room. Emerson always studied with the TV on. I took a step in that direction and stopped myself, deciding against telling her about the date. After the inquisition of a few moments ago she would only see this as affirmation that I missed Reece and wanted to see him again or some such nonsense.

  It wasn’t that. It was simply deepening my education. Our pseudo-date would be a trial run for when Hunter took me out. If that even happened like I hoped.

  This was just a pretend date. The center of my chest pulled uncomfortably. I rubbed at the spot, willing for the tightness to loosen. Yeah. Pretend. As was everything else we had done. Nothing more. Nothing real.

  Chapter 21

  He knocked at a few minutes before noon. I took a final look at myself in the mirror. It was tricky deciding what to wear. We were going for pizza in the middle of the day. It wasn’t like getting dressed up for an evening out.

  I settled on skinny jeans and a fitted long-sleeved shirt. I opted for my half-boots instead of sneakers like I always wore to class. The hair I wore down. I even tamed the mess of waves with product and a diffuser. A lot of effort for me. I wasn’t in total denial. He thought my hair was beautiful and I wanted to live up to that. It was somewhat humbling to know that my ego craved such affirmation. I wasn’t so unlike other girls who sought approval. That made me normal, I supposed. A laugh escaped me. Finally. I’d only ever wanted to be normal. To sit at the cool kids’ table just for being me and not because I was Lila Montgomery’s best friend.

  Opening the door, the sight of him hit me like a fist. God. When was that going to stop happening. How many kisses would it take for him not to have that effect on me?

  “Hey.” Okay, did my voice have to sound like I just sucked down helium?

  “Hey.” His gaze moved over me from top to bottom. “You look really pretty.”

  “Thanks.” I surveyed him in turn. He wore jeans and a gray thermal shirt that hugged his broad shoulders. The shirt wasn’t skin-tight, but the corded strength of his lean torso was evident. “So do you.”

  He grinned.

  “Well, not pretty,” I corrected. “Good. You look good.” God. First date fail.

  “Thanks. Ready?”

  I nodded and grabbed my bag. Pulling the strap across my chest, I locked the door behind me. There were plenty of girls walking the hall and lounging in the small sitting area across from the elevator at this time of day. They weren’t subtle in their stares. One girl leaned far back, nearly toppling over the chair to better check out Reece as we waited in front of the elevator.

  I’m sure he noticed, but said nothing. Or maybe he didn’t notice. Maybe he was just accustomed to being checked out, so he wasn’t aware of it happening. He waved me inside the elevator. We didn’t talk on the ride down or during the short walk to his Jeep. He opened the passenger door for me, which only bewildered me. The action seemed a bit much for a friend to do for another friend. So what was he doing with me? What was all this about? It couldn’t be a real date.

  “I’m starving,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Me, too.” Five minutes later we pulled into Gino’s parking lot. This close to campus, it was crowded with students.

  “Guess I could have picked someplace less busy,” Reece murmured after the hostess told us it would be a few minutes.

  “They turn tables over fast. Everyone’s got class or work to go to.”

  He nodded and stared out at the restaurant, scanning the red-checkered tablecloths. He actually looked a little nervous.

  “Are you working tonight?” I asked.

  He faced me again. “Yeah.”

  “It’s nice you have your days free.”

  “My schedule is pretty much my own, but I like to be there in the evenings when it’s peak business. Especially weekends. It’s never that busy on weekdays. I think you met Gary. Guy with the mustache?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s been working there since I was in diapers. He can run the place without me.”

  I nodded. “Seems like running a business would be a big responsibility.”

  “I like it okay. I’ve got a few ideas. Been thinking about expanding and adding a second location. Which is crazy when you think that I never wanted anything to do with the place in the beginning. I hated having to come home and work during breaks. It was my old man’s thing. Not mine. I guess I didn’t like being under his thumb. I was studying business in college when I had to drop out and come home and help out. And now here I am.”

  Studying him, I asked, “You don’t want to go back to school? Finish your degree?”

  He shrugged. “I’m running a business now. Learning through trial and error. And if I went back to school my ol’ man would sell off Mulvaney’s. It’s been in my family too long. I couldn’t let him do that. I guess it’s in my blood.”

  The hostess called for us. She led us to a table for two near the window that faced the street. Seated, we opened the menus.

  “What kind of pizza do you like
?” he asked.

  “My favorite is usually the Greek. Love the olives and feta and bits of shaved gyro meat on it. I usually get a slice or two of that—”

  “That’s one of my favorites, too. Let’s get a large.” Closing the menu, he added with a grin, “I eat a lot.”

  “I remember. Pancakes this tall.” I floated a hand above the table.

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  “And fourteen meatballs.”

  “You cheated me on those. I think you just gave me five.”

  I shook my head. “So unfair. Guys have some kind of superhero metabolism.”

  “You should see Logan eat. He’ll get a large just for himself and a side of wings and the meatball calzone.”

  “Teenage boys,” I grumbled.

  “Yeah, and he plays sports so he has no body fat at all.”

  My gaze skimmed Reece’s chest and arms appreciatively. He was all hard, lean lines and tight muscle. He didn’t appear to have an ounce of fat on him either. Recalling that I had stripped down to my panties in front of him suddenly astonished me.

  Pushing away the memory, I added, “And your brother has a lot of late night activity, too.”

  The instant the words slipped out, my face caught fire. I had pretty much just called his brother a man-whore to his face. And it only called attention to what brought us together in the first place—the fact that I had thought he was the infamous bartender that slept with every girl to pass through Mulvaney’s doors.

  Luckily, he didn’t take offense. He laughed. The waitress arrived to take our order right then. She froze, an awed smile fixed to her face as she eyed Reece.

  “Ah, what can I get for you?” she addressed Reece without glancing at me. I couldn’t really blame her. Whenever he was around he was all I could look at, too.

  He turned that dazzling smile on her and the waitress’s eyes might have glazed over. He ordered our pizza. It took her a moment to look down at her pad. She fumbled with the pen before finally managing to write. “Excellent choice. That’s my favorite.”

  Reece’s gaze slid to me and his look made me warm from the inside out. “Ours, too.”

  She looked at me as though remembering my presence. A stupid smile curved my lips and I looked down at my hands laced together in front of me. Ours. That single word ricocheted through my head. It made me feel all kinds of good to hear him say that single word. Foolish, I knew. But there it was.